Community invited to event to foster a welcoming & inclusive Kirkland

Published on January 15, 2020

Media Contact:
Kellie Stickney
Communications Program Manager
kstickney@kirklandwa.gov
(425) 979-6562

‘Preparing to be Color Conscious and Color Brave’ takes place on Tuesday, January 21

KIRKLAND, Wash. – On Tuesday, January 21 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Leadership Eastside, in partnership with the City of Kirkland and Eastside for All, will be hosting ‘Preparing to be Color Conscious and Color Brave,’ the first in a series of community learning events to help foster a more welcoming and inclusive Kirkland.

The event will take place at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, located at 11605 132nd Ave, Kirkland, WA. The evening forum will present a framework and tools for participating in, deepening and sustaining conversations about race.

“Facing the reality of racism in our community means showing up for conversations,” said James Whitfield of Leadership Eastside. “We hope that community members of all ages and backgrounds, business owners, elected officials, and anyone who would like to be part of this learning process attends so that we can begin to build the relationships and skills needed to take concrete actions, both individually and collectively.”

The Kirkland Talks About Racism community learning series is part of Welcoming Kirkland, a community engagement partnership between the City of Kirkland and Leadership Eastside developed in response to expressed concerns that People of Color in general, and Black people, in particular, have lived experiences of an unwelcoming and inequitable community in contrast to the City’s stated goal to be safe, inclusive and welcoming for all. This community learning approach is envisioned and supported by Eastside for All.

“This community learning series is another step in fulfilling our city council’s commitment to being a safe, inclusive and welcoming community,” said Mayor Penny Sweet. “As a City, we’re not afraid to have the difficult conversations. We are committed to doing the hard work that needs to be done so that we can live our values.”

The event is free. Registration is not required but will assure you are notified of future events. Attendees can register at tinyurl.com/Welcoming1. For questions, including accessibility information, please contact kirkland@leadershipeastside.com.