June was a month of celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion at DCBS. We celebrated Juneteenth, LGBTQ+ Month, and Older Americans Month. These events provided us with the opportunity to share the struggles and successes of community members – to realize the differences in everyone while highlighting and celebrating what makes us all the same.
Juneteenth is one of the oldest recognized events in American history. When slavery was abolished in 1863, word did not reach everyone at the same time. In fact, it took until June 1865 for slaves in Texas to get word that President Abraham Lincoln had released the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves. As a collaborative partner of our Black community, DCBS joined the NAACP with its celebration of this special event. Can you name who represented the Workers’ Compensation Division at this event?
LGBTQ+ Pride Month is a recognized event in American history. Its origin is not one people look to as a good moment. It is one that has roots in an event that turned into a reaction of human rights, an observance that all people should be treated equally, regardless of their sexual orientation, color, creed, or nationality.
Why do we celebrate Pride Month in June and LGBT History Month in October?
Each year in May, we commemorate Older Americans Month to encourage and recognize the countless contributions that older adults make to our communities. Their time, experience, and talents enrich the lives of those around them. Did you know that DCBS in its demographics has 0.2 percent traditionalists (1917-1946)and 27.8 percent baby boomers (1947-1964)?
This year at DCBS, it was decided to celebrate the intersectionality that exists among our colleagues and community in combining Pride Month and Older Americans Month celebrations by hosting the
online event Intersectionality: Our Next Steps Together with speakers who shared the results of Oregon’s first LBGTQ+ Older Adults survey. At this event, the speakers shared insights of the current challenges facing these communities
Let’s take inventory of our actions. To be inclusive is not a concept of bringing you speakers or sharing information. It is about our actions and behaviors on how we can affect others. If we want to achieve a workplace where everyone is treated respectfully, then we need to be aware of our words and if we are including different voices.
As many generations blend within DCBS, we must be cognitive of our way of communicating among one another.