Social Justice -> Local Government

In this blog series, Matt Hirschinger, local government and DEI professional, writes about the most critical, interesting, and relevant lessons he learns in his coursework and research and applies them to a local government context.

A close-up of a person's legs and hiking boots as they walk through desert sand in Saudi Arabia. In the background is the rising sun.

Social Justice -> Local Government: Not-A-Conclusion

Posted on July 10, 2023

This guest article is by ELGL member Matt Hirschinger, Colorado local government and DEI professional. Read all of Matt’s other articles at the Social Justice –> Government homepage. In January 2020 I started the Social Justice -> Local Government series with ELGL, and this “not-a-conclusion” marks the 32nd post in about three-and-a-half years. This is intended to be...
A series of three-dimensional black question marks lie against a black background, with two of the question marks glowing orange from within.

Social Justice -> Local Government: FAQ Part Two

Posted on June 21, 2023

This guest article is by ELGL member Matt Hirschinger, Colorado local government and DEI professional. Read all of Matt’s other articles at the Social Justice –> Government homepage. And here’s Part Two of our FAQ covering ten of the most common questions I’ve been asked as part of the Social Justice -> Local Government series and with working...
A series of three-dimensional black question marks lie against a black background, with two of the question marks glowing orange from within.

Social Justice -> Local Government: FAQ Part One

Posted on June 14, 2023

This guest article is by ELGL member Matt Hirschinger, Colorado local government and DEI professional. Read all of Matt’s other articles at the Social Justice –> Government homepage. As I wind this series down, I wanted to answer ten of the more common and interesting questions I’ve received both with this series and with my DEI work in...
A stylized depiction of white arrows against a red backdrop. A single gold arrow points to the right while the red arrows point to the left.

Against the Grain

Posted on June 9, 2023

This guest article is by ELGL member Matt Hirschinger, Colorado local government and DEI professional. Read all of Matt’s other articles at the Social Justice –> Government homepage. With just a few more Social Justice -> Local Government posts left, I want to take a moment to discuss some of the conclusions I’ve reached that go against the...
A stack of books with different colors of covers and spines sits against a grey background.

Nine Books, Nine Lessons

Posted on May 16, 2023

This guest article is by ELGL member Matt Hirschinger, Colorado local government and DEI professional. Read all of Matt’s other articles at the Social Justice –> Government homepage. Some time ago, I participated in ELGL’s “Hard Conversations About Race” Cohort. At the end, we received a list of book recommendations to continue our learning either from books that...
A hand reaches out to grasp a light bulb floating in space.

Beliefs, Values, Assumptions

Posted on April 27, 2023

This guest article is by ELGL member Matt Hirschinger, Colorado local government and DEI professional. Read all of Matt’s other articles at the Social Justice –> Government homepage. In January 2020 I started the Social Justice -> Local Government series as I embarked on my own learning journey, pursuing a graduate degree in the Humanities with a concentration...

Meet Matt

Matt Hirschinger earned his BA in International Relations from Drake University in 2010. Afterwards he joined the U.S. Peace Corps in 2011 for his two-year service in the Philippines, followed by a third-year extension taking on the role of a "Volunteer Leader" to train new volunteers and be a liaison to the host country staff. It was in 2015 he entered into local government, starting his MPA and Colorado's Best and Brightest Internship program working in Delta, CO.

Since his start, he's worked in different diverse communities in Colorado, and is navigating his own journey in finding the intersections between local government and social justice, most notably through a graduate degree in the Humanities with a Social Justice concentration. This series summarizes dozens of the lessons and insights he's learned.

Connect with Matt

 LinkedIn | Twitter

Close window