Chester Marshall and Jacqui Patterson

For the newly appointed co-chairs, 2007 will be in a year of growth and transition as the Public Policy Institute moves forward.  The aim of the co-chairs is to work with each NABSW committee to advance the policy objectives you have identified and to develop a unified action plan that encompasses these objectives.  As such, you’ll note that many of our activities and goals are process oriented as we seek to gather information, as well as develop strategies, protocols, mechanisms and for advancing the interests of NABSW in local, state, and national policy.

By the third quarter we trust we will have progressed to such an extent that NABSW will begin to inject itself substantially into national policy making and policy change arenas.  Our ultimate goal is to see that the august organization of NABSW has truly harnessed its considerable technical acumen, decades of experience, and analytical prowess to put an end to policies that perpetuate institutionalized oppression, as well as positively impact the creation of policies that advance our communities.  In 2007, the Public policy Institute will propose:

• A crosscutting policy initiative on voter education and voter registration as a key drive for 2007-2008. Though this falls somewhat under the Civil Liberties Committee and we will work with this committee, there are ways that this issue intersects with virtually all committees because each committee can develop a score card on their issue area according to how the candidates’ history and proposed policies will serve the interests of black people. These scorecards can be combined to create an NABSW platform on the 2008 elections that outline our priorities and includes and action plan that emphasizes encouraging our communities to get out and vote to ensure that our interests are served through the next administration.
• The creation of an economic development committee given the importance of
• economics as the tool and catalyst of oppression as well as one of the key instruments of liberation. We’d like to begin whatever discussions are necessary to advance this proposal and await the guidance of the leadership on this initiative, and
• Creating a committee to address the paucity of research and credible information regarding service delivery to the population of African-American Men.

For 2007, the Institute has also identified broad forward planning agenda goals inclusive of: 

• Holding consultations with each NABSW committee to determine policy priorities for each issue area, preferably no more than 3 or 4 top priorities for each committee.
• Working with each committee to develop a committee-specific action plan for advancing identified policy plans.
• Combining all committee plans into a unified action plan and add issues that were proposed and approved for macro-level policy initiatives for 2007 (See the 2007 consideration listed above)
• Identifying a policy representative/liaison from each NABSW committee.
• Drafting protocols and procedures, in conjunction with the policy representatives and liaisons, to be approved by the steering committee under the leadership of the President, for the introduction and movement of proposed actions regarding policies which feed our national policy platform. For example this committee will include in its protocols the process for advancing proposed sign-on letters, developing policy papers and NABSW representation to committees/meetings which are deliberating policies at the national/federal level, and lastly
• At the request of the NABSW President, advocate for the PATHWAY Act which focuses on the health and wellbeing of women and girls globally.  Toward this end, we will work with both the Health and Wellness Task Force and International Relations Committee to make recommendations to advance our engagement in this area.