I believe the passage of a national paid family and medical leave

Hear the words of Tom Perez, spoken with certainty and hope: “I believe the passage of a national paid family and medical leave law is not a question of if, but when. But as is so often the case on important public policy issues, we need states and localities to be the incubators of innovation.” In this statement, he names both destiny and duty. He declares that the day will come when paid family and medical leave shall be the right of all, not the privilege of a few. Yet he also reminds us that the seeds of great change do not spring full-grown from the halls of the nation, but are first planted and tested in the soils of smaller communities.

The meaning of his words is twofold. First, he insists that progress is inevitable, for the care of families is too urgent, too human, to be denied forever. Mothers, fathers, children, the sick and the aging—all cry out for time, for dignity, for the chance to heal and to nurture without the crushing fear of lost wages. Second, he honors the role of states and localities, those smaller arenas of governance, as the incubators of innovation. It is in these places that bold experiments may be tried, where new laws may rise like sparks, proving their worth before they spread to the whole nation.

The ancients knew this truth well. In the city-states of Greece, Athens tried democracy, Sparta discipline, and others their own forms of rule. Some succeeded, some faltered, but together they forged ideas that later shaped empires. So too in America, localities have been the crucibles of change: the labor laws of one state becoming models for others, civil rights advanced first in single communities before embraced by the whole. Perez reminds us that even the mightiest river begins as many streams.

Consider the story of California, which in 2004 became the first state in the United States to enact paid family leave. At first, critics feared it would weaken businesses, but the experiment proved otherwise. Workers gained stability, families found relief, and companies discovered that loyalty grew when employees were treated with compassion. This one state, daring to lead, showed the way, and others followed. Here we see the truth of Perez’s words: local courage becomes national destiny.

The lesson for us is plain: great change is often born in small places. Do not despair if the nation hesitates; look instead to your own community, your own state, your own workplace, where innovation can be planted. What is proven in the small will one day be embraced in the great. And let each citizen remember: laws are not decreed only from above, but are shaped by the voices of those who demand justice where they stand.

Practical action follows: support leaders and policies in your city and state that prioritize family and medical leave. Encourage innovation at the local level, knowing that these victories will ripple outward. In your personal life, advocate in workplaces for policies that honor caregiving and healing. Do not dismiss small wins as insignificant, for they are the kindling from which larger fires are lit.

Thus Perez’s words are both a prophecy and a charge. He declares that the day of national paid leave will come, but he entrusts us with the task of hastening it through local courage. Let us be bold in the smaller fields, for it is there that the harvest of justice is first sown. And when the day comes that the nation itself embraces this truth, we will know that it began with the quiet determination of communities that refused to wait.

So let his words be carried forward: that change is certain, but its speed depends on us. Let every state, every city, every village be willing to experiment, to innovate, to lead. For in this way, the future is not merely awaited—it is built. And in that building, families will be strengthened, the sick will be cared for, and the nation itself will be renewed.