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NW Equity Summit: Get your tickets now
Partners in Diversity is hosting our first NW Equity Summit virtually on May 4-5. We invite you to join us for two days of insights, self-reflection and actionable takeaways. Learn from experts from all over the world and hear from top corporate leaders on how they implemented DEI in their workplace.
The Summit features:
- Two keynote speakers, including Rosemary Turner, who recently retired as president of UPS North California.
- Two panels to engage in dialogue and gain strategies.
- Breakout session to take a deeper dive into ways to measure your organization’s DEI progress.
- A unique opportunity to meet one-on-one with a diversity coach.
Early bird pricing of $125 is available through March 19. The first 400 to register for early bird receive a gift box from some of our sponsors.
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Community events and resources
Microaggressions 101 | Building Bridges Series by Alexis Braly James | Last in a series of workshops that explore race, relationships and community engagement through healing and connection. | March 11 | Learn more
Advancing Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Awareness, Action and Change | A monthly educational series of "teach-ins" organized by the Southwest Washington Equity Coalition | First session is on March 19 | Learn more.
NEW Leadership Oregon Program | Center for Women’s Leadership | Now accepting applications for Oregon college women interested in building leadership skills. | Applications due March 19 | Learn more
Building Highly Effective Teams | National Association of Women Business Owners | Uncover traits needed to help you build an effective team. | March 29 | Learn more
Triggered Life | Portland Playhouse | The play follows a day in the life of two men, Ishmael and Keith. As they relive their stories of abusive childhoods, they embark on a journey to define their own manhood and identity. | March-April | Learn more
For community events, volunteer or board opportunities, please visit our Community page.
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Last month, Partners in Diversity welcomed 20 new professionals of color to our region at our quarterly Say Hey! event. Special thanks to NW Natural and Oregon State University for sponsoring the evening. Click on the photo above to watch a video and learn more about the newest Honorees.
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News and updates
Join the new Asian and Pacific Islander Affinity Group
Partners in Diversity is piloting a series of affinity groups for communities of color. The groups seek to provide a safe and healing space for people of color. We are expanding our initiative to add a group for Asians and Pacific Islanders. If you identify as an API and want to participate in this pilot affinity group, please complete this form by March 15.
In the spotlight
Partners in Diversity recently received two notable recognitions for our work on the Diversity Retention Porject. The Public Relations Society of America Oregon Chapter honored us with the 2020 Merit Award for Public Service Campaign. We also received an honorable mention for the Forum on Workplace Inclusion's 2021 Winds of Change Award in the organizational category. Thank you to the many community leaders and research participants, as well as our sponsors PGE, the Betty Lou Roberts Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation and the Oregon Health Authority for making this project possible.
In case you missed it
February was a busy month for us. Nearly 500 people attended two educational programs, Breakfast for Champions and Equity Conversations, and our signature networking event, Say Hey!
If you know of a professional of color who relocated to Oregon or southwest Washington in the past 18 months, please ask them to sign up as a Say Hey! honoree.
Upcoming programs for members:
- Mar. 10, 8:30 a.m. - Breakfast for Champions: Equity 2.0: Targeted universalism
- Apr. 20, 8:30 a.m. - Breakfast for Champions: Bystander intervention | Sponsored by Sage
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Member spotlight: Sage
Periodically, Partners in Diversity features a platinum member organization and its efforts to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion. This month, we want you to learn more about Sage, an accounting and business management software company.
Sage became a platinum member last August to get more involved with the community, provide their employees opportunities to learn from Partners in Diversity’s programs and engage in equity conversations.
One of their focus this year is to achieve more diverse representation in their senior-level roles. They plan to implement a mentorship and sponsorship initiative to build a diverse internal leadership talent pipeline. At the same time, Sage is working to help make employees feel like they belong. Within the last year, Sage launched several employee resource groups which they call Colleague Success Networks. BUILD (Blacks United in Leadership and Development) is one of the Colleague Success Networks designed to support Black colleagues. Sage implemented Inclusive Leadership Training to increase the focus on culture, relationships and decision-making at each level of the organization. The diversity and inclusion team also launched a series of listening sessions to provide space for employees to discuss recent traumatic events.
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Welcome our new members
As of February 28, 2021, we have 371 organizations as members. Please join us in welcoming the following new members.
Platinum
- Northwest Regional Education Service District
- OnPoint Credit Union
- Tillamook County Creamery Association
Gold
- Burgerville
- Mt. Hood Community College
Silver
- ACLU of Oregon
- Associated Builders and Contractors
- Cascade Employee Association
- Espousal Strategies
- Lightspeed Technologies
- Oregon Alliance
- Saturday Academy
- Vancouver Housing Authority
- Women’s Healthcare Associations
- ZGF Architects
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Mari's memo
For the past few weeks, the video of a 91-year-old man being violently pushed to the ground in Oakland’s Chinatown keeps playing over and over in my mind.
2,808.
That’s the number of reported incidents of racism and discrimination targeting Asian Americans across the U.S. from March to December 2020, according to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition. That number doesn’t even account for the recent wave of attacks on older Asian Americans, not to mention vandalism at Asian-owned businesses, including those in Portland’s Jade District.
The Crisis Text Line reported last May that Asian Americans were experiencing three times higher rates of racism and discrimination compared to other texters.
Anti-Asian sentiments are not new. These are the results of hundreds of years of harmful perceptions about Asian people, my people: that we are perpetual foreigners and therefore a threat.
What can employers do and how you can be part of the solution? First and foremost, stop using stigmatized language when talking about COVID-19, educate yourself on the facts, educate others whenever possible and support Asian American business in your community. More importantly, support your Asian American employees and colleagues. Recognize the trauma that they may be facing silently and how racism affects us all in different ways. Lead with empathy.
If you identify as an Asian or Pacific Islander, please consider participating in Partners in Diversity's API affinity group. Its goal is to provide a safe and healing space. If you're interested, please complete this form by March 15.
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