Julilly Kohler is a retired lawyer, community activist, and pioneering real estate developer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has been a member of Corporate Accountability International since 2008.
I grew up in the village of Kohler, Wisconsin, amidst the violence and anger of the United States’ longest strike. In sixth grade, many of my friends’ parents were striking — against my family. I saw the complexities of clashing interests and realized the need for some kind of thinking that could get to the common good.
My passion for the human right to water comes from my belief in the commons. Water connects us all and belongs to us all. It’s a perfect metaphor for the complexity of people’s impact on our systems and how thoughtless intervention has cascading results.
I was delighted when we succeeded in defeating the water privatization bill in Wisconsin this spring. It meant we could advance this issue in November. We have now crafted a Drinking Water Bill of Rights and are challenging politicians to sign it.
Corporate Accountability International’s mission aligns totally with my personal experience. For corporations, there is never enough. They will never stop unless they are stopped by people or by laws. There has to be a change in the nature of corporations.
