American Advocacy: A Reason for Optimism

Earlier this month, Gallup released a report on America’s satisfaction or lack thereof in several key areas. It painted a bleak picture.

Americans’ satisfaction with the nation remains at record lows—only 18% expressed positive views on issues like the economy, government, and race relations. Among the leading areas of dissatisfaction were:

• Efforts to deal with poverty and homelessness (80% dissatisfied)
• The moral and ethical climate (78% dissatisfied)
• The quality of public education (73% dissatisfied)

Another survey (January 2–15) summarized it simply: 77% of Americans are dissatisfied with “the way things are going in the U.S.”

Yikes. There aren’t many things we agree on—except that we don’t like the direction we’re heading. It’s easy to feel society is stuck or even moving backward.

Yet, despite the challenges, I am reminded every day of the reason to be optimistic: advocacy—the process of building public support for policy change.

Advocacy literally originates from Latin for ‘to call, summon, invite’ - as in inviting others to join in your cause. Today this can take many forms such as writing to legislators, organizing community members, signing petitions, protesting, sharing stories and generally influencing decisions.

What I love about this profession is that advocacy is rooted in optimism. It’s about pushing for a better world and challenging those in power to make change a reality.

Our nation’s founders felt so strongly about this optimism that the rights of assembly and petition took precedence in the Bill of Rights:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” — First Amendment, U.S. Constitution

The First Amendment is a powerful tool. It allows us to address our struggles through speech, assembly, and petition—rights we often take for granted. In many countries, such freedoms don’t exist.

This fundamental right to advocate is what drew me to this profession. Advocacy, at its core, is an expression of hopefulness. I believe in the American experiment. Our laws are imperfect and ever-evolving, but they reflect a nation constantly improving.

"The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults." — Alexis de Tocqueville

For example, today we take clean air and water for granted. But in the 1960s, air pollution reached crisis levels. On Thanksgiving Day 1966, a smog event in New York City caused 168 deaths. In response to events like this and others, citizens, scientists, and environmental groups rallied for change.

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring raised awareness about pollution’s dangers. The first Earth Day in 1970 galvanized millions of Americans, demanding stronger environmental protections. These efforts led Congress to pass the Clean Air Act and establish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which transformed air quality in the U.S.

There are more recent reasons for optimism too.

In the 2024 election, voter turnout was 63.7%—the second highest in modern history, following 2020. This shows that more Americans are engaging in the political process, continuing to push for progress.

Plus, thanks to technology it's easier than ever for Americans to engage with the government. Constituents can email their legislators, post on social media, or submit an official comment.

As of this writing, 49,927 Americans have submitted comments on something as niche as the status of the Eastern Hellbender Salamander. Policy decisions that used to be made behind closed doors - are now inspiring tens of thousands to participate in the rule-making process.

These signs of progress remind me that change is always possible when people work together for a common goal.

For me, this belief in advocacy is personal. It’s been a constant thread throughout my life and career. I was raised in a family of advocates. Both of my parents worked as lobbyists at different points in their careers. My grandparents worked in advertising and corporate communications. I come from a long line of people who believed in bigger visions and championed them to the public and decision-makers.

Professionally, I’ve been proudest of moments where my advocacy made a real difference—like achieving justice for victims of institutional abuse or helping small businesses stave off extinction-level policy proposals.  

Advocacy is crucial to American democracy. And the men and women in this arena, lobbying for change, are making vital contributions every day.

Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Advocacy is messy and imperfect. But the beauty lies in that imperfection, recognizing that we can—and must—constantly improve.

How do we maintain optimism after almost 250 years? For that, I turn to an unlikely source of wisdom: Tom Brady.

The legendary quarterback offers a powerful example of constant improvement. Ten Super Bowl appearances. Seven championships. The oldest NFL MVP at 40 years old. The G.O.A.T.

How did Brady consistently perform at the highest level? By relentlessly pushing to improve, even incrementally. Even when everything was going right, he found ways to up his game. That's how you continue to win.

“You have to believe in your process. You have to believe in the things you are doing to help the team win. Take the good with the bad and try to get better every week.” — Tom Brady, Patriots.com interview, August 2008

Brady’s approach—constant improvement, no matter how small—offers a valuable lesson. Progress might be slow and imperfect, but it’s always possible if we keep pushing.

Advocacy is about believing we can be better and working every day to make it happen. We’ve done it before, and we can do it again.

So stay in the arena.

Keep showing up.

Change is hard, but it’s always worth it.