Multicultural Events

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is proud to offer multicultural events throughout the academic year.

Contact: Christy Walker, Director of Diversity and Inclusion
cwalker2@cocc.edu or 541-383-7412.

Also see:
Latinx Featured Events | Native American Featured Events Ι Season of Nonviolence I Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month | Club Meetings

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Native American Heritage Month - Nov. 2024 

Presented by the COCC Foundation’s Chandler Lecture Series, “Why We Need Indigenous Ingenuity — Indigenuity — Now” with Daniel Wildcat, Ph.D., will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, at the Madras Performing Arts Center, 412 SE Bluff St. Tickets are offered on a self-selecting, sliding-scale basis, from free to $15; a livestream option is available free or for $5. Wildcat, an author and professor with Haskell Indian Nations University, will discuss the concept of “Indigenuity” — Indigenous ingenuity — and how ancient wisdom can inform modern problem-solving, stressing the critical need for this unique knowledge in today’s world.

Monday, November 4, 11 a.m. - noon. COCC Redmond Campus, RTEC 209. Students are invited to join a conversation and Q&A with author and professor at Haskell Indian Nations University Dr. Daniel Wildcat.  Free and Open to all COCC students. 

Dr. Dan Wildcat is developing a research hub at Haskell where Indigenous knowledge will be intrinsic to climate science. He is the author of Red Alert! Saving the Planet with Indigenous Knowledge and On Indigenuity: Learning the Lessons of Mother Earth.

Two former U.S. Marines will share their stories in “Native American Veteran Voices” at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, in Wille Hall on the Bend campus. Dan Martinez, enrolled in the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and Julie Bettles, an enrolled member of the Umatilla tribe and Wasq'u, Klamath and Cayuse, will discuss their time as Natives serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, and how they encourage Indigenous resilience in their communities.

A screening of “What Was Ours,” a 2017 documentary film from Emmy award-winning independent filmmaker Mat Hames, will show at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, in the Hitchcock Auditorium on the Bend campus. The film follows members of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes as the seek to reclaim ancestral artifacts to display in the Wind River Reservation Museum. The journey risks opening up old wounds — but offers healing from past traumas.

Additionally, through the month, each campus will have a resource station with displays about the importance of Native American Heritage Month, a full list of Oregon’s tribes with brief histories, and a look at some current projects that local tribes are involved with. Campus station sites: Bend’s Coats Campus Center, Redmond’s Technology Education Center lobby, and the front lobby of Prineville and Madras.

For more information on these events, please contact Jeremiah Rector at jrector@cocc.edu. 

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Indigenous People's Day - October 14, 2024

Central Oregon Community College (COCC) will honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day — Monday, Oct. 14 — with a free panel discussion for the community titled “Central Oregon Native Americans in Higher Education,” from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Hitchcock Auditorium on the Bend campus. 

The moderated panel will explore a range of topics, including cultural appropriation, sharing the perspectives of staff and students within higher education. Moderated by Jackie Currie, COCC’s Native American college prep coordinator, the panel will feature Jeremiah Rector, COCC Native American student program coordinator, Raye Lynn McCabe, Oregon State University-Cascades graduate student recruitment coordinator, and Samiakin Allen of radio station KWSO in Warm Springs, a former COCC and OSU-Cascades student.
For more information, contact Jeremiah Rector at jrector@cocc.edu.

COCC formally adopted a land acknowledgement in 2020 to recognize and pay respect to the original stewards of the lands on which its campuses reside. To further this recognition, COCC in 2021 formally designated the second Monday of each October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability should contact Caitlyn Gardner at 541-383-7237. For accommodation because of other disability, such as hearing impairment, contact disability services at 541-383-7583.

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2024 Latinx Heritage Month Events

Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated annually from September 15 to October 15, a period chosen to honor the independence days of several Central American and South American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on September 15, Mexico on September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21.

Originally the celebration was established as a week-long celebration by President Johnson in 1968. President Reagan expanded it to a month in 1988 to allow for a more comprehensive recognition of the significant contributions Hispanic and Latinx Americans have made to the United States.

We are proud to offer to you a unique opportunity to learn, explore, and celebrate the rich diversity of the Latinx culture. Throughout history, Latinx activists, writers, scientists, educators, musicians, athletes, entrepreneurs, and artists have left a solid legacy that continues to shape and enrich our nation. Join us in celebrating the Latinx Heritage at our upcoming events this month.

Because students do not start class until the end of September, at COCC we celebrate the whole month of October! 

Trailblazing in Space: Missions of Discovery & Diversity Dr. Ellen Ochoa – Former NASA Director Thursday, October 3, 7 p.m., Tower Theatre, Bend Livestream also available Space is limited! For more information visit the COCC Foundation lecture webpage
A Conversation with Dr.  Ellen Ochoa Student-only event Join us to meet and greet the first Latina in space, Dr. Ellen Ochoa. -researcher, inventor, astronaut with four missions and director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center Friday, October 4, Boyle Education Center 155, 12-1 p.m. For more information contact  latinx@cocc.edu
Writing your name in Mayan glyphs- a workshop with Pedro Parra Immerse yourself in the native writing system of the Maya civilization and learn how to write your name with Mayan glyphs while listening ancestral sounds of pre-Hispanic origin. Tuesday October 22nd 4-6 PM - Redmond Campus Technology education Center 2030 SE College Loop FREE and OPEN to the community Space is limited, please RSVP to latinx@cocc.edu
Latin Jazz and Latin Music in the US Lecture & Latin Ensemble Concert  Dr. Freddy Vilches – Lewis & Clark College - Portland, OR Tuesday October 29th 5:30 - 7:30 PM - Wille Hall – Bend Campus 2600 NW College Way Bend, OR This lecture traces the history of Latin Jazz and other Latin American musical styles in the US. Participants will be exposed to Afro-Cuban rhythms (son, rumba, chachachá, etc.), and to South American rhythms such as bossa nova, joropo, milonga, cueca and huayno. The lecture will be followed by a concert featuring Latin Jazz and other Latin American musical traditions. The ensemble's repertoire includes original pieces, as well as classic songs from Latin Jazz and Latin music in the US. FREE and OPEN to the community For more information please contact latinx@cocc.edu

More Information about Latinx programming contact

Claudia Bisso-Fetzer, PhD

cbissofetzer@cocc.edu | 541-318-3117

Visit the COCC Multicultural Department Webpage

In advance of College events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability should contact Caitlyn Gardner at 541-383-7237. For accommodation because of other disability such as hearing impairment, contact Disability Services at 541-383-7583.

 

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FORUMS ON RACISM

COCC is committed to continuing these important conversations and addressing systemic inequities. The forums will be held once per term. We invite you to share in this work and be a part of making changes in our communities so that we truly are a welcoming and inclusive place. Together we can make a difference!

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COCC's Forum on Equity, Racism and Social Justice: Book Banning

April 24 4:00-5:00 p.m. PST

 

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Friday, Oct. 24, 2022

Monday, May 16, 2022

Forum on Racism: Why Are We Still Talking About Racism?

Speakers:

• Laurie Chesley, President, Central Oregon Community College
• Erika McCalpine, Executive Director of Strategic Diversity Initiatives, Director DEI Lab, OSU-Cascades
• Christy Walker, Director of Diversity & Inclusion, COCC

This event took place on January 24, 2021. View the recorded video below:

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Forum on Racism: Addressing Counter Narratives of Racism

This event took place on November 8, 2021. View the recorded video below:

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How the Pandemic has Disproportionately Affected the BILAPOC Community

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted BILAPOC (Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other People of Color) communities. Join panelists from COCC's Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Office of Student Life for this virtual forum on the pandemic and the systemic inequities it has laid bare. COCC president Dr. Laurie Chesley will provide opening remarks, followed by a panel discussion and audience q&a.

COCC is committed to continuing these important conversations and addressing systemic inequities. We invite you to share in this work and be a part of making changes in our communities so that we truly are a welcoming and inclusive place. Together we can make a difference!

This event took place on Apr 19, 2021. View the recorded video below:

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Addressing Racial Inequalities and Responding to Hate Speech

This virtual event took place in November 2020. In this video panelists and a community forum discuss topics that include stereotypes, prejudice and privilege as well as how to respond to hate speech.

Central Oregon Community College believes in the power of education. So we encourage you to seek out the books in the list and learn more about the history of racism, white supremacy and the systemic impact of slavery in the United States. This list is by no means exhaustive, and is instead intended to offer an accessible introduction to these important topics.

Most of the books we recommend are available to students, faculty and staff via COCC’s Barber Library. You can also find most of these books through Deschutes Public Library, purchase them from the COCC Bookstore, or buy them from a special online store created for the College by local BIPOC-owned Paulina Springs Books in Sisters. Additional links available in the reading list pdf.

Recommended Anti-Racist Reading List (pdf)