Meet our Newest team member J.P. Anderson!
It's a new year and we are excited to introduce you to our new team member, J.P. Anderson who will serve as Racial Equity Consultant at Cultures Connecting. J.P. is a professor of political science at San Diego State University with extensive experience with diversity, equity and inclusion in public policy and services as an instructor of DEI curriculum for over 8 years. He is returning to his hometown of Seattle to join Cultures Connecting as a Racial Equity Consultant.
We interviewed him to learn more about him and his why for racial justice. One of the topics we touched on was belonging and how he always felt like an outsider. He explained,
"When I was younger, I used to get the 'what are you?' question...I used to try to explain it and now I just stopped trying to describe myself. I am of a multiracial, multiethnic, multicultural, multinational family so I think that that just makes me a quintessential American in a lot of ways."
To read more about how that sparked J.P.'s interest in racial justice and his areas of passion, visit the blog to read the interview.
Equity Leaders Workshop less than a month away!
We're less than one month away from our Equity Leaders workshop! If you are leading DEIBelonging efforts, this workshop is an opportunity to share strategies, problem solve, and network.
Date: February 8th & 9th
Time: 8:30am - 12:00pm PST
Location: Online
Learn more and register at Eventbrite. Ticket sales end in early February so register now!
January 15th is Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 15th is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday (MLK Day). He was an activist and organizer advocating for racial and economic justice and is well known for his "I Have a Dream" speech which he delivered at the 1963 March on Washington. Here are some articles about the history and legacy of Dr. King and their relevance to today.
Be sure to check out our calendar to see events commemorating MLK Day including the Black Lives Matter at School Curriculum Fair on Jan. 20th (virtual) for educators.
Elevating BIPOC Small Business Start-Ups
One of the efforts we are undertaking this year is to help elevate BIPOC owned small businesses that are mission driven. With African American History Month coming up, we are beginning this effort with Cultur X, a new apparel brand designed to share the legacy of important Black Americans from history. They explain that "Cultur X is an impact apparel brand with a mission to inspire and create legacy. We represent a merger of fashion and history to present a unique style that disrupts the way things have always been done."
Watch the trailer below to learn a bit more and we will bring you the full interview with its founders conducted by Jerod Grant, our former Racial Equity Specialist, next month.
In case you missed these past articles...
Missed a newsletter? Visit the Newsletter Issues archive page on our blog. We are slowly uploading all issues but will only go back to mid-2023. If you need an older issue, reach out to Judy at judy.lee@culturesconnecting.com.
Since this is our first newsletter issue of the year, here are the dates from our Diversity Calendar. Want your own copy? You can download it here.
12/26-01/01: Kwanzaa
01/01: Gantan-Sai (Shinto)
01/06: Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day/Epiphany) Mexican Christian
01/07: Orthodox Christmas (Christian Orthodox)
01/15: Martin Luther King Day (U.S.)
01/20: Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh (Sikh)
01/27: Holocaust Remembrance Day (International)
Upcoming DEIB/Social Justice Events
For details on these and other events, workshops and conferences, visit our Events Calendar. If you have an event you would like us to share, please reach out to us!
01/15: The Tender Work: Acknowledging White Responsibility in a Racialized World
01/15: NAAM King Day 2024
01/15: MLK Jr's Dream Unfinished
01/15: Creative Justice Creative Cafe Grand Opening
01/16: From Montgomery to Oslo: MLK's Global Vision of Justice
01/16: NAMI BIPOC Support Group
01/17: Race Forward: Decision Making for Racial Equity
01/17: Transformational Conversations: Moving from Fear to Curiosity
01/17: An Introduction to Anti-Racist Practices in Arts
01/18: SURJ Abolition Action Hour
01/19: Developing Your Anti-Racist Heart
01/20: Black Lives Matter at School Curriculum Fair (Virtual)
01/20: Sacred Saturdays Community Healing Live
01/21: Nice Racism Online Book Group
01/22: Awake to Woke: Building a Race Equity Culture
01/23: Race Forward: Governing for Racial Equity
01/23: Finding Freedom: White Women Taking on Our Own White Supremacy
01/23: Equity Consortium: The Intersections of Faith & Work
01/24: CARW National Day of Empathy
01/25: Oppression & Addiction: Liberation and Recovery
01/27: Implicit Bias with Racial Equity Insights
01/29: Foundational Anti-Racism Series
...and more!
Please note that January only has one issue, rather than the two issues we typically have due to the end of year holidays.