Join LGBTQIA+ Panel Discussion

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Don’t miss this Pride Month event for employees! Join a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, allies (LGBTQIA+) panel discussion at 9 a.m., Friday, June 30 on Teams.

This event is being hosted by the LGBTQ&A Employee Resource Group, Human Resources’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team, and Planning and Development Services’ Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Speakers

  • Fernando Zweifach López Jr. (they/them), San Diego Pride Executive Director

  • Dahvia Lynch (she/her), Planning and Development Director

  • Taryell Simmons (he/him), Human Resources Services Manager

  • Dr. Eric McDonald (he/him), Interim Director, Health and Human Service Agency

  • Tamara Watson-Foster (she/her), LBGTQ&A ERG Board Director

  • Miko Osada (she/her), Youth Services Librarian

  • Mica Miragliotta (they/them), Office of Equity and Racial Justice Management Fellow

  • Vivien Bernardo (they/them/she/her), HHSA, Equity & Strategic Partnerships

To submit a question before the event, email Planning and Development Services D&I Champion Ed Vea.

Join this engaging panel discussion on Teams.

See the flyer below.

Rainbow flag

Join ‘On Juneteenth’ Book Discussion

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Please join the African American Association of County Employees for an exciting book discussion on Annette Gordon-Reed’s “On Juneteenth.”

Date: July 13
Time: Noon to 1 p.m.
Location:  Microsoft Teams
RSVP: https://forms.office.com/g/4LNpLf7cR1

Book Description: Weaving together American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed’s “On Juneteenth” provides a historian’s view of the country’s long road to Juneteenth, recounting both its origins in Texas and the enormous hardships that African-Americans have endured in the century since, from Reconstruction through Jim Crow and beyond. All too aware of the stories of cowboys, ranchers, and oilmen that have long dominated the lore of the Lone Star State, Gordon-Reed—herself a Texas native and the descendant of enslaved people brought to Texas as early as the 1820s—forges a new and profoundly truthful narrative of her home state, with implications for us all. Read more.

Cruising Into Summer

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Luke Gallagher, assistant manager of the financial division in the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office, captured this beautiful sunset from Waterfront Park after work.

Share your photos! If you see a coworker getting the job done, a cool worksite, or a wonderful County program being offered—snap a pic and submit it. One image will be posted to InSite every week and may be shared on social media.

See more of Your View photos.

Join MEERG Talk on Dura Europos

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The Middle Eastern Employee Resource Group invites County employees to a presentation on Dura Europos, the “Pompeii of the Syrian Desert” and home of the world’s oldest church and synagogue.

The event will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, July 16 at Poway Library, 13137 Poway Rd., Poway.

The speaker will be Dr. Suhail Zavaro, a medical director of cardiology at Sharp Grossmont Hospital and a cardiologist at the San Diego Cardiac Center and Zavaro Cardiovascular Institute.

See the flyer below.

Celebration for Edgemoor Employees and Residents

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Edgemoor Skilled Nursing Facility hosted a lively Philippine Independence Day celebration on June 8. The event was full of music, dance, karaoke, food, speakers and a parade throughout the facility for their residents.

Lani Ngo, occupational therapy supervisor, shared these photos saying that all Edgemoor departments all came together to make this celebration happen!

Share your photos! If you see a coworker getting the job done, a cool worksite, or a wonderful County program being offered—snap a pic and submit it. One image will be posted to InSite every week and may be shared on social media.

See more of Your View photos.

AAACE Celebrates Juneteenth

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By the African American Association of County Employees

Juneteenth is a time for learning, reflecting and celebrating progress towards unity and freedom in America to strive for a better future. The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times.  

What is Juneteenth and why is it a holiday? 

 In 1865, on June 19 more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln declared all enslaved persons free, Major General Gordon Granger and Union Army troops marched to Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and free the last enslaved Black Americans in Texas. Those who were freed celebrated their long-overdue emancipation on June 19.  

Today, celebrating Juneteenth is a chance to celebrate human freedom, reflect on the grievous legacy of slavery, and commit to rooting out systemic racism that continues to plague our society as we strive to deliver the full promise of America to every American. Only through the 13 Amendment did emancipation end slavery through the United States. Juneteenth is America’s second Independence Day.  

 Why do they call it Juneteenth? 

The official name of the federal holiday is Juneteenth National Independence Day; it’s also known as Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and Freedom Day. The holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, observed annually on June 19. The name Juneteenth comes from a combination of the words “June” and “nineteenth.”  

 How is Juneteenth celebrated?  

Juneteenth celebrations in the United States typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings, picnics and festivals with food, music and dancing. The day is also celebrated outside the United States and is used to recognize the end of slavery as well as to celebrate African American culture and achievements.  

 When did Juneteenth become recognized as a holiday?  

Juneteenth became a state holiday in Texas in 1980 and several other states subsequently followed suit thereafter. In 2021, Juneteenth was made a federal holiday. The day is also celebrated outside the United States, being used by organizations, several countries, to recognize the end of slavery and to honor the culture and achievements of African Americans. 

 The Meaning of the Flag  

The red, white and blue color scheme that mimics that of the American flag was a conscious choice. It is meant to connote that enslaved people (who were not granted citizenships) and their descendants were and always have been Americans. It also signifies the United States’ continued responsibility to do right by those affected by the continued injustices faced by Black Americans.  

The Juneteenth flag has a white star in the center, meant to represent both Texas (the Lone Star State), as well as the freedom of enslaved people in all 50 states. The Juneteenth flag was created in 1977 by activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation, with the help of illustrator Lisa Jeanna Graf. The deliberate process of designing the flag, which is brimming with symbols of the day’s meaning, has made it an integral component of the holiday. 

Source documentation for the write up is based on the information from the following website.

Please see the flyer below for upcoming local events open to the public: