Today’s Solutions: December 17, 2025

The idea of creating a law to address a specific issue, let alone trying to get it passed in Congress, seems awfully overwhelming—especially if you don’t know where to begin. Yet if you want to make real change as an activist, the best thing you can do is get a law passed in order to change something at a fundamental level. In order to help activists who want to pass a law regarding a certain issue, Harvard graduate Amanda Nguyen created an accelerator called Rise Justice Labs that gives people who typically have no experience with lawmaking a clear roadmap for the process. How it works is people who have successfully passed laws through Rise are paired with new “Risers” trying to do the same thing. The process emphasizes diplomacy–to be successful, organizers need to set aside political differences when meeting with lawmakers. It also emphasizes strategy, advocating for the use of data as well as finding ways to make members of Congress feel morally responsible for the passing of a law. Using the approach from Rise Justice Labs, a law was passed in Colorado last month that allows a court to temporarily remove firearms from people who show signs that they pose a risk to themselves or others. If you’re an activist in search of some guidance when it comes to passing laws, Rise Justice Labs are now accepting applications for other activists to join the accelerator.

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