Through the Social Justice Series, the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center strives to provides a space where our community can gather for thoughtful, inclusive, and open-minded conversations to educate and raise awareness about important social justice issues facing our community and our world. These online community forums have engaged over 45,000 people to discuss issues such as public health, education, diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.
A COMMUNITY FORUM ON RACE
Protests and riots have erupted across the country and around the world since George Floyd, a black man, died on May 25, 2020, in police custody, while a white officer knelt on his neck. Peaceful protests have taken place in Wenatchee, throughout North Central Washington, and around the world following this event. A panel of local community members joined us on Juneteenth for a thoughtful, inclusive, and open-minded discussion about race. Thank you to all the panelists and participants who joined us on Zoom and on Facebook Live. .
RESOURCES ON HOW TO BE AN ALLY
https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/being-antiracist
https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/race-and-racial-identity
pbs.org/wbgh/frontline/article/introduction-2/
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES
https://www.pbs.org/parents/talking-about-racism
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/24/716700866/talking-race-with-young-children
teachingforchange.org/teaching-about-race
UNDERSTANDING SYSTEMIC RACISM
https://www.raceforward.org/videos/systemic-racism
https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/social-identities-and-systems-oppression
DIVERSITY IN THE OUTDOORS
The Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center in partnership with Wenatchee River Institute held a community forum on September 3, 2020 to discuss lack of diversity in nature and outdoor recreation and the many factors contributing to the disparities. North Central Washington is an outdoor recreation hub, with climbing, mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, whitewater activities, gardening, and so much more. Yet, not everyone in our community is represented in these activities.
PANELISTS & RESOURCES
Karen Francis-McWhite: Mom, gardener, baker, writer
Chelsea Murphy of @shecolorsnature
Elisa Lopez: Project Director at Team Naturaleza
https://www.facebook.com/teamnaturalezawenatchee/
John Sirois (say’ay): Committee Coordinator at Upper Columbia United Tribes
https://www.colvilletribes.com/
Paige Castro-Reyes: Director of Programs, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health
Julie Edwards: Colville Tribal Member
Nathan Isaac – Founder of STALYON
DISMANTLING RACISM IN EDUCATION
Watch the Wenatchee Valley Museum and a panel of local educators discuss dismantling racism in education, a part of our Social Justice Series conversations. Sixty-six years ago, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that “separate but equal” education was unconstitutional; however, race and economic disparities continue to be barriers to education. Thank you to our community who joined us live on October 7 to engage in a thoughtful, inclusive, and open-minded discussion about systemic racism in education, about the inequities this creates, and about the steps we can take to begin to break down these barriers.
Panelists:
Wenatchee Superintendent Paul Gordon
Wenatchee School Board Director Maria Iñiguez
Eastmont Superintendent Garn Christensen
Wenatchee Valley College MESA Program Director Dr. Karina Vega-Villa
Wenatchee Valley College Instructor Dr. Bobbi Johnson
Wenatchee Valley College Instructor Dr. Awanthi Hewage
Resources:
26 Children’s Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism, and Resistance
Resources to develop students’ understanding of Latinx heritage
Antiracists Books, Films, Articles and Podcast
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Watch the Wenatchee Valley Museum and a local panel discuss affordable housing, a part of our Social Justice Series. Research shows that increasing access to affordable housing is the most cost-effective strategy for reducing childhood poverty and increasing economic mobility in the United States. Yet home availability and affordability remain a problem throughout the country. Thank you to our community who joined us live on December 16 to engage in a thoughtful, inclusive, and open-minded discussion about the barriers to Affordable Housing in the Wenatchee Valley and its effect on our economic growth, and the health and well–being of families in our community.
Panelists:
Alan Walker, Executive Director Chelan Douglas Community Action Council
Rosie Gudiño, Housing Justice Project and Outreach Coordinator Chelan-Douglas County Volunteer Attorney Services
Alicia McRae, Executive Director Wenatchee Housing Authority
Bryan Ketcham, Director Catholic Charities Housing Services
Laurel Turner , Executive Director Women’s Resource Center of NCW
William Bilderback, Landlord-Tenant Liaison Program Director Women’s Resource Center of NCW
Ver en español en: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-ejNTIK9EY
Resources
https://www.unitedforalice.org/washington
ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION
Watch the Wenatchee Valley Museum and a local panel as we continue the conversation in our Social Justice Series by addressing Access to Transportation. Since transportation touches many aspects of a person’s life, adequate and reliable transportation services are fundamental to healthy communities. Lack of transportation is the number one deterrent to employment and community involvement across the country.
Panelists:
Maggie Kaminoff, Mobility Coordinator, Link Transit
Lynn Bourton, Civil Rights Coordinator, Link Transit
Karen Francis-McWhite, Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist, Washington State Department of Commerce
Jeff Wilkens, Executive Director, Chelan-Douglas Transportation Council
Dave Bierschbach, Administrator, North Central Regional Office of WA DOT
FOOD SECURITY
Watch the Wenatchee Valley Museum and a local panel continue the conversation in our Social Justice Series by addressing Food Security. Food security means access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life. Access to quality, nutritious food is fundamental to human existence, yet millions of Americans are either unable to acquire enough food to meet their needs, or uncertain of where their next meal might come from.
Panelists:
Thom Nees, Executive Director, Serve Wenatchee
Alan Walker, Executive Director, Chelan-Douglas Action Council
Kim Romain-Bondi, Executive Director, Classroom in Bloom
Bob Mark, Community Cupboard Program Manager, Upper Valley Mend
Tracy Falkner Carlson, Community Outreach, Wenatchee First United Methodist Church
We engaged in a thoughtful, inclusive, and open-minded discussion about the wide-ranging benefits of food security, how the COVID pandemic has affected food security in North Central Washington, and about the local efforts to provide food security for the most vulnerable in our community.
LGTBQIA2S+ RIGHTS
Watch the Wenatchee Valley Museum and a local panel as we continue the conversation in our Social Justice Series by addressing LGBTQIA2S+ Rights. The LGBTQIA2S+ community recognizes June as the Official PRIDE MONTH, the month of June is the start of pride events all across the globe, extending over several months to folks from all walks of life. PRIDE is an annual celebration of LGBTQIA2S+ identity and a call for equal rights. LGBTQIA2S+ people of all ages continue to suffer from violations of their human rights through discrimination, harassment, and violence. Even state governments often fail to adequately protect LGBTQIA2S+ people from discriminatory treatment in the private sphere, including in the workplace, housing and healthcare.
Panelists:
Matthew Pippin, Exhibits & Facilities Assistant, Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center
Donny Guerrero (He/Him/His, Sr. Specialist, Community Engagement, Molina Healthcare of WA
Emily Spradling (They/Them/Theirs), Social service Coordinator & Activities Assistant, Colonial
Vista Lincoln Nere (He/Him/His), President of Wenatchee Pride Luz Estrada Gonzalez (She/They)
Dusti Mahoney, Programs Manager, YWCA NCW
Alexa Barcena, PhD (She/Her/Hers), Behavioral Medicine Post-Doctoral Fellow, Columbia Valley Community Health
Ashley Olson, MS.Ed. (She/Her/Hers) Management Analyst, Employment Security Department
Resources
https://www.wenatcheepride.org/lgbtq-resources
Children’s Home Society of Washington:
Weekly Virtual Support Group for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans, questioning, +) youth ages 12-18 who live in Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counites.
