August 22, 2025 • 24 mins
Classnotes Podcast (August 22, 2025). In this episode, IDRA Education Policy Fellows share their personal experiences as advocates of color ... read more
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Episode Transcript
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NARRATOR (00:01):
This is Episode 250 of IDRA Classnotes.
VIVEK (00:13):
You know, I'm amazed at the power that people of color and advocates in impacted communities always displayed at the Capitol. But it often feels like we're forced to be responsive to the actions of policymakers or very much on defense. And I think policymakers themselves should be leaning into communities of color and our experiences and what we think of the ideas that they're developing at the onset, and not just, you know, in the middle of the policy development stage or near the end of the process, because, sometimes it feels like they're checking off a box rather than, really, truly incorporating the opinions and input that we can provide.
MIKAYLA (00:52):
Hello, and welcome to the Classnotes podcast series featuring reflections from our IDRA Education Policy Fellows. My name is Mikayla Arciaga, and I am the Georgia advocacy director and education policy fellowship coordinator at IDRA. I'm so excited to host this series of four episodes. This is episode two, highlighting our third cohort of the Education Policy Fellows. During this episode, you'll hear from our fellows DeAndrea Byrd, Vivek Datla, Kaci Wright, and Isabelle Philip. And you can read about their bios and the full breadth of their work in the link shared in the podcast show notes. In this episode, we’ll be inviting our fellows to share their experiences, advocates of color, fighting for educational justice here in the South. Let's go ahead and get started. First, DeAndrea, we'll start with you. How has your cultural and ethnic identity shaped your advocacy experience? What benefits and challenges did you recognize or experience as an advocate of color in the statewide policy advocacy space?
DEANDREA (01:51):
Well, this session, as a black woman at the Capitol, I felt the weight of both my identity and my purpose every single day. I'm really from Atlanta. So, my cultural and ethnic background it's not something I carry; it's what I care about. Like East Atlanta made me, but DeKalb County raised me. I come from a community that has been historically silenced, overlooked, under-resourced, but celebrated and duplicated in many ways, culturally. So, when I show up in spaces that are policy-filled, I'm not just speaking for myself, I'm bringing my grandmama's strength and my children's future and my grandchildren's future, and the voices of families who don't always get to, you know, show up and belong in these rooms. So, the truth is, being a black woman at the Capitol did have some real, um, challenges because it was like microaggressions. And sometimes, they happen so often that I would like kind of ignore them or not say anything. And when they happened to somebody else, I didn't like to process it right away. Even in the Treehouse space that was meant for lobbyists, sometimes, those microaggressions were just like, "Okay, I'm going to deal with it later." And I get home and overthink it. It just started to feel like the air there-- because you could kind of feel like they may have been dismissive or tolerating new faces, because they're always there. It was important that I saw that so that I can encourage other people, like, "Hey, we got to show up in these spaces, so it's not like you're the outsider, or it's not like people feel like that you don't belong." And I also saw black women legislators at the Capitol come up with really good bills, research-backed bills, but they were often dismissed, talked over, and tolerated. And some of their bills were thoughtful, research-backed, and directly served the needs of their community, but they were met with resistance.
(03:36):
And they were women with degrees, livedexperience, professional expertise, who had been there a while. Oh, they would get interrupted. So that sent a clear message, like even if they followed the rules or spoke the language and did the work, oftentimes, black women's voices were considered optional. And I know a lot of times it was said like, "Why do you bring race into it?" But like by the time somebody black brought race into it, it was already in it, so that's why we're speaking about it. So sometimes, that was like, "Oh, okay." But also, when you talk about black women advocating for black children in the system that was never built for them anyway, it's like not optional. So, you've got to be there anyway. Like it or they're going to say, "Well, nobody showed up. This is what they wanted." And that's with any other ethnic background. If you don't show up, they'll say you wanted it, sign your name, and then you just must deal with it. So, I still see my identity as my superpower. Being rooted in my culture keeps me grounded. It makes me remember where I come from and why I do this. Even when I feel like I want to take a break, I'm like, "No, you got to get back out there, girl." It also allows me to translate policy into something that's like real and urgent, and tell them like, "You need to be more involved in just voting. Like, policy is really what you're mad at. You're mad at the principal. Or you're mad at the teacher. Or you're mad at the disciplinary rate. But if we don't change this policy, it's only going to get worse." I also learned that we can't wait for seats at the table. Go where you think you don't belong. Go where you've never been before. As advocates of color, we must build our own tables but also bring people together and bridge those tables. And work together with others. Change the conversation. And it just let me know that I must continue to challenge myself and to continue to take up space.
MIKAYLA (05:20):
Awesome. Yeah. I think I told you all when you first started, we operate kind of via a closed-mouth system. If you don't take what you need and say what you need, we don't always know. Vivek, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this question. You had an interesting experience too.
VIVEK (05:35):
Yeah. You know, I'll be honest, I think it can be mentally and emotionally challenging, daunting, and draining at times to operate and be in a policymaking space when you know that so many of the bills that are being proposed and are being discussed will, very seriously and very negatively, harm people of color. It's especially, I think, frustrating to operate in that space when, again, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are twisted and reframed and attacked as somehow these discriminatory policies and initiatives, when the very purpose of them is to make spaces more open to people of color and communities of color. I recall a lot of conversations in legislative offices where I tried to lean into my lived experience as a person of color and received dismissive or very uninterested responses in return. There was a certain glazed look in the eyes of some of the staff members that we talked about when we would try to bring up our experiences. And I recall being in office and attempting to advocate in favor of an ethnic studies bill that would have allowed students to count an African-American studies course, for example, as a social studies credit and not an elective credit, and being told by a, a legislative staff member that they were concerned that the bill would be considered diversity, equity, and inclusion, and therefore the representative could not or likely would not support it for that reason. And so Those kinds of experiences are hard when you feel, like no matter how many times you or other individuals of color try and offer up perspectives and experiences, that countless people in the building simply don't care or who will continue to move in the direction that they've chosen to move in despite the heartfelt and, you know, emotional concerns that are shared for how their decisions might hurt us or our communities.
(07:27):
On the flip side, I think the benefit ofbeing an advocate of color is that you know that you're bringing a strong and unique perspective to so many policy discussions because so many of the proposals directly affect our communities in a profound and often disproportionate way. And so, our cultural and racial identities are things to tap into always. And I think DeAndrea said it best, they're a strength, they're a superpower, and they're a source of knowledge for us as well.
MIKAYLA (07:55):
Yeah. Thank you so much for that. Kaci, you, me, and Vivek all share experience as educators. And I know that was a big point of reflection for you on some of the challenges that you experienced, as well as your identity. We'd love to hear what you experienced in this.
KACI (08:10):
Yeah. Thank you for asking. I will say coming into the Capitol as a young woman of color came with those very intersecting identities that came with their own challenges throughout the session that taught me who this space is really made for and who it's not made for. And I remember, just the first day, walking in the building and looking around and expecting there to be a representation of our state. And that was not seen in the people who were working there in many ways. But it also allowed the opportunity whenever I saw other women of color, we just kind of naturally, organically support each other. And it was nice to have the support system between the advocates there that kind of knew the stakes that were at risk whenever we're fighting against these bad bills and fighting for good bills. Especially coming from not only these deeply personal issues, not just to me and my community, but to the students I taught. I mostly taught students of color. And so, I think there was something powerful testifying and going to offices, being able to say, you know, "I know how this affects me. I know how this affects the students I taught." And I'm not just saying that because of my experience, which is valuable, but I'm saying this because research and data also back this up. You know, "This policy's harmful for black students, and I can show you the numbers that support that." I think that it was powerful coming from someone like me and being strong in my stance on that, and being able to say, "I've seen this, and we know it's happening." So, there's kind of really no denial of it. Like DeAndrea said, the race is just naturally a part of a lot of these systems that are put in place, that have been put in place for years, centuries. And so, I love to keep that dialogue and keep that conversation happening at the Capitol. And I think exactly what everybody else said, you know, now coming in, I feel like I had a little bit of imposter syndrome questioning, you know, my worth in this space. And that completely just switched around quickly when I really realized I do have value in my experience and what I've seen," and to take power in that and to own that and to have that motivate my passion moving forward.
MIKAYLA (10:07):
Thank you. Isabelle, certainly not least, but if you would share last, I'm interested in what you felt were challenges or benefits from your experiences in this.
ISABELLE (10:20):
Yeah. I mean, it can be very frustrating to have to argue about an issue that's so personal, or discuss an issue that's so personal, with people who just couldn't possibly relate to it because they don't have the lived experience, so. And I've seen that to be true for me. I've seen that to be true for the students that I've worked with and colleagues. It can all sometimes be very overwhelming because how are you not supposed to get emotional, even if you keep it deep down? And then the person across from you can stay calm, cool, and collected because it really is just policy to them. And somehow that makes you seem like the person who shouldn't be taken seriously. So, I think that's something that I've seen and experienced a lot. But I've also seen, from the legislators to even some of the lobbyists, that I was always shocked because I would learn, like, "Oh, this person is related to this person who's done this before." Like, there are just so many familial ties that I didn't expect, which is just much harder to come by when you aren't white or you're an immigrant. So, I think you just see it so clearly. There's a lot of-- a lot of nepotism going on, which is just another reason that we must, you know, do programs like this, get our communities involved. And that's where, I think, the superpower part comes in, that y'all are talking about, because now we've grown so much and we are so passionate, in part due to our experiences, and we know best how to communicate with our communities and to bring them in. So, it also presents itself as a great opportunity to advocate for us.
MIKAYLA (12:13):
Yeah. Absolutely. Um, and staying with you, Isabelle, I'd love to hear how you would like to see this landscape change. What does that look like as far as it relates to the influence of communities of color? I think you've hinted at it. I mean, what keeps people like us out of the process? What would you like to see change?
ISABELLE (12:30):
This one's a little hard for me because I really have such distrust of politicians and, you know, the legislative process, which made this whole fellowship an eye-opening experience for me because we can only control so much. Right? So, I want to see more communication between the progressive legislative space and directly trying to bring people in. Like this program is one of the only ones that I know of in Georgia. And I think that it should be a part of every advocate's - or every progressive lobbyist or whatever you all call yourselves - job to bring more people in. Because you can develop all the relationships you want, but if you're not bringing in the rest of us, then that work stops with you. And when you go, then what's left for everyone who comes after you? The policies you push for will only be there for so long, and then someone will change them back. So, we need a consistent push. And that means bringing everyone to the table and having that be the focus of the work.
MIKAYLA (13:39):
Absolutely. We felt very strongly about the pipeline. Kaci, what about you? What would you like to see change to make our policy landscape have more influence from communities of color and directly impacted folks?
KACI (13:51):
Yeah. So much. I always go back to where it starts is really representation. And you need to have people at the table who've experienced diverse things to make policy for such a diverse state. And I think that's where Texas and a lot of other states in the South are lacking. And walking in it every day, you could just see it right in front of your eyes. And that goes from the politicians at the top to the people that are coming in to testify. And I would love to just see diversity among all those different spaces. And that really comes to opening that door and allowing opportunities for those people to come in these spaces, like this fellowship that allows people to have the chance to learn from somebody and to be in the building every single day and to gain confidence. That's going to have me go out and tell people I know, "Hey, come and do this." I mean, it really takes that community uplifting and empowering others to play a part in the whole policymaking process. And just those small little changes, I think it's going to affect the long term. And, I would love to see just acknowledgement that, you know, communities of colors, their input is still valuable today. I think there's a lot of narrative that we can shift away from making decisions based on race. And I don't think we're at a point in society where we can make those decisions. And so just an acknowledgement from people that, "Hey, we need to look at these things. We need to look at how this affects different communities and prioritize that in the policymaking process."
MIKAYLA (15:13):
Absolutely. And, Vivek, what about you? What thoughts do you have? I'm sure you have several.
VIVEK (15:16):
I want to echo what Kaci already said so well. I think that, in an ideal world, for me, communities of color would have influence on policy language before it emerges in the form of a build text. You know, I'm amazed at the power that people of color and advocates in impacted communities always displayed at the Capitol. But it often feels like we're forced to be responsive to the actions of policymakers or very much on defense. And I think policymakers themselves should be leaning into communities of color and our experiences and what we think of the ideas that they're developing at the onset, and not just, you know, in the middle of the policy development stage or near the end of the process, because sometimes it feels like they're checking off a box rather than truly incorporating the opinions and input that we can provide to the table. And I think one way we can change that is by continuing to build our strength in numbers, like as a program like this fellowship is meant to do and, I think, does very well. Because the more people we have in this space, the more amplified our voices are and the more welcoming those spaces become to people from diverse backgrounds.
MIKAYLA (16:25):
Absolutely. I'm so glad you said that. DeAndrea, what about you?
DEANDREA (16:29):
I just want to echo from everything Isabelle, Kaci, and Vivek said. I feel programs like these are super important because this was the bridge way of bringing people that aren't normally in these spaces into these spaces. And it's a ripple effect. Once you bring those that are in here, we can take it back, tell more people about the program, or just basically share what we learned. I would like to see a truly equitable space where all parties are included instead of pitting parties against each other. Like parents, teachers, students, community members, and lawmakers should literally be working together from the start, not just when it gets complicated or it hits the fan. And it shouldn't be so transactional coming to the community when you need us for something, but like leading with that. And what keeps regular people like us out is like lack of access, complicated language, the feeling that these spaces, like Isabelle said, aren't built for us. People don't show up when they feel ignored. If you don't know somebody, you don't like them, and you don't trust them, a lot of times you throw your hands up, and you're like, "Well, I just don't want to deal with it." Politicians need to meet communities where they are, use plain language, and create real invitations for them to lead, not performative.
MIKAYLA (17:41):
Thank you, guys, so much for that. I think we've talked about some of the challenges quite a bit and what we've focused on. And we're going to talk about the future of your work and what you guys have planned for the future. But for this question, I mostly just want to talk about sustainability and what you did or what tips you have for keeping this work going. How did you make this sustainable for yourself? How did you protect your peace or manage the emotional burden that comes with this that all of you have talked about? I'd love that to just be kind of like our wrapping thought. What is it that you do to make this work continue? DeAndrea, if it's okay, I'd like to start with you.
DEANDREA (18:16):
What I would like to do to make this work continue, number one, continue to learn, keep showing up now that I know how to show up in the correct way. Doing legislative season, how to track bills correctly, who's responsible for what, that's information I can go back and share with the people, places, and community organizations that I'm connected to. I really want to create a PDF or maybe like an eBook for parents that just want to get started on understanding policy, how it works, that they could just go to, download, where they don't need me for it, or they don't need the next person. Just in plain English, just an advocacy toolkit. Like, "This is where you look for this," maybe like a resource. And I want to continue to teach community classes, like policy, continue to teach them on IEPs, 504s, and just about how the school system works, student discipline works. So just continue. And what keeps me going is knowing that real lives are on the line. Like I do this because I've lived it as a parent, I've lived it as a child of an educator, and I see the impact of policy every day, not just in theory, but in schools, in homes. And I lean on other advocates. I lean on people like Mikayla. I lean on people like Isabelle. I lean on other organizations, so we just need to be able to lean on each other to continue to do the work. In every policy term and process, we got to continue to show up until it's changed and continue to be disruptive until the change comes.
MIKAYLA (19:42):
Kaci, what about you? How did you maintain this work? What tips might you have for somebody else who might feel that anxiety coming into your--?
KACI (19:51):
Yeah. That's a good question. And this work can be extremely frustrating and draining at times. And there were moments throughout session where I experienced burnout. And I think something I learned early on, and our team really learned early on, is that you really can't do it all. Especially in education, there are just so many issues that, you know, I wanted to go testify on so many bills and, you know, talk to offices about so many different positions that we had on different ones, but it really came down to prioritizing what we wanted to work on and kind of just going in on it and, making that the priority in session. So, I just think it's important to focus and, and narrow down the scope of the work that you want to do is important. And then really leaning on the people around you to lift you up when things are hard. We had an amazing team that were always there to lift us up and support us. When we couldn't do something, there was always somebody next to you that was willing to support you. So having a support system around you is extremely important. And then just whenever things get hard, go back to your why, go back to your motivation. Whenever I was tired at the Capitol at 2:00 AM in the morning and I wanted to go home, I thought about the students that I taught and how this would affect them. And that just kind of kept me on the prize and, you know, on the goal at hand.
MIKAYLA (21:00):
Isabelle, how about you?
ISABELLE (21:02):
During session, what kept me going was mostly the students that we got to take to the Capitol. We ran a program in Georgia to support students in advocating for public education at the Capitol by speaking with their legislators, giving testimony, reading bills. They would spend a whole day with us to learn more about the process. And it just kind of plays into what I was talking about earlier with passing on knowledge and making sure that there are other people who have access to and are equipped to keep the work going. Because another thing that has helped me a lot, that I finally realized, is that this is such a long-term battle. Every fight is very important, and it feels very intense. But if you fully feel that every single moment of the day, during session and afterwards, it's very hard to be effective, um, and it's very hard to keep your mind straight. So just like thinking to yourself and knowing that, "Okay, we lost this one, but there's so much more to do, and there's such a long fight ahead," is really, really valuable to think about. And, knowing that this isn't the only avenue for change. Policy is one way, but there's people out there who are organizing, there's people out there who are working within the communities outside of the system. So just knowing that there's so many people out there that are on your side, even if it feels very lonely at the Capitol.
MIKAYLA (22:37):
Vivek, certainly not the least, but if you'll wrap us up.
VIVEK (22:42):
So, the work is emotionally draining, especially in environments like Texas and Georgia, where the victories can be few and far between, and the losses tend to feel like they kind of stack up on top of one another. And, you know, I've worked, very emotionally tough jobs before, but this one is a different kind of emotionally tough. Just knowing that it's, oftentimes, it feels like it's not just your voice that maybe isn't being heard, but it's the voice of so many individuals from impacted communities that aren't being heard. And that's very tough. But I think what sustained my work was just kind of inspiration and comfort that I took from being in community with other people from IDRA, and also just other advocates from partner organizations that we worked closely with on issues. And knowing that the person next to me was, was fighting until the last possible moments, sometimes at 4:00 in the morning, or whatever odd hour of the night, to achieve any small victory for communities, it made me want to keep up with them. So, I think there are a lot of inspiring and extremely hardworking advocates and community members that work tirelessly throughout each legislative session to support good policies and push back against the bad. And you can feel their presence in a very meaningful way. And that's what kept me going.
MIKAYLA (23:52):
Thank you so much. And thank you to anyone who's here listening. We hope you'll join us for the other episodes of our series. If you haven't gone back to listening to episode one, I highly recommend it. And join us for our episodes three and four, which provide an overview of the fellowship and our hopes for the future.
NARRATOR (24:11):
Thank you for listening to IDRA Classnotes. For more information on IDRA and other Classnotes topics, go to www.idra.org. You can also send us your thoughts by email to podcast@idra.org.
This is Episode 250 of IDRA Classnotes.
VIVEK (00:13):
You know, I'm amazed at the power that people of color and advocates in impacted communities always displayed at the Capitol. But it often feels like we're forced to be responsive to the actions of policymakers or very much on defense. And I think policymakers themselves should be leaning into communities of color and our experiences and what we think of the ideas that they're developing at the onset, and not just, you know, in the middle of the policy development stage or near the end of the process, because, sometimes it feels like they're checking off a box rather than, really, truly incorporating the opinions and input that we can provide.
MIKAYLA (00:52):
Hello, and welcome to the Classnotes podcast series featuring reflections from our IDRA Education Policy Fellows. My name is Mikayla Arciaga, and I am the Georgia advocacy director and education policy fellowship coordinator at IDRA. I'm so excited to host this series of four episodes. This is episode two, highlighting our third cohort of the Education Policy Fellows. During this episode, you'll hear from our fellows DeAndrea Byrd, Vivek Datla, Kaci Wright, and Isabelle Philip. And you can read about their bios and the full breadth of their work in the link shared in the podcast show notes. In this episode, we’ll be inviting our fellows to share their experiences, advocates of color, fighting for educational justice here in the South. Let's go ahead and get started. First, DeAndrea, we'll start with you. How has your cultural and ethnic identity shaped your advocacy experience? What benefits and challenges did you recognize or experience as an advocate of color in the statewide policy advocacy space?
DEANDREA (01:51):
Well, this session, as a black woman at the Capitol, I felt the weight of both my identity and my purpose every single day. I'm really from Atlanta. So, my cultural and ethnic background it's not something I carry; it's what I care about. Like East Atlanta made me, but DeKalb County raised me. I come from a community that has been historically silenced, overlooked, under-resourced, but celebrated and duplicated in many ways, culturally. So, when I show up in spaces that are policy-filled, I'm not just speaking for myself, I'm bringing my grandmama's strength and my children's future and my grandchildren's future, and the voices of families who don't always get to, you know, show up and belong in these rooms. So, the truth is, being a black woman at the Capitol did have some real, um, challenges because it was like microaggressions. And sometimes, they happen so often that I would like kind of ignore them or not say anything. And when they happened to somebody else, I didn't like to process it right away. Even in the Treehouse space that was meant for lobbyists, sometimes, those microaggressions were just like, "Okay, I'm going to deal with it later." And I get home and overthink it. It just started to feel like the air there-- because you could kind of feel like they may have been dismissive or tolerating new faces, because they're always there. It was important that I saw that so that I can encourage other people, like, "Hey, we got to show up in these spaces, so it's not like you're the outsider, or it's not like people feel like that you don't belong." And I also saw black women legislators at the Capitol come up with really good bills, research-backed bills, but they were often dismissed, talked over, and tolerated. And some of their bills were thoughtful, research-backed, and directly served the needs of their community, but they were met with resistance.
(03:36):
And they were women with degrees, livedexperience, professional expertise, who had been there a while. Oh, they would get interrupted. So that sent a clear message, like even if they followed the rules or spoke the language and did the work, oftentimes, black women's voices were considered optional. And I know a lot of times it was said like, "Why do you bring race into it?" But like by the time somebody black brought race into it, it was already in it, so that's why we're speaking about it. So sometimes, that was like, "Oh, okay." But also, when you talk about black women advocating for black children in the system that was never built for them anyway, it's like not optional. So, you've got to be there anyway. Like it or they're going to say, "Well, nobody showed up. This is what they wanted." And that's with any other ethnic background. If you don't show up, they'll say you wanted it, sign your name, and then you just must deal with it. So, I still see my identity as my superpower. Being rooted in my culture keeps me grounded. It makes me remember where I come from and why I do this. Even when I feel like I want to take a break, I'm like, "No, you got to get back out there, girl." It also allows me to translate policy into something that's like real and urgent, and tell them like, "You need to be more involved in just voting. Like, policy is really what you're mad at. You're mad at the principal. Or you're mad at the teacher. Or you're mad at the disciplinary rate. But if we don't change this policy, it's only going to get worse." I also learned that we can't wait for seats at the table. Go where you think you don't belong. Go where you've never been before. As advocates of color, we must build our own tables but also bring people together and bridge those tables. And work together with others. Change the conversation. And it just let me know that I must continue to challenge myself and to continue to take up space.
MIKAYLA (05:20):
Awesome. Yeah. I think I told you all when you first started, we operate kind of via a closed-mouth system. If you don't take what you need and say what you need, we don't always know. Vivek, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this question. You had an interesting experience too.
VIVEK (05:35):
Yeah. You know, I'll be honest, I think it can be mentally and emotionally challenging, daunting, and draining at times to operate and be in a policymaking space when you know that so many of the bills that are being proposed and are being discussed will, very seriously and very negatively, harm people of color. It's especially, I think, frustrating to operate in that space when, again, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are twisted and reframed and attacked as somehow these discriminatory policies and initiatives, when the very purpose of them is to make spaces more open to people of color and communities of color. I recall a lot of conversations in legislative offices where I tried to lean into my lived experience as a person of color and received dismissive or very uninterested responses in return. There was a certain glazed look in the eyes of some of the staff members that we talked about when we would try to bring up our experiences. And I recall being in office and attempting to advocate in favor of an ethnic studies bill that would have allowed students to count an African-American studies course, for example, as a social studies credit and not an elective credit, and being told by a, a legislative staff member that they were concerned that the bill would be considered diversity, equity, and inclusion, and therefore the representative could not or likely would not support it for that reason. And so Those kinds of experiences are hard when you feel, like no matter how many times you or other individuals of color try and offer up perspectives and experiences, that countless people in the building simply don't care or who will continue to move in the direction that they've chosen to move in despite the heartfelt and, you know, emotional concerns that are shared for how their decisions might hurt us or our communities.
(07:27):
On the flip side, I think the benefit ofbeing an advocate of color is that you know that you're bringing a strong and unique perspective to so many policy discussions because so many of the proposals directly affect our communities in a profound and often disproportionate way. And so, our cultural and racial identities are things to tap into always. And I think DeAndrea said it best, they're a strength, they're a superpower, and they're a source of knowledge for us as well.
MIKAYLA (07:55):
Yeah. Thank you so much for that. Kaci, you, me, and Vivek all share experience as educators. And I know that was a big point of reflection for you on some of the challenges that you experienced, as well as your identity. We'd love to hear what you experienced in this.
KACI (08:10):
Yeah. Thank you for asking. I will say coming into the Capitol as a young woman of color came with those very intersecting identities that came with their own challenges throughout the session that taught me who this space is really made for and who it's not made for. And I remember, just the first day, walking in the building and looking around and expecting there to be a representation of our state. And that was not seen in the people who were working there in many ways. But it also allowed the opportunity whenever I saw other women of color, we just kind of naturally, organically support each other. And it was nice to have the support system between the advocates there that kind of knew the stakes that were at risk whenever we're fighting against these bad bills and fighting for good bills. Especially coming from not only these deeply personal issues, not just to me and my community, but to the students I taught. I mostly taught students of color. And so, I think there was something powerful testifying and going to offices, being able to say, you know, "I know how this affects me. I know how this affects the students I taught." And I'm not just saying that because of my experience, which is valuable, but I'm saying this because research and data also back this up. You know, "This policy's harmful for black students, and I can show you the numbers that support that." I think that it was powerful coming from someone like me and being strong in my stance on that, and being able to say, "I've seen this, and we know it's happening." So, there's kind of really no denial of it. Like DeAndrea said, the race is just naturally a part of a lot of these systems that are put in place, that have been put in place for years, centuries. And so, I love to keep that dialogue and keep that conversation happening at the Capitol. And I think exactly what everybody else said, you know, now coming in, I feel like I had a little bit of imposter syndrome questioning, you know, my worth in this space. And that completely just switched around quickly when I really realized I do have value in my experience and what I've seen," and to take power in that and to own that and to have that motivate my passion moving forward.
MIKAYLA (10:07):
Thank you. Isabelle, certainly not least, but if you would share last, I'm interested in what you felt were challenges or benefits from your experiences in this.
ISABELLE (10:20):
Yeah. I mean, it can be very frustrating to have to argue about an issue that's so personal, or discuss an issue that's so personal, with people who just couldn't possibly relate to it because they don't have the lived experience, so. And I've seen that to be true for me. I've seen that to be true for the students that I've worked with and colleagues. It can all sometimes be very overwhelming because how are you not supposed to get emotional, even if you keep it deep down? And then the person across from you can stay calm, cool, and collected because it really is just policy to them. And somehow that makes you seem like the person who shouldn't be taken seriously. So, I think that's something that I've seen and experienced a lot. But I've also seen, from the legislators to even some of the lobbyists, that I was always shocked because I would learn, like, "Oh, this person is related to this person who's done this before." Like, there are just so many familial ties that I didn't expect, which is just much harder to come by when you aren't white or you're an immigrant. So, I think you just see it so clearly. There's a lot of-- a lot of nepotism going on, which is just another reason that we must, you know, do programs like this, get our communities involved. And that's where, I think, the superpower part comes in, that y'all are talking about, because now we've grown so much and we are so passionate, in part due to our experiences, and we know best how to communicate with our communities and to bring them in. So, it also presents itself as a great opportunity to advocate for us.
MIKAYLA (12:13):
Yeah. Absolutely. Um, and staying with you, Isabelle, I'd love to hear how you would like to see this landscape change. What does that look like as far as it relates to the influence of communities of color? I think you've hinted at it. I mean, what keeps people like us out of the process? What would you like to see change?
ISABELLE (12:30):
This one's a little hard for me because I really have such distrust of politicians and, you know, the legislative process, which made this whole fellowship an eye-opening experience for me because we can only control so much. Right? So, I want to see more communication between the progressive legislative space and directly trying to bring people in. Like this program is one of the only ones that I know of in Georgia. And I think that it should be a part of every advocate's - or every progressive lobbyist or whatever you all call yourselves - job to bring more people in. Because you can develop all the relationships you want, but if you're not bringing in the rest of us, then that work stops with you. And when you go, then what's left for everyone who comes after you? The policies you push for will only be there for so long, and then someone will change them back. So, we need a consistent push. And that means bringing everyone to the table and having that be the focus of the work.
MIKAYLA (13:39):
Absolutely. We felt very strongly about the pipeline. Kaci, what about you? What would you like to see change to make our policy landscape have more influence from communities of color and directly impacted folks?
KACI (13:51):
Yeah. So much. I always go back to where it starts is really representation. And you need to have people at the table who've experienced diverse things to make policy for such a diverse state. And I think that's where Texas and a lot of other states in the South are lacking. And walking in it every day, you could just see it right in front of your eyes. And that goes from the politicians at the top to the people that are coming in to testify. And I would love to just see diversity among all those different spaces. And that really comes to opening that door and allowing opportunities for those people to come in these spaces, like this fellowship that allows people to have the chance to learn from somebody and to be in the building every single day and to gain confidence. That's going to have me go out and tell people I know, "Hey, come and do this." I mean, it really takes that community uplifting and empowering others to play a part in the whole policymaking process. And just those small little changes, I think it's going to affect the long term. And, I would love to see just acknowledgement that, you know, communities of colors, their input is still valuable today. I think there's a lot of narrative that we can shift away from making decisions based on race. And I don't think we're at a point in society where we can make those decisions. And so just an acknowledgement from people that, "Hey, we need to look at these things. We need to look at how this affects different communities and prioritize that in the policymaking process."
MIKAYLA (15:13):
Absolutely. And, Vivek, what about you? What thoughts do you have? I'm sure you have several.
VIVEK (15:16):
I want to echo what Kaci already said so well. I think that, in an ideal world, for me, communities of color would have influence on policy language before it emerges in the form of a build text. You know, I'm amazed at the power that people of color and advocates in impacted communities always displayed at the Capitol. But it often feels like we're forced to be responsive to the actions of policymakers or very much on defense. And I think policymakers themselves should be leaning into communities of color and our experiences and what we think of the ideas that they're developing at the onset, and not just, you know, in the middle of the policy development stage or near the end of the process, because sometimes it feels like they're checking off a box rather than truly incorporating the opinions and input that we can provide to the table. And I think one way we can change that is by continuing to build our strength in numbers, like as a program like this fellowship is meant to do and, I think, does very well. Because the more people we have in this space, the more amplified our voices are and the more welcoming those spaces become to people from diverse backgrounds.
MIKAYLA (16:25):
Absolutely. I'm so glad you said that. DeAndrea, what about you?
DEANDREA (16:29):
I just want to echo from everything Isabelle, Kaci, and Vivek said. I feel programs like these are super important because this was the bridge way of bringing people that aren't normally in these spaces into these spaces. And it's a ripple effect. Once you bring those that are in here, we can take it back, tell more people about the program, or just basically share what we learned. I would like to see a truly equitable space where all parties are included instead of pitting parties against each other. Like parents, teachers, students, community members, and lawmakers should literally be working together from the start, not just when it gets complicated or it hits the fan. And it shouldn't be so transactional coming to the community when you need us for something, but like leading with that. And what keeps regular people like us out is like lack of access, complicated language, the feeling that these spaces, like Isabelle said, aren't built for us. People don't show up when they feel ignored. If you don't know somebody, you don't like them, and you don't trust them, a lot of times you throw your hands up, and you're like, "Well, I just don't want to deal with it." Politicians need to meet communities where they are, use plain language, and create real invitations for them to lead, not performative.
MIKAYLA (17:41):
Thank you, guys, so much for that. I think we've talked about some of the challenges quite a bit and what we've focused on. And we're going to talk about the future of your work and what you guys have planned for the future. But for this question, I mostly just want to talk about sustainability and what you did or what tips you have for keeping this work going. How did you make this sustainable for yourself? How did you protect your peace or manage the emotional burden that comes with this that all of you have talked about? I'd love that to just be kind of like our wrapping thought. What is it that you do to make this work continue? DeAndrea, if it's okay, I'd like to start with you.
DEANDREA (18:16):
What I would like to do to make this work continue, number one, continue to learn, keep showing up now that I know how to show up in the correct way. Doing legislative season, how to track bills correctly, who's responsible for what, that's information I can go back and share with the people, places, and community organizations that I'm connected to. I really want to create a PDF or maybe like an eBook for parents that just want to get started on understanding policy, how it works, that they could just go to, download, where they don't need me for it, or they don't need the next person. Just in plain English, just an advocacy toolkit. Like, "This is where you look for this," maybe like a resource. And I want to continue to teach community classes, like policy, continue to teach them on IEPs, 504s, and just about how the school system works, student discipline works. So just continue. And what keeps me going is knowing that real lives are on the line. Like I do this because I've lived it as a parent, I've lived it as a child of an educator, and I see the impact of policy every day, not just in theory, but in schools, in homes. And I lean on other advocates. I lean on people like Mikayla. I lean on people like Isabelle. I lean on other organizations, so we just need to be able to lean on each other to continue to do the work. In every policy term and process, we got to continue to show up until it's changed and continue to be disruptive until the change comes.
MIKAYLA (19:42):
Kaci, what about you? How did you maintain this work? What tips might you have for somebody else who might feel that anxiety coming into your--?
KACI (19:51):
Yeah. That's a good question. And this work can be extremely frustrating and draining at times. And there were moments throughout session where I experienced burnout. And I think something I learned early on, and our team really learned early on, is that you really can't do it all. Especially in education, there are just so many issues that, you know, I wanted to go testify on so many bills and, you know, talk to offices about so many different positions that we had on different ones, but it really came down to prioritizing what we wanted to work on and kind of just going in on it and, making that the priority in session. So, I just think it's important to focus and, and narrow down the scope of the work that you want to do is important. And then really leaning on the people around you to lift you up when things are hard. We had an amazing team that were always there to lift us up and support us. When we couldn't do something, there was always somebody next to you that was willing to support you. So having a support system around you is extremely important. And then just whenever things get hard, go back to your why, go back to your motivation. Whenever I was tired at the Capitol at 2:00 AM in the morning and I wanted to go home, I thought about the students that I taught and how this would affect them. And that just kind of kept me on the prize and, you know, on the goal at hand.
MIKAYLA (21:00):
Isabelle, how about you?
ISABELLE (21:02):
During session, what kept me going was mostly the students that we got to take to the Capitol. We ran a program in Georgia to support students in advocating for public education at the Capitol by speaking with their legislators, giving testimony, reading bills. They would spend a whole day with us to learn more about the process. And it just kind of plays into what I was talking about earlier with passing on knowledge and making sure that there are other people who have access to and are equipped to keep the work going. Because another thing that has helped me a lot, that I finally realized, is that this is such a long-term battle. Every fight is very important, and it feels very intense. But if you fully feel that every single moment of the day, during session and afterwards, it's very hard to be effective, um, and it's very hard to keep your mind straight. So just like thinking to yourself and knowing that, "Okay, we lost this one, but there's so much more to do, and there's such a long fight ahead," is really, really valuable to think about. And, knowing that this isn't the only avenue for change. Policy is one way, but there's people out there who are organizing, there's people out there who are working within the communities outside of the system. So just knowing that there's so many people out there that are on your side, even if it feels very lonely at the Capitol.
MIKAYLA (22:37):
Vivek, certainly not the least, but if you'll wrap us up.
VIVEK (22:42):
So, the work is emotionally draining, especially in environments like Texas and Georgia, where the victories can be few and far between, and the losses tend to feel like they kind of stack up on top of one another. And, you know, I've worked, very emotionally tough jobs before, but this one is a different kind of emotionally tough. Just knowing that it's, oftentimes, it feels like it's not just your voice that maybe isn't being heard, but it's the voice of so many individuals from impacted communities that aren't being heard. And that's very tough. But I think what sustained my work was just kind of inspiration and comfort that I took from being in community with other people from IDRA, and also just other advocates from partner organizations that we worked closely with on issues. And knowing that the person next to me was, was fighting until the last possible moments, sometimes at 4:00 in the morning, or whatever odd hour of the night, to achieve any small victory for communities, it made me want to keep up with them. So, I think there are a lot of inspiring and extremely hardworking advocates and community members that work tirelessly throughout each legislative session to support good policies and push back against the bad. And you can feel their presence in a very meaningful way. And that's what kept me going.
MIKAYLA (23:52):
Thank you so much. And thank you to anyone who's here listening. We hope you'll join us for the other episodes of our series. If you haven't gone back to listening to episode one, I highly recommend it. And join us for our episodes three and four, which provide an overview of the fellowship and our hopes for the future.
NARRATOR (24:11):
Thank you for listening to IDRA Classnotes. For more information on IDRA and other Classnotes topics, go to www.idra.org. You can also send us your thoughts by email to podcast@idra.org.
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