Storytelling is Critical to Combat the Wildfire Raging Out of Control in Washington DC

Storytelling is Critical to Combat the Wildfire Raging Out of Control in Washington DC

When Trump announced his flurry of executive orders on Inauguration Day, I, like many Americans, was shocked and dismayed. It took a little while for the implications and ripple effects to begin to emerge.

Late Tuesday evening on January 21, I presented the first of 4 scheduled sessions on the use of impact storytelling to improve marketing results to Tajikistani women entrepreneurs. Two days later, I presented the second session. 

The women were excited to see that they could tap into accessible skills and resources to effectively market their products and services in their communities, rather than having to count on spending endless hours trying to figure out Facebook and Instagram when they were not even regular users. Their goals were modest—to build businesses that would help them support their families and build a better future for their children. Their businesses were small scale—women’s clothing, perfumes, handcrafts, sewing, baked goods and other food products.

And they were just as excited to connect with an American woman entrepreneur who was interested in helping them build their skills to make their businesses successful. They were thrilled to learn that I had been working with Tajikistani artisans for over 10 years, and becoming known as the English-speaking “cultural ambassador” for Tajikistani handicrafts.

And I relished the opportunity to grow my own business while supporting their journey and helping to build goodwill and mutual respect between people and our respective countries.

I had spent many hours preparing for the sessions and delivering them late in the evening because of the 12-hour time difference. I had been hired as a result of a US Embassy grant awarded to a local micro-finance organization to support training for women entrepreneurs in four locations around the country.

One of the conditions of the grant was that American experts be hired to present sessions on leadership training and marketing. I had signed a contract with the local micro-finance agency to deliver these presentations, and expected to receive a net payment of slightly over $1500 for my work. (Much of US aid includes such “set-asides” for American products and services, so that there is mutual benefit to both the aid recipients and American businesses.)

On Monday, January 27, I awoke to find the email that I had feared: future sessions were canceled as a result of the Executive Order. I now anticipate that I will receive no payment for the services already delivered, much less the 2 remaining sessions. And I have no recourse. I certainly cannot reasonably take legal action against the micro-credit agency, nor would I even want to. It’s not their fault!

I am not suddenly homeless as a result of losing that promised $1500. But I was intending to use the money promised to support local businesses in Albuquerque, like my bookkeeper, which is now impossible. The impacts on the micro-finance organization and the Tajikistani women entrepreneurs are dramatically worse.

It took a few more days for me to realize that I also had to put my planned October tour to Central Asia (one of the major revenue-generating activities of my fair trade business) on hold. Because the freeze plus the utter disregard of treaty obligations across the board-the Paris Environmental Accords, membership in the World Health Organization, and the tariff threats on allies that threatened to tear up generations of goodwill and carefully negotiated trade agreements, made me concerned that (1) we might not be able to legally travel to this part of the world as a result of potential actions and reactions to mindless White House actions in violation of law and practice; (2) we might not be welcomed with the same hospitality we have received on prior tours, and deservedly so.

I also can’t reasonably expect the small local tour companies I work with to guarantee our reservations and also guarantee to refund all money based upon which direction the winds are blowing in Washington in October and which threat by Trump or Musk (which if made by anyone else could be prosecuted as extortion) is today’s special on the menu.

We’re told that this freeze is part of an “America first” plan. It is obvious that I and other Americans directly impacted by this freeze are not part of the America intended to be protected. And no Americans will be protected by the sudden and precipitous decline in foreign relations among either our allies or our enemies (except perhaps the billionaires who own multinational corporations and wield unchecked economic and political power that is becoming more and more evident with each passing day.)

And reducing the chances of local entrepreneurial success certainly does decrease the risk that the vulnerable in Tajikistan and other struggling countries will be forced to look for any opportunities to provide for their families—including drug trafficking and emigration.  The very evils that we are told the threatened tariff war with our closest allies for the last 80 years are designed to combat.

But for me, one of the most devastating effects has been the feeling of utter betrayal by my own government and the American values that I thought we at least held as aspirational, even if we were struggling as a nation to fulfill those values on the ground for all members of society. That trust is broken and I expect it will never be repaired.

The same is true of the elected representatives, voters, donors and others who cheer on this complete disregard of the rule of law, respect for human dignity, and protection of the vulnerable, and completely disclaim any responsibility for the consequences.  Some of those people are in my own family, and that fundamental breach of trust is probably beyond repair as well. I have come to terms with the idea that I may have to end a marriage of almost 37 years to preserve my own mental health.

And I know the resulting financial, mental, emotional, physical and spiritual trauma will have repercussions for years after Trump and Musk are gone. For me, my family, and millions of other people in the US and around the world.

I tell this story because I believe that it is important for those front-line responders with the resources, tools and knowledge that are sluggishly beginning to react to the nightmare emanating from Washington—the lawyers, elected representatives, journalists, union leaders and similar voices–to have access to these stories. These stories will help them to combat these illegal actions in the courtrooms, halls of Congress and other state and local legislative and policy-making bodies, and the court of public opinion.

I am not one of those frontline responders. I own 2 micro-businesses and I have a tiny audience. After two weeks dominated by alternating rage and despair, I have come to see my role, the way I can make a difference, is by using my knowledge of impact storytelling to support the frontline first responders.

I have many other stories trickling my way from health care (public and private), DEI fallout, and more. I can’t share most of these stories directly because it would put the people involved in even more danger.

But these stories need to be captured, preserved and shared when to do so would not cause more harm than good. This is especially true when one of the Washington tactics is to simply erase the truth by taking down websites, removing data from public access, firing people who try to follow the law, removing security details of people at actual risk in revenge for opposition to overreach, etc.

If you have a personal story of impact that you are willing and able to share, I would love to discuss how that story might best be captured, preserved and maybe shared in these dark days. If my story resonates with you, I encourage you to share it. Together we can help contain the wildfire.


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