AREDI Website Event Cover

Why this Teach-In Series?

The Advancing Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (AREDI) Teach-In Series will bring together community champions & elected leaders to raise awareness of racial DEI opportunities in Southwest Washington to develop action & institute change.

Awareness

Action

Change

Upcoming Teach-ins

March 19, 2021 

10:30 am-12 pm

Message of Resilience

Keynote: Rosalie Fish (Member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, she/her) with Dr. Karin Edwards (Clark College President), Tanna Engdahl (Cowlitz Indian Tribe Elder)

 

Rosalie describes her personal experiences with both racialized and genderized violence, as well as the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and the severity of impacts that occur in Washington state. In her talk, she covers her struggles with mental health, the legislative and social issues that contribute to the erasure of Indigenous women, as well as a call to action to let listeners know how they can actively contribute to combating the MMIW crisis. Finally, Rosalie walks the audience through her own story and how she became an advocate at the age of eighteen.

April 30, 2021 

10:30 am-12 pm

Advancing Equity in the Workplace

Rashida Willard (Clark College-Office of DEI) & Dr. Obie Ford III (WSU-Vancouver)

 

This session includes an overview of oppression on the internal, interpersonal, institutional and structural level. Participants lean into how these levels of oppression impacts employees, and how models of equity can be applied to advance equity in their workplace. You will be provided indicators, resources, and strategies to authentically advocate, advance, and actualize equity-mindedness across policies, processes, practices, and people in the workplace. 

Facilitators ground the space such that each participant feels a sense of bravery to share their lived experiences and empowerment to activate their advocacy for equity-mindedness in the workplace and community at large. Through the use of slides, critical questions and prompts, and breakout rooms, participants engage not only the material, but also one another through intergroup dialogue and intercultural exchange.

May 14, 2021

10:30 am-12:30 pm

Equitable Decision Making

Rashida Willard (Clark College-Office of DEI)

Participants will learn how to use an equity lens to make equitable decisions, learn how certain decisions can have negative impacts on people that hold historically marginalized identities, and learn how to put tools into practice at work and home. 

Companies, use these principles of equitable decision-making in your organization to:
-Discover disparate experiences and outcomes,
-Dismantle and mitigate White Supremacy Culture in the decision-making process to create an equitable and just environment, and
-Be intentional about equity in the decision-making process to produce intentional outcomes.

June 25, 2021

10:30 am-12 pm

Community Solutions to Policing

Nickeia Hunter (NAACP Vancouver), Ibsahu Ma’akmaha  & Brandon Lee (Training 4 Transformation)

Bringing the history of our communities to the front and providing the voices of those injured by the laws and those who enforce it. A background as to the history of police violence within our BIPOC communities and the systemic racism buried in the laws and those meant to protect and enforce the law was given.

By bringing voices of our community that have been affected by the profiling and undue racism in our community, we put a face to a story, creating empathy and a visual persona to these stories.  In doing so the lived experiences of our community are finally heard and the goal is to educate others and push the narrative to allow growth and redemption in our communities.  

 

July 30, 2021

10:30 am-12 pm

Racism as a Public Health Crisis


Adiba M. Ali, MPH, Epidemiologist, (Clark County Public Health Department), 
Sarah Assem, MD, Internist, (Vancouver Clinic), Diana Avalos Leos, Founder and Director (Clark County Latino Youth Conference), Adriana Linares, MD, DrPH, Associate Program Director for Clinical Affairs, (PeaceHealth Family Medicine Southwest)

The COVID-19 pandemic has unequally affected many racial and ethnic minority groups. During this session, panelist will discuss their observations about this pandemic in the Southwest Washington. They will share current data about the inequities in testing, vaccinations, hospitalizations and deaths based on diversity demographics as well as their experiences for providing care for these diverse communities.

Panelists will explore the factors impacting health equity such as discrimination, healthcare access and use, housing, occupation, education, income and wealth gaps. Previous mistreatment and other experiences of racism lead to chronic stress that has negative physical and behavioral health outcomes. Across the country, local and state leaders are declaring racism a public health crisis or emergency. These declarations are an important first step in the movement to advance racial equity and justice and must be followed by allocation of resources and strategic action. During this session, panelist will discuss what strategic action would bring positive outcomes in our region.

 

August 13, 2021

10:30 am-12 pm

LGBTQIA+ Youth & Mental Health

Oscar Beltran Leyva, Zeke, Monserrat Padilla, Tammy Pham

LGBTQIA+ youth are more likely to experience mental health concerns, inlcuding suicide and self harm due to stigma, trauma, and inadequate mental healthcare. In this session we’ll hear personal stories from local youth regarding their experiences with mental health and accessing care. We’ll also learn about the opportunities to take action to support young people who are navigating their identities and working for their rights. 

September 17, 2021

10:30 am-12 pm

The Science & Story of Unconscious Bias

Oscar Ureño, LCP (Wright Institute) and Octaviano Merecias, Founder (Emergente.Us) 

Learn about the neuroscience of unconscious bias, it’s impacts on interpersonal dynamics because of race and racism, and hear reflections of this impact to people forming new communities in the US.

October 29, 2021

10:30 am-12 pm

Food Sovereignty: Bringing Equitable Food Practices to the Table

Alyssa Fine, Wellness and Diabetes Coordinator, (Cowlitz Indian Tribe); Emma Johnson, (Cowlitz Indian Tribe); Nora Frank-Buckner, Food Sovereignty Initiatives Director, (NW Tribal Food Sovereignty Coalition); Ed Hamilton Rosales, President, (SWWA League of Latin American Citizens); Layla Afu, (Pacific Islander Community Association of Washington); Joseph Seia, (Pacific Islander Community Association-WA)

 

Participants will explore local food systems that work with our communities to regain the distinct nature of our own food supply system that is sustainable, eco-friendly and honors the land that grew the food. Participants will also learn about the different local, grassroots efforts working to mitigate food insecurity and increase access to healthy, culturally relevant foods.

 

November 19, 2021

10:30 am-12 pm

Tribal Communities: Facing History and Creating Healing

Tanna Engdahl, Spiritual Leader, (Cowlitz Tribe); Karyn Kameroff, Program Coordinator, (Pathways to Healing);
Teresa Montana, Executive Director, (Wisdom of the Elders, Inc.);
Mercedes White Calf, SW Washington Advocacy Coordinator, (Native American Youth and Family Center)

The November 19th event, Tribal Communities: Facing History and Creating Healing, will cover history and current issues through the lens of indigenous communities and important resources for schools, employers, and others who want to support healing approaches through local engagement and policy change.

 

 

December 10, 2021

10:30 am-12 pm

Housing, Homelessness, Gentrification

Siobhana McEwen, Equity and Advocacy Director, (Council for the Homeless); Victor Caesar, Development Director, (Vancouver Housing Authority)

Explore the intersection of systemic racism, housing discrimination, and poverty. Attendees will learn about the historical contributing factors to homelessness for communities of color, such as the war on drugs, mass incarceration, the GI Bill, redlining, and more. 

 

January 21, 2022

10:30 am-12 pm

Authentic Community Engagement

Elizabeth Fitzgearld, Executive Director (Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program); Jasmine Tolbert, President (NAACP); Vanessa Yarie, Deputy Director (YWCA Clark County)

How to center & engage with, communities without tokenizing.

February 11, 2022

10:30 am-12 pm

Standing in Your Own Story: What Does it Look Like to be You Doing This Work?

Carolyn Phinney, Artist-in-Residence, Middlebury College; Shandra Terry, President, Standing Ovations, Ent.

This session is intended to draw together the learning from the last 11 sessions with inspiration and commitment to continue the work of Advancing Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Southwest Washington. After our speaker presentations we’ll have a time for engagement and reflection with all participants.

 

Our AREDI Teach-In Sponsors

Community Foundation for Southwest Washington Logo
Champion*
PeaceHealth Logo
Champion
iQ Credit Union Logo
Champion
Cloudbreak Logo
Champion*
Group Health Foundation
Movement Builder
City of Vancouver Washington Logo
Organizer
Northwest Health Foundation
Organizer
Clark College Logo
Organizer*
NAACP Vancouver Branch Logo
Organizer
Clark County, WA Logo
Organizer
Eliminating Racism, Empowering Women, YWCA, Clark County Logo
Organizer*
Clark County Lawyers Logo
Advocate
Humane Society for Southwest Washington Logo
Advocate
LULAC Logo
Advocate
City of Ridgefield Washington Logo
Advocate
The City of Battle Grounds Washington Logo
Supporter
Kaiser Permanente Logo
Supporter
Nonprofit Network SW Logo
Supporter
Council for the Homeless Logo
Supporter
Workforce Southwest Washington
Supporter
Vancouver Clinic Logo
Supporter
Cowlitz Wahkiakum Legal Aid Logo
Supporter

 

*sponsor also has a DEI page

FAQ

Yes. It will be available through the ticket link.​

Yes. They will be available on our YouTube for those who purchase tickets.​

Automated Closed Captioning services in English & live ASL/English will be available, as well as Spanish interpretation. Other languages available upon request. If you have any questions please contact us at SWEC.sw.wa@gmail.com.​

Teach-In’s are focused on the community of Southwest Washington, leaders & community members who want to pursue diversity, equity & inclusion.

Absolutely! There will be a number of different presentations on topics related to DEI. We highly encourage those who can come when they can.​

The AREDI Teach In Series will take place through the online platform, Zoom. Attendees will get the chance to engage with & learn from the DEI work happening in SW Washington. ​

Our series has not been certified for CPE credit hours. However, the content of our Teach-In Series will provide valuable information for those seeking to advance racial equity, diversity, and inclusion in their workplace and community. 

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