Though Errolyn Gray grew up in West Point, and lives in Columbus, as a senior associate for the grassroots anti-poverty movement Results, she hopes to have an impact that goes beyond the Golden Triangle.
Gray spoke to the Exchange Club of Columbus during the club’s Thursday meeting about the national lobbyist movement and said she is working to establish a branch of Results in Mississippi.
“Our mission at Results is really just to alleviate poverty,” Gray said. “It’s a movement of passionate, committed everyday people — just like everyone in this room — and together we use our voices to influence political decisions which will bring an end to poverty.”
Gray said the national Results movement is almost 44 years old. It equips ordinary citizens to become volunteer advocates, training them to conduct meetings with their representatives in Congress to push for anti-poverty legislation around housing, tax policy, health care and more.
Over time, she said, the volunteer advocates build trust and relationships with their representatives, as educated community members.
“We don’t expect anybody to come in as an expert on Gavi and vaccines, and all these different bills, but we give our advocates everything they need to go talk about these things in a way that lets Congress know they know what they’re talking about,” Gray said. “And eventually, that yields influence.”
Gray said volunteers in each state meet once a month to make sure they are on the same page about strategic actions, including participating in outreach events, having lobby meetings with congressional offices, putting together media publications and more. Results also hosts monthly webinars for advocates across the country.
Gray said national volunteer advocates have seen some recent successes, as they pushed for the Global Malnutrition and Treatment Act, which passed in October 2022. She said Results advocates also pushed for a federal commitment to reach 45 million people worldwide with tuberculosis testing and treatment that passed in September 2023, and the Child Tax Credit Expansion, which passed in the House in 2024.
In 2024, Gray said, Results has also focused on a national campaign for direct file tax programs, which helps citizens file their taxes directly with the IRS without a middleman, helping to keep money in the pockets of lower income families.
Gray started working for Results in 2021. She manages five states for the group, including Mississippi, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Maine and Hawaii. The approach for gathering volunteers varies by state, she said, and establishing a group in Mississippi has required her to get “creative” with the structure.
In some states, she said, volunteers gather in hub cities, while in others, they only meet over Zoom. She is still working to identify which structure would work best for Mississippi residents.
“I do have advocates spread throughout the state,” Gray said. “I just need to get everyone together on one accord, and of course, the invitation is always out there to get more people in.”
Throughout Results’ existence, Gray said, the movement has focused on national-level policies. But in 2025, the group hopes to begin focusing on state-level work as well.
Gray said she has been traveling around the state, talking with interested parties about what matters most to them to end poverty. One issue she is considering for Mississippi’s 2025 focus is the grocery tax, though she is still open to ideas from outside sources.
Gray said Results also has an international presence, which works to advocate for many of the same values globally. Results always advocates for global health, nutrition and education, she said.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
