The Council is delighted to have the energy, ideas, and skills of our Spring, 2017 interns, Alicia Quiñones and Sonia Garcia. They have been assisting with our Council’s newsletter and other forms of outreach, and updating our Multicultural Resource Guide. Sonia photo

Sonia Garcia

Sonia grew up in Hales Corners, WI which is about 15 minutes outside of Milwaukee. She is pursuing a degree in Interpersonal Communication, along with minors in Spanish and Ethnic and Racial Studies. Her involvement throughout the past four years at UWL has demonstrated a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Sonia is a McNair Scholar and the focus of her research is on first generation college students from underrepresented populations. She also works with the Institute for Social Justice, Intercultural Organization Promoting Awareness (IOPA), Mujueres Orgullosas (a Latina empowerment group), and as a Peer Coach through Student Support Services.

She is excited to be a part of the Diversity Council as a means to learn more about community outreach, connections between the University and the community, and to be able to help in any way possible. Sonia says the Diversity Council will offer her insight, knowledge, and experience as what it entails to be on a Council. She is very happy to be able to work with a diverse group of individuals who have so much knowledge to share. This experience will help Sonia on her journey to pursue a graduate degree in Student Affairs Administration.

Alicia Quiñones

Alicia

Alicia is originally from Rochester, MN and moved to La Crosse to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a minor in Public Administration at UW-L. She is a junior at UW-L now, but spent her freshman year at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.  Alicia is currently serving as the Diversity Organization Coalition Representative for the Latin American Student Organization where she is working to create better connections between organizations in hopes that they can help each other grow. She also just recently became a McNair Scholar and will be starting her very first research project this summer!

Alicia says she is extremely excited to be working as an intern with the Council. “It is an honor to see how the Council conducts their programs with their members while also serving as a great resource to the community. My interest in the Council has much to do with the values their work is centered around, as someone who hopes to one day make a career in Public Policy, diversity and inclusion are  large motivators in my own personal drive to success. I am excited to see where this position will take me and hope I can be a unique asset to the Council as we move forward.”

Alicia and Sonia are both unique assets to our program and to our region.  As the Diversity Council Director, I feel extremely fortunate to be working with both of them!

 

Check out these local opportunities to celebrate the struggles for justice, the accomplishments, and the contributions of women in our shared past–and present!
 

International Women’s Day Celebrations:March 8:  International Panel. Sponsored by UWL’s International Education & Engagement Office, at 5 pm, UWL, Hall of Nations, Centennial Hall.

This free event will consist of a panel of women from Bulgaria, China, Iceland, and Ukraine.  They will discuss their personal journeys as well as share reflections on what it means for women to be bold for change in their countries.

The event will also welcome a special guest speaker from Syria. Free Parking in Lot C10, Corner of 16th and Vine Streets | UWL Campus

womens history month image 2

Patsy Mink. 12-term Member of U.S. House of Representatives; co-author of Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act (Photo: Library of Congress)

March 9:  3rd Annual International Women’s Day Celebration, Sponsored by The People’s Food Co-Op and Hackberry’s Bistro, 6-7 pm.Celebrate the creativity, determination, and skills of women supporting women! Join women in the community for a very special International Women’s Day event in Hackberry’s Bistro. Hear about International Fair Trade initiatives led by women and benefiting women. Enjoy a relaxing glass of wine and delicious, specially prepared appetizers with friends while gorgeous women’s garments from India are modeled and described.

Month of March: 

American Association of University Women (AAUW) will have a Women’s History display in the windows of Pearl Street Books, 323 Pearl Street, during the month of March.  The display will depict the 2017 theme for National Women’s History Month, Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business” 

Also for this month, AAUW will have the new book, First Woman:  Celebrating the historic Presidential Campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Other First Women in Government, for sale.  The book is a 2017 publication from the national Women’s History Project.  It is a 48-page book full of photos and facts about women in government.  The book will be for sale at the International Women’s Day program and at the Mayor’s Neighborhood Expo at La Crosse Center on March 25th. . You can also buy the book by contacting AAUW.

Do you share our vision of the Greater La Crosse Area as an inclusive and welcoming place to live, work, access opportunities, contribute and belong?

Are you an employer trying to attract and retain a diverse workforce to strengthen the work of your organization?

La Crosse Bridge on the Mississippi River

As we begin our 2017 Member Drive, now is your opportunity to contribute to our work of strengthening the workplaces and communities of our area by promoting and cultivating diversity, access, inclusion and equity. Please join us as an organizational or an individual member, and help us advance our work for 2017, including:

  • Quality Lunch and Learn programs
  • Annual half-day conference
  • New Community Calendar hub to inform the community about educational opportunities related to diversity, inclusion, and equity.
  • Development of a Speakers’ Bureau to facilitate the sharing of expertise with employers and community organization
  • Continued development of online resources, such as the La Crosse  Area Multicultural Resource Guide
  • Continuation of our Internship program

Benefits to Members:

  • All employees of member organizations receive discounts to our educational programs:  quality professional development at Lunch and Learn, annual conference, and informal networking events
  • Show your employees and applicants your commitment to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace
  • Set an example for broader regional commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and equitable workplaces: member organizations are listed on our website
  • Network with fellow diversity and inclusivity advocates in the area
  • Show your support by listing your membership on promotional materials

With your involvement, we can continue to offer quality programs, increase the visibility of diversity and inclusion initiatives in our area, and reach an ever-broader audience. Working together, we can address a critical need for employers to connect with and support a diverse workforce, and we can enrich our area’s civic and community life by fostering a vibrant, diverse, inclusive community.

 

fullsizeoutput_187bWhere do employers go to keep up on the ever-changing world of sexual orientations, gender identities/expressions, and intersecting identities?  Come learn from Will Van Roosenbeek, Director of the Pride Center at UW-La Crosse, in a session focusing on identities, terminology, and discuss how to create work environments that are welcoming to all.

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender people have always been in the workplace.  Many of these people, in the past, did not talk about their personal lives, and when they did they were careful what pronouns they used to keep their relationships silent. With more LGBTQ+ people speaking their truths about their lives, there are greater opportunities for people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions to be themselves in the workplace.  Employers that welcome people with a diverse range of gender identities/expressions and sexual orientations, who educate themselves and their staff, can better attract and retain talent.  Those places of employment will create inclusive environments, will be more productive, and will attract people who are looking for diverse businesses.  Learn how your workplace can be part of this positive trend.

Click here to register.

Employees of member organizations of the Greater La Crosse Area Diversity Council receive discounted registration fees.

Black History Month offers the opportunity to educate ourselves of the history of African Americans, as well as to recognize and celebrate the achievements and successes of black Americans in the history of our country and within our communities.  Here are a few opportunities to learn and engage:

Rosa Parks Visiting a School (Library of Congress)

Rosa Parks Visting a School (Library of Congress)

Giordano Dance Chicago Performance, Feb. 9th, 7:30pm, Viterbo University, Fine Arts Center Main Theater.

Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC), America’s original jazz dance company, lights up the stage with its signature power, elegance, athleticism, and unparalleled energy

“13th” Movie Showing and Discussion, Feb 13th, 7:00pm, Winona State University, 120 Science Laboratory Center. “13th” is a Netflix documentary that takes an in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation’s history of racial inequality.

Feb. 15 La Crosse Reads 1: an evening with poet, memoirist, and Yale Law School grad R. Dwayne Betts. (Learn more about Betts here.)

The poet will be signing books immediately prior to his event at 6 p.m. in UWL’s New Student Union bookstore (first floor). His keynote talk will take place at 7 p.m. in the Theatre (lower level rm. 0120). Seating is limited. Overflow space will be available on the ground floor of Wimberly Hall (immediately adjacent to the U).

Feb. 16 La Crosse Reads, 2: Keynote by Reginald Dwayne Betts, an American poet, memoirist and lawyer. Book-signing and reception immediately prior at 6 p.m. Poetry Reading by Reginald Dwayne Betts,  7:00pm, Western Technical College, Lunda Center.

Langston Hughes’ Project – Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz – Featuring the Ron McCurdy Quartet, Feb 22nd, 7:00pm, Winona State University, Location TBD.The Langston Hughes Project is a multimedia concert performance of Langston Hughes’s kaleidoscopic jazz poem suite. Ask Your Mama is Hughes’s homage in verse and music to the struggle for artistic and social freedom at home and abroad at the beginning of the 1960s.

“With exclusion and inequality on the rise, we must step up efforts to ensure that all people, without discrimination, are able to access opportunities to improve their lives and those of others.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

UN logo
With all of the political intensity going on in the U.S., it can be easy for some of us to lose sight of larger world events and initiatives.  At the same time, the events of the past few weeks have reminded Americans of our links to the world, especially our human connections to the diverse people from around the world who live, work, study, and contribute in the United States. This includes our neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family members.
Please take a moment to consider your role as a world citizen in connection with the United Nations “World Justice Day” on February 20.  Learn more about the UN’s efforts to “build inclusive societies, promote decent work, bolster social protection floors, and bring people in from the margins” here.

UW-La Crosse has organized an exciting three days of events on the theme of Identity Matters.

Visit the calendar for a complete listing of engaging events that celebrate creativity, diversity, and awareness around issues of race, gender, culture, disability, and more.  All events are free and open to the public, and the Identity Matters Exhibit is open during gallery hours at the Main Gallery-Center for the Arts.  Here is just a small sampling of the learning opportunities:

The Over-Consumption of Native American Imagery and the Ongoing Results, Daniel Green, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Hall of Nations, Centennial Hall, Feb. 27 Dan Green’s research explores the misinformation, lies, stereotypes and myths about Native Americans.

Ridiculously Small Pockets, or The Challenges Women Face in a Stereotypically Male Work Environment, Megan Morey, Nabamita Dutta, Adrienne Loh, 3:00 – 3:55 p.m., Feb. 27 Hall of Nations, Centennial Hall Panel discussion on perceived and real identities of women working in male-dominated careers.

Disability & Diversity 4:00 – 5:15 p.m., Tues. Feb. 28, Hall of Nations, Centennial Hall This session will explore definitions, myths, and truths about persons with disabilities, and how diversity enters into the picture.

Event Notice

Fierce Foundation's Empower Generations LIVE Event

FIERCE Foundation recognizes the transformative power of the 1Life Fully Lived approach, which personally guided Carolyn Colleen out of generational adversity and into success. Now, we’re excited to bring this […]

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Multi­cultural Resource Guide

This guide lists established and emerging resources that reflect and celebrate cultural diversity in our area.

View Guide