November is Native Heritage Month. Colorado held many events to both celebrate Indigenous culture and educate the public on the issues that disproportionately affect Native communities. Gina Lopez, CCASA’s Indigenous and Rural Programs Manager was the head speaker at a symposium held at Fort Lewis College this month. The symposium gathered Indigenous voices, ideas, and opinions on the how Native communities can be better protected and served. Gina is also a member of the statewide Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Task Force and is an expert on how Colorado’s tracking and information systems are failing Indigenous communities. Learn more about the symposium here and please reach out to Gina if you have questions about how you or your organization can support MMIR work right here in Colorado.
This November, the entire CCASA team had the opportunity to virtually attend the Facing Race Conference by Race Forward. This three-day conference encouraged us all to think critically about the roles race plays not only in anti-sexual violence work, but in the world around us. Some of the CCASA team’s favorite sessions included Transforming Public Health at the Intersection of Equity and Institutional Change, the Trojan Horse in Social Movements: Transforming Power and Oppression in the Non-Profit Complex, and the keynote conversation featuring Ibram X. Kendi.
While 2022 isn’t over quite yet, CCASA just wants to say thank you for your collaboration and support this year. Every coalition member, everyone who reads our blogs, and everyone who works with our organization helps us make Colorado a safer place for sexual violence survivors and a gets us one step closer to preventing all forms of violence. Thank you for a great year!
Reminder: the CCASA office will be closed from December 24 – January 2 to give our staff some time to rest and prepare for the year ahead. So, there will be no ICYMI – December blog… but we will be back in the New Year!