Identifying African American Church Participation in the Policy-Making Process

BACKGROUND.  African American (AA) churches represent a strong community source which could help affect local, state, & national public health policies. Historically, many have been involved in advocacy as a tactic to achieve social and policy change. Yet, the extent to which they are involved in advocacy & policy efforts has not been fully explored.  

METHODS. Using surveys, a regional assessment of churches with predominantly AA membership was conducted to examine their involvement in advocacy & policy efforts.  Advocacy/policy topic (e.g., health, social justice), advocacy/policy level (i.e., local, statewide, or national), stage in process (e.g., policy development, implementation, monitoring), extent of involvement, & other factors were explored. Membership size, rural/urban setting, other characteristics, & what could assist churches in policy efforts were assessed.

RESULTS. The results indicated that many were active in advocacy and policy change, & that many efforts were linked to public health issues. Yet, most churches were not involved in advocacy or policy efforts and did not see this as their role. Certain characteristics were associated with the likelihood of being involved with policy efforts. Other significant associations were noted. Many indicated that collaborations with other organizations (e.g., universities, medical facilities, local law enforcement) could help.

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS. Health inequities disproportionately affect AA; AA churches can be a strong public health partner in addressing these. While many churches in this study weren't involved in policy change, many were open to such with collaborating partners. The findings identify which churches are more likely to consider such partnerships.