June is LGBTQ+ Pride, National Immigrant Heritage, and Caribbean American Heritage Month LGBTQ+ Pride Month is celebrated in honor of the Stonewall Uprising, a series of protests that erupted in late June 1969 after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village. The patrons, many of whom were transgender women of color, drag queens, and homeless queer youth, fought back against years of harassment, sparking a movement that led to the first Pr

There's a moment Willie Seals III describes that cuts right to the core of what The Academy for Creating Excellence (ACE) is about. A young man walks in late, maybe 9:30 or 10:00, when the program started at 9:00. Instead of a reprimand, he's greeted with warmth, “We're glad you're here. Make sure to shake everybody's hand.” That small act, the welcome before the question, is not accidental. It is the entire philosophy of the ACE Academy lived out in a single moment. Seals kn

We've had the great privilege of interviewing several people from the greater Seattle area doing important and interesting social justice work for our newsletter this year. If you've missed any of them, we encourage you to read the interviews on our blog to learn more about their work and how to support them. Dr. Tanmeet Sethi Tanmeet is an integrative medicine doctor and author of the book, Joy is My Justice. She spoke with us about how her son's fatal medical diagnosis led

Ilsa Govan at the White Privilege Conference 2026 Our co-Founder, Ilsa Govan, recently attended the White Privilege Conference (WPC) in April. She, along with colleague Johanna Eager (pictured center top), facilitated their workshop "Beyond the Book Group." Ilsa and Johanna shared a model people can use to form and facilitate a group that goes beyond a traditional book group. Originally designed to challenge White cultural norms in the way groups meet to discuss What's Up wit

Transforming White Women's Leadership Lunch & Learn Series Starts this Month! Our three-part Lunch and Learn series, Transforming White Women's Leadership: Reflection and Inspiration to Strengthen Racial Justice Practices, is coming up in a couple weeks with the first of series, "A Power Analysis." This workshop will support white women in leadership roles to deepen awareness of the presence and impact of institutional power, privilege, and stereotypes that white women leader

Rallying Resistance through Song Concert The Seattle Labor Chorus is be holding a concert to celebrate and fundraise. Inspired by the Minneapolis singing resistance groups, this event aims to "celebrate the power of collective resistance and support their mission in giving voice to song to the cause of economic, social, and racial justice." Starbucks Workers United, TRACTION, and Seattle Gaza Mutual Aid will all be tabling at the event. Rallying Resistance will be held on May

Make Us Visible (MUV) is a national nonprofit working to get bills passed throughout the country to make AANHPI history part of school curricula. In Washington state, MUV-WA has been advocating to pass SB 5574 for the past few years. Last year, MUV-WA expanded its efforts to include Latine and Black American history in the bill. Cultures Connecting is a proud supporter of MUV and has been sharing updates and calls to action with all of you to help get this bill passed. We are

Our upcoming book, Facilitating Conversations on Race, is set to be released this July! This is the 2nd edition of our book that we use for our Train the Trainer workshops, originally titled, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. What do you think about our cover? We decided to go with a more personable design and are are excited to offer you new strategies! To celebrate our new release, we are giving away free Cultures Connecting journals with the first 25 pre-orders. We will ma

White women in management and supervisory roles are uniquely positioned to make a meaningful difference in advancing racial equity. Many of us are motivated by a genuine commitment to racial justice and a desire to grow our cross-cultural skills to better provide all employees, and especially employees of color, the guidance and opportunities they deserve. This three-part Lunch and Learn series will support participants to deepen awareness of the presence and impact of instit

Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month is celebrated every May in the United States, honoring the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of AANHPIs to American society. The month of May was chosen for two significant reasons: May 7th marks the anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States in 1843, and May 10th commemorates the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, a monumental achievem

As a kid, Kade Kricho needed things a certain way. He was a perfectionist, the kind that doesn't just want things to go well but needs them to. At the same time, he describes an ongoing tension between his need for stability and his pull toward growth. He reflects, "I kind of felt like I needed control of my domain in order to embark on something new or to kind of expand my way of thinking. And at the same time, I was just insatiably curious. So, I got these two forces that w

Transforming White Women's Leadership Lunch & Learn Series White women in management and supervisory roles are uniquely positioned to make a meaningful difference in advancing racial equity. Many of us are motivated by a genuine commitment to racial justice and a desire to grow our cross-cultural skills to better provide all employees, and especially employees of color, the guidance and opportunities they deserve. This three-part Lunch and Learn series will support participan

Postcards4Democracy in West Seattle Postcards4Democracy is an ongoing event in West Seattle where people get together for conversation, coffee, and writing postcards in support of democracy. They meet every Tuesday, the first Saturday, and third Thursday of each month at C& P Coffee. They ask that you bring supplies, addresses (the have resources for where to find them), and stamps if possible. Visit their website for event details. La Resistencia Solidarity Day with Jewish V

When events such as ICE raids, wars, or protests occur locally or nationally, children and youth often respond with questions, fears, or misunderstandings. Young people are forming ideas about race, power, safety, and belonging. Ignoring these moments can unintentionally reinforce stress, misinformation, or othering. Our Cultures Connecting team developed Guiding Youth in Polarizing Times to provide developmentally informed strategies to help you respond with honesty, care, a

Guiding Youth in Polarizing Times When events such as ICE raids, wars, or protests occur locally or nationally, children and youth often respond with questions, fears, or misunderstandings. Young people are forming ideas about race, power, safety, and belonging. Ignoring these moments can unintentionally reinforce stress, misinformation, or othering. Our Cultures Connecting team developed Guiding Youth in Polarizing Times to provide developmentally informed strategies to help

Estela Ortega, Executive Director of El Centro de la Raza , doesn't describe her career in terms of titles or accolades. She describes it in terms of what needed to be done. "No task is beneath you," she says, "whether it's answering the phones, sweeping, mopping floors, cooking." For 53 years, Estela has shown up for El Centro de la Raza and she's still showing up. The organization began not with a board meeting or a grant, but with a peaceful occupation. In 1972, a group of

The 4th annual When Women Lead (WWL) 2026 Conference is taking place on June 18-20th in Vancouver, WA. WWL is a national event for women leading equity and social justice in public education with a focus on policy. WWL provides a space for intentional leadership development and collective action for superintendents, assistant superintendents, district administrators, and school leaders. Our co-Founder Ilsa Govan, along with her colleague Whitney White of PSESD, will be presen

Our colleague, Delbert Richardson of The Unspoken Truths, has an art and history exhibit titled We STILL Dream a Future: Reclaiming Our Humanity at King Street Station. Using a multi-sensory, interdisciplinary approach with artifacts and storyboards, the exhibit walks visitors through four segments: Mother Africa, U.S. Chattel Slavery, the Jim Crow Era, and Still, We Rise. King Street Station is located on 303 S. Jackson St. in Seattle and has gallery hours on Wednesdays thro

Arab American Heritage Month is celebrated to recognize the diverse culture, history, and contributions of Arab Americans to the United States. While grassroots efforts to mark the occasion began in the 1990s, it gained significant momentum in 2017 through the efforts of ArabAmerica.com and the Arab America Foundation. The initiative was driven by a desire to combat stereotypes and provide a dedicated time for education and cultural pride. It reached a major milestone in 2021

Arab American Heritage, Autism Acceptance, and Celebrate Diversity Month Arab American Heritage Month is celebrated to recognize the diverse culture, history, and contributions of Arab Americans to the United States. While grassroots efforts to mark the occasion began in the 1990s, it gained significant momentum in 2017 through the efforts of ArabAmerica.com and the Arab America Foundation. The initiative was driven by a desire to combat stereotypes and provide a dedicated ti