Hello From Our New Communications Manager, Mariah Oke-Thomas

Hello! My name is Mariah Oke-Thomas, and I am Empower Missouri’s newest Communications Manager. You may know me as the person who curates and sends out Empower’s Advocacy in Action email every week (yes, even this one!). I graduated from the University of Missouri in 2023 with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. Before joining Empower Missouri, I worked with the World Trade Center Kansas City, where I helped organize educational events and connect members of the business community. While my previous work looked a little different from what I do today, both experiences have made me curious about the role communications plays in bringing people together around a shared goal.

Since joining Empower Missouri, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what communications really means in the context of advocacy. At its most basic, communication is the exchange of information between people. But in advocacy work, is sharing information enough? What makes a message resonate with its audience, inspire people to get involved, and ultimately lead to action?

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” These words were written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 16, 1963, while he was sitting in a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama. After being arrested for demonstrating against racial segregation, Dr. King began writing what would become his Letter from Birmingham Jail. Initially, he wrote on scraps of paper while confined to his cell, with additional paper later provided to him as he continued his response. His handwritten notes were gradually smuggled out of the jail and compiled into the letter we know today. In response to criticism of the civil rights movement, he used his words to explain why waiting for justice was not an option and why the fight against injustice was a responsibility shared by all.

What stands out to me about Dr. King’s letter is that he wasn’t simply sharing information. He was challenging people to think differently, question their perspectives, and recognize the role they played in the fight for equality. His words are a powerful example of how communications can do more than inform. It can make us think, connect us to others, and inspire people to act.

So, how do we apply that to advocacy today? I don’t think there’s one formula for making communications effective, but I do think effective communications starts with asking ourselves what we want people to take away from the message and what we hope they’ll do with that information. Effective advocacy communications turn awareness into engagement and engagement into action. And while the tools we use today may look different from the pages Dr. King wrote on in 1963, the underlying purpose remains the same: to share ideas, reach wider audiences, and communicate in ways that inspire meaningful, necessary change.

Here in Missouri, we have a lot at stake. Legislative decisions can have far-reaching consequences for communities that rely on essential programs and resources, yet those same tools can be stripped away without fully considering the people they affect. Through my communications work with Empower, I hope to bring attention to these issues, help Missourians like yourself understand what is at risk, and ensure that the experiences of Missouri’s most vulnerable communities remain part of the conversation as we work toward meaningful change.