View the meeting slides here: Diversity Champions 6.19.18
Diversity Champions:
Thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday for our June meeting. If you missed out, or would like to revisit the session content, this blog provides a short recap. As an introduction, please watch the video below from author Robin DiAngelo about deconstructing what it means to be white. It is a bit longer than the usual videos we share, but I assure you it is worth your time, and will help move you into a more open and conscious head space.
Welcome & Introductions:
We were honored to have Ruth Jones joining us in Ballard Hall to share her valuable insight and recent experiences working with the Oregon Center for Educational Equality. Ruth is a brown Latina from Mexicali, raised in California and an Oregonian for the past 13 years. She is a mom of 4 adult children and has a loving, energetic dog who she loves dearly. Ruth is very passionate about the work she does serving the Latinx community and coaching administrators and educators around the work of equity and inclusion with our marginalized populations.
Chapters 8 & 9:
Our conversation focused on how to keep us all at the table for these courageous conversations. We explored the working definition of race (Chapter 9) and shared different perspectives of what that means to each of us, and how that has changed during our work with the Courageous Conversations Field Guide. We were excited to learn about the different ways our colleagues have been using their newfound knowledge and curiousity in their program areas and realms of influence. We also acknowledged the amount of work left to be done. As Ruth said, this type of change truly takes a village.
Homework/Reading for July’s meeting:
Chapter 10: Let’s Talk about Whiteness
Chapter 11: How Racial Equity Leaders Eliminate Systemic Racal Disparities
Please remember to keep journalling on your own and talking with your fellow Diversity Champions about your experiences.
Annoucements:
- Please remember to fill out this Doodle Poll to let us know your availability for the Mentorship Training with Jeff Sherman. If you have any questions about travel costs or the training itself, please reach out to me directly.
- PLEASE NOTE: Our July meeting will be re-scheduled to July 24th (no longer on July 17). Please keep an eye out for a calendar event in the next week.
Thank you again,
Ana Lu