Center For Progressive Leadership

2008 New Leaders Fellows

Danielle Turnquest

Hometown: Kingston, Jamaica

Age: 21

School: Macalester College

Interests:

Placement: Center for Progressive Leadership

Danielle is passionate about grassroots organizing particularly voter engagement efforts, the politicization of the judiciary and issues affecting urban populations such as education, health, and economic stability. Having interned with the MN Women Lawyers Association (MWL) and Alliance for Justice (AFJ) in Washington DC, she has done organizing around the politicization of the judiciary. In addition, her experiences in working with political campaigns include interning with Andy Luger for Hennepin County Attorney and volunteering with Peter Hutchinson for Governor of MN. Danielle is also a Wellstone Organizing Fellow, a program in which she was trained in electoral and community organizing. Recently, she interned with Wellstone Action on the Campus Camp team in which she worked on the first Camp Wellstone for High School students. She recently graduated with a BA in Political Science from Macalester College in St Paul, MN.

"From the New Leaders Program I hope to learn how to become a leader within the progressive movement and how to effectively make change from different angles. I hope to gain skills in effective grassroots change and in empowering communities on issues. "

- Danielle Turnquest,
2008 New Leaders Fellow

More about Danielle

What particular experience has contributed to your desire to intern with a progressive organization and participate in the NLP? What do you hope to gain this summer from participating?
Coming from Jamaica, a third world country, set the stage for my interest in working on social justice issues. Seeing a people that suffer injustices everyday of their lives, with no way out, ignited my passion for social justice. I bear that desire to address issues affecting the underrepresented and this led me to become involved in progressive work. This passion has led me to want to participate in the New Leaders program and to intern with a progressive organization. As a Wellstone Organizing fellow trained in electoral and community organizing my perspective on organizing has thickened through the diverse insights of the fellows who worked on issues from GLBT to immigrant rights. Speakers of color came as community organizers and as elected officials sharing their experiences and the journey that led them to their work. Working on political campaigns, issue-based campaigns and direct service have allowed me to view the process of change from different angles and contributed significantly to my desire to participate in the New Leaders program. My view on the power of bottom-up change and grassroots organizing which puts power in the hands of the people rather than the elected as a truly effective and empowering mechanism of change for communities and social justice issues also has led me to the program. Academically, I have taken classes that explore political participation and that have exposed me to the dynamics and histories of politics and marginalized groups. All my experiences in progressive work have led me to want to do this work upon graduating and the CPL New Leaders program will fulfill the work that I want to do. From the program I hope to learn how to become a leader within the progressive movement and how to effectively make change from different angles. I hope to gain skills in effective grassroots change and in empowering communities on issues.

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