Region IV Report Deb Martinez, Region IV Representative FROM THE BOARD Deb Martinez, MA, CI and CT, NIC Advanced, SC:L Region IV Representative
Hello from Region IV! There are so many things to say about the conference. Much appreciation goes out to everyone who participated in making the conference happen- the presenters, participants, tech support, HQ who worked tirelessly, President Webb, Secretary Decker, RIII Rep Johnson, the note takers for the business meeting, and the list goes on!! Thanks to each and everyone who showed up and contributed.
President Webb asked me to share some of the highlights of the conference from my personal perspective. There are a few quotes that still resonate with me from the conference that I will take forward and apply to my work as an individual and collectively within the communities I serve. The first one is from Belinda McCleese, our Day 1 plenary speaker, who so eloquently stated, “we must touch our own pain so that we see the pain of others.” This spoke to me. Too often we disregard our own pain and in disregarding ourselves we in turn disregard others. This becomes a norm that carries over into every facet of our lives. A powerful frame to apply to our work. The second one is from one of our Day 2 plenary speakers, Christopher Robinson, who highlighted the concept of having “a place at the table.” This for me was so visual and clearly stated. We all need a place at the table, how simple does that seem, yet so challenging for many, including RID. We must make space within 18
VIEWS Volume 3 • Issue 38
RID for all. At the same time, independently and collectively as RID members, we have caused harm. How do we as an organization make the necessary reparations so we can begin the healing process? How do we build an organization that people, who we have marginalized, will want to come to the table? What does that look like on a national level and more importantly at the AC level? How do we heal our communities and nurture each other so that we can collectively all have a place at the table? Big questions that need to be asked and continuously explored. I think the conference presenters did an excellent job at highlighting for us where the collective WE need to go towards healing and providing a place at the table. I am excited about the future of RID. We together are RID. With warm regards, Deb P.S. RIV Presidents ROCK!!! I look forward to seeing RIVPC (Region IV Presidents’ Council) do great things in Region IV. I will be cheering you on and I will miss all of your faces! Keep showing up! Nebraska - NeRID Hosted a Spring Fling Workshop with Seth Gore (June 4-5, 2021). NeRID had a spring conference this year. Turn out was smaller than usual but greater than expected considering
