📣 We Need Political Will—And We Can Build It
“Political will is the extent of committed support among key decision makers for a particular policy solution to a particular problem.”
— Lori Ann Post, Amber N. W. Raile, and Eric D. Raile, Politics & Policy (2010)
We live in a time of abundant tools and breakthrough technologies. We can monitor pollution in real time. We know how to grow food sustainably. We have data to drive equitable housing, education, and healthcare policies.
Yet despite all this, progress stalls when those in power lack the will to act.
Tools and technologies can guide solutions—but without political will, they go unused.
Collective action is what ignites and sustains that will.
Political will doesn’t appear out of nowhere. It can be built—by people organizing, resisting, and demanding change.
Some of the most transformative policy shifts in history have been driven by communities who refused to wait.
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✊🏾 How People Create Political Will
🏭 Flint Sit-Down Strike (1936–1937)
Thousands of workers occupied General Motors plants for over 40 days, demanding union recognition.
✅ Outcome: GM recognized the United Auto Workers (UAW), triggering a national wave of unionization and labor reform.
This was a turning point—not born in Washington, but forged by people on the factory floor.
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🗳 The Civil Rights Movement (1950s–1960s)
Black communities and supporters across the U.S. staged boycotts, marches, and sit-ins—despite violent backlash.
✅ Outcome: Passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.
The political will to pass these laws was built from the ground up through relentless, collective resistance.
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💧 Jackson, Mississippi Water Crisis (2022–2023)
In 2022, Jackson—a city that is nearly 83% Black—experienced a total water system failure after decades of disinvestment. Residents were left without safe drinking water for weeks.
Black-led grassroots organizations, mutual aid groups, and local leaders didn’t wait for help. They mobilized, distributed water, raised national awareness, and pressured state and federal authorities to act.
“This is not a natural disaster. This is the result of decades of systemic neglect and racism.”
— Rukia Lumumba, People’s Advocacy Institute
📚 The Guardian, Sept. 2022
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✅ What Collective Action Achieved
1. Federal Emergency Response & Funding
•	A national state of emergency was declared.
•	Congress approved $600 million in federal funding to rebuild Jackson’s water system.
•	The EPA launched a civil rights investigation into Mississippi’s funding disparities.
2. Legal Action
•	The NAACP filed a Title VI civil rights complaint, citing racially discriminatory funding practices.
3. Community-Led Relief
•	Local organizations like Cooperation Jackson and the People’s Advocacy Institute provided direct aid and created mutual aid hubs—bridging the gap left by slow government action.
4. National Solidarity
•	Jackson became a rallying point for environmental justice, prompting solidarity efforts in Flint, Detroit, and Native communities.
📚 Sources:
•	The Guardian
•	NBC News
•	NAACP Legal Defense Fund
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🔥 The Bottom Line
We have what we need to solve major global challenges:
•	Clean energy and water purification technology
•	Agricultural innovation and health data
•	Policy frameworks for housing, jobs, and climate resilience
But these tools don’t work in a vacuum.
Tools and technologies can guide solutions—but without political will, they go unused.
Collective action is what generates and sustains that will.
“We will not stop. There is only one outcome.”
— Diane Nash, 1961, during the Freedom Rides crisis