Advocacy as a Path to Realize Potential

Myka Kennedy Stephens and Cynthia Changyit Levin in conversation.

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A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sitting down in conversation with a long-time friend, author and activist Cynthia Changyit Levin. We first met when my family moved to a new area and we discovered our children were the same age. Over the four years we shared the same neighborhood, Cynthia (I knew her then as Cindy) regularly invited us to her house for letter writing campaigns or to join her at the local public library for community events. We’ve stayed in touch even though we’ve both moved away from the neighborhood where we met. I’ve watched her influence on a variety of social and political issues grow while she’s networked with lobbyists and members of Congress, published numerous letters-to-the-editor and op-eds in newspapers across the US, and became a successful author and speaker.

When I was thinking about exploring the theme of potential, Cynthia immediately came to mind as someone I wanted to interview. Our conversation and this summary reflection of it is recorded at a moment when a lot is happening in the United States. We’ve watched funding being stripped from the Institute for Library and Museum Services, and the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, being unceremoniously fired by President Trump. As libraries and librarians are still recovering from the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic and feeling pressure to bridge the gap between community need and reduced availability of critical social services, these actions of the federal government could not come at a worse time. In higher education, assessment guidelines for libraries are being dramatically reduced or eliminated from accreditation standards altogether, signaling a devaluation of libraries and the role they play in educating students and supporting faculty research. The need for advocacy on behalf of our libraries—at every level of government and in our communities, guilds, and partner organizations—is overwhelmingly great.

Advocacy work is not easy. It’s difficult to engage in civic advocacy such as writing emails or letters and calling elected officials with concerns. It’s also difficult when the advocacy that’s needed is closer to home; when you’re trying to convince your boss or your board about the value of a particular action or the perils of a proposed decision. And for those who feel as though they have been on the front lines for too long—continuously trying to justify their work, their budgets, the value of their existence—it is all too easy to burn out and give up. I’ve been there. I know what it feels like.

When I look at my friend Cynthia and I see what she’s able to do, especially in the current political climate, I am in awe. I wanted to share a little bit of the hope, the resilience, and the commitment to a vision of a better world that I see when I look at the work Cynthia does because I think there are a lot of us who could benefit from it right now. Her approach to advocacy and activism is transferrable to other contexts, librarianship included.

There’s no real substitute for listening to or watching the podcast episode of our conversation. However, I would like to share a few key points and insights that emerged, with some help from AI.

From Personal Experience to Public Impact

Cynthia’s advocacy journey began with a simple act: writing letters at her church to support anti-hunger efforts. Motherhood deepened her connection to these issues, as she realized the global and local challenges facing parents and children. Over time, her efforts grew from individual actions to organizing community campaigns, often bringing her children and neighbors into the fold. This evolution underscores a central theme: advocacy is accessible to everyone, especially when rooted in personal experience and community.

I think there’s nothing else more inspiring for me than my fellow volunteers. And, when my friends joined in, that was really empowering too, to see that my efforts were being multiplied through your actions. Things like that happening over and over, over the years, that keeps me involved. — Cynthia Changyit Levin

Bridge-Building in a Polarized World

Cynthia’s approach is grounded in peaceful, bridge-building activism. She emphasizes the importance of engaging with people across political divides—even those with whom she strongly disagrees—by focusing on shared goals and human connections. Her story of working with Senator Josh Hawley on Medicaid, despite deep disagreements on other issues, illustrates how finding common ground can lead to real-world impact.

I hear from plenty of people who tell me, well thank God you’re doing that work because I just can’t. And I’m like, great, then you should be protesting because I’m not good at that. . . . We each have to find our own ways to do things. And if my gift is sitting down with people at a table and keeping my composure and helping them bring out their own humanity, then that’s what I should be doing. — Cynthia Changyit Levin

Unlocking Potential Through Community and Creativity

A key message from the episode is that advocacy unlocks both individual and collective potential. Cynthia encourages listeners to organize within their communities, leverage existing strengths, and get creative with available resources. Whether it’s organizing letter-writing campaigns with children or using social media and storytelling to amplify a cause, she demonstrates that everyone has something valuable to contribute.

It is possible that we essentially sent glitter bombs to Congress and maybe glitter was all over somebody’s desk for months. . . . But I think it was welcomed. . . . To gain attention in a positive way, that’s a trick. — Cynthia Changyit Levin

Advice for Librarians and Those Facing Institutional Threats

With libraries facing funding cuts and political pressure, Cynthia offers targeted advice:

• Organize and connect with professional associations and advocacy groups.
• Use storytelling to highlight the real-world impact of libraries.
• Amplify voices through letters to the editor, op-eds, and coordinated campaigns.
• Leverage community spaces for advocacy training and events.
• Focus on creativity and resourcefulness rather than scarcity, making the most of what’s available.

This isn’t what we signed up for. Everybody is doing the job that they love to do and now we’re having to fight for either the jobs that we want or fight for the people that we wanted to serve. Actually both of those things. But the advice that I would give is kind of the advice that I give to people of any vocation, which is to organize. We are always stronger when we do this together. — Cynthia Changyit Levin

Emotional Resilience and Self-Care

Cynthia candidly addresses the emotional landscape of advocacy—anger, grief, joy, and burnout. She shares her own practices for channeling strong emotions into constructive action, finding community support, and intentionally seeking joy as a form of resilience. Her advice: acknowledge your feelings, connect with others, and set boundaries to avoid burnout.

I feel like I’m looking at the country going, wow, we’re having some really big feelings, aren’t we? . . . If people are feeling that a particular emotion or set of feelings that they have is shutting them down into inaction, that’s the worst thing. — Cynthia Changyit Levin

A Handbook for Action

Looking ahead, Cynthia previews her forthcoming handbook, Advocacy Made Easy, designed to provide step-by-step guidance for effective civic engagement. Her goal is to empower more people to take meaningful action, regardless of experience or background.

If you want to learn how to work within the system that we have and to try to actually contact the people who are currently in power, this is that book. . . . I can’t tell you if you do all of this, that you’ll win on your particular issue. But I will tell you that if you do some of the things in this book, you will feel better, less powerless. And you’ll feel like you did something in the time that we have here. . . . And isn’t it wonderful that we are here on the earth at the same time, that we can work together on it? — Cynthia Changyit Levin

Invitation to Further Conversation

If you would like to read more from Cynthia, please check out her Substack blog and her website. You can also order a copy of her book, From Changing Diapers to Changing the World: Why Moms Make Great Advocates and How to Get Started, from her website.

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