Clarke Wheeler MPA ’21

“Coming to policy school has made me eager to define my theory of change. At this point, I am not convinced that the state is equipped to serve the communities I care about, regardless of the administration. Where does this leave me as an emerging public servant? What does it mean to question the state or the nonprofit industrial complex as a meaningful change agent when I am being trained to enter these sectors, specifically? I was born and raised in Washington, D.C., like my parents and their parents (and some of their parents). My parents were not government employees and I didn’t grow up reading @thehill. My #politics did not originate on Independence Avenue or K Street. Knowing this, I feel empowered to engage in public service on my own terms, but also uncertain of what my ‘terms’ are in the face of a pandemic, a recession, and a revolution. This semester, I am taking a course called ‘Great Leadership in the Historical Perspective,’ taught by Professor Julian Zelizer (@jzelizer), which explores the leadership strategies of civil rights figures while drawing connections to the modern-day Movement for Black Lives and demands to defund and abolish the police. It is energizing to return to the work of organizers like Ella Baker and Fannie Lou Hamer and astonishing how relevant their critiques of elites, patriarchy, and the Democratic Party are in this moment. I am in awe of the political power and imagination that Black folks have built and nurtured across time and space. Wherever I end up after graduation, I hope I am guided by this tradition.” - Clarke Wheeler MPA ’21