The festive atmosphere and diverse participation at the Center's annual Community Strategic Training Initiative (CSTI) was the perfect setting to celebrate our 21st Birthday. Attendance was high, the mood was "Si Se Puede," and the panels, workshops and presentations energized and informed leaders from across the region. The Saturday night birthday party featured a new video explaining Western States' work, speeches from members of the organization and their children who have grown up with the work, and the unveiling of a mural created by conference participants and their children during the first two days of the gathering.

The day-long workshops ranged from an examination of the four frames of colorblind racism, to best practices for organization building and longevity, to hands-on exercises to sustain organizers in working towards reproductive justice. Lynn Wolf, attending CSTI for the first time as a trainer from the Center for Social Inclusion, found the experience exhilarating: "The group that we got was what we hoped for -- interactive, engaging -- it was a strong session."

CSTI opened with a beautiful film, Moving to the Beat. Abdul Fofanah and others traveled to Sierra Leone, where they met and worked with various Hip Hop artists, using the music as a cultural bridge between the African-American community in Portland and Africans from Sierra Leone, some of whom now live in Portland. The film explores not only the legacy of Hip Hop as a people's art, but also shines a light on the ways Hip Hop can bring liberation to all people. Fofanah follows artists who are expressing their political views in an emerging democracy, and exposes gender biases among male Hip Hop artists in Sierra Leone, following a young woman who has her microphone turned off in the midst of a performance. Audience members cheered the film, and afterwards engaged in a lively discussion and dance fest, with local and Brazilian Hip Hop performances closing the show.

Each morning of CSTI opened with a plenary session, focusing on an issue crucial to today's political climate. The opening plenary used the methodology of Theater of the Oppressed to dramatize the multiple challenges facing undocumented workers in the U.S., presented by performers who included several women caught up in recent ICE raids. The panel closed with a call to visit local detention centers, and to work for the rights of immigrants in our nation.

Zack Exley, founder of the New Organizing Institute, delivered the second day's plenary session, speaking about a new movement among younger Evangelicals to return to the core tenets of social justice articulated in the Bible. "Revolution in Jesusland" demonstrated that there are a number of points of connection between grassroots organizers on the Left and this new Awakening among Evangelicals. For Zack, presenting at CSTI was a great experience. "The day-long approach to workshops has motivated me to re-think the way we train at the New Organizing Institute."

Tarso Luís Ramos, formerly of Western States Center and now Director of Research for Political Research Associates, brought the two days of discussion together in his talk, which explored the overlap between anti-immigrant and pro-life activism among far Right religious extremists. Ramos focused on the language that might be used to frame messages that are oppressive to both women and immigrants, such as the argument that "the reason we have a need for illegal immigrants is that we abort so many children each year." Organizations that focus on one subject or identity may not be aware that these narratives about women and immigrants are being linked in new ways. By strengthening existing coalitions and encouraging organizations that have focused on protecting abortion rights to see their work as inextricable from the fight to legitimize and defend the rights of undocumented workers, local and national activists can be ready to fight this next wave of anti-immigrant agitation.

For Liz Woodruff, environmental activist from the Snake River Alliance and first-time attendee of CSTI, the focus on anti-racist organizing was a breath of fresh air. "In our state, 'cultural regionalism' has become the new way to frame racism," she says. "I'm worried about the talk that Americans are have moved 'beyond race,' and what this means for our nation."

Liz also explained the biggest impact the weekend had on her, "CSTI, by bringing the region together, gives me hope."

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