March 2026 Issue 1
- Cultures Connecting
- Mar 2
- 6 min read
March is Women's History & Developmental Disability Awareness Month
Women’s History Month honors the achievements and contributions of women throughout history while recognizing the ongoing work toward gender equity. It began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California in 1978, organized by the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women. After continued advocacy from historians and women’s organizations, Congress officially designated March as Women’s History Month in 1987. This month also includes International Women's Day on March 8th.
One way progress toward equality is measured is through Equal Pay Day, which marks how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned the previous year—reflecting the wage gap. White women working full time in the United States earn on average about 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, with the gap wider for Black women who earn 65 cents, Latina and Native women 58 cents, and disabled women 56 cents. Today, the month serves both as a celebration of women’s impact across all fields and as a reminder that the pursuit of equity is ongoing.
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is observed each March to highlight the contributions, experiences, and rights of people with developmental disabilities and to promote full inclusion in community life. The observance was established in 1987 to promote greater public awareness and opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to live, work, and participate fully in their communities.
In the United States, developmental disabilities affect approximately 1 in 6 children and millions of adults, making it a significant part of our communities. Today, the month serves as both a celebration of leadership and resilience within the disability community and a reminder of the ongoing work needed to ensure accessibility, equity, and belonging for all. Visit the UW webpage on this month for resources and ways to get involved.
Advanced Microaggressions for Leaders Next Month
Have you been thinking about attending our Advanced Microaggressions for Leaders workshop? In case you were wondering about its benefits, Kristen B shared this with us shortly after participating last year,
"I want to thank you so much for creating this class and for your fantastic facilitation. Your modeling of creating belonging and treating everyone with dignity was invaluable. And the philosophy, practices, and tools helped increase my confidence in addressing microaggressions. In fact, I had the opportunity this morning when facilitating a leadership workshop with 8 leaders! Thanks to you and the skills you helped me learn, I was able to lean into my own fear and discomfort and call the person in with the rest of the group present. To my surprise, it went fairly well! I never would have done this in the past. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Facilitated by Dr. Caprice Hollins, this strategy-based workshop is designed for supervisors, managers, and leaders who want to improve their ability to lead their staff through difficult conversations. Participants learn eight strategies for engaging staff when tension exists due to microaggressions and other types of comments that cause tension.
Date: April 9 & 10
Time: 8:30-12:00pm PT / 11:30-3:00pm ET
Location: Zoom
This course includes enrollment in our e-course Microaggressions: What are they and Why are they Harmful. To take full advantage of this workshop, we encourage participants who have limited understanding of what microaggressions are to complete the e-course prior to the workshop. Visit the link below to learn more and register!
Save the Date for the Equity Leaders Workshop in May
Save the date for our our Equity Leaders workshop for those leading diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts! Facilitated by Dr. Caprice Hollins and Ilsa Govan, this workshop is an opportunity for equity leaders to come together to collaborate and learn from each other's mistakes and successes. We will be sharing strategies for organizational change, problem solve some of the challenges we face, and network.
Date: May 7th & 8th
Time: 8:30-12:00pm PT / 11:30-3:00pm ET
Location: Zoom
Stay tuned for registration details in future editions of our newsletter!
Join the White Privilege Conference in April
The 27th annual White Privilege Conference (WPC) will be held on April 22-25 in Seattle. WPC welcomes everyone including students, educators, social workers, nonprofit leaders, activists, healthcare professionals, members of the spiritual community, and corporate spaces. WPC aims to provide a rich range of perspectives and creates space for meaningful dialogue and how White privilege, White supremacy, and systems of oppression shape our daily lives.
Our co-founder Ilsa Govan will be co-facilitating a workshop with Johanna Eager from Equityls Consulting, "Beyond the Book Group." Ilsa and Johanna will share 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 we meet with one another to discuss What's Up with White Women?, the Beyond the Book Group model can be replicated in discussions with any anti-racist White group.
Visit the WPC website to learn more about the conference and to register.
Creative Economy Network Inaugural Summit
Our Project Manager, Judy Lee, spent a day in Olympia in early February to attend the inaugural Creative Economy Finance Network summit. This is a relatively new national organization committed to the financial success of working artists, creative business owners, and cultural organizations. There is a small group spearheading this in WA and they organized a large cross-section of people working at all levels from government agencies, arts organizations, businesses, and artists to set priorities for this effort.
During the summit, we learned about the different ways finance networks have been implemented in both WA state and beyond. Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) are one such example (check out the Chehalis Tribal Loan Fund to learn more). Shiloh Penland from the WA State Department of Commerce shared how The Equitable Access to Credit Program uses tax credits to award grants to CDFIs in order to provide credit to businesses in historically underserved communities (with 65% going to Native CDFIs in rural counties). Organizations or businesses who pays B&O taxes in WA can do this by making cash contributions to this program and receive dollar-for-dollar B&O tax credit from the Department of Revenue. To learn more about this program, contact Shiloh at shiloh.penland@commerce.wa.gov or 360-890-2288.
Ways to Take Action for Change
No Kings Protest on March 28th No Kings is organizing their third protest since the current administration took office with thousands of nationwide marches rooted in nonviolent action on March 28th. To find a protest in the greater Seattle area, visit this events page. To find your local events on an interactive map, visit the No Kings website.
In addition to the marches, they also have a list of urgent calls to action, Know Your Rights resources, and trainings to document and record ICE on their website.
Join Resistance Fridays at Common Power
Common Power, a voting rights organization, opens their office every Friday from 10:30-2:00pm for Resistance Fridays to support local organizers and community members. You can drop in for snacks, coffee, sign-making, and create a whistle kit to support community safety and rapid response efforts. Their office is located at 1020 1st Ave in Seattle.
Phone Bank with SURJ
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) will be hosting a phone bank on March 1st at 12-3pm PT to talk to key white working class voters about their feelings on Trump's immigrant policies and deployment of ICE in key congressional districts that will determine control of the House in the 2026 elections.
There is no prior experience necessary and they will provide all the resources and trainings to support participants. Register at their mobilize site here.
It's a new month which means taking a look at our Diversity Calendar to look at significant dates to consider when planning meetings or events to create greater inclusion. Click on the name of the day to learn more.
2/17-3/19: Ramadan (Islamic)
2/18-3/02: Lenten Season (Christian)
3/02-03: Purim (Jewish)
3/03: Magha Puja Day (Buddhist)
3/03-04: Holi (Hindu)
3/16: Laylat al-Qadr (Islamic)
3/17: St. Patrick's Day (Irish)
3/19-20: Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) (Islamic)
3/19-27: Chaitra Navratri (Hindu)
3/20: Nowruz (Persian New Year) (Persian, Iranian)
3/20: Ostara (Neo-Pagan)
3/20-21: Naw-Rúz (Baháʼí New Year) (Baháʼí)
3/21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
3/25: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
3/26: Equal Pay Day (United States)*
3/26: Rama Navami (Hindu)
3/29: Palm Sunday (Christian/Orthodox)
3/29-4/05: Holy Week (Christian)
3/31: César Chávez Day (United States)
If you'd like to add our Diversity Calendar dates to your Google calendar, you can add it using this link.
Upcoming DEIB/Social Justice Events
For details on these and other events, workshops and conferences happening in the social justice space, visit our Events Calendar. If you have an event you would like us to share, please reach out to us!
3/01: Talk to Our Neighbors, Crack ICE: Phone Bank with SURJ!
3/03: NAMI BIPOC Support Group
3/05: Community-Driven Planning for Racial and Climate Justice
3/05: API Chaya's 31st Annual Vigil
3/05: NAMI LGBTQ+ Support Group
3/06: Resistance Fridays at Common Power
3/06: WAISN Rapid Response Training
3/07: Wine & Cheese Pairing Benefiting Women's Spirit Coalition
3/08: A Conversation on Black/Asian Solidarity
3/09: People's Institute Northwest Organizing Meeting
3/11: Reading and Reflection Group: Unapologetic
3/11: WAISN Know Your Rights
...and so much more! Visit our Events Calendar to see the most up-to-date full schedule.
*Cultures Connecting workshop.
