Profile: Olivia Jaramillo: Director of Public Outreach and Training at Equality Utah

The Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging (The Center) is excited to continue this Profile series where we sit down with community leaders and talk to them about their belonging journey in Utah. 

We recently sat down and spoke with Olivia Jaramillo, the Director of Public Outreach and Training at Equality Utah, about what belonging means to her and her story of finding belonging in Utah.

Can you explain to us what you do? 

My job at Equality Utah is to direct our education program, “Business Equality Leader”. One of the things that we do is we specialize in education which is designed to create belonging in the workplace. We meet people where they are, build on shared values, and provide tangible action items and behaviors to improve workplace culture. It's a forward way of thinking when it comes to talking about how to create belonging in the workplace and includes everybody as part of the solution. It's about really bringing people in and creating understanding. And once you create that understanding, you see that there's a way forward.

What does belonging mean to you?

Belonging to me means that people can understand that I am just human. As an immigrant and as a transgender woman, it's important that people see that I’m a human being and that I have everyday life issues like everybody else. It's essential that people humanize who I am. That is something that has really helped me in my current workplace and also when I was in the military doing 20 years of active duty service. Understanding and humanizing each other is not only beneficial to me but also to many others. It ends up uniting us.

Can you share with us a bit of your story of finding belonging/ or your continued journey of finding belonging in Utah?

Finding belonging in Utah has been a journey for me. Belonging for me has evolved through stages as people start seeing different sides of who I am. I've been in Utah almost 20 years and I spent some time on active duty here. When I was in the military people would perceive me as a military service member. And being transgender, I’ve had interesting opportunities to get to know other people. As you get to know someone, you’re creating connections with and becoming invested in them. They are no longer a stranger and suddenly, you have a connection and that creates belonging for people. Before I came to Utah, so many people were telling me all of these myths, like preconceived notions about Utah. And that actually harms creating belonging. Once I got here, I actually got to connect and experience the Utah culture. And it was completely different from anything I had been told. This has really shown me that Utah is home, and Utah can be home to people like me.

How do you think belonging fits into what you do? Or your organization’s mission?

Our ethos at Equality Utah is finding common ground and building on shared values. Our vision is a fair and just Utah. When we say this we mean fairness and justice for everybody that lives in Utah. Of course, we need to pay attention to what happens with some groups. But at the same time, we understand that, for example, when we go to the Capitol, we would not advance all of the protections that we currently have in the state of Utah, if we didn't humanize legislators if we didn't see the other side and value whatever they brought to the table. When we all start working together we’re able to create belonging, even with legislators and the LGBTQ+ community. When we understand each other, we belong with each other and we can create that belonging. Obviously, it's a slow process. And in Utah, we still have some work to do, but it’s working. And this is something that I'm really excited to be a part of.

“When we understand each other, we belong with each other and we can create that belonging. Obviously, it's a slow process. And in Utah, we still have some work to do, but it’s working. And this is something that I'm really excited to be a part of.”

I love that last piece, when we understand each other, we can create that belonging. In this very polarized time, how do you humanize and try to work with the other side to build that connection, trust, and belonging for everyone?

For example, with our education program that I direct, we seek to understand the other side, and we make room to listen and understand them. We want to be heard as human beings and we want to feel that people are listening to us. And when someone understands us, that makes us feel more comfortable with each other. When we make that space to listen to those individuals who may have some hard opinions about the LGBTQ community, it creates that space for understanding, they feel heard and understood. And suddenly, those self-defense mechanisms aren't as agitated. We're able to build on that common ground that we've been able to bind. 

When we listen to others, we're able to understand that maybe some individuals have formed opinions based on what they've heard on the news or social media. Maybe they've never met a queer person, but as they interact with one another, they start learning that we have a lot more in common than we don't. And then you start seeing a change, it may not be immediate, but you start seeing a small change. You plant that seed in their heads that the LGBTQ community or even other minority groups, aren’t so different. Suddenly they realize, “Oh, Olivia is trans and has a kid. She spent 20 years in the military. She likes watching Netflix and eating Indian food on Fridays. I do that too.” Now there are points of understanding and things that we share. It takes time. I'm not going to say that it’s quick and easy. It builds over time. This is happening in Utah, but we still have work to do. We are going to continue on this path because the end goal is to create a better place for all.

What are some things you believe we need to do as Utahns to make our state a place where everyone belongs? Or what is something someone did that helped you feel like you belong in Utah?

My mentor has played a big role in helping me feel like I belong in Utah. She grew up LDS and she’s had some struggles with her family. Before we even met, she came to understand herself and the lesson that when someone is different from what you know, instead of drawing back and not interacting with them, that is an opportunity to lean in and learn something new. I believe this is a lesson as Utahns we need to understand. We need to take the opportunity to learn new things from those that we may feel are different from us, even if they are from California (haha). These are opportunities to learn a little bit about somebody who didn’t grow up sharing your religion or culture and to expand your horizons. This is a great way for Utahns to really start expanding and understanding others and I would love for all of us to start doing this.

How can people get involved? 

People can get involved by finding us on social media at @equalityutah. If you want to get in touch with me personally, you can find me on LinkedIn or you can email me at olivia@equalityutah.org. I would love to talk to you more about our education program and how you or your company can get involved with this program. You can also visit our website at www.equalityutah.org.