Advocates often don’t set out to become advocates. Jackie was just making ends meet when her car broke down. Unable to afford the needed repairs, she began taking the bus to her job across town. But when transit funding in Milwaukee was cut, her bus route was eliminated.
Jackie tried to string together bus routes to get to work, but the multiple transfers sometimes meant missed buses—and being late to work. Eventually she was let go from her job for arriving late too often.
She saw the pressing need for more transit in her community, which has a 20% unemployment rate among African Americans (the highest in the country). That’s why Jackie started working with the Sierra Club – John Muir Chapter and their Coalition for More Responsible Transportation. Jackie began speaking at press conferences, helped organize the community, and became an advocate for better transit that can connect workers to available jobs.
