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Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It usually has a celebratory note with commemorative events and festivities. This year, however, the tone is somber as the number of anti-Asian crimes continue to increase. Many events over the next few weeks focus on healing, education and action. Below, we have listed a few of the events that came to our attention.
The term Asian is rather broad that includes dozens of unique cultures. In the U.S., the 23 million Americans who identify as Asian or Pacific Islander trace their roots to more than 20 countries. We encourage you to take time this month to learn about the various cultures and seek ways to build solidarity across race and class.
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Connect with professionals of color
Isolation and lack of a sense of belonging are some of the biggest challenges faced by professionals of color in a recent Partners in Diversity study. For people of color who recently relocated to our area, making meaningful connections is even more difficult with the pandemic. Say Hey! seeks to change that by introducing them to our diverse community, and providing a safe space to meet other professionals of colors and allies. Join us on May 25 for Say Hey!~Virtual, sponsored by PeaceHealth and Oregon State University, and help us build a stronger community.
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Volunteer for the Program Committee
Want to help guide Partners in Diversity's programs for communities of color? Join the Program Committee as a volunteer. As our organization grows and adapts to the changing needs of the community, we are looking for champions of DEI who want to take an active role in supporting our communities of color. Deadline to apply is May 21. For more information and to apply.
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Featured jobs
For a complete list of job openings, please visit our online Career Center.
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Community events
Anti-Racism Workshops for API Heritage Month | Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon & Liberation in Practice | Throughout May | Learn more
Rise Up Against Hate Rally | A call to action in support of Asian and Pacific Islander Oregonians | May 8, 11:30 a.m., Virtual | Learn more
Anti-Asian Racism and Discrimination | PSU Institute for Asian Studies | PSU Asian faculty speak up about recent attacks targeting Asians and Pacific Islanders | May 12, 2 p.m., virtual | Learn more
Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration & Fundraiser | API Forward | Help raise scholarship funds to support leadership development | May 19, 5:30 p.m., virtual | Learn more
Celebrate 2021 | Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization | Celebrate IRCO’s 45th anniversary | May 20, 5:30 p.m., virtual | Learn more
Say Hey!~Virtual | Partners in Diversity | Join us for the region’s largest multi-cultural networking event | May 25, 4:30 p.m., virtual | Register here
Portland’s Parks Friends and Allies Summit | Portland Parks Foundation | Celebrate the foundation’s 20th anniversary | May 27, 5:30 p.m., virtual | Learn more
For community events, volunteer or board opportunities, please visit our Community page.
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Members of Portland Taiko performing "Ha" at the opening ceremony of Partners in Diversity's inaugural NW Equity Summit on May 4.
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News and updates
Defining Moment: Where Do You Stand in Equity
Partners in Diversity wrapped up its two-day NW Equity Summit on Wednesday. The inaugural event featured more than 21 speakers and 15 coaches from across the globe who shared the latest best practices to DEI and brought forth provocative concepts. A special thanks to the many sponsors and supporters who made this happen. Read more about the Summit on our blog.
In case you missed it
In April, Partners in Diversity provided members with opportunities to learn new approaches to self-care through emotion regulation and to gain new skills to interrupt disrespect in the workplace through bystander intervention.
Upcoming programs
- May 25 – Say Hey!~Virtual (open to communities of color and allies)
- June 10 – Breakfast for Champions: Decolonizing Wealth (for members only)
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Welcome our new members
Today, we are proud to have 390 organizations as members. We want to welcome the following members who joined us or upgraded their membership in April.
Platinum
- City of Portland
- Clark College
- Oregon Department of Human Services
- Oregon Employment Department
- System of Care
Gold
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Mari's memo
Our first NW Equity Summit is in the books. When we took up the baton from PGE, who hosted the Diversity Summit for many years, I was excited and honored that they picked Partners in Diversity. At the same time, I felt the weight of the big shoes that they left for us to fill.
Fortunately, we had an amazing team of dedicated DEI professionals who were part of the planning committee:
- Riikka Salonen, PeaceHealth
- Elaine Hsieh, 52 Limited
- Dr. Steven Nakana, Port of Portland
- Parna Mehrbani, Tonkon Torp
- Miranda Zimmerli, PGE
- Caitlin Upshaw, Portland Center Stage at the Armory
We also had the dynamic duo of event planning: Shauna Noah and Kathy Sobotka, along with the entire Partners in Diversity staff.
I’m also grateful to our speakers for taking a chance on a small nonprofit in Portland, Oregon. We sought speakers who could bring different perspectives and challenge us to do more. We needed them to push us, to be straight-forward and to tell it like it is. They delivered. And I hope this inspired attendees to think and act differently.
Thank you to everyone who attended and the sponsors who joined us on this journey. I'm looking forward to the next one. Until then, I hope to see you at our regular programs to continue learning together.
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