Newsletter: August 2025

Cultures Connecting
Aug 1
5 min read

Updated: Aug 6

New Workshop! Speaking Up without Shutting Down

Two illustrated people with speech bubbles. Text: "Speaking Up without Shutting Down, Tools for Hard Conversations, Sep 25-26, 2025, Virtual."

If we want to create a world where racism no longer thrives, we must examine how we show up when conversations get hard. Too often, the very moments that matter most are the ones where we lose our grounding—when emotions rise, voices shut down, and the opportunity for understanding slips away.

Our newest workshop facilitated by Dr. Caprice Hollins, Speaking Up without Shutting Down: Tools for Hard Conversations, is about leading with purpose. It’s about recognizing the ways we unintentionally derail progress—by reacting instead of responding, speaking without listening, or pulling back when the conversation feels uncomfortable. Through reflection, dialogue, and practice, you’ll learn strategies to stay present, repair relationships when harm happens, and foster authentic connection—even in tense moments.

Through individual reflection, small-group dialogue, and practical exercises, you will:

Know your “why” for doing this work.
Examine core values to keep you grounded during difficult conversations.
Surface unconscious needs that shape your reaction in challenging moments.
Learn strategies to recognize and manage emotional triggers in real time.
Become self-aware of how you are getting in the way of the work

This virtual workshop will be held Thursday & Friday, September 25 & 26 at 8:30-12:00 PT / 11:30-3:00 ET. To learn more and register, visit the link below!

Learn More & Register

Transforming White Women's Leadership Workshop Coming Up

Event poster: "Transforming White Women's Leadership." Quotes focus on productivity and facilitation. Zoom details: Aug 13 & 20, 2025.

Transforming White Women's Leadership: Reflection and Inspiration to Strengthen Racial Justice Practices facilitated by Ilsa Govan and Tilman Smith is coming up in just a few weeks.

This workshop will support participants to deepen awareness of the combination of institutional power, privilege, and stereotypes white women leaders must navigate and can perpetuate. Participants will leave better able to name and take responsibility for putting racial equity values into our leadership practices, becoming more compassionate anti-racist managers and supervisors.

The workshop will be held over 2 days on August 13th and 20th from 9-12pm PT/12-3pm ET on Zoom. Visit the link below to register today!

Add Our Diversity Calendar to Your Google Calendar

Diversity Calendar 2025-2026, printable and Google versions. Includes holidays, events, diverse group illustration. Light green background.

We released the print version of our 2025-2026 Diversity Calendar spanning August to July in our last newsletter. In case you missed it, you can download the print-quality PDF format here. Now, we are also offering a digital version to add to your Google Calendar for easy reference. The dates include more details with descriptions and links, just as we do in our print calendar. Our calendar excludes mainstream holidays, which Google Calendar already covers.

To download, follow the link below and click on "Add to Google Calendar" on the lower left hand corner. Have feedback? Please reach out to Judy at judy.lee@culturesconnecting.com.

Add to Google Calendar

August is Intersectionality Awareness Month

Colorful overlapping circles on left, with "INTERSECTIONALITY AWARENESS MONTH" in bold black text on cream background right. Repeated text in gray.

August is Intersectionality Awareness Month. Kimberlé Crenshaw, Columbia University law professor, coined the term in 1989 as a legal concept to describe the overlapping and interconnected systems of discrimination based on social categorizations such as race and gender. This awareness month was established organically over time as it became a mainstream concept, particularly after the Women's March on Washington in 2017.

We shared some resources in last year's August newsletter, which you can read about on our blog, which includes Kimberlé Crenshaw's Ted talk as well as other more recent think pieces.

Please Review "What's Up with White Women?"

Ilsa and Tilman people hold a book titled "What's Up with White Women?" Text bubble says "Please review our book!" on a starburst background.

Have you read "What's Up with White Women?" by Ilsa Govan and Tilman Smith and found it useful? If so, we would love more reviews to help spread the word about this work! Please share your thoughts about the book by reviewing it on Amazon on Goodreads. We would truly appreciate it!

Attend Nancy Amidei Advocacy Camp

Group of diverse people holding signs advocating for childcare outside a building. Text promotes Advocacy Camp on August 2 in Tacoma, WA.

The Children's Advocacy Alliance and Families of Color Seattle are hosting Nancy Amidei Advocacy Camp to train participants to become stronger advocates for children. The camp will take place on Saturday, August 2nd from 8:00 - 3:00pm in Tacoma. The training topics include:

Policy Advocacy through a Racial Equity Lens
Developing Your Key Message + Lobbying 101
Washington Government 101
Building the Movement

This camp is offered at no cost and lunch and snacks will be included. Visit the Children's Alliance website to register.

Ways to Take Action for Change

Interview with Director of Documentary "Homegrown" about the January 6th Insurrection

Homegrown is a documentary by director Michael Premo, a Black filmmaker, who embedded himself with White nationalists before, during, and after the January 6th insurrection. This documentary gives insight into the movement and is a call to action for how to engage with White nationalists.

Scott Nakagawa of The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook, who recommends the documentary, shares a plan of action:

Engage in constructive dialogue.
Strengthen Community Outreach.
Promote Media Literacy.
Support De-Radicalization Programs.
Collaborate Across Divides.

Watch the interview below and read Scott's substack here to get more details about his recommendations and what you can do to reach across the aisle.

The Liberation Chronicles

Beyond Diversity Resource Center started a new YouTube channel, The Liberation Chronicles, to help guide us through these challenging times. The videos include relevant information and insight into our current time in history, as well tools to engage in this work in through mindfulness. Below is one of their videos featuring Dena Samuels titled "PhD Shares Insight about Resilience and Using Mindfulness as a Social Justice Tool."

Dr. Caprice Hollins' Email Hacked

Did you receive an email from Caprice with the subject line "EDI Request for Proposals – Caprice D. Hollins, Cultures Connecting, LLC"? Unfortunately, Caprice's email was hacked and we appreciate those of you who notified us. If you did get one of these emails, please delete it immediately as the attachment is spam. If you did open it, we recommend you change all your passwords and either run an anti-virus check or contact a professional. Thank you for your understanding!

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.

8/01: Lughnasadh (Lammas) (Neo-Pagan)
8/02-03: Tisha B’Av (Jewish)
8/09: International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (International)
8/09: Raksha Bandhan (Hindu)
8/12: International Youth Day (International)
8/13-16: Obon (Japanese Buddhist)
8/16: Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu)
8/19: World Humanitarian Day (International)
8/26: Women’s Equality Day (United States

Calendar page with red numbers and a blue alarm clock on a light blue background. Bold text reads "Social Justice DEIB Calendar."

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!