Pascale Leone: Policy, Advocacy, and Influence

Emma Diller

For my podcast I had the privilege of speaking with Pascale Leone, the current Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH). CSH is a nonprofit organization that works to serve vulnerable populations through advancing housing solutions and building thriving communities, while advocating for equity and deinstitutionalization.

Pascale’s introduction to her path as an aspiring black woman in politics is poignant: “I got into politics and movement building at a very young age… I think around eight or nine, and it was not by choice.” In this podcast, Pascale shares her experiences, starting as a young girl, daughter of Haitian immigrants, who found out the hard way that policy has a direct effect on people’s lives.

In this podcast, Pascale reflects on how her identity politics as a woman, a black American, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, and a mother have shaped her worldview and informed her policy work. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Pascale, not only because she is an inspiring woman, but because she has a unique perspective on both the public and private sector and can speak to the many frustrations that black women in particular have with the political machine.

Through her time witnessing politics in New York’s capital, to her experiences working for Planned Parenthood and then her transition to health policy and eventual equity work at CSH, Pascale has a specific wisdom about the leadership paths there are within policy and advocacy, and the corrupt and discriminatory practices that these institutions uphold. I am very grateful to have been able to speak with her, and I look forward to sharing her perspective and wisdom on this platform.

Bibliography
“The Corporation for Supportive Housing,” December 3, 2020. https://www.csh.org/.