Passion and Perseverance

Alyssa Ray (Photo courtesy of HelloGiggles.com).

Here at the Office of Public Engagement, we like to think of ourselves as the front door to the White House. We say that because we are largely reponsible for facilitating a dialogue between the President and the American people. This affords us opportunities to meet exceptional citizens from all over the country and to give folks a seat at the table to inform the policies impacting our lives. From small business owners creating jobs and opportunity, to teachers that are educating our nation’s future leaders to the engineers that are working on the next great technological innovation, these Americans never cease to inspire us and reinvigorate our commitment to public service.

This past Spring, Alyssa Ray served as a White House intern and developed her own passion for serviceand to expand opportunity for all Americans. Our friends atHelloGiggles sat down with Alyssa to talk about her mission to advance equalityand more in this week's edition of "Women Working to Do Good:"

“I would love to go into public service,” said Alyssa. “My passions right now are civil rights and equal opportunity employment, particularly after working on disability outreach and advocacy. I’m very passionate about going in that direction.” Alyssa believes women should take chances and apply for positions, even if they’re not sure they meet the qualifications, as long as they’re passionate about what they’re doing. “What I’ve found is that passion is such a key ingredient,” said Alyssa. “If you’re passionate about something don’t let anyone discourage you from it, even if there’s a lot of negative opinions. Just take risks, go for what you believe in.”

Alyssa's passion was a welcome addition to the White House this spring, and we look forward to hearing about the work she will do in the future. If you are interested in the White House internship program, visit the program's website and apply today.

Read more about Women Working to Do Good: 

• Faith and Pride
• Breaking the Silence
• Moxie Maven
• Turning the Page on Illiteracy
• Juggling Many Arts
• Notes of Hope
• Painting a New Picture of DC
• Canine Compassion
• She ”Shoots”, She Scores
• Feeding the Body and Mind
• Opening Up Opportunities
• A Voice for Change
• Embodying Confidence
• Letters From the Heart
• A Hug Around the World

Ronnie Cho is an Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement.

One Home at a Time: HUD Works with Illinois to Gain Equal Access for LGBT Americans

Ed. Note: This piece is cross-posted from the Department of Housing and Urban Development blog and co-authored by Rocco Claps, Director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights.  

When President Obama proclaimed June to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, he “called upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.” On a daily basis, Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity and the Illinois Department of Human Rights under Governor Quinn’s administration collaborate to make those aspirations reality in Illinois by working to eliminate housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

We have made progress as a society, but there is still discrimination. In 2011, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality publicized the results of a survey of 6,450 transgender individuals. A staggering 19 percent of respondents reported being refused a home or apartment because of gender identity and 11 percent reported eviction because of gender identity. An alarming nineteen percent of the transgender respondents reported experiencing homelessness at some point in their lives and, when trying to access homeless shelters, over half reported outright denials, harassment, or sexual assault in the shelter context.  Similarly, findings of a 2007 Michigan study indicate that same sex couples face high rates of bias and discriminatory treatment based on sexual orientation when trying to access rental housing. And we know that up to 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBT.

In a nation founded on the principles of justice and equality for all, this is unacceptable.  Recently, HUD and the Illinois Department of Human Rights have taken important steps to ensure that LGBT persons have equal access to housing.

Native American Traditional Cultural Landscapes Action Plan - Better Decisions for Historic Properties

An emerging issue for the national historic preservation community has particular relevance to Indian tribes. That issue is: how do we balance the need for alternative energy and other development with the preservation of traditional cultural landscapes and other large-scale historic places?

This challenge is not new to preservation but the scale of alternative energy development, and associated transmission corridors, poses new and considerable challenges to the preservation of traditional cultural landscapes of importance to Indian tribes. In order for federal agencies to make informed decisions, it is critical to involve tribes as early as possible in planning and before project sites are selected.

In 2009, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) initiated discussions with Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations about how to address these issues. Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (the Section 106 process is overseen by the ACHP) any federal undertaking that may adversely affect a historic property on or eligible for listing on, the National Register of Historic Places must consider how to avoid, minimize, or mitigate adverse effects to historic properties, including cultural landscapes. Unfortunately, these kinds of historic properties have not always been recognized or understood by federal agencies and the preservation community.