Advocate

Advocate for Lupus Research Locally

Washington is not the only place advocacy happens. It happens when Congress recesses to work in their home state and local districts.

This August, when your legislators are back from DC, is a great time to connect! Your legislators include two senators from your state and one member of the House of Representatives. You can visit any or all of them in their local office and start to build a relationship that can gain their support for issues key to people with lupus.

Legislators have many groups and constituents asking them to support different causes. Your legislator may have no connection to lupus. You can educate them about the disease and why investing in science is the only way to deliver Americans better treatments and a cure. By building a relationship with your legislators, you have a much better chance of convincing them to support more funding for lupus research.

In our Advocate Locally for Lupus section, we’ll take you through each step of how to meet with your legislators and start fostering a relationship so funding lupus research will be a priority for them.

An advocate can also be a patient, family member, friend, caregiver, or anyone who cares about people with lupus. As an advocate, you can help by:

• Calling or writing for increased funding of lupus research
• Creating awareness of lupus through education and by sharing your story
• Supporting initiatives to make sure people with lupus have access to appropriate medical care