women of achievement

Leilani Russell

“I learn something new every day. Meeting new people means a new way of looking at the world.” It is this approach to life and relationships that gives Leilani Russell the perspective and energy to work tirelessly on issues of diversity in our community.

As a child, Leilani immigrated with her family from her mother’s native South Korea to her father’s island home of Hawaii. She didn’t speak English when she arrived, and her family lived a simple life. Leilani learned to appreciate and respect both her Korean and Hawaiian cultures and languages, which she has tried to pass on to her children and grandchildren. A monumental force in Leilani’s life, Leilani’s grandmother set the example of serving others. “My Kupuna (grandmother) worked tirelessly to fight for the rights of indigenous people of Hawaii. Native islanders had land taken away, and their culture and language was also most wiped out, because it was forbidden to practice it, but Hawaiian like my grandmother fought to retain it. Kupuna taught me that you don’t get to grumble about what is wrong without doing something about it,” said Leilani. With her father in the military, Leilani and her family moved around the country and the world. She spent six years in the South during the turbulent 60’s, a time when the civil rights movement was a catalyst for social change. “My grandmother helped prepare me for life in the south. I learned quickly what it meant to be brown skinned. I witnessed first hand the injustices there, and became determined to do my part to bring about change and social justice for everyone no matter the color of their skin or accent in their speech.

Leilani’s early adult years were spent in service to her family. As a mother of five children and wife to her high school sweetheart, Leilani was the backbone that kept home life together while her husband worked and pursued his college degree. She returned to the workforce when her youngest child entered kindergarten. As her children grew and went to college, she decided it was her turn. As her nominator wrote, “Leilani has constantly told her children and students that they need to get a college education…what better way to ‘walk the talk’ [than] by going back to school herself and showing her students how important a college education is.”

The “students” in Leilani’s life are the students of Evergreen High School in Vancouver. Since 1995, Leilani has worked as multicultural coordinator for Evergreen High School and, since 1999, as the trainer of diversity trainers for the district. “High school students (and students and children in general) don’t often have a voice of their own,” said Leilani. She is passionate about her work, both in terms of diversity and cultural communication and her audience. “I love working with young people,” she said. “They’re not afraid to try new things. We as adults need to lay at their feet things to stimulate the brain – not gadgets and games, but ideas. It’s amazing to see what they come up with.”

In her work with the Evergreen School District, Leilani has been instrumental in bringing diversity coordinators into every high school. She is proud of being the first person to hold the position and to have brought cultural diversity issues to the table for the school district. She also recognizes that many issues have not yet been addressed. “My job is to bring cultural understanding and awareness to the schools – to help students expand their minds, break down stereotypes, and help them make their own decisions,” explained Leilani. “It’s the dream job that nobody ever thinks they’ll get.”

Leilani’s volunteer activities also reflect her passion for issues of diversity. She is involved in statewide and national programs that promote equity and social justice. She served as co-facilitator of Diversity Youth in Leadership for the Evergreen and Vancouver school districts. She is a member of the WSU Vancouver Diversity Advisory Board, the Equity Committee of the Washington State Board of Education, the Multi-ethnic Think Tank of the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and a board member of the Washington State Association of Multicultural Education. She also serves on the Clark College Martin Luther King Week planning committee, Peace Jam Northwest planning committee, and is a member of the Bonneville Power Administration Regional Science Bowl planning team.

In addition to the early lessons of service imparted by her grandmother, Leilani’s motivation comes from life itself. In 1995 she suffered a brain injury that affected her physical abilities. That experience shaped how she views life – not as too short, but just how precious it is. She loves skydiving, having fun, and good food (“anything that touches my palette and makes me go ‘mmmm’”) and is a member of the Pride of Portland (4 part a cappella harmony) chorus, a 125 member chapter of Sweet Adeline International. In 2005 the chorus placed 7th in the world. You can find Leilani at rehearsal every Tuesday night, singing and dancing and having a ball.

In January 2006, Leilani was recognized with the 2005 Val Joshua Racial Justice Award from the YWCA. This year, she will mark a professional milestone – earning her bachelor’s degree and beginning a master’s program – and a personal one as she and her husband (whom she admits “spoils her rotten”) celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.

But these are not the end, the culmination, of her contributions as a woman of achievement. “I want to stay engaged,” she said, “in small ways, big ways, whatever way there is – and I love what I do and the people I’ve met and the people I have yet to meet. Aloha.”