Letter: Building a better North Dakota together

For many working families, 2025 has been a year of hard choices. Parents are navigating a child care system stretched to the breaking point, rising housing costs and schools are asked to do more with less. These challenges show up in missed paychecks, long wait lists and families wondering how far their budget can stretch this month.

At Prairie Action, we’ve centered the voices of working families and pushed for solutions shaped by the real needs of those who rely on them. We’ve worked to ensure child care is treated as essential infrastructure for North Dakota’s workforce, highlighted the growing housing affordability crisis and pushed for keeping public dollars in public schools so every community can thrive.

We’ve also worked with partners across North Dakota to advance social equity and community well-being. By supporting initiatives that promote fairness, inclusion, and access to essential services, we’ve helped elevate voices often left out of policy conversations.

Central to our work has been

advancing free school meals for every student,

a policy that can save families nearly $1,000 per child each year while helping kids succeed.

When lawmakers failed to act, parents, educators, farmers and community members turned to our state Constitution’s “Power of the People,” pursuing a citizen-initiated ballot measure. Community members from across the state will work to engage voters and build broad support to ensure this measure reflects the values of North Dakotans. That same constitutional right must be protected, and we will fight to defend it, especially as efforts to curb citizen initiatives will appear before voters in 2026.

Looking ahead, there is real hope. The collective action of caring North Dakotans shows what can be possible when communities come together to tackle the challenges that matter most.

By organizing, speaking out and standing united, we can create a North Dakota where working families are supported, children have the resources they need, and every community has the opportunity to thrive.

Together, we can build a better North Dakota.

Amy Jacobson is executive director of Prairie Action ND.