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Our voice is BUILDing |
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 Hello RAIN Community,
Please see the below message from our friends at the Blacks United in Leadership and Diversity (BUILD) BRG. RAIN’s leadership joins with BUILD in expressing our love and support for all of those affected and suffering due to the tragedy in Buffalo, NY over the weekend. We specifically hold members of the LGBTQ+ community, who have faced discrimination and abuse, in our thoughts and encourage our community to seek ways to uplift and support those and other marginalized voices in this conflict. In Solidarity, Taja Blackhorn, Co-Chair Ryan Douglas, Co-Chair Rainbow Alliance and Inclusion Network (RAIN) Original message from RAIN   Message of Solidarity Today, we express solidarity with the people impacted and suffering because of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict in Europe. We mourn with those who have lost family and friends, and we sympathize with the refugees that have been displaced.
Our thoughts are with all of them in these darkest hours, and we call on the world community to provide them with practical support, aid, and refuge. The civilians and their families and friends have the right to go about their daily lives in peace. Washington Immigrant Network’s leadership team is committed to supporting our state employees impacted by this conflict. We stand in solidarity with all peaceful efforts to commit to providing a platform for dialogue among diverse groups about this crisis. WIN will be hosting a Solidarity Gathering on Thursday, March 3rd from 12 pm-1 pm. You can download the calendar - Solidarity Gathering.ics You can also visit our website for additional information here. We’ve also included some resources from the Employee Assistance Program for your reference. You can also contact EAP at (877) 313-4455 for support. In Solidarity, Washington Immigrant Network Leadership Team Seriously, like, this is AMAZING! Check it out as a webpage. The pdf is simply too cool, you need to see this!
The RAIN employee business resource group will be hosting a special guest speaker to celebrate Black History Month. Register here. Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter is the Scott Waugh endowed chair in the Division of the Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at UCLA, coined the term #BlackLivesMatter, and author of four books. His research, activism and commentary have been featured in various journals, social media platforms, and news media. Join us as we have a conversation with Dr. Hunter as he discusses the quest for systemic racial equality in America. Auto live captions will be enabled and ASL services provided for this event. Please email rain@ofm.wa.gov for any additional accommodation requests. In 1977, U.S. Representatives Norman Mineta and Frank Horton introduced legislation to designate 10 days in May as Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week. U.S. Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga proposed supporting legislation in the Senate. The lawmakers chose May to mark two historical events. On May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrant arrived in the United States. More than two decades later, on May 10, 1869, the golden spike was driven into the First Transcontinental Railroad, which was completed using Chinese labor. President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution for the celebration on October 5, 1978. In 1990, George H.W. Bush signed a bill passed by Congress to extend Asian-American Heritage Week to a month, and May was officially designated as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month two years later.  The Latino Leadership Network (LLN) would like to share an opportunity with all members of BUILD.
The State Parks Department is an inclusive place for enjoying our state’s lush green spaces and allowing time for health and healing. On May 22, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Millersylvania State Park (less than 12 miles south of Olympia), Ranger Janet Shonk will lead a two-hour guided hike with options along the route for folks to turn back if they prefer a shorter excursion. The group size will be limited to 15 or 20 for the guided hike portion, but feel free to stay and network or socialize afterwards. If interested in the guided hike, please preregister here. There is no charge for the guided hike, however a Discover Pass is required for vehicle access to state parks. For more information about the Discover Pass and exemptions, please visit the Discover Pass web page. If purchasing a pass is a barrier, passes are often available for checkout at local libraries. If you need more information or have questions, contact Makaela Kroin, Folk & Traditional Arts Program Coordinator of the State Parks & Recreation Commission. The topic of discussion: Latino Leadership Network
Location: Online (to register see below) Date: May 5th, 2021 Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Facilitator: Abby Chavez and Tony Griego Background: LLN is a business resource group that strives to provide Latinos and their allies in state government a place where they feel a sense of community, learn new things that help them in their professions, and meet other fellow Latino state workers. During this Lunch and Learn Abby and Tony will cover a number of Latino topics of interest to state HR practitioners. Fellow BUILD Members,
Please see the below statement released from the Washington Immigrant Network (WIN) in response to crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. We are saddened by the recent hate acts committed against these communities. We are joined together in solidarity with WIN and the AAPI communities against Anti-Asian hate and discrimination and bigotry in all forms. Originally published February 19, 2021.
"Yesterday I had the pleasure of announcing Dr. Karen Johnson as the first director of Washington state’s new Office of Equity. Dr. Johnson has been a Washington state employee for over a decade, working with state agencies to transform our institutions to better and more equitably serve Washingtonians." The Disability Inclusion Network (DIN) is inviting you to attend our monthly general membership meeting. You will not want to miss this meeting!! We will be having special guests from Microsoft’s Accessibility Team to discus how to navigate the accessibility features in Microsoft Teams.
Serve Washington, the state commission on national and community service, reaches out to you in hopes you would be willing to help us get the word out on this effort to all of the Statewide business resource groups either through their newsletters, distribution lists or social media. We posted the announcement on our Facebook and Twitter if you want to share that way.
The Disability Inclusion Network (DIN), a fellow statewide business resource group, is excited to announce the availability of an Inclusive Virtual Meeting Planning guide and checklist published on their website.
A message from the Washington Immigrant Network - www.washingtonimmigrantnetwork.org:
The Washington Immigrant Network needs your help making the Food for Diversity-Cultural Recipe Book. We need your recipe as well as volunteers to help collect the recipes, publish, and distribute the book. If you have recipes to share and or interested in joining the Food for Diversity committee, please email us at win@ofm.wa.gov We have the following main ideas about the project: The Disability Inclusion Network invites all state agencies to join us during the month of October for Disability Employment and Awareness month. A time to learn, understand and consider the value persons with disabilities bring to the workforce and our communities. Disability inclusion is a fundamental core of our statewide Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts to create and sustain the Governor’s initiative for a “Respectful and Inclusive Workplace.” The DIN wants the State of Washington to be an employer of choice for persons with disabilities
Blacks United In Diversity and Leadership supports the Latino Leadership Network (LLN) and the Latinx community, and honors Hispanic Heritage Month. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, your Latino Leadership Network Executive Board has put together a new video to welcome all Washington State workers and allies into the familia that is LLN. We took this opportunity to speak from our hearts about the value we see in participating in this group. See the video on YouTube.
A special thank you to a rising star in LLN, Larry Delgado, for being our editor on this project. Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the contributions and importance of Hispanics and Latinos to the United States and those American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Hispanic Heritage Month also marks the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico, Chile and Belize also celebrate their independence days during this period. In the U.S. this observance began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover September 15 to October 15. Last year, LLN marked the occasion with a fascinating presentation by Antonio Sanchez, PhD, Director of Intergovernmental and International Relations at Central Washington University. Sanchez presented “A Proud Past – Building a New Future, the History of the Accomplishments and Contributions of Hispanics in Washington State.” The presentation included several revelations about the roles Hispanics have played in the history and development of Washington State. See the Facebook Live recording |
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