A year of possibility. 

“The idea of democracy is that the people govern themselves.”

• john a. powell, Othering and Belonging Institute’s (UCBerkeley) Founder

According to powell, the only rights that people other than the white men who set up our system of government have, are rights that have been given to them. The privilege to pick who comes in, and who stays in, who gets to vote, who gets to be seen and why, he said, is the ultimate privilege. 

What exactly are we seeking when we contemplate an advantage we have? A person may be privileged in one setting, and excluded in another. Every piece of our identity includes a power dynamic of advantage or privilege from the most micro-level, up to the documents and precepts that make us Vermonters and Americans. 

The nature of our power, and how we use it in each of these larger dynamics, is not the same as the privilege given to an individual. In the United States, however, culturally we default to that micro level. A skewed dynamic of this is entitlement.

White privilege includes hoarding a protective benefit of being white: the presumption of a protective barrier that will, to a large degree, serve to keep privilege in place in our systems, and protect from harm. 

But who is left unprotected? 

Again we bleach out the question of power. We are hard on each other. We are soft on the structures in which we operate. It should be the other way around. 

The power that accompanies privilege can also be used to the positive: invite others to join the effort to openly question who is being harmed by a structure, ask what can be done to not only cease to harm, but also mitigate harm done. Enable agency. 

Healthcare and Equity

As a member of the House Committee on Health Care, I heard testimony from groups underserved and unprotected statistically. The witnesses rightfully had no faith in the system set up to support every Vermonter— a set that includes them, but a system that excludes them. The end product included a call for a Health Equity Advisory Commission populated by a group of those without power or agency in healthcare, and asked that they be the drivers for deciding how our healthcare system could give equal access to every person. 

The bill, H. 210, with enactment now known as Act 33, also mandates the collection and analysis of relevant data to keep track of who is reached and to what end, and provides grants to support or create programs that improve healthcare access for Vermonters with disabilities, BIPOC (Black and non-Black, Indigenous or non-Indigenous People of Color) Vermonters, LGBTQ+ Vermonters, or any intersection thereof.

The original draft of now-Act 33 acknowledges access to housing and healthcare as social determinants of health. This is a list of often-overlooked factors that contribute to health, such as clean air, safe and healthy housing, access to nature, social support, public safety, transportation, social norms and attitudes, socioeconomic conditions, language, culture, access to technology, availability of resources to meet daily needs, and healthcare— among other factors; one can imagine the relative freedom that would come from equally prioritizing every component of the list, since so many resonate as the base levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The original bill also included an Office of Health Equity. Our committee struggled with the idea of waiting for the Vermont Department of Health to become untangled from the pandemic (whenever that is), or acting now to make sure that the intent of the bill was made known,  and allowing for additions and planning to be made after this first series of steps was undertaken. 

Acknowledging that it was still a system set up by our committee, as was said many times on our path to presenting the bill to the Vermont House of Representatives, it is a first step that, when realized, will lead us to a more equitable system. Equally importantly, it starts a process of lifting the powerless. It enables agency. It says that not only is there a need for full inclusion, there is also a crucial need for participation by the powerless in healthcare governance. 

Does now-Act 33 go far enough? No. Does it make significant progress? Absolutely.

Intent versus impact. 

When we stop relying on intent, we start balancing it with impact. As a new legislator, school board member and parent, accountability is important to me. “I’m sorry you felt that way,” betrays the mindset of a person who feels accountable to no one, even to the people who put them where they are. 

When we talk about K-12 education in terms of our country’s full history, and we debate what should and shouldn’t be included in those discussions, I have noticed a pattern of enforced misunderstanding implying that White people should feel guilt over the actions of our ancestors. This is not true. But, now that we know we have a lot to learn about our structures and how they came to be, we are all responsible to each other to call out what is unfair—the impacts of the decisions made before— and to put it right. We evolved through hard work and self-reflection (one hopes!) since some of these decisions were made, and as such we are obliged to improve the lives of others, on micro and macro levels. 

Returning to john powell, who is making effective decisions, and why? In a variety of studies, when people who have been left out of decisions are able to participate in the process, they take up the mantle proudly.  

Students who are given voice and choice show us that leadership begins at a much earlier age than we allow it to. They realize the gravity of where they are as a group right now, individually and as a whole. They take that voice seriously, and, once given the podium, are eloquent and certain and evolved. Why wouldn’t we give them every bit of knowledge about our country’s history, its dynamics, its many layers of hopes and fears, mistakes and accomplishments— why wouldn’t we enable them as we show them context for it? When we talk about who “gets” to have power, why wouldn’t we lift up all of those who don’t have it? 

Recently, I reviewed goals i set during the beginning of my campaign: 

“Go beyond inviting others to the table.”

“Being a legislator will make it possible to enable the agency of others.”

“Openly ask who is being harmed by a structure.“

“Cease harm; mitigate harm done.” 

I have worked hard to adhere to them, and to translate them into my life as a legislator, which I became just over a year ago, to serve my community, district, and state at the Vermont House of Representatives.   

I have been grateful every single time I have acted on my constituents’ behalf, either at home or during the legislative session. 

The most gratifying part of the job is the ability to respond to queries, to answer thoughtfully and honestly, and to put people, citizens, directly into contact with those who can fix things for them. It’s not always possible; sometimes I have to acknowledge the limitations of being a legislator. But sometimes, I really can enable direct agency, and there is no greater charge than doing it. 

Broadly, I have seen frustrations as we have failed to reach agreement on some bills, or we have worked hard and pondered bills we thought would enable even greater agency, and would translate our intents into intended impacts. The deliberative and inclusive legislative process – with lots of small hammers working out compromise – can be uncomfortable, and messy. Sausage-making, as they say. This is ongoing work, and one thing I look forward to is being a better-educated committee member in this upcoming session. 

I anticipate working on medical and public health matters (including social determinants of health and mental health), education matters, and income/affordability. These are considered by some to be three pillars of longevity that should bolster a society just starting to comprehend the extended length of the scale of years/vitality. I am hopeful that hearing each voice in my district, learning about the many hats worn and history/perspectives held by each person in its small communities, I can be an ever-better legislator who not only represents those who put me here, but makes room for their thoughts and ideas at the State House in my role as their gracious and grateful conduit.