Desegregating White Privilege

This webinar explored issues related to White Privilege in our community. The speakers shared their experiences, knowledge and perspectives on racism in the economy, health care, education, and community justice.

Watch this discussion on YouTube.

Participants

Karen Vargas

Karen Vargas is a well-known figure in Kitsap County, making history for her advocacy and community leadership in human rights, civil rights, and racial equity. She is founder and director of Living Life Leadership, a youth mentoring program with New Life Community Development Agency. She’s advocated for youth in Kitsap Schools for over 25 years. She is a facilitator for the Strengthening African American Families Program and has been Chairperson of the Multicultural Advisory Council for Bainbridge Island School District. She has organized community events such as 9/11 SOS, Celebration of Hidden History, Healing Our Land, Healing Our People and the Weaving Histories Celebration. She is the founder of the Kitsap Equity, Race, and Community Engagement (ERACE) Coalition.
Karen Vargas inspires her community to live and love.

Chasity Malatesta

Chasity Malatesta is a secondary science instructor and has been a diversity advisor to families for 20 years.

She believes that empowering BIPOC students means intentionally identifying and removing barriers to success. She is a community connector that values authentic relationships and is energized by finding common ground, with diverse people and ideas.

Chasity has worked in equity in K-12 systems for all of her career, as a Multicultural director, Equity staff trainer /ASB diversity teams, cross cultural exchanges cultural boards and is currently the Co-Chair of the Multicultural Advisory Council at Bainbridge Island school district.  As a Multicultural Advisory Counsel Co-Chair she provides a place for families to flex advocacy and be a part of a team that provides compassionate support for all students of BISD.

Chasity Malatesta graduated from George Fox University B.S. Biology M.A.T. Secondary Education and was raised in Portland Oregon, but now raises her 3 sons on Bainbridge Island.

Airen Lydick

Airen Lydick grew up in rural Nebraska, on ancestral lands of the Omaha (U-Mo’n-Ho’n) and other peoples of the Great Plains. He is a worker, facilitator, and community organizer who seeks out collaborative efforts to increase healing, liberation, and joy. Airen is committed to doing this work through relationship, and with meaningful understandings of power, equity, interdependence, and (sub)cultures. Since 1999, Airen has been living mostly on Coastal Salish lands, including those of the Suquamish (dxwsəqwəb), S’Klallam, Snohomish (Sdoh-doh-hohbsh), and Duwamish (dxwdəwʔabš). Airen works to boost intergenerational Black and Indigenous led movements for transformative anti-racist practice, disability justice, queer/trans empowerment, im/migrant rights, and gender equity.