Member Spotlight: Stephanie Hoeler
Let's start with a brief bio: where you're from, when did you come to the area, what you do, that kind of stuff...
I'm from Portland, Oregon. My grandparents moved to the Vanport, Oregon area during WWII. It was a predominantly Black area in a very very white state. It was widely known to government to be on unsafe grounds but Blacks were barred from living too near whites. On the morning of Memorial Day 1948, the Housing Authority told Vanport’s residents that the dikes were safe and they'd get a warning. The berm burst that very afternoon. Two weeks later, President Truman visited the damage. The destruction of the town led Portland, and the state, into unplanned integration. I love that it remained a toss up in my family whether that integration was for the better.
I spent my late elementary and high school years in Ohio and Indiana. Having no desire to stay in Indiana, I had aspirations of being near New York City, but not being in it. Enter Seton Hall. I quickly got involved in protests on Seton Hall's campus. We brought awareness to the school's refusal to cover birth control, even for medical conditions, due to religion reasons. An action that ultimately directs young people to planned parenthood as they try to find a doctor. We also started awareness campaigns for LGBTQ students.
I work in advertising. Despite my desire to reduce my own bias, I love that advertising agencies are amazingly sophomoric, incestuous, and feel collegiate in nature. I started to focus on healthcare and pharmaceutical clients as I observed the huge health disparities.
What made you decide to get involved with SOMA Action?
I first learned of SOMA Action through events posted by friends on Facebook. I joined the Facebook group, started following the conversations, and participated in a few events. The Covid-19 quarantine, and the lack of demanding full time employment, played a role in my deciding to get more involved. In June, I saw a request in the Facebook group for volunteers to help with communications. Wanting to do more than donate, make calls, make signs, march, and vote, I saw the request as a great opportunity to apply some of my professional skills. I had grown frustrated calling and leaving voicemails for public officials and government workers about Ahmaud and Breonna. These people would simply let their mailbox get full and not clear it, or would change the greeting all together eliminating the option to leave a message.
Tell us the cause or causes that you're most passionate about.
Disparities in health and education are causes near and dear to our family. It’s impossible to address one issue in a silo. I’ve made it a point to build a Black healthcare team for myself and it’s great that I can do that in our area without having to drive very far. Any issue impacting our kids is top of mind. We’ve had variations of the talk with our young children. We’re grateful to live in a community that largely supports multiracial and non-traditional families.
My parents, siblings, and I are all involved in healthcare to some extent. I work with an organization, More Than Lupus, which seeks to decrease disparities in clinical trials and treatment. My mother, who lives with lupus, serves on the board. My oldest brother is a cardiothoracic surgeon who recently authored a children’s book that educates on Black American contributions to the health practice. My brother and father work for a medical device company, of which my father is the COO.
Education, differences in discipline, the local leveling system, the absence of strong diversity in education staff, and the difficulties of the IEP system are all concerning. We’re blessed that my husband retired from finance to stay at home with our children and help supplement what the school provides. We’ve had a great experience in the school district thus far but know much of that has to do with our ability to pay out of pocket for private assessments and evaluations to speed certain processes along.
What’s an embarrassing fact about you that isn’t too embarrassing to share here?
There’s so much to draw from… My mother was a producer for a morning talk show in Portland, Oregon, AM Northwest, when I was growing up. I was featured on the show several times during childhood. The most embarrassing footage is where I’m discussing my imaginary friend, named Kearny, with a child psychologist present. On the same episode there’s a young girl who refuses to let go of her blanket. I’m five years old and I look at her like she’s crazy.