PART 2: THERE ARE SOLUTIONS

Last Wednesday on the blog, I posted videos that presented views on a big social problem like gun violence or climate change, mostly without offering solutions or even much hope. Now, here’s the second of three posts on “The Big Picture” — videos that tell a big story about systemic problems. This week is a little more upbeat: 3 videos that connect the personal to the political, and show a way forward.

Here’s Elizabeth Warren in 2011, speaking at a house party during her campaign for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. As revealed in the comments section, plenty of people disagree with Warren’s views, but the video galvanized progressives nationwide to support her candidacy.

Here’s charity: water‘s “trailer” for its 2011 “September Campaign” to raise money to dig wells in Mali and Niger. The organization has many excellent videos; this one features founder Scott Harrison prominently, and he explains in an upbeat “we-can-do-this” tone how access to clean water changes lots of other things. Harrison has said that the organization’s fundraising can never be about guilt, but only about opportunity.

And finally for this week, a 2008 video from “The Girl Effect” about how helping young girls in poverty can lead to better health and prosperity for their communities, their countries, and, well, the world. All done with music and animation — mostly animated words — and no reference to any specific girl.