Learning Links

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LEARNING LINK: VANPORT

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This month’s learning links connect to both Black History Month and our 2024 focus on the relationship between equity, poverty and social mobility. 

In the 1940s, Vanport was the second largest city in Oregon, built to create wartime housing during WWII. Vanport was home to thousands of Black migrants looking for work in the shipbuilding industry. In 1948 it was destroyed by a devastating flood. The history of Vanport is tied up in state and local laws and practices regarding segregation, housing, and race relations.  

The NPR show Code Switch, did a short piece on Vanport in 2015. In addition, Oregon Public Broadcasting created an excellent one-hour documentary to share the full story of Vanport.

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LEARNING LINK: INTELLECTUAL HUMILITY

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“I am not here to be right. I am here to get it right.” —Brene Brown

As Girlfriends, we always look for new ways to impact our region. But to do that, we must be willing to listen, consider alternate viewpoints, and change our opinions based on new information.

Intellectual humility allows us to open ourselves to new ideas and approaches. In a compelling two-minute video, Dan Pink offers simple approaches to increasing our intellectual humility. For a great story on how to use intellectual humility to improve relationships, listen to this inspiring TedTalk.

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LEARNING LINK: LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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November is Native American Heritage Month. The National Museum of the American Indian provides wonderful resources to increase your understanding and awareness.

One of the many things we learned via Indian Country 101 is land acknowledgments are a terrific first step in honoring Indigenous peoples who lived on and stewarded the land for generations before us. We also learned that acknowledgments can be a bit performative without involving action in support of Native Peoples and Tribal Nations that are alive and thriving today. At our Awards Celebration, we will share a poem by Rena Priest, member of the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation, and recent Poet Laureate of the state of Washington. Check out our Land Acknowledgment and Beyond Land Acknowledgment Guide by the Native Governance Center to learn more.


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LEARNING LINK: RECLAIMING NATIVE TRUTH

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Reclaiming Native Truth Call to Action

This short video shares some of the work of First Nations Development Institute, whose mission is to strengthen American Indian economies to support healthy Native communities. They invest in and create innovative institutions and models that strengthen asset control and support economic development for American Indian people and their communities. Click on the link below to launch the video.

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LEARNING LINK: UNDERSTANDING RACIAL DISPARITIES AND MORE

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This Girlfriend-produced report provides a strong framework for understanding inequities in our region. It’s the Reducing Racial Disparities in our Community report, and it was produced by one of the teams of Girlfriends that researched issues we were examining in 2020. 

The other areas of study were Understanding Youth Mental Health, Improving Stewardship of Our Natural World, and Safe Homes for All. You can find those equally informative reports on our website at this link.