Standing With Our Clients in a Challenging Political Landscape
My dad was a federal worker. He spent 35 years as an IRS field agent, tracking down the largest cheaters in the system. He firmly believed in people paying their fair share. He was also a master negotiator—able to charm even the most dubious characters into settling their debts. A few tried to challenge him, even threatened him, but he never wavered. This was a man who flew 50 missions as a bombardier in WWII over Europe. No way was he going to be intimidated by some “jamoke,” as he would say.
His job provided for our family, put my siblings and me through college, and gave him the peace of mind that comes with strong union-backed healthcare benefits. The security and fairness he worked for—and that so many federal and public employees have long relied on—are now under direct attack.
Watching Utah pass HB267, stripping public workers of collective bargaining rights, feels like a gut punch—especially to our fire fighter communities. Many of our nonprofit and small government clients are scrambling, saying, “I have no idea how this is going to affect us.” Meanwhile, we’re adjusting messaging language across multiple client organizations due to DEI considerations, all while wondering if our own hard-earned status as a certified Woman-Owned Business in Washington State will soon be at risk.
And let’s not forget the broader impact—funding for the arts, health, education, and science organizations slashed, aid to starving people overseas cut, and the very workers and farmers who keep food on our grocery store shelves left in limbo.
It’s an insane time, and honestly, I should stop scrolling through Substack. But I can’t. Instead, I’m channeling unsettling energy into action.
So how am I fighting back? Each of us has our own way of standing up for what’s right, but as a collaborative, Rhizome will continue to show up for our clients—just as they have for us over the years. If they need something extra that isn’t in the budget, we’ll find a way to make it happen. If they need some picket signs? We’ll design some awesome ones and bring them to a line or protest. Because at the end of the day, we don’t just work for our clients—we stand with them, we fight for them, because they are the ones driving real change in the communities they serve.
I like to think I inherited a small piece of my father’s unwavering moral spine—because in the days ahead, I’ll need it to stand strong alongside my friends, clients, and colleagues as they also face personal and work challenges.