Michaela's Reflections

Michaela Doelman, LT'22, Washington State Employment Security Department

In every Challenge Day we have time to journal on the topic of what it means to practice antiracist community leadership. As we met to discuss and ideate around solutions to environmental challenges in our region, the topic that kept coming up was “solidarity.”

Like most Challenge Days, I was left with more questions than answers but found that over the course of the day, the questions fell into a pattern that helped me think about what it would look like for us as leaders to take specific actions that will hopefully lead us toward more solidarity:

What is the common goal that we are joining in solidarity for?

Sharon, Paulina and Terryl all highlighted the challenges that coalition work can bring and shared with us the need to continually remind our groups of why we collectively came together. Focusing on the common goal helps us move forward together even when our current state may seem like we have competing priorities.

What power do we bring into the dynamic and what should we do with it?

This question came from the conversations around "the people closest to the problem are usually the ones best suited to solve the problem." Yet so often, we in our positions of power tend to “help others” in a way that maintains our hold on that power rather than sharing it. Sharing power, with the right people who are closest to the problem, is the only way we’ll come up with less harmful solutions.

What impacts do our decisions have on the environment around us?

In a breakout session a colleague pointed out that we’re part of a larger ecosystem yet so often we interact with nature in a transactional way. We see the environment as a way to get exercise, improve mental wellness, produce food, etc. Incorporating this question into our decision-making will hopefully help us make decisions that have a better impact on our environment than the ones we’re collectively making right now.

What does solidarity look like when we all have diverse perspectives and needs?

This question came up in our caucus group, wondering what it looks like to act as “one” when we also acknowledge how unique and diverse our identities are even within our group. People shared beautiful stories of what this can look like; that when we all have trust that we’re committed to our collective success, we are subsequently drawn toward better understanding the uniqueness of each other. Which then brought me back to our commitment on Day 1 of Leadership Tomorrow: relationships matter.

What healing work must we do in order to act in solidarity with the larger group?

This is the question I was left with and I hope to discuss in our retreat open spaces. Our country’s systems were initially built to oppress and dehumanize Black, Indigenous and other people of color. Yet, whether people realize it or not, our current systems harm everyone (though still disproportionately harm Black people). Unacknowledged harm and trauma shows up in ways that hurts others, shuts conversations down, focuses our efforts on personal gain, and so many other ways that keeps us from being able to act in full solidarity with others. Or in more simple terms: hurt people hurt people. As we approach our mid-year retreat, I’m looking forward to exploring that question with others so that we can all be more prepared to act in solidarity.

Katherine's Reflections

Katherine Leggett, LT'22, 350 Seattle

I appreciated January's Environment Challenge Day for several reasons. I was grateful for all the guest panelists and how they communicated the overwhelming issue of the environmental crisis we're in. I appreciated the big picture from Terryl Ross and the regional and local perspectives from Paulina López and Sharon Chen. I appreciated that each panelist centered communities most impacted. 

Admittedly, I was nervous going into the day. I was concerned because personally I had concerns with some of the perspectives on the agenda. To help me stay grounded, I recalled a leadership quality that I had heard from a previous Challenge Day guest, Mele Miller, COO from Seattle Credit Union. Mele described the way she navigates situations in which she knowingly disagrees with someone, by grounding herself with “humble curiosity.” Since I find some tension between staying with "humble curiosity" and the need to interrupt and speak truth, it took me some time to process how to move forward. Thankfully, I was able to receive support from my quad prior to the Challenge Day. In the end, going into the day with ‘humble curiosity’ and having the support from my quad, I was able to ease into the day, actively listen, and stay curious.

Another important leadership quality that I appreciated during this Challenge Day was the time given to acknowledge progress when progress has been made. Too often, I can be overwhelmed with the small and big tasks at hand to forget to celebrate the progress. The HEAL Act was highlighted by all of our panelists as a monumental sign of progress. This landmark policy passed just last year and will influence Washington state policies for decades to come. The success of this policy is both in the policy itself, and also that it was developed and passed due to the leadership of BIPOC organizations and leaders themselves. 

In summary, I am inspired by following the lead of BIPOC communities and leaders themselves, by leading with ‘humble curiosity’ and by remembering to celebrate progress when progress is made.