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    Contact Your Legislators

    The links below are a simple and quick way to identify your legislators, both state and federal. With their names in hand, you can easily find their contact information.

    I typically don't use automated template emails. As the wife of a legislator, I can tell you that those have far less impact than a personalized message or a phone call.

    But, I do want to give you a few talking points to help get you started on your message. Once you've identified your legislators, come back to this page and scroll down for more information and for help with the best practices for contacting a lawmaker.

     

    Simply click the button, and you'll be on your way!

  • Talking Points and a Few Pointers

    The Bottom Line

     

    Our primary objective is to see the ways protected from further degradation or potential destruction. In the end, we'd also like to see the ways accessible to the public.


    Achieving these goals requires support. I'm asking for your support, and I'm asking for your help in garnering even more support. I'm guessing you noticed a trend there. Wide reaching advocacy for preserving the ways is key to drawing attention to our cause.

    Why do these ways matter?

     

    Eighty years later, we're fortunate to have a significant remaining symbol of a place and time critical to defeating Nazism. Read that sentence again because it's not an exaggeration.

    The J.A. Jones shipyard was particularly remarkable in its production, heart, and sense of community. The ways represent a blend of patriotism, ardent enthusiasm, and dogged determination that is uniquely American.
     
    The shipyard itself is, of course, long gone. We have the opportunity, however, to protect a key component of the operation - one of the pieces without which there could not have been Liberty Ships built in Brunswick.
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    Above and Beyond and Beyond Some More

     

    The shipbuilders of the J.A. Jones Shipyard in Brunswick, GA tackled some pretty impressive undertakings, and they always delivered on those promises. Throughout the approximately two years that the shipyard was operational, the men and women of J.A. Jones regularly received commendations, awards and recognition.

     

    Moreover, the citizens of Brunswick opened their hearts, and even sometimes their homes, and embraced the cavalcade of changes that came with the shipyard. Just because a man or woman wasn't directly employed by J.A. Jones doesn't mean they weren't critical in accomplishing the mission: to hasten the day of victory.

     

    The J.A. Jones Shipyard, and by extension the ways, represent the resoundingly sacrificing spirit of the American people - and more specifically, the people of the state of Georgia.

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    Photo is property of J.A. Jones Construction Company collection, Special Collections, Brunswick-Glynn County Library, Marshes of Glynn Libraries, as presented in the Digital Library of Georgia
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    Good Enough for FDR? That's Good Enough for Me!

     
    When Winston Churchill called upon the United States for aid, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt answered. And he answered with a fleet of cargo ships. These Liberty Ships, as they came to be known, bolstered Great Britain in their fight against Hitler's attempt to conquer Western Europe.
     
    To continue to stand strong against Hitler's dictatorial advanced, Great Britain needed supplies: tanks, ammo, rations, and more. Liberty Ships delivered those goods, and they delivered on America's promise to aid our friend in need.
     
    FDR's confidence in the Liberty Ship is a pretty darn good endorsement in my estimation!
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  • Some Do's and Some Do Not's

     
    Spoiler alert: My husband is a State Representative here in Georgia. But we've been politically active in a variety of issues and campaigns for around 20 years now - long before he got elected. I've learned a few things about what makes for a persuasive message that might actually make a difference - or at least get the recipient of the message to think about the issue from a new perspective. I also know what types of messages will do the opposite.
     
    I hope these pointers will aid you in political and social justice pursuits in the future as well. They apply to the J.A. Jones Shipyard slipways as much as they do to saving the whales or fighting for those with food insecurity (just as examples).
     

    Scroll through the slides below for my best advice on communicating with lawmakers and other government officials.

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    Choose Honey, Not Vinegar

    Government officials and lawmakers are just people like you and me. And just like you and me, they're more open to hearing what you have to say if you approach the subject calmly and respectfully. Threats and ultimatums aren't effective, and they're just kind of gross, too.
     
    Even if you and your legislator typically disagree on most issues, still approach them in a way that is peaceful and gracious.