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Commissioners, community groups outline three-part ‘summit’ including May 10 networking session; debate whether to drop 'DEI' from event name
Summary
The Commission on Equity and partners plan a three-part countywide summit starting May 10 at SPSCC. Organizers described a networking-first model, followed by listening sessions and a final event; commissioners debated whether to remove DEI from the name and emphasized shared baseline data for participants.
The Commission on Equity on Feb. 24 heard an update on a planned countywide equity summit that will begin May 10 at the South Puget Sound Community College campus in Lacey and continue as two additional quarterly events.
Veronica Hand, the city’s executive inclusion program manager, said the first session, scheduled for Saturday, May 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will emphasize networking, resource sharing and creation of a shared directory and calendar for Thurston County organizations working on equity. “The first one is gonna be more about networking and getting to know each other, to work together, share resources,” Hand said.
Organizers told the commission the summit concept has evolved into three gatherings: (1) an initial networking event to surface organizations and contacts, (2) a listening-session “community café” to gather public input, and (3) a larger culminating summit informed by those conversations. The group described co-leads that include the League of Women Voters, the City of Lacey and a consultant, Denise Hino; the marketing committee will be led by a volunteer from the commission.
The Commission discussed branding and a public debate over the “DEI” acronym. Commissioner Hedgewood urged the commission not to preemptively remove words such as “equity” from event titles. “I don't think we should be complying in advance to changing your name and getting rid of DEI in it,” he said, adding that it would be prudent to prepare an alternative name only if funding or sponsorship pressures required it.
Several commissioners recommended using full phrases rather than acronyms during outreach so that participants understand what is meant by diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Commissioner Cliff Brown suggested including an explicit baseline report about county demographics and needs so that smaller discussion tables share a common understanding of priorities before breaking into smaller conversations.
Hand said the planning committee has started weekly meetings and will follow up with details for commissioners who want to join. She noted one logistical challenge: shifting national and institutional funding or program changes that have affected some community partners’ ability to participate. The committee is meeting Mondays from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and plans to recruit Thurston County nonprofits, schools, religious institutions and businesses.
The summit model mirrors the Commission’s strategic goals to support community engagement and to increase the number and reach of cultural programming; staff said they will return with a more detailed plan for commissioner review.
Commissioners and organizers said the next steps include finalizing dates for the second and third sessions, preparing a concise baseline summary of the county’s demographic and equity indicators to circulate to attendees, and developing accessible outreach materials that avoid unexplained acronyms.
