In the Spotlight Series. An interview with Kayla Hill: researcher, activist, embroiderer, inspiration.

Kayla Hill is a Senior User Experience Researcher at LinkedIn known for the rigor and humanity of her work. In the past, she has worked on our Flagship experiences and with our Growth team, and she currently contributes insight to the development of our Sales Navigator product. Kayla is also an indefatigable grassroots organizer. Kayla brings an exacting lens of fairness, equity, ethics, and action to every aspect of her existence. 

The LinkedIn Design team's In the Spotlight Series is designed to highlight people who inspire us with their work for social justice and their commitment to making an impact, in the hopes that others are inspired. The actions we take every day shape our worlds both personally and professionally. I wanted to talk to Kayla as the U.S. election nears in particular about her passion for local politics and involvement at the grassroots level, and to ask her to share her wisdom as so many of us work together to ensure that every citizen can draw their own conclusions and exercise their precious right to vote. 

Q: First: current mood? 

A: A bit worn down - the last few months have been very challenging for many reasons - but optimistic.

Q: Yeah, I feel that too. We are all experiencing fatigue from the relentless challenges of the year, and also seeing hope. It’s like the great line from Leonard Cohen’s song Anthem, “There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” What do you do to cultivate optimism in the face of it all? 

A: I’ve always been an optimistic person (a realist, but an optimist). On the days when that optimism starts to waver, I think about all the people who are trying to make the world better, often in the face of steep adversity. I’m at my worst when I feel helpless, and so I find ways to contribute towards a solution, however small. Even better if I’m working with other people while doing so, whether in-person or digitally, because then I know we’re in it together and I’m not fighting alone.

Q: Yes, community is a great place to find hope. One of your communities these days is the User Experience Research team here at LinkedIn. I find a lot of hope in our community. To set a little context for others about your work, can you talk a little bit about your path to this field, and why it captured your imagination to the extent that you’ve devoted your career to it. Does it relate to your activism?  

A: Originally, I wanted to be a therapist. That’s why I studied psychology in college, at Western Washington University. I’ve always been curious about understanding what made people tick; on top of that, I like helping people. Being a therapist seemed like a natural fit. And if the tech bubble ever bursts, I might revisit the idea!

Along the way, I started assisting one of my professors in conducting research and discovered  a passion for the more science-y side of psychology. Our work centered on stereotypes and prejudice at the time, and specifically around mitigating stereotype threat, which is when someone feels like they are or might be conforming to stereotypes about a group they belong to. It was meaningful work, as stereotype threat is known as a contributing factor to long-standing racial and gender gaps in academic and workplace performance.

But what I didn’t like about academic research was how the majority of that research may never have the opportunity to impact the world beyond the niche field of researchers dedicated to understanding it. It seemed a shame to me to have all that incredible research rarely be used to change the problems that it exposed. I guess you could say this is where my activism comes in. I firmly believe that I have the power and ability to change at least some small part of the world. This change might manifest in a hundred different little ways versus one splashy, massive way, but when I look back on my life I want to know with certainty that I did something to make the world a better place. When it came to research, I wanted to follow my research through its lifecycle, and personally ensure that it had an impact.

After college I started as a Research/Data Analyst for a small tech-startup in Seattle. It wasn’t quite what I was looking for in terms of impact, but it got my foot in the door with a research-related title. From there, a friend and colleague, Aubrey Bach, introduced me to the concept of UX Research. All the pieces immediately clicked together: I could conduct research in service of building products that could delight, or in the case of LinkedIn, even help people. It was a long winding road from there to the here and now - including another 3 years or so of moonlighting before I fully broke into the industry - but that’s how I ended up in UXR.

I firmly believe that I have the power and ability to change at least some small part of the world. This change might manifest in a hundred different little ways versus one splashy, massive way, but when I look back on my life I want to know with certainty that I did something to make the world a better place.

Q: I know a little about your activism, but not how you got started. What inspired you to become politically active and what are you focused on as an activist today?   

A: Like many young people, in my college-age years I gravitated towards organizations that aligned with my personal values. For me it was VOX (Voices for Planned Parenthood, a college club) and WEAVE (Women’s Empowerment and Violence Education). Both organizations got me started in what is now known as grassroot organizing. I door-knocked, screen-printed t-shirts, walked in protests, spoke at and led educational events on campus, fundraised, and more.

In more recent times, my values have drawn me towards progressive causes that are working to resist the current administration’s agenda, and to help replace them with elected officials who reflect and represent the broad spectrum of people that make up the United States. I do this by focusing my efforts locally. There are a lot of things I don’t have influence over, but I do have influence over my local representatives. Why? Because they want to be re-elected. And if we the people don’t feel like our representatives are doing a very good job of representing us, we can and should choose someone else to represent us. At the end of the day being an elected official is a job that constituents pay for. Our representatives either work for us or not at all. This is democracy at its most basic, and democracy in action, which we can all be part of. 

These days, I am active in local Indivisible groups, which are made up of individuals all dedicated to this same mission. We do everything from calling our representatives daily to hosting townhalls and protests. We throw our full support behind our representatives when they’re representing us well, and demand change when they don’t. We shine a spotlight on their actions and hold them accountable for every single vote they make (or conspicuously take a little too long to make). Organized accountability is very powerful. 

As the year has progressed, my focus in 2020 has shifted towards the November election. I’ve spent the last year supporting candidates up and down the ballot. Originally a lot of this work was going to be the age-old tactic of canvassing in-person, but with the advent of COVID we’ve been getting creative: postcards to voters, handwritten mailers, socially-distanced literature drop-offs, and phone or text-banking. I try to spend a few hours every Sunday phone-banking for specific candidates. It might not sound like much, but when thousands of other people all over the country are doing the same thing, it adds up.

If we the people don’t feel like our representatives are doing a very good job of representing us, we can and should choose someone else to represent us. At the end of the day being an elected official is a job that constituents pay for. Our representatives either work for us or not at all.

Q: As you just alluded to, the world has changed around us this year as a pandemic rages, the fight against systemic racism intensifies, and climate change affects weather patterns, threatening entire regions and ways of life throughout the globe. How has 2020 changed your view of yourself as an activist?

A: If nothing else, 2020 has hammered home for me both the urgency and necessity of advocating for the change we want to see, and has hinted at the consequences if we don’t. These aren’t new issues - they aren’t even issues that can be pinned on a single elected official or party. We need to adopt a new model of engagement with our government where more people of all kinds take an on-going and active role in how we’re governed. Regardless of the outcome of the 2020 election, if in 2021 we don’t continue to show up at more than just the polls, we are not going to see the foundational changes necessary to effectively combat systemic racism or climate change.

Q: You’ve already said it, and it goes back to an old saying attributed to the late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill that “all politics is local.” There’s a lot of focus on the top of the ticket, the race for President. That takes up a lot of oxygen, often at the expense of down-ticket races. What do you recommend that people can do to get engaged at the local level?

A: It is absolutely true that our day to day lives are more likely to be impacted by local politics than federal. Local policies determine everything from transportation, to zoning, to how clean our water is, to emergency services and shelter. Some ways to get involved include:

1. Find out who your representatives are, and call them when you have concerns. I have my representatives’ numbers saved on my phone to make it easy. Their staff will write down your feedback and pass it on. For those who aren’t citizens, I want you to know that for as long as you reside in the United States, you are entitled to contact your representatives! Please keep in mind however that they may ask for your name and address or zipcode to verify that you’re a constituent (i.e. you live in their district). 
2. Get involved in your local community. Contacting your local representatives on your own is great, but the real power comes from doing it together with a bunch of other constituents. When enough people express their concerns, it puts more pressure on the representatives to do something. (Remember: They want to get re-elected. Unhappy constituents won’t re-elect someone with a track record of not listening to them.)
3. Find groups focused on issues that matter to you. Passionate about a specific issue, such as climate change? Google for groups focused on that issue. Join their mailing list. Look for a local chapter whose meetings you can attend (many have moved to fully remote meetings).
4. Get to know local candidates. Passionate about a specific candidate? Google their website, and join their mailing list. Believe me, they’ll be happy to send you opportunities to get more involved in their campaign. Don’t limit yourself to the big flashy candidates, either - the candidates running for local positions such as City Council or the State Assembly need help just as much, if not more!
5. Just want to get out the vote? Almost all groups and campaigns will shift their outreach towards getting out the vote in the next week or so (if they haven’t already), but you can also join a group whose sole mission is getting out the vote, such as Rock the Vote or the Women League of Voters.
6. Stay engaged. Follow your elected officials on Facebook, Twitter, or your social media of choice. Prior to 2016, I think many of us, myself included, thought that voting was enough to fulfill our civic responsibility. If nothing else, the last 4 years have taught us that voting is the bare minimum. A democracy isn’t effective if its constituents only check in once every year or every 4 years. If we want our elected officials to represent us in the way we wish to be represented, we need to first make sure that they hear us. 
7. Look for groups that aggregate actions. As I mentioned earlier, groups like Indivisible have thousands of chapters across the country that facilitate daily or weekly action items, ranging from calling your reps to phone banking for candidates. It’s a great way to make new friends and meet members of your community, too. 

Q: We are hearing a lot in the news about voting right now, some of it pretty confusing. What are three things you encourage people to do to help ensure everyone can exercise their right to vote? 

A: Sure! Here are three tips, and even a bonus fourth. 

1. Check your voter registration status! Have you moved recently (maybe because of the pandemic, or for school)? Don’t assume your registration is up to date. It takes 30 seconds to check - do so right now! (I’ll wait.)
2. Vote early. I fully admit to being lazy about filling out my ballot. I always vote, but it tends to happen at the last minute. (I know, I know.) This year I am filling out my ballot as soon as I receive it in order to make sure my vote is processed in time for the election. If that doesn’t sway you, here’s a pro-tip: You know all those annoying phone calls you keep getting in the month leading up to the election asking if you’ve voted yet? That’s because whether or not you’ve voted is public record. Every day in the lead up to the election, campaigns will pull fresh lists of registered voters who haven’t voted yet. If your name is on that list, their volunteers will call you. And they’ll keep calling you - again, and again, and again. They will call and keep calling until you’ve voted. But once you’ve voted, within 24-48 hours your name comes off those lists. Campaigns don’t want to waste resources calling voters who have already voted. Vote early and you can spend the last few weeks leading up to the election in blissful silence.
3. Make a plan. Are you voting by mail? The ability to vote by mail varies state to state, so make sure your state allows mail-in voting, and that you’ve signed up to do so. The deadlines to register for absentee or mail-in ballots are coming up, so do this now. Are you going to be voting in person? Make sure you’re wearing a mask (for safety), and know which voting center you’re going to vote at ahead of time. The 2018 election saw hours-long lines in some states - be prepared to wait if you need to.
4. Bonus 4th tip: Track your ballot. If you’re mailing in your ballot, keep the stub on the ballot that you tear off. It has an ID number that allows you to track the status of your ballot and make sure your vote gets counted! Given recent issues with the postal service and concerns around electoral security, tracking your ballot is more important this year than ever. In California, you can even sign up to receive notifications.

Q: Thank you for sharing all those helpful tips and resources! On a different note altogether (and very hot topic), what’s your take on the role that activism plays for you in the workplace, where politics can be very sensitive?

A: I think this is a particularly interesting question since we both work at LinkedIn, where we have consistently heard from members that politics doesn’t belong in professional spaces, be it on LinkedIn or in a physical (or digital) office. I disagree. I think that the tenor with which we discuss politics may change depending on the formality of the situation, but politics underlines everything we do at home and at work, from whether a company can construct a new building for employees, to whether healthcare is tied to our employer and what subsequently happens when hundreds of thousands of people lose their jobs during a pandemic. And the emotional, mental, and physical impact of racism on people’s lives doesn’t stop when an employee walks into the office or joins a Zoom meeting. 

Q. Right! We need to get to a point where politics isn’t a bad word, as it truly does impact every aspect of our lives. Sharing constructive views while inviting other perspectives and demonstrating an intent to learn from each other can be appropriate in a professional setting, provided that respect and dignity are present. This can be achieved even when reasonable people disagree. In fact, we have recently updated our professional community policies to protect this and to keep the conversation on LinkedIn safe, trustworthy, and professional. We are in a divisive society, but decency is possible despite the tone we see set sometimes. What’s one thing that you think makes this so hard, and one reason why you think we need to do it anyway? 

Part of the pressure to keep these types of conversations outside of professional spaces is because they can get heated. I understand that - no one wants to have a negative interaction with someone they may need to partner with on a project in the future, or be perceived as anything less than professional by potential future employers. But one of the things that can happen when we keep these conversations boxed into the siloed spheres of our lives is that the people who are most vulnerable are not heard. As someone with a lot of privilege - not just as a cisgender able-bodied white person, but as someone who’s forged a solid career with a stable reputation - I consider it my responsibility to use whatever platforms I have available to me to open up conversations that advocate and center how political matters impact opportunity and equity for all people in the workplace, particularly historically misrepresented, marginalized, and oppressed people. Speaking up on LinkedIn or in any professional environment is powerful because I’m putting my name and reputation and credibility behind the things I say. And I think that some degree of risk is required to engage in real talk and foster structural-level change. I know that not everyone will agree with what I’m saying here, but am willing to risk it. 

Q: That is so important, Kayla. And hard! Taking risks, moving through discomfort, and inviting difficult dialogue is work, for real. With the amount of energy you give, you have to be very mindful of self-care. What do you do to re-energize and protect your body and spirit? 

A: I’ve been reading a ton, mostly comfort books that have themes of hope and perseverance. Since the new Animal Crossing game came out right when I went into quarantine, I’ve spent a lot of weekends curled with my cats while playing my Switch. In the past few months I’ve also doubled down on ruthlessly protecting and prioritizing my time. If an event or request doesn’t ladder up to my top priorities, I have to really consider whether it’s the best use of my energy at this particular moment in time. Acknowledging that not everything is a P0 (tech jargon for “most important”) has been really liberating.

Q:  Yes to relaxing while curled up with a cat. Tell us more! What are a couple things you’ve been reading or watching right now?

A: I’m going to be really honest here and admit that although I’ve been gobbling up books and Netflix like no tomorrow, most of it has been fluffy, easy-to-consume stuff. I did recently watch the Social Dilemma, which posed some interesting ethical questions for anyone working in tech, and I’ve been rewatching old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy as a way of winding down for the night.

Q: All this while sipping anything Pumpkin Spiced, am I right? And finally, to end on a bright note, I appreciate that you embody one of our team mottos - “If you can’t have fun, what is the point?” You have a playful approach to raising awareness of topics and fundraising, particularly your cheeky embroidery. Tell us the story of how this got started.

A: Ha! I discovered cross-stitch a couple years ago at a holiday craft market. One of the sellers there sold kits for what they called “subversive cross-stitch.” I adored the idea of a craft that has historically been associated with the concept of traditional femininity being turned to a critique of gender stereotypes. I immediately bought a kit called “Nasty Woman” and taught myself how to do it. These days, I periodically sell or auction off finished hoops for charity. Last year I raised $1,800 for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Go Kayla! Thank you for agreeing to be part of this interview. I enjoyed learning more about you and what inspired your activism, and chatting about the importance of inviting respectful and safe conversations about politics into our everyday lives. I hope everyone who reads this feels inspired to get involved with local politics (you’ve inspired me!), and for those of us in the United States to vote. Vote, people! Our democracy depends on each of us being invested in shaping the future we want to see.