06/14/2026
When people think about politics, they usually think about the President or Congress.
But some of the biggest decisions impacting Black communities happen much closer to home.
City councils help decide:
• Police funding priorities
• Housing and rent policies
• Public transportation
• Neighborhood investment
School boards influence:
• What students are taught
• School funding decisions
• Discipline policies
• Book bans and curriculum
County commissioners oversee:
• Public health services
• Local jails
• Voting administration
• Emergency funding and major budgets
And policies like zoning and preemption can shape:
• Affordable housing access
• Environmental conditions
• Community displacement
• Whether local governments can pass protections for their residents
The truth is: local politics shape our everyday lives.
Yet local elections are often decided by a small number of voters because many people are never taught how much power these offices actually hold.
Understanding local power is political education. And political education is community protection.
As local and runoff elections continue happening across the country this year, now is the time to learn who represents your city, county, and school district — and pay attention to the decisions being made in your community.
