2018 CIIP Program Book CIIP Booklet 2018 | Page 38

This summer, I’ve split my time between United Workers’ campaign for the human right to
housing and Maryland Physicians for a National Health Program’s legislative advocacy, espe-
cially through the Healthcare is a Human Right campaign. These two organizing efforts have
given me a chance to work in campaigns at two very different stages of development.
I’ve already worked with United Workers for more than a year, and I’ve participated in shap-
ing the direction of the campaign as we work to fund the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and
create community land trusts. I help direct the effort to ensure that we have enough ballot ini-
tiative petition signatures and then determine how best to divide the time of our canvassing
team as we continue to collect signatures. Through the action planning team, I also partici-
pate in deliberations about how we should best balance complex political dynamics, where
we compromise, and where we stand and fight.
Through United Workers, I’ve learned about what goes into developing a strategy and telling
a story through a campaign, and I use that experience to move the campaign for Fair Devel-
opment forward. I’ve also used that experience to begin and lead the Healthcare is a Human
Right campaign’s effort to push a congressperson to support Medicare for All legislation. With
Baltimore area leaders, I spent much of my summer wrangling volunteers, reaching out to
community organizations, and helping HCHR build a base and a strategy in Baltimore and the
county. Leading an organizing effort – off of a college campus – has been a new experience.
In meetings with HCHR leaders, I’ve been able to bring experience and knowledge from
United Workers and other organizing efforts that I’ve been a part of, and then work to expand
the capacity of the campaign to get the campaign off the ground. It has been gratifying to
provide HCHR with my energy and skills to move the group forward, building a larger base
and momentum that they can use in the coming months to make serious political change in
Maryland.
Community Partner: Maryland Physicians
for a National Health Program
Peer Mentor: Evan Drukker-Schardl
Site Supervisor: Margaret Flowers
What is Maryland Physicians for a
National Health Program?
Physicians for a National Health Program
(PNHP) advocates for universal, comprehen-
sive single-payer national health insurance.
PNHP believes that access to high-quali-
ty health care is a right of all people and
should be provided equitably as a public
service rather than bought and sold as a
commodity.
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Organized the beginning of a campaign with Healthcare is a Human Right MD to push a local
congressperson to support Medicare for All legislation. Recruited volunteers, reached out to
community organizations, collected petition signatures, and coordinated petitioning efforts
Wrote short education pieces about Medicare for All that constituents can use to educate con-
gressional staffers about single payer
Organized petitioning for United Workers’ Fund the Trust ballot initiative, including collect-
ing signatures, recruiting volunteers for petitioning events, and leading an effort to check the
validity of thousands of petition signatures
Strategized with the Baltimore Housing Roundtable action planning committee, working with
other BHR members to balance complex political concerns to determine the best ways to
advance an agenda of Fair Development in Baltimore City