Part 1: If I Can See It, I Can Be It
By Raquel Gonzalez: This piece is part one of a three-part series titled “Why We Need Diverse Representation in Government Leadership.”
I was unprepared for how emotional I got watching the inauguration. Tears streamed down my face when the first Latina Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court swore in our next Vice President – the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to hold the position. As I watched Sonia Sotomayor and Kamala Harris exchange knowing smiles in solidarity of how exceptional they are to have overcome so many obstacles to be standing on that stage as women of color, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could shatter some glass ceilings too.
We know that diverse and inclusive groups are better prepared, more innovative, and achieve better fiscal results. But the norm in the United States of America is that white men get the most visible positions of power. For 223 years, young Americans have grown up seeing a man as president – and with the exception of Barack Obama, they have all been white. Sixty years ago, other countries began electing women as heads of state, while in America, not one of the 23 women who have sought the presidency over the past 148 years has been elected to the office.
This homogeneity sets the tone and expectation for millions of children about who can realistically become president someday. It perpetuates a status quo that tells women and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to know our place – and that it is not in the White House, perhaps not in government at all. Even with the most diverse U.S. Congress on record, the federal legislative branch is still far more white and more male-dominated than our society. And it’s not any better at the state level: only 29% of state legislators are women and only 22% are BIPOC. Rarely do I see a queer Woman of Color like myself in those statistics.
Associate Justice Sotomayor and Vice President Harris demonstrate that it is possible to beat the odds. Seeing a Puerto Rican woman from the Bronx and a Black-Indian woman from Oakland in highly visible, influential positions and owning the stage was a beacon of renewed hope, for women, BIPOC, immigrants, single mothers, and survivors of poverty. This moment meant that people from marginalized communities could dare to enter the government arena…because their dreams might become reality one day.
It’s hard work to inspire next generation leaders from diverse lived experiences to pursue careers in public service, and recruit them into government jobs, when they have been given signals that they are not welcome in those spaces. In fact, 46% of young adults deeply distrust government, especially those from historically marginalized communities. At the same time, a silent crisis is building as a large segment of government workers become eligible for retirement in the next 5 years. To build a diverse pipeline of next-gen leaders into government, we need an equity focused recruitment campaign with inspiring stories of first-time candidates’ and nominees’ triumph over adversity and a transformation of government culture to embrace them.
So far 2021 is shaping up to be a year of firsts in several federal government roles in the executive and legislative branches. For the first time, an Iranian-American sees someone who looks like them in Congress. For the first time, an openly gay Black man sees someone like him who commands respect in a world (politics and government) that has traditionally excluded him. For the first time, a Dreamer sees a Latino immigrant in a cabinet-level position, leading the third-largest federal Department. For the first time, a gay veteran can see someone like him as Secretary of Transportation and dream of following in those footsteps.
All of these firsts create high profile heroes for people around the country who see themselves represented and feel a sense of pride and possibility – and perhaps even renewed confidence in institutions. It’s up to us to nurture those dreams and remove barriers to achieving them.
Raquel Gonzalez is a gender fluid, pansexual, Latinx first-generational college graduate and survivor of generational poverty. She has 20 years of personnel and project management, including 8 years in government as an appointee in both Barack Obama’s Administration and in New York State. She currently develops and implements a comprehensive training, coaching, mentoring two-year curriculum for recent college graduates entering government.