Race Class Narrative: A Toolkit for Opportunity to Purchase Campaigns

Effective communications and messaging are a key collective challenge in advancing Opportunity to Purchase campaigns. Faced with monied opposition in communities across the nation, advocates need more tools to combat disinformation about what some see as a complex policy solution while also advancing a compelling and powerful alternative narrative that – paired with strategic organizing – continues to pave the way toward just housing futures. This narrative toolkit is for tenant organizers, policy advocates, legal advocates, and coalition members advancing TOPA (tenant opportunity to purchase act) and COPA (community opportunity to purchase act) campaigns, otherwise known as Opportunity to Purchase (OPA) campaigns. It draws on successful experiences in employing a Race Class Narrative framework within the housing justice field. While there is no one right way to talk about these campaigns, Race Class Narrative is one proven and effective strategy. Anyone who is trying to win community ownership in their jurisdiction can use this tool to shape how they talk about the issue, whether the target audience is tenants who want to buy their building, community members who care about housing stability for their neighbors, or elected officials who will be voting on legislation.