Cultivating Spaces of Belonging
Patricia Lally
Director, Racial Equity Works
When educational institutions convey: we all belong, you are welcomed and everyone is valued, faculty, administrators, students and their families enjoy a greater sense of community, of well-being and confidence in our schools. When students and their parents see themselves represented in the school workforce, it sends the message, they, too, belong in in the classroom. When school staff feel a sense of belonging, the institution benefits from higher retention, performance and job satisfaction. This session informs on the importance of belonging, how we create spaces of belonging – diverse and inclusive spaces—and why it’s important. Our speaker will share stories, tools and ideas intended to foster spaces of belonging.
Stereotyping and Cultural Appropriation
Magdalena Fonseca
Director, Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center
What is cultural appropriation really, and why is it harmful? This presentation provides definitions, historical and cultural information, and examines the complexities and opportunities for exploitation and oppression of non-dominant cultures by even well-meaning people. Through activities and discussions, participants will explore ways to understand the difference between appreciation and appropriation and gain the confidence to have difficult conversations with peers for better understanding across cultural differences.
Unconscious and Implicit Bias in Hiring
Ramon Alvarez
Executive Director, Human Resources
OSPI
The objective of this session will be to provide an understanding of unconscious and implicit bias in hiring as well as share strategies to counter these two forces as we recruit, interview and hire a diverse workforce.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People
Bailey Warrior Pahang
Diversity Fellowship Attorney, Stevens Clay, P.S.
Gail Hammer
Associate Professor, Lincoln LGBTQ+ Rights Clinic, Gonzaga Law School
When Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people go missing, it is said that they go missing twice. First, their body vanishes, and then their story. This presentation is a first step toward bringing awareness and honoring those stories. The speakers will dive into the harmful roots of why far too many Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people are going missing and being murdered. They will also touch on the power of hiring education leaders who are aware of this issue to support Indigenous staff and students in K-12 education. On May 5, the National Awareness Day for MMIWG2S, the speakers invite everyone to walk in solidarity. Details will be provided during the presentation.
Hiring Decisions with Real Life Impacts
Hisrael (Izzy) Carranza
Attorney, Northwest Justice Project
Please join me in a conversation that highlights the importance of hiring justice impacted people. The discussion will attempt to humanize aspects of what tends to be a difficult and sometimes mechanical decision for many organizations. We will touch on the real-life impacts that a hiring decision can have on a person's journey to reintegration into society. My hope is that this serves as a conversation starter within your circles or as a time of self-reflection to identify the steps that your organization is already taking to hire justice impacted individuals. Ultimately, this is a conversation of the value that justice impacted people may bring to your organization.
Encouraging Allyship and Bystander Intervention
After spending the last five months learning about the various layers of DEIA work, we are excited to walk alongside each of you as we put this knowledge into practice. In this workshop, we will discuss the significance of practicing allyship and bystander intervention. We will then provide a framework to effectively practice allyship: the RACE Method. This method encourages us to Reflect, Ask, Connect, and Expand. At that point, you will be divided into teams. Each team will be presented with a scenario dealing with inappropriate and harmful behavior in the workplace, and have the opportunity to walk the rest of us through the ways you would practice allyship and bystander intervention as HR personnel in that situation. We look forward to continuing to learn together, in solidarity.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism
2022 Speaker Series
Diversity Fellowship Attorney from Stevens Clay, Bailey Warrior Pahang and I, have been planning a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism (DEIA) Speaker Series for WSPA and Stevens Clay. This series will focus on a variety of DEIA topics geared toward empowering each of you as K-12 human resources personnel to support building administrators in further developing effective and equitable hiring and retention practices.
We find DEIA work to be incredibly important to strive to create a community where every individual is valued and affirmed in their identity, and where we are safe to engage in conversations that encourage all of us to question our internalized biases. We believe that this will allow us to reflect on our areas of strength, opportunities for growth, and overall place in this work.