I spent my 20s earning minimum wage decorating cakes for a living. But one day, I looked in the mirror and realized I wanted more, for me and my people. I saw too many Native Americans struggling, and I realized we should have a voice in who our elected officials are.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and advocacy for one's community.
Deb Haaland reflects on her journey from a minimum-wage job to realizing her potential and responsibility to advocate for her community. Her awakening to the struggles of Native Americans highlights the necessity of having a voice in political matters, inspiring others to strive for more and to actively participate in shaping their futures.
In practice
In a speech about community engagement, you might quote Deb Haaland to emphasize the importance of having a voice in leadership.
In spite of our agonizing history, Native American people find much to celebrate. The songs, the dances, the culture and traditions surrounding planting and harvests, the prayers that are sent upward for healing and peace, and the welcoming of children into our families, are all reasons for us to keep moving forward with optimism.
Growing up in my mother's Pueblo household, I never imagined a world in which I would be represented by someone who looked like me.
I want every young Indigenous girl to think about getting involved in their communities. You're never too young to help with community efforts.
Racism and bigotry should never fuel any administration's policies. Calls to send anyone 'back' contradict who we should be as a country and the ideals for which we stand.
Native American activists have been present as long as the Europeans have been working to colonize us.
The tenets of my cultural teachings are rooted in our commitment to lift up every community member so that no one is left behind. Work and food were shared equally. Through our commitment to community, we care about children, even when they aren't ours, and we want our old folks, and yours, to live their last days in dignity and comfort.
I don't think that there's a hard-and-fast deadline. . . .What we have said all along is that this is not an open-ended process, we are not in this just to talk for talk's sake. . . . We expect prompt, concrete steps to be taken over the next couple of weeks.
Some of the best advice I've had comes from junior officers and enlisted men.
How can any company know if its processes, products, people are safe? Only if everyone is watching and telling the truth. The first part can be assumed; the second cannot.
The leader’s Attitude is like a thermostat for the place she works. If her attitude is good, the atmosphere is pleasant, and the environment is easy to work in. But if her attitude is bad, the temperature is insufferable.
You can teach someone with basic smarts to be smarter; you can't teach cultural fit or personality. But you also want someone who has a passion to win; someone that is all in.
I think the most effective way to run a kitchen is to teach, not to just yell.
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