WSHRC Forum - Immigrant & Refugee Women

The Washington State Human Rights Commission is having "a public, educational forum," Immigrant and Refugee Women, this Thursday, April 26, 2007, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Highline Community College, Bldg 8 (Student Union Building).

Invited speakers and guests include Refugee Women’s Alliance; Refugee Federation Service Center; WA State Coalition Against Domestic Violence; US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Asian Pacific Islander Women & Family Safety Center; Kent Police Department; Cambodian Women’s Association; and others representing Somali and Eastern European community groups.

The WSHRC conducts forums in locations throughout the state of Washington. We use these meetings as an opportunity to hear from the public, human and civil rights organizations, local governments, educators, community leaders, activists, and others to create partnerships with the community, as well as inform the public about the Washington Law Against Discrimination. The results of these partnerships help further the WSHRC’s mission to prevent and eliminate discrimination in the state of Washington.

Press release, April 23, 2007.

What's the trial ad angle? Obviously, many of the issues discussed (employment discrimination, domestic violence, etc.) end up in court. Moreover, something like this could be good for building cultural competence generally. No matter what your practice area, you may have clients, witnesses, or jurors from our community who are immigrants or the children of immigrants.

"Cultural competence" seems to have received more attention in medicine than in law. See Georgetown's National Center for Cultural Competence. For a look at legal issues, see Joanne I. Moore & Margaret Fisher, eds., Immigrants in the Courts (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1999), KF8725 .I47 1999 at Classified Stacks.

The Washington State Coalition for Language Access is a group of legal and social service providers who see "the lack of adequate interpretation and cultural awareness as a major barrier to immigrant survivors accessing help."

Thanks: Michele Storms.