A couple of weeks ago I had a first. For the first time since launching Part of the Possible I had an opportunity to present an advocacy seminar for a group of aspiring advocates.
The group included college students who hail from the agricultural sector. They come largely from small family farms across the Buckeye state. All are student members of professional associations that lobby on behalf of those operations. In the coming years, these young men and women will have the opportunity to join the fight – so to speak – to protect their livelihoods.
For the past year and a half, I’ve had greater exposure to the agriculture industry than ever before in my life. I’ve gotten to know the members of these associations and work alongside them. Without fail, the opportunities to do so have been some of the most rewarding moments of my time in politics and advocacy. Speaking with these students was another eye-opening, highly rewarding experience.
Despite the sprawling farmlands across our country, only about 1.3% of our fellow Americans are employed as farmers. As such a small subset of the population, they face an uphill battle in advocacy – constantly working inside and outside of their industry to demonstrate the advances of American agriculture. But, in addition to the technical side of their work, American agriculture now has to bridge the divide between producers and the growing suburban and urban communities who consume their products.
As Americans continue to centralize their population centers, there’s an acute, emerging disconnect between these communities. For good reason, American agriculture is working to reconnect – and been doing so for years. But one aspect of that reconnect is sharing and exposing the rest of the country to their lifestyle.
In the last year alone, TikTok has developed into a platform for growers like the Richlands Dairy family in Virginia to welcome us into that lifestyle. Part of their massive appeal in the past year is that they’ve opened the digital farm gate and invited every one of us into their daily routines. Perfectly timed with the spike in food consciousness spurred by the pandemic, the Richlands Dairy Family have become de-facto voices of American agriculture.
So it’s not a surprise that their platform came to mind when fielding a question from one of those student advocates. The question was loaded: “is it ok to wear boots when I meet with a legislator?”
The short answer is yes – just make sure they’re not the same ones you use to muck out the stalls.
But the more thorough answer is, “Yes, it’s OK to share the character of your culture.” We’ve been talking a lot about storytelling lately. The easiest ways to launch into successful storytelling are to a) have your advocates comfortable; and b) leverage their culture as a starting point.
In fact, the only cautionary tale I would offer is to us on the professional side of advocacy. We must avoid disingenuous adaptations of the styles, cultural influences and trends of those we represent. Often times we are not a part of those cultures – and trying to be so won’t win us friends. We must pursue being our own genuine selves at the same time we push our advocates to be theirs.
It should go without saying that the clothes you wear, and how you present yourself in public reflect the gravity you personally believe surrounds a meeting. Your presentation will communicate how much, or how little, you respect the target of your advocacy event. But yes, it is ok to introduce your culture in respectful, professional ways. I would go further and say that for groups as marginalized as American agriculture today, it’s almost imperative that you do so.
So yes, shine your boots, don your favorite buckle and go fight for your livelihood.
Part of the Possible 