Challenge Day Highlights: Neighborhoods & Communities, LT'21
To keep you connected to LT and current issues and topics discussed in the curriculum, LT shares highlights and resources from the recent Challenge Day. We hope you enjoy these regular updates!
The LT Class of 2021 recently met for their Neighborhoods and Communities Challenge Day. The day was centered around these questions: What are solutions to displacement and disenfranchisement faced by Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) communities caused by historic and current structural racism? What strategies support communities most impacted by displacement stay rooted and flourish? What are challenges of implementing solutions in real life?
The Challenge Day was designed to support these LT curriculum outcomes:
Community and Belonging: Build strong connections among people across many lived experiences. Feel inspired and empowered to act by belonging to an enduring community of regional stewards.
Regional Challenges and Opportunities: Understand regional challenges and opportunities and how they are interconnected, including how systemic racism impedes our ability to create a healthy community for all.
Leadership: Grow skills, tools, and strategies to act as a leader and change agent in one’s own chosen area, including an ability to work within and across sectors to address systemic racism and build a more resilient and equitable region.
This write-up is a brief overview of the day and is organized around the three curriculum outcomes. To get a feel for the full day, you can access the agenda here. For a full list of resources related to this Challenge Day, you can access the prework here.
Many thanks to WSP for their sponsorship of this day and leadership in our community.
Community and Belonging
Photo: Julie Pham, LT'16, Curriculum Committee
The class was asked to reflect on a time when they connected with someone in their community across a significant difference in a meaningful way. Julie Pham, LT'16, shared one of her experiences with connecting across difference and offered the following suggestions:
Ask a lot of questions.
Ask "What does this mean in your community?"
Invite each other to events and show up.
Regional Challenges and Opportunities
The class met in small groups with leaders who are working in a variety of ways to address displacement and disenfranchisement.
Land Transfers: Doris Koo, Community Leader
Eviction Moratoriums and Prevention: Gordon McHenry, Jr. President and CEO, United Way of King County
Wealth Creation and Homeownership: Emily Alvarado, Director, Office of Housing, City of Seattle; Darryl Smith, Executive Director, HomeSight
Community Resiliency: Colleen Echohawk, Executive Director, Chief Seattle Club
Photo: Colleen Echohawk, Executive Director, Chief Seattle Club
Photo: Darryl Smith, Executive Director, HomeSight
Leadership
Senator Marko Liias discussed how improving transportation is key to achieving greater equity. For transportation projects to be successful, it's critical to involve the community and embed equity into the planning process.
Resources:
Senate Bill 5128 - concerning dedicated funding sources for high capacity transportation service.
