Ruth Johnson, RE-AMP member and Assistant Director at Transportation Riders United (TRU).
Transportation Riders United (TRU) has been working since 1999 to improve public transit in greater Detroit through education, engagement, and advocacy. The organization became a member of the RE-AMP Network in 2015, and since then, Assistant Director Ruth Johnson has found numerous ways to engage with the Network from her involvement in the Transportation Working Group to her participation in a collaborative leadership development program and more. I recently had a chance to catch up with Ruth to learn what advice she might offer new Network members about finding meaningful niches for their participation in RE-AMP, and to hear about TRU’s work on a historic regional transit plan. Read the full interview below, and enjoy!
Jessica Conrad: What is TRU currently focused on?
Ruth Johnson: TRU is focused on building public support for public transit. Specifically, we’ve been working on the historic regional transit plan and millage proposal for Southeast Michigan.
Note: In exciting news, since the time of this interview, the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) unveiled its proposed Regional Transit Master Plan for how to improve and expand transit throughout the four counties of Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne, including the City of Detroit. Read all about it here.
Jessica Conrad: TRU became a member of the RE-AMP Network in the spring of 2015. What are some of the highlights from your experience with the Network over the last year?
Ruth Johnson: It was exciting that RE-AMP hosted it’s 2015 Annual Meeting in our fair city of Detroit, but there have been equally exciting opportunities to both benefit from and contribute to the Network. TRU’s executive director and I both benefited from various trainings, for example, and I’ve also contributed by participating in several caucuses, the planning for the Michigan State Table, and the grant review process. There have been many different kinds of opportunities to jump in.
Jessica Conrad: How has your participation in Network activities—from the Transportation Working Group to the Collaboration Muscles & Mindsets program to the Michigan State Table—impacted your work at TRU?
Ruth Johnson: There were times in the Muscles & Mindsets program specifically when I could almost immediately apply what I learned. To me transference and applicability are both so important. We’re supposed to be lifelong learners, yeah yeah yeah, but in this day in age, we need to apply what we learn.
Jessica Conrad: With so much activity across so many different issue areas, the Network can often feel overwhelming to new members. From my observations you did an incredible job of getting engaged in Network activities right away. What advice would you offer to brand new Network members as they make choices about where to invest their time?
Ruth Johnson: I think there’s a dual responsibility. First, there’s a responsibility of the member to seek out information about various opportunities, to ask questions, and, if necessary, to provide helpful feedback to staff. Spend a little time on the RE-AMP Commons to learn about different services offered by the Network, or send an email. Make a call. Sometimes that’s the easiest way to gather information, and based on that information, you can make informed choices about where you may want to get involved. I’m personally also very comfortable saying “I don’t know, I’m not going to find out, and that’s okay.”
Jessica Conrad: What do you see as Michigan’s most promising opportunity to make progress on our climate and clean energy goals right now?
Ruth Johnson: Statewide, I would say our Clean Power Plan implementation plan is a great opportunity. In Southeast Michigan, I would say that the biggest opportunity is the regional transit plan and millage proposal. It’s such a historic moment for us. The legislation that created our regional transit authority also created an opportunity to put something on the ballot. We’ve had all kinds of plans before, but those plans didn’t have anything behind them—they were just paper.
Jessica Conrad: What motivates you to do this work?
Ruth Johnson: Some of my motivations are more personal and driven by community, while others relate more to family. I am a transit user. I am an active member of my community, and I want to see better transit options not just for myself, but for other people in the community. I think transit is key to opening and expanding opportunities related to health, education, quality of life, and so on. My other motivation is my family. My family members aren’t activists in the classical sense of being organizers, but they always act on the things they care about. They act on life issues, big and small.
Jessica Conrad: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Ruth Johnson: I would like to make a shout out to the RE-AMP Network. My overall experience has shown me what a healthy coalition looks like—a coalition willing to tackle difficult issues and processes.