A reunion is a beautiful thing! The Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, hosted their first retreat in three years for all divisions to rebuild connections and celebrate our accomplishments. As part of the celebration, they recognized staff members for their ongoing efforts in serving the state of Utah. The Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs team received the Grand …
Engaging Young Leaders: Utah Martin Luther King Jr. Commission Event with Lincoln Elementary School & Utah Jazz
On Friday, February 25th, 2022, our Utah Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Commission and staff had the pleasure of partnering with the Utah Jazz outreach team to create an MLK experience at Lincoln Elementary of the Granite School District! Fourth and fifth graders of various backgrounds learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s six principles of non-violence through interactive …
Black History Month: The Power of “Being” and Personal Journeys
Happy Black History Month! This is a month of celebration every February through March 1st that carries lessons throughout the year. It’s a time to reflect on Black figures and leaders in our shared history, but also honor those whose stories and efforts are making a difference to build up thriving communities now and into the future. Its origins come …
Glendale Youth as Placemakers | “Becoming Placemakers” Workshop
Over the last several months, youth from Dane Hess’s Glendale Middle School classroom have been thinking about their community, what matters most to them, and how this applies to the reimagining of the now abandoned Seven Peaks Water Park. Although, to truly be transformative requires more than ideas. It requires partnership with people who are also willing to challenge and …
Middle School Students Focus on Mental Health, Financial Literacy, and College & Career Pathways in 8th Annual Statewide Leadership Summit
SALT LAKE CITY – Over 700 middle school and jr. high students of racially and ethnically diverse communities from across the state were encouraged to reflect on their future goals and discover tools that can build upon their strengths. The Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs recently hosted the 8th Annual Multicultural Youth Leadership Summit, an event that has been supported …
At Rancho Markets COVID-19 Clinics, Trust Makes a Difference
WEST VALLEY CITY – “I love the work that you all are doing,” said Utah Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson at a community vaccination clinic on Nov. 19. Henderson thanked the partners who organized the series of pop-up clinics at Rancho Markets across the Wasatch Front, praising efforts to shrink the health gaps among the Latino and multicultural communities particularly hard-hit …
DRAWING UPON DAY OF THE DEAD TRADITIONS TO REMEMBER PANDEMIC LOSSES
The Dia de Los Muertos altar at the Utah State Capitol was decorated with candles, fruit, sugar skulls and bright orange and purple flowers and yarn pom-poms, as vivid as the fall leaves outside. The memorial also featured poignant photographs of loved ones to honor the memories of the more than 3,200 Utahns who died in the past year due …
Announcing the Multicultural Placemaking & Mapping Community Belonging Project | Many Stories, One Utah
Editor’s Note: The name of this project has been updated from “Mapping Living Heritage: Many Stories, One Utah” to “Multicultural Placemaking & Mapping Community Belonging | Many Stories, One Utah”. This has been done to better reflect the goals of the project to elevate stories, histories, and values as they relate to creating places of belonging for diverse communities. The …
Latino & Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating Culture, Communities, and Resilience in Unity
Across the nation, communities have come together to celebrate National Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th, and continuing in that spirit throughout the year. The Latinx experience is one of diverse histories, cultures, foods, languages, and contributions, and is unified under strong values of community, hope, and family. These 30 days are a significant time …
Lessons Learned | COVID-19 Multicultural Advisory Committee: Modeling an Equity Lens in all Policies
The Multicultural Advisory Committee of Utah’s COVID-19 Response was convened on May 1st, 2020 by Governor Gary Herbert and continued by Governor Spencer Cox, to work in collaboration with existing campaigns and organizations to amplify efforts and alleviate the growing disparities faced by underserved communities due to the pandemic. The committee is a cross-section of racially and ethnically diverse leaders …
Encontrando un punto medio con las personas: Colaboración de vacunación con Rancho Markets
Comenzó como una idea. Una que muchos pensaron que era demasiado ambiciosa y exigente para tener éxito, pero Cristina Díaz de León, una organizadora comunitaria de COVID-19 de la División de Asuntos Multiculturales de Utah, defendió firmemente que la comunidad latina necesitaba tener un sentido de confianza y familiaridad para alcanzar tasas de vacunación que combatan el COVID-19 de manera …
Meeting People Where They Are: Vaccination Partnership with Rancho Markets
It began as an idea. One that many thought was too ambitious and demanding to be successful, but Cristina Diaz de León, a COVID-19 Community Organizer with the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs, strongly advocated that the Latinx community needed to have a sense of trust and familiarity in order to reach vaccination rates that would combat COVID-19 effectively. A …