Ever since I was a child, I was obsessed with penpals, writing letters, collecting postcards and stationery, etc. Then, in high school, when I joined the Amnesty International club, I realized that writing letters (something I still love to do) can actually make a difference in the world. They may be letters of personal solidarity and support, letters to people in positions of authority, letters to our governing representatives to request changes in policy, or letters to corporations to requests changes in practices.
I already do a lot of e-mail activism, and am on *MANY* action update subscription lists. The thing is, many of the people we're writing to in order to create change are "emailed out." In this digital age, a handwritten, stamped letter has a huge impact. According to former Congressperson Billy Evan (D-Ga.), "Legislators estimate that 10 letters from constituents represent the concerns of 10,000 citizens. Anybody who will take the time to write is voicing the fears and desires of thousands more." I'm also a fan of getting creative. I have created collage-style postcards about particular issues to send to congressional reps. I even sent a few senators a Barbara Kingsolver poem about unwarranted wiretapping during the ongoing debates about its legitimacy.
Oh, and did I mention this is a great way to use up all the stationery I've been hoarding?
I'm going to try to include issues that have more of an ongoing campaign. Email actions are great for getting the word out about urgent updates, but I want folks to be able to browse the archives of this site and be able to write a letter about anything, anytime. Enjoy, and if you write a letter from one of these posts or have a suggestion about a future campaign/issue/topic, please leave a comment!
