Staff

Raph Miller (they / them)

Youth and Young Adult Advocate

Raphael (they/them) is the Youth and Young Adult Advocate for the Appleton office. After coming out and beginning to transition while attending Appleton West high school, they began attending Diverse & Resilient events in their area and subsequently joined their GSA. During their time in their school’s GSA, they took it upon themselves to host gender and diversity training for the freshman health classes. This is what initially activated them towards social justice and movement work, which would eventually lead them to multiple grassroots organizations and volunteer initiatives in both Milwaukee and Appleton areas.

After moving to Milwaukee to attend the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design to pursue a degree in illustration, they found themselves volunteering as an organizer and graphic designer for Butterfly Collective, a local mutual aid aimed to serve and financially support Black and Brown trans/GNC folks in Milwaukee and surrounding areas. This work was formative in their experience as a young trans person of color, as they worked to uplift trans BIPOC voices in their community.

This experience was followed by interning and then working fulltime as a data person for Leaders Igniting Transformation, a grassroots organization working to build political power for Black and Brown youth in Wisconsin. These cumulative experiences brought Raphael to great Black queer voices such as Audre Lorde and bell hooks, and then professionally, Diverse and Resilient, thus furthering them on their journey toward collective liberation and transformational work.

Outside of work, you may find Raphael at a local Hindu temple or deep in a book. They are a strong proponent of spiritual practice and work towards liberation on all levels. In particular, they are guided by spiritual concepts surrounding Zen Buddhism and Hinduism and hope to extend the compassion found in these lineages to all those that they serve at Diverse and Resilient.