The Skillman Foundation

This summer at a birthday party, I stumbled upon a new phenomenon. It was a mechanical bull set in an open inflatable ring. People of all walks of life and ages were climbing on this red-eyed, saddled-up bull that would then start to slowly move, then sway, and eventually lurch wildly around. Some jumped off right away. Others clung for dear life, determined to ride it out as long as possible. The fall, however, was inevitable and fast approaching.

As I watched from the sidelines (nope, did not climb on), I noted the similarities to this political moment. Just when you think you understand the direction and how things are moving, it seems to lurch in new surprising directions. Sometimes fun, sometimes dizzying, a few truly scary moments thrown in too. We are all white-knuckling it as we head toward the Fall.

All eyes remain on Michigan. The good news is that in the past few weeks, according to vote.org, over one million new voters have registered to vote for the first time, 79% of whom are under the age of 35. There is a buzz in the air, regardless of who your candidate is, and this means more people involved in public policy and more people believing in their own ability to use their voice and vote to make a difference.

And while this political moment will pass, our People Powered Education strategy positions us to tap into the essence of what makes this particular moment so electrifying. The algorithm for transformation is everyday people in lockstep with policymakers, leveraging their voice, wisdom, and will to impact massive policy change. This is clear as day during election season, but in fact, this is what drives change every day, all year, often quietly and without fanfare.

As someone who works in the gleaming and scarred city of Detroit where policies have often not served residents well, I have had some hard lessons taught to me about needing to have hope first to even do policy work. Needing to have capacity. Needing to have faith in a system that has failed so many. Needing to earn trust, every day, from those who struggle to have faith in you.

At The Skillman Foundation, we wake up every day and re-commit to a few truisms.

One, that we have it in our collective power to ensure, in our lifetimes, that every child gets an education that leads to a fulfilling life, however they define it for themselves. Together, we can reach this day.

Two, we believe that public education is the express train to self-determination and collective well-being not just for the individual but for our communities and our shared future.

Three, we believe that we need ground builders: people on the ground, closest to issues, to lead massive systems change; and that we need people inside of existing systems with policy know-how, brilliance, and the heart to co-design that policy change with those ground builders. It is this exact symbiosis of grassroots and grasstops that is the algorithm for change.

And finally, we believe that the education system isn’t this amorphous, conceptual thing run by The Wiz from behind the green curtain. The education system is ours. It is us.

People power the education system. People in the classrooms and throughout school buildings, people leading childcare centers and nourishing afterschool programs. It is people hustling in district offices and people diligently showing up for school board meetings. It is people reading deep into the night to prepare for the early mornings and late nights in the legislative chambers. It is people who strategize in corporate board rooms to do more than drive revenue but to improve lives and its people like the team members at The Skillman Foundation who embed community voice into philanthropic decision-making. Most importantly, it is students, educators, and families.

Thanks to people working across the state, Michigan has the highest foundation allowance in its history for our students. We have expanded access to pre-k and postsecondary education. We have an Opportunity Index, adding more funding to schools with high concentrations of poverty. All of this progress, and more, in strengthening our public education system is due to the power of advocacy. It is thanks to the countless residents of this state who understand how important it is that we impart our young people with knowledge and skills that will lead our society forward.  

There is so much more to come. Real Talk… we all feel like we’re riding that mechanical bull sometimes, just holding on for dear life. In moments like these, reach out and steady yourself by holding on to others. The way forward is by moving hand in hand. Embracing our differences, finding our commonalities, and building the future we want together.