Diversity in the New Year

Mary Ann Takemoto and Ginny Baxter, Co-Program Vice Presidents

Welcome to February!

And Happy Lunar New Year, 2023, as we usher in the Year of the Rabbit. The Lunar New Year officially began on January 22nd, and is celebrated in many Asian communities around the world, as well as our local Asian American communities. The Lunar New Year is traditionally a time to honor ancestors and celebrate with family.

It marks the end of winter and beginning of spring, and is a time of renewal and reflection as we begin a new year.  For our February program, we will continue our work in the area of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) with a presentation by Reena Hajat Carroll, the Executive Director for the California Conference for Equality and Justice.(CCEJ). Reena will talk about bias and identity and the important work CCEJ does with young people in cross-racial groups. Her work is based on the premise that there are many opportunities to address injustice in our daily lives, and we can all learn to challenge racism, prejudice and discrimination.

Reena has over 14 years of experience in the DEI field. She has trained individuals on the  importance of using dialogue to understand different perspectives. CCEJ has had an important presence in Long Beach for over 60 years. Their mission is to eliminate bias, bigotry and racism through education, training and advocacy for youth and adults in Long Beach and surrounding communities.

We hope that you will join us at the Branch meeting for this thoughtprovoking and important program on Saturday, February 4th!

See the meeting information on the back page. Reservations should be
made at aauwlongbeach.reservations@gmail.com

Visit our Website for more info: https://longbeach-ca.aauw.net/