Newsletter: April 2025 Issue 1
- Cultures Connecting
- Apr 1
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 22
Unpacking Privilege in the Workplace E-Course
Our newest e-course, Unpacking Privilege in the Workplace taught by our co-Founder Ilsa Govan, is now available on our Thinkific website. This is the fifth of six foundational workshops we facilitate that we've made available for e-learning.
Unpacking Privilege in the Workplace examines how cultural norms and privileges create barriers to equity, and explores the ways this operates on a personal and institutional level. Participants will gain insight into how we can work to reform systems and practices.
Watch the preview for Ilsa's course below and visit the Thinkific site for more details.
Black Farmers Collective: Growing Food and Supporting Urban Farmers in Seattle
“Being able to grow a little of your own food is one of the best things you can do for your health… the community that's built around that, the real physical connection, connection to the soil—especially in urban spaces, we can feel that we're not connected to the environment at all. Certainly, the food produced is important, but I think it’s a space for people to really come and connect to nature and each other.”
It all started seven years ago with a 1.5-acre plot of land along the I-5 by Yesler Terrace. Ray Williams, one of the co-Founders and Executive Director of the Black Farmers Collective (BFC), was a biology environmental teacher and was helping to build community gardens when the city of Seattle put out an RFP. “Seattle Housing Authority was redeveloping Yesler Terrace housing projects into a mixed-use neighborhood and they looked at the freeway right of way as an opportunity to increase the green space.” This project eventually became Yes Farm and BFC was born.
Yes Farm grows food for the community, hosts community garden beds, and provides growing space for Black urban farmers. Connecting people intimately to food, nature, and each other while promoting food sovereignty are important missions of the BFC.
April is Autism Acceptance, Arab American Heritage, and Celebrate Diversity Month
Autism Acceptance month was established in 1988 to raise awareness of autism acceptance and promote inclusion for people with autism. Arab American Heritage Month was established in 2021 to celebrate the community's rich heritage and contributions. Celebrate Diversity month was initiated just last year in 2024 to recognize the diversity and growing multiculturalism in our communities.
To learn more about these awareness months and to see resources, as well as ways to commemorate them, visit last year's blog post.
Resources for Navigating the Current Political Environment
Legal Guidance for Racial Equity Advocates
The Othering & Belonging Institute has released a document to assist racial equity advocates navigate their work through the legal landscape. The guide explains,
"This guidance is designed to help advocates and institutional leaders understand prevailing interpretations of law with a greater degree of nuance and precision than is typically available. It clarifies what is permissible and what is generally prohibited, and provides many examples to illustrate these ideas."
To read the guide, visit the Othering & Belonging Institute website.
Democracy Resilience Toolkit
GARE, a learning and practice network for advancing racial equity in government, released a Democracy Resilience Toolkit which you can download on their website.
According to their website, the toolkit "is designed to prompt discussion and action on protecting racial equity in the face of political disruption."
Hands Off! Protest & Rally at the Seattle Center
This Saturday on April 5th, there will be a protest at the Seattle Center from 12:00 to 3:00pm. There will be live music, art, and speakers including former Gov. Jay Inslee, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and Port Commissioner Hamdi Hohammed. You can also learn about opportunities for volunteering, education, and mutual aid. There will be activities for youth.
There are events all around Washington and beyond. Find your local rally here.
Sage Warrior: Wake to Oneness, Practice Pleasure, Choose Courage, Become Victory with Valarie Kaur
We were inspired by a podcast episode of Unlocking Us with Brene Brown and activist Valarie Kaur. One thing that stood out to us was their discussion of hope and how it's not an emotion but comprised of three processes:
Goal: We are clear about what we want to achieve.
Pathway: We understand a path that may lead us there.
Agency: We believe in our ability to get there (mine, yours, and ours).
Cultures Connecting stands with you in this journey and will continue to support you in any way we can. Your perseverance is what keeps hope alive, and the future remains brighter because of people like you who dare to make it so.
May you find hope and moments of joy in the struggle for our collective liberation. Stay strong, stay resilient, and know that you are not alone.
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.
3/05-4/17: Lenten Season (Christian)
4/02: World Autism Awareness Day (International)
4/06: Rama Navami (Hindu)
4/06: National Tartan Day (Scottish American)
04/11: National Day of Silence United States
4/17: Maundy Thursday (Christian)
4/12-20: Passover (Pesach) (Jewish)
4/13-16: Bun Pi Mai (New Year) (Laotian)
4/13-19: Holy Week (Christian)
4/14: Vaisakhi (Sikh)
4/14-16: Cambodian New Year (Christian)
4/18: Good Friday (Christian)
4/18: Orthodox Good Friday (Christian Orthodox)
4/20: Easter (Christian)
4/20: Orthodox Easter (Christian Orthodox)
4/20-21: First Day of Ridván (Bahá'i)
4/22: Earth Day (International)
4/23-24: Yom HaSho’ah (Jewish)
4/28-29: Ninth Day of Ridván (Bahá'i)
4/31-5/01: Twelfth Day of Ridván (Bahá'i)
*Please note that Equal Pay Day changes every year, based on real time data so was listed as a different date on our Diversity Calendar, which was created last year. There are different Equal Pay Days for women of color.
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!
4/01: NAMI BIPOC Support Group
4/02: Accessible Recreation: Making the Outdoors Accessible for All
4/02: Building Generational Wealth: A Blueprint for Families of Color
4/03: Race Forward: Governing for Racial Equity
4/05: Aware LA: First Saturday Dialogue
4/05: Princess Angeline "Kikisoblu" Tea
4/06: Restorative Embodiment for People's of the Global Majority
4/08: Men of Melanin: BIPOC Healing Circles
4/09: Stepping Up, Not Back: A Live Conversation for White Women in Nonprofits
4/09: SURJ: Protect and Resist in the First 100 Days
4/09: Unlearning Media Literacy w/Lindsey T.H. Jackson
4/10: Learning Lab: Housing Justice is Racial Justice
4/12: Black Farmers Collective Yes Farm Volunteer Day
4/14: Courageous Conversations: Cumbre 2025
4/14: Teach the Black Freedom Struggle Online Class
4/14: People's Institute Northwest Organizing Meeting
4/15: The Tender Work: An Ongoing Affinity Circle for People Identifying as White
...and so much more! Visit our Events Calendar to see the most up-to-date full schedule.
