Monica Lewis-Patrick, the co-founder and president of the community organization “We the People of Detroit,” is one of the most impassioned voices on the front lines of water rights, environmental racism, and public accountability in a city that has often lacked these essential qualities.

That said, she fights for far more than just infrastructure; she fights for dignity.

Although not a native, Monica Lewis-Patrick found her true calling after she moved to Detroit in the 2000s and quickly became involved in policy battles, community care work, and local organizing.

It was a likely turn of events given her extensive background in civic engagement and education.

Detroit gave her purpose.

At a time when the city was deep in the midst of its emergency management era and battling issues such as privatization, state overreach, and shutoffs, Monica didn’t flinch.

Instead, she picked up a bullhorn and got to work.

In 2009, Monica got to work exposing the injustice of mass water shutoffs in predominantly black and working-class neighborhoods.

While media outlets were debating the numbers, Monica and the rest of the We the People of Detroit team were out door knocking, mapping areas of extreme inequities, delivering water, and studying how shutoffs disproportionately affect communities already burdened by blight and systemic neglect.

In short, her work asserted that access to clean water is not a luxury, but a basic human right.

Monica Lewis-Patrick is a woman who excels in every room, whether it’s a city council meeting, a nationwide academic panel, testifying before Congress, or organizing fellow grassroots activists in local Detroit basements.

Through We the People of Detroit, she publishes data-driven reports, maps injustice, and empowers Detroit residents by providing them with the tools they need to fight back against corruption.

She isn’t just fighting the good fight for clean water; she’s fighting for sovereignty for all by not just calling out injustice, but documenting it, organizing around it, and connecting to it.

In that way, she’s not just an activist.

She’s Detroit’s water maiden – bold, brave, and overflowing with the power of a people who refuse to be silenced or left behind.

Victoria Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends. With her finger firmly on the pulse of both the city’s vibrant past and its rapidly unfolding future, she brings a deeply personal, historically grounded lens to every piece she writes.

Published on: September 29, 2025