Advocating for Policy Change

In many ways, policy and advocacy have been narrowly defined within the tobacco control movement. For some communities, policy needs to focus more broadly than clean indoor air and taxes to include parity or equity in processes, outcomes, and resources within the tobacco control movement and policy advocacy within one's own community. Tobacco control policy advocacy must focus on four levels: within the community; with tobacco control organizations; with policymakers; and against the tobacco industry (APPEAL, 2002).

One approach to tobacco control policy advocacy is within the community, where tobacco control is not typically a high priority. Sometimes this means reaching beyond traditional health organizations to include national organizations and other social justice organizations in the tobacco control movement.

Along with advocating within communities, we must also recognize the importance of advancing parity within the tobacco control movement, where populations most adversely affected by tobacco have not typically been a high priority. Advancing parity in tobacco control means increasing participation and inclusion of diverse communities in critical decision-making within tobacco control organizations and equity in resources. This involves advocacy with mainstream tobacco control organizations and increased partnerships with other communities of color. It is important to push for systemic change to reach parity and increase collaboration between communities of color in order to strengthen our voice.

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