Many people fortunate enough to take some type of parental leave wrestle with returning to work and reflect deeply on whether the thing we spend most of our waking hours doing is worth it. I thought a lot about this when I returned from leave after the birth of our second child. Between changing diapers on three hours of sleep and trying to tackle my ever-growing inbox in the early mornings, I asked some critical questions about why I do this work.
For me, advocacy is ultimately about voice and change. If you believe that, my and our work as advocates is about listening, getting people to listen to what’s going wrong (or right), and assuring them and others that it can be addressed.
There are lots of ways to advocate. Some people listen to data, while others are persuaded by personal stories or intense pressure. Even still, others only listen to people they trust or whose ideas don’t threaten the status quo. We can use data in a report or hearing, link arms with others in a coalition or group, brainstorm ideas on a sidewalk or a whiteboard, organize a rally, write a book or hit share on a social media post, write a film or short article, and the list goes on.
I took this job nearly seven years ago because I believe the voices of those who aren’t often heard in the halls of decision-making and at the tables of power deserve to be heard. In the few years since I’ve heard complimentary things said about EdTrust-West’s advocacy to ensure those voices are heard, and while that feels good, I remain dissatisfied with the reach of our shared priorities and message, and the pace of progress to close opportunity and equity gaps.
It is not our job as advocates to have all the answers alone. And we might even get it wrong at times. But we are on the right track if we listen, even to those who disagree. Our mission at EdTrust-West involves dismantling “the racial and economic barriers embedded in the California education system.” Simply put, a big part of how those barriers were constructed and reinforced involved not listening to the students, families, and communities we center in our work at EdTrust-West. Dismantling those barriers and doing the listening necessary to do so will also allow us to envision what’s next and what’s possible.
I stay in this work because I’ve seen the power of advocacy led by people of color and students, even in the face of big money and nasty politics. We win when we work together without ego, shut out the noise, and zero in on making it clear what equity-mindedness looks like in action.
I want to continue to find ways to listen and new ways to drive for impact because we can and must. If I didn’t believe advocacy works, my post-parental leave reflections would undoubtedly look different. Instead, I feel more resolved than ever. I believe wholeheartedly in the necessity of advocacy and our power as advocates. And I am eager to continue our work together to leverage that power for students and our communities.
