“When I started as an intern at the Office of the Governor [in Michigan], I remember seeing Ghida Dagher wearing gold hoops, red lipstick, and a leather jacket, and I was like, ‘You can do that?’ For her to unapologetically wear that in a place of power was a really important moment for me.”
Vanessa García Polanco was born and raised in Moca’s Cibao Valley in the Dominican Republic. She recounted how racialized and colorist society could be in her home country. In a way, it was almost taboo to acknowledge the country’s history of slavery and to even recognize oneself as Black because as Vanessa explained, “We believed that Black is bad.”
When Vanessa moved to the United States, this mindset was challenged. “That was really something that allowed me to flourish in the U.S,” Vanessa said. “It was embracing my Afro-Caribbean Heritage and recognizing that my identity had and has nuance.”
Since then, Vanessa has been a force in cultivating change for youth, minorities, immigrants, and refugees in the food and environmental industries. She currently works at the National Young Farmers Coalition and with seemingly boundless energy, also advances fair, agricultural opportunities for youth and BIPOC farmers with organizations like the Union of Concerned Scientists, the National Science Policy Network, and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences.
Vanessa participated in the New American Leaders’ 2019 Ready to Lead and Ready to Win trainings. She learned the importance of embracing her experiences and how all those moments made her who she was.
“I think there are many parts of yourself you often dilute to accommodate others,” Vanessa shared. “For me it was really important to hear from people who looked like me, people who were in elected office, that it is okay to show your fully authentic self.”