Welcome to Leaders Bridge, CCC’s quarterly newsletter highlighting our programs, leaders, and opportunities brought to you by the Bridges Leadership Initiative, our members, and key partners.
Organizational Updates
Program Feature: UNID@S
Celebrating 10 Years in 2021
Leadership Resources
UPCOMING EVENTS & COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Leaders, members, and CCC partners interested in sharing events and opportunities are encouraged to submit requests to SeeEun@CoalitionCommunitiesColor.org.
Black Lives Matter
We are heartbroken and outraged by the recent attacks on our Black community. The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, and the racist act of invoking the police on Christian Cooper, are only recent examples of an appalling history of racist violence perpetrated against the Black community. As our mission is to address the socioeconomic disparities, institutional racism, and inequity of services experienced by our families, children, and communities; and to organize our communities for collective action resulting in social change to obtain self-determination, wellness, justice, and prosperity, we stand in solidarity and encourage our members to speak out against Anti-Black racism. Please read the Open Letter to Community written by Marcus Mundy, CCC’s Executive Director, to learn what we must do to commit ourselves to action.
Our Mission
The primary goal of the CCC is to advance racial equity through leadership development, policy analysis and advocacy, culturally-appropriate data and research, equity-based funding, and partnership and coalition building. Formed in 2001, the CCC is an alliance of culturally-specific community based organizations in the Portland metropolitan region with representatives from six communities of color: African, African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, Latino, Native American, and Slavic.
Now more than ever, we need representative leadership. Since March 2020, we have engaged in a strategic planning process to revamp the Bridges Leadership Development Program and recommit ourselves to our mission of advancing racial equity in Oregon through a stronger pipeline of leaders of color with more development opportunities, a denser network of connections linking leaders of color to each other and to leadership opportunities, and the dismantling of structural racism that constrains all our communities.
Organizational Update
See Eun Kim
Leadership Development & Training Director
The Coalition of Communities of Color is excited for the transformation of our Bridges Leadership Program led by our new Leadership Development and Training Director, See Eun Kim. See Eun has hit the ground running and, even in these turbulent times, is working with the program coordinators for each leadership cohort to make this responsive to the needs of alumni, and current and prospective cohort members.
I hope that you appreciate the incredible and refreshing updates she has made to outreach, programming, alumni offerings, job placements, boards and commissions participation, etc. We look forward to providing as much support as we can to all of you.
The leaders and alumni of these programs are the future of Oregon, and we are honored to be able to help you further your journey.
Marcus C. Mundy,
Executive Director
Program Feature:
UNID@S for Oregon is one of six culturally-specific leadership programs within the Bridges Leadership Initiative. Led by Joaquin Lopez, UNID@S has gradated 155 participants since 2012 and continues to provide leadership development training to mid-career and established Latino leaders in Oregon. Learn about how UNID@S adapted their programming during COVID-19 and key highlights from this year.
UNID@S learned a few things along the way that made the difference when presenting retreats and meetings through teleconference. We adapted and learned! Here are some takeaways, experiences, and tips:
Technology is not the connection - to capitalize on Zoom teleconference when creating unique educational content, one must also conceptualize that everyone is in their own physical personal space. Even during a pandemic when we cannot physically connect, there are other ways of connecting, physically.
Create session packets - for all virtual sessions, every participant was given a packet with agendas, bios, snacks, and any other workshop materials. This allowed for a human connection to happen through hardcopy paper and physical objects. Delivering them to people's homes became the glue that bonded everyone together.
Appreciation cards - this long-lost art is an excellent way to connect people to each other. Every session, participants were given a card with an assigned participant to send it to. It allowed folks to engage physically in the world with each other, get to know each other more, and to appreciate each other's talents.
Be forceful in your facilitation - call on people instead of calling for volunteers. The all too familiar silence becomes dead space and stops the flow of energy and people tune out. When people log on and arrive, call their name and welcome them; make them feel seen.
Utilize the senses - utilize all the senses to present content - visual, auditory, read/writing, kinesthetic. Use your imagination to invigorate all the senses. Learning will increase.
Keep meetings to 90 minutes - otherwise people get bored regardless of how amazing you are!
UNID@S Intergenerational Mural
For the last couple of years, we have created an UNID@S Intergenerational Mural. Charged with the task of creating a mural during the time of the pandemic, muralist Rodolfo Serna created a magical experience. He drew a heart on a canvass and cut it into 24 pieces for the twenty-three cohort members and me. Then gave every participant two extra mural pieces for fun. He and I created paint kits with the mural pieces, and I delivered them to everyone's home! On the day of the retreat with everyone in their own private Zoom space, Rodolfo guided us into painting our collective UNID@S heart. His mentor shared stories of intergenerational leadership from his experience as a Native American elder working with youth. The cohort painted their reflections on the two mural pieces from his stories, in addition to their heart piece.
Now, Rodolfo will bind all the pieces to create one mural mosaic to represent the fact that while we may each be in our own individual pandemic world, we are yet bound together with love, culture, and leadership!”
“Creative power can pull down mountains of evil and level hilltops of injustice.”
Our Vision Heading Into Our 10 Year Anniversary
2021 marks Bridges’ 10 Year Anniversary. Throughout the years, we have gone through different iterations of leadership programming. We will build upon the foundations of our previous leaders and enhance our services to meet the needs of our community.
The CCC envisions an Oregon where new, creative thinking flourishes by providing for the opportunities necessary to make the invisible, visible and to empower communities of color to self-organize, network, develop pathways to greater social inclusion, build culturally-specific social capital and provide leadership within and outside communities of color. Leadership development in communities of color will increase outcomes for children and families of color, and increased outcomes for children and families of color will improve outcomes for all Oregonians. The CCC is committed to this work in the long-term and we recognize that meaningfully changing the face of leadership in Oregon is a multi-generational effort.
For more information regarding our new vision, please join us for our 2020 Bridges Convening. In lieu of an in-person gathering, we will be hosting our 2020 Bridges Convening online! We will be sharing the results of our Strategic Planning Process, including how we have implemented the feedback we received from you all in the Alumni Engagement Survey. Please stay tuned for more information.
Leadership Resources
Online Directory
Update your profile on the Bridges Online Directory. Upload a new headshot, update your bio, and indicate which leadership opportunities you are interested in. We will be using the Directory to vet alumni for various opportunities in the future.
Professional Development Support
Need a professional headshot, resume and/or biography review, interview preparation assistance, etc.? Let us know and we will help! Contact See Eun Kim atSeeEun@CoalitionCommunitiesColor.org
Priority Access To Job Opportunities
Have priority access to jobs posted on our website. Log into your Bridges Account and click “Jobs and Leadership Openings”.
Leadership Opportunities
Interested in joining a board, commission, or committee? Check out the following County sites for current vacancies (Links are Bold): Multnomah County; Washington County; Clackamas County. Also, fill out the Alumni Engagement Survey and let us know the areas you are interested in. We will be building an email list to send relevant opportunities directly to your inbox!