Dear Youth of today,
In my life thus far fighting for social change has taken many forms – I’ve organized politically, I’ve lobbied elected officials, and I’ve invested in difficult personal relationships to change minds toward inclusion. However, the biggest impact I’ve had has been in choosing a career path in public service, in both federal and local government. For so many folks who have faced adversity, public service is deeply personal. Friends have asked me, what is it that made you dedicate your life to this? These people often want to hear about some formative experience, some stereotypical early moment, some neat and clean picture of what determined that I would go forth on this path.
But the explanation is messy, it is uncomfortable, and it is critical of the very systems we work within.
I grew up in Washington County as a closeted queer woman in a community that vilified queer existence. When I married my wife underneath the giant sequoias at the County courthouse in 2015, I lost friends and family to their own bigotry. This experience and our community’s need for queer liberation is why I’m in public service.
I grew up here in low-income circumstances. I know what it is like to have your utilities shut off for being behind on the bills. I know what it is like to rely on food pantries in the summertime because you’re not eating at school. I know what it is like to not have housing, or to wonder how long you can afford the rent before moving. The existence of class inequity in our community is why I’m in public service.
I have lived here knowing full well that walking down the street with my brown family members is a very different experience than when I am with my white relatives. I and every other white or white-passing person go through life with an immunity not afforded to everyone else. How warm and friendly every white shop owner seems to be when they see your whole party as white! How calm and understanding police officers are when everyone in your car appears white, if any interaction happens at all. Our community’s need to dismantle white supremacy is why I’m in public service.
I went to college as the first person in my family to graduate high school. I did not have the generations of family ties and inherited professional connections to most fully apply to schools and make the most of my college experience. I didn’t understand academic culture. I worked multiple jobs while studying and struggled to keep up. Our community’s need for equal access to education is why I’m in public service.
What has propelled me to dedicate my life to addressing each of these challenges and the many intersections between them is the fact that so many of us cannot live our lives fully with respect for all aspects of our identities. If I did not do this work, I could not confirm my own humanity. Through so many elders before us who have fought for equal rights, I have learned that a dedication to social change must be a commitment to transformational work across systems. My advice to anyone advancing social change is to think deeply about the many overlapping systems of oppression, consider the many forms of marginalization, and be critical at a high level. Whether through public service or another route that calls to you, seek to understand and contextualize your own experience and the experiences of others within social systems. Your perspective and lived experience with marginalization matter deeply in this work. I know you have much to contribute in our collective fight for justice.
Dorian Russell
Public policy professional and environmental scientist
The views expressed in this letter are purely the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of her present or past employers.
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