Western States Center Blog
Get the latest news, opinions and thoughts from the Center staff and guest bloggers. Subscribe to our blog RSS.
Get the latest news, opinions and thoughts from the Center staff and guest bloggers. Subscribe to our blog RSS.
Webinar that simplifies Hi-tech Communication & Fundraising
Interested in learning more about technology to expand your development and communication plans? Learn more about your tech options and get a discount on this webinar led by Yee Won.
Learning the Meaning of Unconditional Love by Cristina Castro
Coming out can be equally hard for a child as it is for their parent. Cristina reflects on how her son's coming out taught her what unconditional love truly meant.
A Mother’s Work by Elvira Diaz
"What I knew was that I had a beautiful little daughter who now insisted that she was a boy – a wonderful, loving child who wanted me to pray with her at night that God would give her male organs."
Courage of Many Kinds: The March for ONE Oregon
In March, Rural Organizing Project, Causa Oregon, PCUN and the United Farmworkers Union led the March for ONE Oregon Bus Tour to advocate for immigration reform. Learn more about the individual stories of the people who participated in the tour and the courage that guided their actions.
Beyond the Gender Binary: Tips and Tools You Can Use
Yee Won Chong presented at TEDx Rainier last year on how we can be better allies to Trans people. And we share a concrete tool on gender-neutral bathrooms.
Giving Two Spirit and LGBTQ Justice a Voice in Indian Country
In this blog, we feature Se-ah-dom Edmo, from Indigenous Ways of Knowing, and learn more about the groundbreaking Tribal Equity Toolkit that IWOK and NAPAL release.
From Missoula to Phnom Penh: An Exchange that Inspires
The Center interviews Olivia Riutta of Montana Women Vote about her time in Cambodia last fall and her experience hosting an organizer from Cambodia in Montana.
Building Welcoming Communities, One Town at a Time
Amanda Aguilar Shank, from Rural Organizing Project in Oregon, shares how Welcoming Communities is creating safer cultural environment for immigrants.
40 years of Roe vs Wade: A Milestone But Further to Go
Mariotta Gary-Smith, Western States Center board member, shares why we still have a long way to go in order to fully protect reproductive choice.
Introducing the new Gender Justice Program Director
The Center share big news about the new Gender Justice Program Director.
Two suitcases, the GDP, and the Immeasurable
The mainstream media stresses how we are in recession because consumer spending is stagnant, but there must be a different way I can help stimulate the economy besides consuming goods or services. How do is the type of work that I do measured in the GDP?
Lessons learned from 2012
What do the 2012 election results mean for issues for LGBTQ equality, reproductive justice, and family security? Read on to find out.
Organizing Wins 2012!
Nancy Haque, Building Political Power Director, tells us about the impact organizing had on the elections and shares results from the region.
The Scary and Exhilarating Feeling of Door Knocking
On a bright Saturday afternoon in September, 25 cohort members from Basic Rights Oregon and Western States Center went canvassing in Vancouver talking to voters of color about the freedom to marry for LGBT couples. Here's what happened.
Strong Stance Fends Off Anti-Choice Efforts
Western States Center and the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center have published A Brief History of Abortion Related Initiatives and Referenda showing the long and concerted efforts of anti-choice activists at the ballot. This brief history shows two facts in stark relief.
AMP 2012 and the Turning Tide of Trans Justice
Tash Shatz, Trans Justice Manager at Basic Rights Oregon, reflects on the AMP workshop on trans justice and shares why have inclusive policies and what it means.
Who Needs Summer Camp When You Have AMP?
Kathy Griesmyer, Program Coordinator at ACLU of Idaho, writes about her experience at AMP.
Paid off for being Asian?
Is Ann Curry being booted off NBC's Today show for being too Asian? Expecting everyone to be a perky, white Katie Couric might be too much, don't you think? Kalpana muses about the $10 million pay out.
