Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service

In “The Rookie,” W. Kamau Bell examines government service through the story of his goddaughter Olivia Rynberg-Going, a young Black woman who works as a paralegal in the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. The essay relies on transcribed interviews interspersed with Bell’s commentary.

Bell recounts Olivia’s unique upbringing as the adopted daughter of Mary and Martha, a white lesbian couple who moved from Portland, Maine, to Oakland, California, to provide Olivia with a community that reflected her racial identity. This narrative showcases how Olivia’s entire existence was shaped by political forces—from her mother having to deny her sexual orientation to adopt her in Florida, to growing up in a household actively involved in the fight for marriage equality in California. As a child, Olivia participated in marriage equality campaigns, experiencing both the victory when same-sex marriage was briefly legalized in California in 2008 and the defeat when Proposition 8 temporarily reversed this progress.

Bell explores Olivia’s attraction to Washington DC, which she describes as offering two important elements: a community of politically engaged professionals who share her passion for government and policy, and a predominantly Black population. For Olivia, who grew up in communities with few people who looked like her (despite her family’s best efforts), the opportunity to be surrounded by successful Black professionals holds special significance.