April 2023
State Policy Advocate Lara Crawford Targets Crisis Pregnancy Centers and Get Out the Vote in 2023
NCJW has approximately 30 State Policy Advocates (SPAs) in more than 20 states. Our leadership selects SPAs because they “are respected and seasoned organizers, leaders, and advocates” driven to enact progressive social change informed by Jewish values. Lara Crawford serves as the Massachusetts member of NCJW’s State Policy Advocacy Network. Cathy Corman caught up with Lara recently to ask about her affiliation with NCJW and her current role as SPA here in the Commonwealth.
Born in Lynn, MA, Lara grew up in Newton and earned a degree in communications from the University of Hartford in Connecticut. She has mostly worked in areas of economic development and finance. Cathy Corman caught up with Lara recently to ask about her affiliation with NCJW and her current role as SPA here in the Commonwealth. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: How did you get involved in NCJW?
A: In 2006, I moved from Massachusetts to Austin, Texas, and suddenly, when I was in TX, I realized I wasn’t around a lot of Jewish people. And that actually disturbed me. So, I opened the phone book. There was a section in Austin of NCJW, so I called them up, and they invited me to a meeting. I got involved very quickly and went on to join their board.
Q: What did you like about NCJW in Austin?
A: There were a lot of speakers. It was interesting. There were opportunities to talk about particular issues – a lot of social issues. There was a program where women drove to jails with tape recorders and taped women reading stories. Then they brought the tapes back and gave them to families so that their children would be able to hear their mothers reading to them. That was the most significant one that I remember.
There was really just a smart group of women. They asked, “How do we work to better the lives of women, children, and families?” – and they went about doing it.
Then I moved to Houston, and I did the same thing. I joined the Houston group, got onto the board, and got involved. I met so many great people. I was only in Texas five years but I became a life member because I saw the value of grassroots work.
Q: What happened when you moved back to Massachusetts?
A: When I moved, I said, “Hey! What’s going on with NCJW?” Nancy Kaufman, the executive director of JCRC (Jewish Community Relations Council) was transitioning to become executive director of NCJW National. I was put on JCRC as a representative of NCJW. I did that for several years. The problem at the time was that there wasn’t a way for me to get information out to other NCJW members in Massachusetts. […] I was put on as SPA to try to do more.
Q: What does an SPA do?
A: There’s no hard and fast rule of what an SPA does. I work to bring any relevant policy ideas / or issues to both NCJW National and NCJW members in Massachusetts. I also create opportunities for others to engage in advocacy such as organizing a “Lobby Day.” I’m currently working with other Jewish organizations in the State to push for better access to reproductive justice and voting engagement issues.
Any state with a section can have an SPA. An SPA works in parallel to others and can concentrate on policy.
It’s very open ended. Every state is different. National’s role is to support me in what I think is the best thing for Massachusetts.
Q: What interests you about policy?
A: Policy interests me, because it provides the opportunity for change, the opportunity to move the needle. It’s not the same as social action. For instance, a drive to collect toiletries is social action. If you can push some policy around women’s health, then you can promote more access to health care.
Q: Can you give me some examples of the kinds of work this involves?
A: I work on writing letters to support judicial confirmations and write letters to the editor. I contact state and federal legislators to advocate for bills. I’m trying to build an action network so that there’s just more opportunity for more people to be involved.
I’m working on anti-abortion disinformation legislation. I’m part of the Massachusetts Coalition to End Anti-Abortion Disinformation. This is an opportunity to get resources out to lawmakers and activists, to work together to pass local laws that prohibit crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) from continuing their lies. There are three times as many of these CPCs as there are abortion clinics – in the state and in the nation. They advertise themselves with pink signs that look just like Planned Parenthood and say they are health clinics. They are not. They are nothing more than marketing companies, and they are unregulated. They are funded by Christian organizations.
Q: Other initiatives on the horizon?
A: I’m working on voting engagement. We’re working to build up a group to work on getting the vote out in 2024 for young people. It’s still in early stages.
Note: May’s Deep Dive will explore CPCs and the Coalition to End Anti-Abortion Disinformation here in the Commonwealth.