There’s an infectious energy that flows in Raishawn Swensen (she/her) and Ninderjit Gill’s (she/her) presence, even through a virtual interview. Challenge feels like opportunity as their words speak truth to power and chart a hopeful path forward. It’s hard to imagine a time when Raishawn didn’t feel like she belonged in the policy advocacy sector, but before joining Pathwaves as the Washington Association for the Education of Young Children (WAEYC) Fellow, she struggled to envision that for herself, “As a direct service provider, I knew policy decisions were affecting my work and our families, but I didn’t yet know how to make an impact.” Ninderjit, Raishawn’s supervisor and the Executive Director of WAEYC, saw partnership with Pathwaves as the perfect opportunity for growth, “Raishawn in the Policy Fellow role would allow us to have someone that can be in spaces that truly represents the workforce and the way that it is now.” Six months into the Fellowship, they are seeing the fruits of their work already, and have big plans for the future.
As an association for early learning professionals, WAEYC is committed to creating a space for direct service providers to use their voices to advocate for themselves and their communities within their organization. However, Raishawn realized that she still had a lot of work to do to feel comfortable advocating in policymaking spaces. “As I am in it, I am realizing how the higher you go into this work the more you feel how these spaces are not made for us. It’s scary to be the first one or one of the only people who look like me moving through these spaces. My hope moving forward is to pave the way so that those that come after me can really feel like they belong and that the policy world is for them.”
Key to Raishawn’s growth has been the strength she finds in her Pathwaves Cohort, “In policy work, you can’t do things alone. We are not doing anything alone at Pathwaves. I am really thankful for our collective power and how we come together and Pathwaves’ commitment to creating a space where we can grow together and as individuals.” This sense of community and belonging has also been a priority at her placement site since the beginning. Ninderjit explains that having BIPOC leaders at the table isn’t enough, “there must also be support in place to prevent burn out. We have to ask ourselves how we can reconstruct spaces so that BIPOC leaders see their policy advocacy roles as sustainable. Being a part of Pathwaves allows us to do that explicitly at WAEYC.”
The human aspect of policy work is top of mind for Raishawn and Ninderjit, especially right now. Ninderjit expands, “We are dealing with human beings – our identities cannot be reduced to our race or gender identity. We are complex, whole people on personal and professional journeys.” For Raishawn, the duality of her personal and professional lives has been central to her growth as an advocate. “At Pathwaves I use my full name, Raishawn. I want to embody that name in my professional life. But Rai – the person I am at home – reminds me who I am and where I came from. I have to bring both Raishawn and Rai into the policy making space to be an effective advocate for myself and my community.”
Raishawn’s leadership within WAEYC is already having significant impacts. Taking what she is learning from Pathwaves’ professional development days, Raishawn led workshops on the life cycle of a bill, how to write a testimony, and is mobilizing members to ensure their voices are heard in the legislative process. For Ninderjit, this education is vital, “A lot of people don’t know about proposed legislation until it has passed and policies are already being implemented. Raishawn educating and mobilizing our members, provides us with an opportunity to engage in the process and be proactive instead of reactive.” With this in mind, Raishawn is starting to plan for the next legislative session, “we really want to hear so many different points of view and identify how to bring different voices together through subcommittees within the association.” And with each step forward that Raishawn takes, she is deeply aware of the path she is paving for future leaders. Ninderjit sums it up perfectly: “We are building the foundation for the future and doing the work needed in the present at the same time.”
