Investing in Our Community
How people talk (or don’t talk) about race in our communities is a strong indicator of an inclusive culture. To help further these conversations in the South Sound we are supporting The People’s Gathering conference coordinated by the Center for Graduate & Continuing Education, at Pacific Lutheran University.
The conference is a professional and personal development learning experience and networking opportunity designed to move the (often difficult and sometimes dreaded) “Race Conversation” forward. The People’s Gathering creates a supportive space in which participants engage in frank, open dialogue about race and racial disparities that are systematically present in work, school, and everyday life. Participants become more aware of how race shows up as structural barriers in our community that impede the creation of diverse and inclusive environments, and they learn ways to navigate the sensitivity of it all by deepening personal understanding of the issues.
South Sound Together’s support will provide scholarship funds for 20 PLU students in underserved and underrepresented communities to attend the conference and receive a copy of “Latino Peoples in the New America: Racialization and Resistance” by keynote speaker, Dr. Maria Chavez. In addition, the funding will provide copies of Dr. Kathy Obear’s book “But I’m NOT racist!” for volunteer small-group facilitators. In this way, South Sound Together hopes to help extend the conference’s reach across the community and to deepen the level of engagement and networking.
