 My name is Jeffrey Sterling. I joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 1993 as a clandestine case officer. I wasn’t expecting to change the world joining the CIA; my initial goal was to serve my country in what I considered a dream job. However, dreams sometimes turn into nightmares, as my career in the CIA was hampered by bigotry and discrimination due to the color of my skin. Despite my accomplishments, prevailing views within the CIA deemed me unfit to serve as a case officer because of my physical size and race. Nevertheless, even in the face of such mistreatment, I took legal action against the CIA for racial discrimination. With serving my country always at the forefront of my mind, I also took my concerns about a flawed CIA operation I was involved in to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees as I was permitted to do. Can you help other whistleblowers by making a tax-deductible donation to RootsAction Education Fund? Shockingly, my lawsuit was prevented from going forward, not because it lacked merit, but because the government and courts determined that a Black man fighting for his civil rights was considered a threat to national security. Consequently, I was terminated from the CIA in 2002. Doing what I believed to be the right thing effectively not only cost me my dream job, but also, it seemed, my dream of a united and just country. In return for standing up for both myself and my country, I lost everything. The toll of battling CIA discrimination and a dangerous operation left me to babysit in exchange for room and board. But, despite it all, I refused to let my detractors define me. I embarked on a new career fighting healthcare fraud and gradually got back on my feet. Although I had moved on from the ordeal with the CIA, another challenge was to descend upon my newfound life. In 2011, I was arrested, accused of leaking information related to the operation I discussed with the Intelligence Committees to a reporter, and charged with violating the Espionage Act. In exchange for my attempts to serve my country, I was branded a traitor. I had no intention of admitting guilt to a crime I did not commit, so I opted for a trial, which began in 2015. The trial was a surreal experience, devoid of any semblance of a fair and open process. Though the government presented no evidence against me, I was found guilty of violating the Espionage Act and sentenced to 42 months in prison. I served two and a half years in prison and was released in 2018. Not a day goes by without some flash of a painful memory, particularly of the arrest, trial, and imprisonment. And with every memory is the inevitable question as to whether it was all worth it. If worth is to be measured in finding a traditional job or not having to bear the scarlet letter of a prison record, then it is lost forever. My ordeal has taught me a new perspective of worth, which focuses on the value of what can be discovered amidst turmoil as opposed to dwelling on what has been lost. During my ordeal, I discovered that I was not alone; there were others who saw and recognized the injustice that was being inflicted upon me and shined the light of truth on my behalf. Such solidarity was particularly demonstrated through the presence of RootsAction during my trial. RootsAction co-founder Norman Solomon attended and reported on every day of my trial when there was little interest from mainstream media or civil rights groups. Along with my wife, Norman’s presence gave me strength and a friendship that has endured. I had no prior knowledge of RootsAction’s existence, yet they championed my struggles throughout the trial, during my time in prison and beyond. Even after the trial, RootsAction continued to shed light on the unjust prosecution and worked with my wife to garner emotional and practical support, which quite literally saved my life while in prison. What has been truly amazing and inspiring is that the solidarity from RootsAction and its progressive community has continued beyond my release from prison. Thanks to initiatives like the RootsAction Education Fund, I have found a new purpose in life through bringing light to the struggles of whistleblowers and the challenges they face. Now through contributing to ProgressiveHub.net, I am giving back to a group and movement that has meant so much to me, and I can confidently say that I have found worth through it all. What is incredible is that my experience is not unique for RootsAction. RootsAction has been a steadfast source of truth and support for whistleblowers like Thomas Drake and Daniel Hale, among others. I can personally attest to the tremendous and uplifting impact RootsAction can have on a whistleblower’s life. For me personally, surviving this ordeal and challenges will always feel incomplete without acknowledging the profound impact of RootsAction. If you would like to support the work of the RootsAction Education Fund, please make a tax-deductible donation here.  Thank you! -- Jeffrey Sterling, the RootsAction Education Fund team | 
