Chapter 8 Appendix
Below is an actual example of a legislative letter that was sent to First Lady Michelle Obama by AAFCS. This letter describes the current climate of the issue, provides a brief history of the topic and how it relates to the FCS/human sciences profession, and what actions/how AAFCS is ready to help.
February 2, 2010
First Lady Michelle Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear First Lady,
As members of the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS), an organization that has worked to address challenging complex social and economic issues for 100 years, we would like to formally demonstrate our support for your new anti-obesity initiative. We read your remarks last week to mayors regarding the obesity epidemic and agree that it will require action at all levels by many people to improve the health of our nation.
Since the beginning of the family and consumer sciences (FCS) profession, founded as the field of home economics, FCS professionals have been dedicated to improving the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. In 2009, President Obama recognized AAFCS founder Ellen Swallow Richards during Women’s History Month for her environmental efforts. One of her many other distinctions was the establishment of the first school lunch program through the New England Kitchen in 1894 in Boston to help ensure that children received nutritious lunches. These are just two examples of the wide range of issues our field addresses.
In recent years, AAFCS has gathered professionals at a national conference to work on solutions to the obesity epidemic and created a public policy deliberation guide on obesity for citizens to use in forums across the country (https://www.aafcs.org/resources/advocacy/tools/deliberation-guides).
While it is critical for our association to continue providing leadership and support nationwide on obesity, our members and other FCS professionals are best qualified and positioned at the local level to help individuals, families, and communities achieve a healthier America. As you may know, FCS professionals are elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educators, researchers, and administrators; Cooperative Extension educators; and other professionals in business and industry, not-for-profit organizations, and government. They provide research and applied knowledge in the areas of dietetics and nutrition; personal finance; child development and parenting; consumer education; housing and environment; and apparel and textiles. At the secondary level alone, over 35,000 FCS educators positively impact the lives of more than five million learners each year. Many FCS programs teach learners how to prepare and choose healthy meals and achieve a healthy lifestyle, which can help learners make better choices and lead to reduced overweight and obesity rates.
The Association and its members are committed to fighting obesity in the U.S. and look forward to collaborating with you on your anti-obesity initiative. We would be happy to discuss ways to leverage our knowledge, resources, and diverse network of FCS professionals to reach our shared vision.
Sincerely,
Marilyn R. Swierk, CFCS Sue Byrd, CFCS Carolyn W. Jackson, CFCS
President President-Elect Executive Director
