Po​li-Gram

A traditional Polygram (P-O-L-Y-GRAM) is “a figure consisting of ​many lines”. The Poli-Gram (P-O-L-I-Gram) strategy referenced here ​is an actualizing “figure connecting many lives”.

In practice, the strategy developer and author used their family’s ​history to demonstrate how, what they like to call “policies of ​opportunity”, can impact generations of a family’ with respect to, at ​minimum, trends toward or away from education and economic ​empowerment. From a lay perspective, the strategy allows ​individuals and families to see generational factors through policy that ​may have directly impacted the wealth and social well-being of their ​family. For students and career professionals, the strategy empowers ​them to correlate policy implications with the lives of people in a less ​theoretical learning architecture.

“As a professor, my mission has always been to facilitate active learning through active instruction. I have taught courses related to history, social justice, ​and laws, specifically related to issues that impact minorities and those who are the most vulnerable among us. Many of my students, particularly my non-​minority students, struggled to connect policy implications to the lives of people. This was problematic for me, so I sat down and thought about a way that I ​could help them connect the dots through a framework of policy and storytelling. By using my framework and focusing on how students process ​information, I have helped them develop a deep understanding of their own family stories and how laws have either advanced or oppressed their families. I ​created a tool called the Poli-Gram to help students make the connection. Since its creation, the strategy has also shown results outside of conventional ​educational settings., including professional development in fields of human service.

A traditional Polygram (P-O-L-Y-GRAM) is “a figure consisting of many lines”. The Poli-Gram (P-O-L-I-Gram) that I created is a ‘figure connecting many ​lives’. My Poli-Gram uses a family’s history to demonstrate how, what I like to call ‘policies of opportunity’, can impact generations of a family’s trend toward ​education and economic empowerment. It also allows for individuals and families to see generational factors through policy that may have directly ​impacted the wealth and social well-being of their family.

Policies of opportunity are laws that allow for people to reach their fullest potential in our society without systemic barriers related to a person's national ​origin, race, color, religion, disability, sex, and familial status. By synthesizing my family history and the policies that both positively and negatively impacted us, ​I am helping all of us to understand the ‘haves and the have-nots’ in our society, as well as the systemic factors through governmental policy that have ​directly impacted our lives.”

Shakita Brooks Jones

Shakita is a Montgomery, AL native. As a graduate of Troy State University, she hold a B.S. in ​social work and a master’s in social work from the University of Alabama. Shakita also has a ​master’s degree in public administration and a nonprofit management certification from ​Auburn University Montgomery. Shakita is also the Founder & Executive Director of Central ​Alabama Alliance Resource & Advocacy Center. Shakita’s area of interests are ​understanding more about the root causes of poverty and the plight of the working poor; ​exploring increased HIV rates in Alabama; and applying practice knowledge to remove ​historical socioeconomic barriers that have disproportionately impacted Alabama’s working ​poor in rural areas.