Lessons from the Water Warrior on Community Coalition Building for Water Justice
Real-World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions Speaker Series
October 31, 2025
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
School of Social Work Building - ECC 1840
This event is both online and in person
Sponsored by: Poverty Solutions
Contact Information: povertysolutions@umich.edu
As a community-based grassroots organization, WPD aims to inform, educate, and empower Detroit residents on imperative issues surrounding civil rights, land, water, education, and the democratic process. In collaboration with community activists, academics, researchers, and designers, the WPD Community Research Collective (CRC) utilizes research in order to serve the sustainability of the Detroit community. The WPD CRC uses data to visually show the socio-economic consequences of austerity policies in Detroit, which have worked toward the dismantling of Black and Brown Detroit neighborhoods. By presenting a critical counter narrative, WPD CRC uses knowledge as a tool to empower Detroit citizens as they fight for an equitable and beloved community. WPD CRC's most recent project addresses the public health crisis in Detroit as a result of unsafe and inaccessible water services.
The Real-World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions speaker series introduces key issues regarding the causes and consequences of poverty through an in-person and virtual lecture series featuring experts in policy and practice from across the nation. Our goal is to help build a broad community of learners to engage in these issues together.
This series is free and open to the public as well as being a one-credit course for U-M students (SWK 503, Course #25751). In-person talks include coffee, cookies, and the chance to ask the speakers questions or watch the livestream on YouTube.