May 2024 - ʻAʻohe hua o ka maiʻa i ka lā hoʻokahi. (No task is too big when done together by all.) - Hawaiian Proverb
Celebrations this month include Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, and International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia. This month we acknowledge the contributions of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Jewish communities have made throughout history. We also focus on raising awareness and advocating for the wellbeing for those communities and the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
- If you are interested in viewing other multi-faith holidays and observations taking place, feel free to add the “LCInclusidates” calendar in Outlook.
Equity Program Advisory Board (EPAB) Update: The EPAB is being restarted and we are excited to share that we received 50+ applications from diverse community members across Lane County. We are currently going through and scoring the applications. We have to make the tough decision to narrow it down to 11 members.
Othering & Belonging Conference: Some staff (including our Equity Program and some Equity Core Team members) had the opportunity to attend the Othering & Belonging Conference held in Oakland, CA in April. We enjoyed engaging in the belonging framework and learned about bridging toward a society built on belonging. This opportunity allowed us to connect with each another and people from diverse identities, backgrounds, cultures, location, and areas of work/studies.
Diverse Business Directory (DBD) Updates: Our intern, Desi, is working on a project that highlights a few businesses listed on our DBD. Desi has been interviewing the selected business owners and is creating short videos that will be featured on our webpage.
- The first interview and video that Desi completed is with Areglia, who owns Delicias Tiki Tiki located at the 5th Street Eateries. We are excited to finalize this video so that we can upload it and publicly share it. In the meantime, if you have not already, support Areglia’s homemade tortillas and food!
- English and Spanish versions of the DBD submission form are now available. Both versions are linked here: English and Spanish.