2026 Winter Series begins on January 8!
We hope you will join our next actionshop which will offer tools and narratives to better understand and speak to the policy changes we are fighting for. Each actionshop offers us time to learn, be in community, share stories, exchange thoughts, and leave with options to take active steps toward our goals.
Thursday, January 8, 2026 @ 11am-12:30pm
"Housing Justice is Racial Justice: Connecting our 2026 Legislative Priorities and Racial Equity Impact" offered by Ma.Caroline Lopez, MSW
2025 has been a year of political attacks on the most vulnerable populations in our nation. Without a doubt, it has hit hardest for people at the intersections of race, gender, disability, low-no income, and more. As we approach the 2026 Legislative Session, we are offering this Actionshop as a beginner to mid-level racial equity policy analysis, to gain a clear understanding of how the bills and budget requests we are fighting for are connected to the ongoing fight for racial justice. As written in the 1977 Combahee River Collective Statement, "If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression." – (The Combahee River Collective was a Black feminist, lesbian, socialist organization active in Boston, Massachusetts, active from 1974 to 1980.)
12:45-1:30pm: PMG/BIPOC Affinity Space will follow the actionshop, using the same Zoom link, after a 15 minute music break. Our experiences are all important, however the impact of the current political climate will be different depending on one's position and power; socio-economically, and within our organizations. This post-event space will attempt to provide some grounding and healing for people who identify as People of the Global Majority aka: Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color or multi-racial/multi-ethnic people of color.
Get your CE Credits! You can receive Continuing Education Credits for attending Lunch & Learn Actionshops! Please see the registration form for details.
Archived videos of the 2025 Equity, Racial Justice, and Culture series Lunch & Learn events are listed below:
July 23
“Creating Neurodivergent-Friendly Environments in the Workplace” offered by Chelsea Deloney
Creating Neurodivergent-Friendly Environments in the Workplace was an interactive training that examined both lived experience and systems-based inclusion in employment work communities. Participants obtained a wealth of information and resources on how to identify and remove barriers for themselves and their fellow coworkers. The goal for attendees was that as they put these tools to use, they would find how neurodivergent-friendly environments can directly and indirectly support every person in their organization.
This session was not recorded.
June 11
“Disability and Racial Justice: Historical and current impacts of access to healthcare for BIPoC” offered by Chelsea Deloney
Disability and Racial Justice was an interactive training that examined both lived experience and systems-based inclusion in the world health and housing access for Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color. Participants obtained a wealth of information and resources on how to identify and remove barriers for themselves and the communities they serve.
This session was not recorded. Slides are available upon request.
April 24
Operationalizing Equity Series:
“Kitchen Table Conversations: Getting back to our roots to position ourselves for the long game” offered by Tasha West-Baker and Ma.Caroline Lopez, MSW
This session is a follow-up to our March Lunch & Learn where we gained an understanding of the recent federal executive orders attacking DEI or diversity, equity, and inclusion. This actionshop takes the form of a kitchen table conversation that asks us to look within ourselves and our organizations. We’ll begin to answer the question, which side of history do we want to be on; are we ready to be the people we have been waiting for? How can our affordable housing and homelessness sector continue to operationalize equity in this divisive political climate? Preparing our hearts, our minds, our spirits, our bodies and our work to stand on business for the values and beliefs that we say we hold, we hold fast with the full knowledge that we are playing the long game - one in which we will co-create the beautifully liberated world we’ve been envisioning.
March 6
“‘Nah. I’m good.’: Understanding the DEI Backlash and Standing Firm on Racial Equity” offered by Bethel Tsegaye, and Ma.Caroline Lopez, MSW
To understand the reasons for the backlash on “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” policies and programs, we traveled back to the fight for inclusion and equality during the Civil Rights era and how those policies were meant to open up spaces for every person to have the same opportunities. Namely, Black people who were formerly enslaved and still seen as property or less than, rather than a person with equal rights. During this Actionshop, talk about how social justice efforts won’t stop despite the recent executive orders and how genuine progress takes decades, and continues according to the culture and will of the people. Lastly, we’ll discuss how racial equity is woven into the fabric - the everyday work of the Housing Alliance, making it impossible to separate it from the whole.
February 20
(re: Transgender Rights)
"The Great Divider: The Empirical Standard of Transmisia in Neocolonial Politics & How to Subvert It" __offered by Ganesha Gold Buffalo_
In this presentation, we revisited recent executive orders and policy impacting the trans community and revealing how transmisia is an essential tool of counterinsurgency against class consciousness, solidarity between marginalized groups, and progressive movements as a whole. You will also be equipped with tools to confront this violence as it attempts to permeate our communities in the coming months.
Watch this space, and sign up for the Housing Alliance email list to be notified of upcoming Lunch & Learn actionshops!
Ma.Caroline
Ma.Caroline Lopez, MSW
Director of Equity, Racial Justice, and Culture
