Sunday Read: Honoring Whistleblowers
This article about whistleblowers and why we celebrate National Whistleblower Appreciation Day was sent as part of NWC’s “Sunday Read” series. For more information like this, please join our mailing list.
Following a historic 2022, which included the passage of critical legislation, high-profile whistleblower claims are already underway in 2023. From individuals who served in the U.S. Armed Services to employees working on emerging technologies, the importance of whistleblowers is a critical and international topic.
National Whistleblower Center (NWC) is committed to keeping you informed about the status of whistleblowers and the latest updates from around the world. In this Sunday Read, and ahead of the 245th anniversary of the first U.S. whistleblower law, we recognize and honor past and current whistleblowers who inspire continued justice and transparency.
The Core Traits of a Whistleblower
A whistleblower is someone who reports waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, or dangers to public health and safety to someone who is in the position to rectify the wrongdoing. What matters is that the individual voluntarily discloses information about wrongdoing that otherwise would not be known.
To be eligible for the protections and rewards of whistleblower law one cannot rely on this standard definition. Instead, these whistleblowers are best advised to seek an attorney to ensure they adhere to the definitions and procedures in the laws under which they are seeking formal whistleblower status.
The decision to blow the whistle is not a light one, and NWC honors every person who has the courage to make this choice. We celebrate National Whistleblower Appreciation Day every year on July 30th because it is important to recognize the impact whistleblowers have had on our history and will continue to have on our future.
Leading The Charge in 2023
An example of a modern-day whistleblower is Commander Kimberly Young-McLear, Ph.D., who exposed gross and unlawful misconduct at the Coast Guard.
NWC announced public support for Young-McLear, who in 2014, reported systemic abuses of power at the highest levels of the Coast Guard. As a result of her courage, integrity, and advocacy, the Coast Guard has since implemented more than 30 policy improvements to reduce and remove discriminatory prohibitions, such as those on dreadlocks and natural hair styles for Black women on active duty. Her courage also resulted in new protections for LGBTQ+ members of the Coast Guard.
Young-McLear is currently on active duty in her 19th year of service. Yet in spite of her years of service to the nation and selfless advocacy against misconduct and discrimination, Young-McLear has faced retaliation for her whistleblowing, and continues to suffer from egregious psychological harm.
On Jan. 16, 2023, NWC in conjunction with several advocacy groups and allies, sent a letter to President Biden calling for him to recognize the courageous work of whistleblower Commander Young-McLear.
“When a service member of excellence can be abused and retaliated against for nearly nine years, it sends a clear message to the federal community as a whole,” NWC wrote to President Biden. “It says that we are not a nation of integrity, or of merit, but of bullies. This message silences those who would speak up about wrongdoing of any sort, and especially impacts those who would speak up about discrimination or harassment. This silence enables dangerous people to rise through the ranks of government while skilled and loyal service people like Commander Young-McLear are left to languish in isolation.”
Young-McLear continues to serve with distinction now, as a senior advisor, at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Her service contributes to crafting CISA’s first Strategic Plan, agency-wide culture & innovation building, which will increase job opportunities for HBCU alumni and underserved communities. Furthermore, the national cyber workforce development will have a positive impact for U.S. national security and economic prosperity for decades.
Why Honor Whistleblowers?
Whether they come forward for moral or ethical reasons, matters of national security or simply to prevent further financial, physical or environmental harm, whistleblowers have proven vital to the pursuit of justice and have the admiration of high-ranking government offices.
“Without question, information provided to my office from whistleblowers helps me do my job protecting taxpayer dollars, veterans programs and nuclear safety,” said Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA). Often referred to as “the patron saint” of whistleblowers, Sen. Grassley’s advocacy was instrumental in achieving the passage of the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Whistleblower Improvement Act in December 2022. “It takes a lot of guts for whistleblowers to stick their necks out to report wrongdoing.”
The Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Director Kiran A. Ahuja and OPM Inspector General Krista A. Boyd jointly published a message in 2022 emphasizing the office’s gratitude towards whistleblowers. Both offices stated that they “truly value the role that whistleblowers play in government oversight. Whistleblowers, dedicated public servants who simply have the resolve to do the right thing, demonstrate great courage when reporting wrongdoing in the workplace.”
Recognizing whistleblowers for their nobility — and less on financial incentives — is a critical message also being echoed by legal professionals. H. Vincent McKnight, Jr. an attorney Washington, D.C. also wants to dispel the notion of whistleblowers’ ulterior motives, when it has been proven repeatedly that malicious actors are a harmful drain on the world’s economy.
“It’s interesting to me that critics question the ethics and motivation of the whistle blower in a world where it is estimated that the government and society is losing billions — and perhaps trillions — of dollars to fraud on an annual basis, and government stakeholders are collecting less than 5% of these ill-gotten gains through enforcement,” McKnight said. “We need to have a conversation about the ethics and morals of our society that allows white collar malfeasance and crime to flourish without meaningful restraint.”
NWC Calls For A Permanent National Whistleblower Day
Though the first month of 2023 is concluding, NWC always has July 30th in mind. Whistleblower protections in the United States can be traced back to this integral date, which marks the unanimous passage of the first U.S. whistleblower law in 1778 by the Continental Congress. Furthermore, since 2013, the U.S. Senate has unanimously voted to recognize July 30th as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. NWC is already in the process of planning our 10th Anniversary celebration.
To learn more about why National Whistleblower Appreciation Day needs to be made permanent, you can read Executive Director, Siri Nelson’s Op-Ed at Whistleblower Network News, where she says:
“Marking National Whistleblower Day as a Federal Day of Observance is not merely ceremonial. It would demonstrate that the federal government fully supports and encourages the important contributions of whistleblowers.”
And, Board Chairman Stephen Kohn’s Op-Ed at The Hill where he says:
“The Founding Fathers, at the height of the American revolution, understood that without whistleblowers the newly born democracy could not survive. A republican form of government needs information from those insiders who had the courage to demand that those holding the most powerful positions in the new government follow the law. They needed whistleblowers to ensure that every official of the new republic would be held fully accountable for their misconduct.”
And, watch earlier National Whistleblower Day panels online for free.
Support NWC
NWC has celebrated whistleblowers for over a decade. Our National Whistleblower Appreciation Day efforts have cause massive culture shifts and as a 501(c)(3) non-profit our work is made possible with the support of our generous donors. Please consider donating $50 today to help us continue our celebration of whistleblowers and the impact they have to U.S. history.
This story was written by Justin Smulison, a professional writer, podcaster and event host based in New York.
