Diversity creates opportunity. It fosters creativity. It encourages empathy and understanding, and bridges differences to allow collaboration and a sense of community.
Those values are at the core of Uniting Bridges’ inaugural Diversity Awards, which were launched this year to recognize individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to equity and inclusivity initiatives, and who seek to bridge differences in the Chippewa Valley. The individuals and organizations featured on the following pages have worked tirelessly to fight for a fairer future, to embody the work of justice, and to spread kindness and inclusivity in the Chippewa Valley community. These are innovators, creators, and leaders who foster challenging conversations, create and push for initiatives to improve inclusivity in the Chippewa Valley, and work to represent underrepresented communities and advocate for their voices to be heard. But – perhaps most importantly – these individuals are our neighbors. They’re the people we say “hello” to on the streets, but their stories are largely unknown. They tackled seemingly insurmountable obstacles to fight for others. Their selflessness, determination, and perseverance is integral to our blossoming community, though often their work is silent, behind the scenes. These are the people, the organizations, the leaders, who make our community great, and who create a radiant future for us all.
Learn more about the awards at
VolumeOne.org/DiversityAwards
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Chippewa Valley Celebrates Juneteenth Celebration in Carson Park slated to feature musical and spoken-word performances, and will recognize Uniting Bridges’ Diversity Award recipients ANDREA PAULSETH
WORDS: REBECCA MENNECKE
A celebration of freedom, diversity, and achievement is slated for 2pm on June 19 at the Pine Pavilion in Carson Park. Juneteenth – celebrated annually on June 19 – recognizes the day in 1865 that Union soldiers, led by Maj. Gen Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with the news that the Civil War was over and enslaved people were free in the defeated Confederacy. This year’s event features entertainment from regional artists Irie Sol, Naalia, and Samantha Moon, with a spokenword performance from Daminius the Artist, as well as a presentation of Uniting Bridges’ inaugural Diversity Awards.
UWEC PHOTO
Dr. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton (top, at left) is the driving force behind both the Uniting Bridges Diversity Awards and the Chippewa Valley’s Juneteenth celebration in Carson Park (above). This event follows a year of consciousness-raising protests about racial justice in the Chippewa Valley and nationwide.
LUONG HUYNH
Nonprofit organizations dedicated to social justice and equity initiatives – including Joining Our Neighbors, Advancing Hope (JONAH) and Chippewa Valley Votes – will offer information on their organizations at the celebration.
For more information, visit facebook.com/ECJuneteenthCelebration
LUONG HUYNH
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david
CARLSON founder of We Adapt, regional organizer for the ACLU, and social justice advocate David Carlson has transformed a lifetime of trauma into prolific change words: rebecca mennecke • photo: andrea paulseth first with school suspension, followed by expulsion, juvenile detention, and electronic monitoring. He moved rapidly through group homes.
I
’m probably in the sky, flying with the
fishes. Or maybe in the ocean, swimming with the pigeons. See, my world is different. The lyrics of the Lil’ Wayne song “Sky’s the Limit,” blared through the communications box of David Carlson’s convoy vehicle, only seconds before it tumbled over an underground improvised explosive device (IED), lighting his vehicle on fire. It was 2008, during his second tour of duty in Iraq, and he knew from his years of training that if he stopped his vehicle, he’d lock the rest of his convoy in a choke position – perfect for a deadly secondary ambush. Blazing fire, he continued driving. This was one of many moments in Carlson’s life that are illustrative of how he sparked prolific change from trauma. At first, the scene seems perfectly ordinary: blaring a 2000s rap song through a car radio with a coupla’ pals. But, Carlson’s life was marked by moments like that – the juxtaposition of trauma and the potential for normalcy. Moments like that – combined with his selfless personality and his insatiable desire for justice – led him to found We Adapt, a new organization dedicated to inclusive peer support and mentorship in the areas of public health and social services; to advocate as regional organizer for the ACLU of Wisconsin; and to pursue a law degree to ensure no one goes through the same experiences he did. When Carlson was only 10 years old, a police officer aimed a gun at his head – a consequence for a crime he did not commit. His strained relationship with law enforcement only escalated, beginning
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“People outwardly talk about what they see in the city, call us animals, basically say we don’t have morals,” Carlson said. “We’re animals, they say. And that’s who I was. I was the group of people they described. So to me, I accepted that at that time. I am what they say, even though I don’t feel like it. Because they’re not going through the shit I’m going through. They’re not running from the cops, sleeping in basements. … I just had a lot of self-loathing. I just had hate in myself.” That’s when he decided to pursue the military. The structure of the military was something he had been craving his entire life, he admitted, and he thrived with the hard work required to be in the National Guard. But – like so many who go to war – he returned to the U.S. traumatized by what he had seen. That’s when his struggle with alcoholism spiraled. “They call it passively suicidal,” he said. “I was always doing things looking for that end.”
So, he decided he would change. Once released, Carlson joined a local CrossFit gym in Eau Claire. He fell in love with the sport and the community – which includes many veterans – and so he joined the CrossFit organization Next Objective, which supports veterans. From there, he joined Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing (EXPO) as a volunteer, finished his creative writing degree at UW-Eau Claire (with a certificate in legal studies to boot), was hired by Milkweed – a peer support organization – and, ultimately, went to work for the ACLU of Wisconsin. Carlson had finally found his purpose: helping others. At his newest venture, We Adapt, he aims to connect peer supporters to children to ensure their traumatic experiences are validated and understood. “It will be providers who have been marginalized,” he said, “homeless, who have had to sleep in basements, who have had to eat trash, who have gone hungry, who know what it’s like to starve.”
I was the group of people they described. So to me, I accepted that at that time. I am what they say, even though I don’t feel like it.
A pivotal moment, Carlson said, was when he was chased down by the Eau Claire Police Department at the lot where the Pablo Center at the Confluence is now located. Afterwards, he faced 15 years in prison, and that’s when his life came to a crossroads: either he would continue on his path of violence, or he’d change his life completely.
Carlson is currently applying to law school, to continue his knowledgeable advocacy work. “One piece, the ultimate goal, is to do no harm,” he said. “That is a fact. That is a moral that – no matter what culture you come from – that is what you should strive for.”
pa
THAO founder of Black and Brown Womyn Power Coalition, and first female director of the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, aims to actively support diverse women words: rebecca mennecke • photo: andrea paulseth
T
he first thing Pa Thao remembers
about stepping foot in Eau Claire at the Chippewa Valley Airport was the icy breeze tickling her nose, and the snow surrounding her on the freezing December day – her first interaction with Wisconsin winters. Born in the Bon Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand, Thao was no stranger to turbulence, as her family frequently fled to various refugee camps before they sought a new life in the United States. New to Eau Claire, 12-year-old Thao learned not only how to advocate for herself, but to advocate for her family, as she was often asked to interpret for her mother. “I didn’t know English really well in order to interpret for her,” Thao said. “But it was either me or nothing. … I always see that as a form of injustice – to not have language be accessible, to not have programming be accessible, because you don’t speak that language. And I always struggle with that, even today.” The Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, she said, was the light at the end of a tunnel. There, her family connected with family and friends – as well as other Hmong individuals in similar situations – who helped her mother find work and her family find a sense of community. After graduating from high school, Thao initially pursued fashion design at UW-Stout, but – after taking a year off to help her sister at a family restaurant in Michigan – she changed gears to pursue social work. Her first job was at a residential program helping young women struggling with alcoholism and addiction. A few months later, the perfect position came available at the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, connecting lowskill workers with employment – something the association had done for her family. “Things just
happen for various reasons,” Thao reflected, “and the universe puts everything together, and you’re meant to be where you are.” So in 2010, she knew it was a sign that the position of director at the association was vacant, and she applied. As a typically shy and introverted individual, Thao was terrified to interview in front of a dozen board members and community representatives, and even more daunted by the prospect of being a leader. But the universe was watching out for her, she said, because she got the job. Immediately, she was met with resistance, as she was the first Hmong woman to hold the position in the association’s history – and she was also an unmarried single mother, something that many traditional Hmong individuals resented. And she had a progressive agenda. The organization didn’t have a budget, a strategic plan. Most departments were led by men, and she found the work environment to be inhospitable to women and mothers, not offering maternity leave or flexibility to bring children into work. “It was a lot stacked against me,” she said.
Once she felt she could no longer contribute her skills to the organization, she knew she needed something new.
I always see that as a form of injustice – to not have language be accessible, to not have programming be accessible because you don’t speak that language.
Yet, In her years working as director of the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, she raised funding for the domestic violence department from $60,000 to $180,000 annually, hired more women leaders, added a strategic plan and budget, and worked to make the organization as sustainable as possible.
That’s when she founded the Black and Brown Womyn Power Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women with issues of sexual assault and domestic violence in an effort to start conversations about intercultural domestic violence and sexual assault to erase its stigma.
“I want to make sure anyone that is in that kind of situation can call,” she said, “whether they speak Hmong or whether they just need someone who is on the phone with them to provide support for them as they are walking through that door.” Thao is now locally and regionally recognized as a champion for women, children, and families in the Chippewa Valley, but advocating for change wasn’t easy for Thao. “I’m an introvert,” she admitted. “I have an anxiety of socializing with strangers. I really do. I have to really put myself out there. ...You won’t know it, but I hate it. But I do it because I have to.”
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united
HEALTHCARE
providing people from all backgrounds access to individualized healthcare and insurance is at the heart of United Healthcare’s mission words: rebecca mennecke
inclusion. And, nationally, the organization donates more than $47 million to over 18,000 charities.
U
nitedHealthcare employs more
than 330,000 people, who are at the heart of their work in communities around the globe, exemplifying their values of integrity, compassion, innovation, and performance. Integral to building a health system that works is creating a culture that fosters diverse ideas and individuals. And UnitedHealthcare strives to do just that: celebrating people, ideas, and experiences, which leads to a culture where everyone feels they have a seat at the table. “The company does such great work promoting diversity and inclusion at all levels, from local to international,” said nominator and local UnitedHealthcare employee Amanda Cooper. “I can truly say that I enjoy coming to work each day. … I am always learning, and I love to invest in our United culture by working on my own development in regards to diversity and inclusion. There is truly so much to learn.” What makes UnitedHealthcare’s approach to diversity different from other organizations like it is their commitment to expanding access to care; addressing public health issues like housing, food insecurity, and transportation; and being an active advocate for marginalized groups. For Pride Month in June, the company hung a rainbow flag outside its doors to show allyship with the LGBTQ+ community. CEO Dave Wichmann (who has since retired) signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion statement, which supports increased learning and advancing workplace
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The UnitedHealthcare staff is at the center of the organization’s work in inclusivity, according to Cooper, who said local managers Paula Eyerly, Paul Gierczek, and Nick Berry, actively work to promote, hire, and support people of color and individuals who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ comunity. In an effort to hold their organization and their staff accountable, the Eau Claire UnitedHealthcare group puts out a biannual employee satisfaction survey, where they include diversity-related questions to measure trends in inclusion ratings from their teams, and taking critical feedback on how to improve their diversity initiatives.
Reaching Out MBA, The Forum on Workplace Inclusion, and National Sales Network conferences. The organization sponsors interns through INROADS – an international nonprofit organization that places college students of color in internships with companies across the nation; hosts an annual Campus Talent Summit – a summer mentorship program for diverse students; and operates the Diverse Scholars Program – which awarded $2 million in scholarships to 175 diverse students pursuing health careers. The company also offers a Disability Inclusion Internship Program, which offers candidates with varied abilities more opportunities to gain corporate experience.
It is so meaningful when my leader encourages and allows time for development of diversity and inclusion. I am so grateful every day for the great work environment we have to work in.
“It is so meaningful when my leader encourages and allows time for development of diversity and inclusion,” Cooper said. “I am so grateful every day for the great work environment we have to work in.” In addition to attending flagship conferences, chapter events, and career fairs, UnitedHealthcare has national partnerships with local chapters of many national organizations, such as The National Black MBA Association, Prospanica,
And their attention to diversity and inclusion in the workplace has garnered national attention, as UnitedHealthcare has been recognized as Best Employers for Diversity by Forbes, Corporation of the Year for Supplier Diversity by NCMSDC, the 2021 Best Place for LGBTQ Equality by the 100% Corporate Equality Index, the NCQA Multicultural Healthcare Distinction by NCQA, the 2020 Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion by DEI, along with a number of other accolades. Learn more about UnitedHealthcare and their initiatives at uhc.com.
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