Category Archives: Featured

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Board, Featured, General

Join our Board of Directors!

Photo of people standing in front of colorful decorations
Join the Hispanic Roundtable Board of Directors

The Hispanic Roundtable is passionate about strengthening Hispanic and Latinx communities across Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston counties. We currently seek individuals who are equally enthusiastic to join our Board of Directors. We firmly believe that diversity is our strength. We value your unique skills, perspectives, and lived experiences, and we believe they are invaluable in helping shape our organization’s bright future. If you or a friend/colleague embody these beliefs, we want to hear from you!

Our History
The Hispanic Roundtable was founded in December 2002 by 15 passionate individuals from organizations serving Spanish-speaking communities in Thurston and Mason counties. The initial aim was to create a space for agencies to formally share resources and learn from each other. The group quickly met this goal and expanded its purpose to uncover and promote programs and services for the local Spanish-speaking community. This collaborative effort led to a united network of professionals dedicated to enhancing services for these Spanish-speaking communities, whose work continues today.

Our Mission
The Hispanic Roundtable’s mission is to strengthen the Hispanic Community through partnerships, education, community building, and cultural representation. Our values of partnership/collaboration, education, community, and cultural representation guide our board meetings and annual community engagement activities, including Community Summits and our long tradition of hosting a Latinx Youth Summit in partnership with local colleges and universities. We invite you to learn more about our work by visiting www.hispanicroundtable.org.

Our Recruitment Priorities

  • Individuals who consider themselves collaborative, compassionate, and empathetic.
  • Motivated individuals willing to take the lead/fully engage with activities for an average of 8-10 hours per month. (Actual time commitment varies from minimum to maximum in the months leading to our annual Latinx Youth Summit in late November).
  • Candidates who can commit to two years of active engagement as a board member.
  • Applicants with a desire to positively impact and support the Hispanic/Latinx community.
  • People with strong communication skills in either English or Spanish (this is less about possessing college-level language proficiency and more about basic comprehension and carrying a conversation).
  • Community members working in the education or business communities.
  • Candidates residing and/or working in Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, and Pacific counties.

How to Join Us
The Hispanic Roundtable conducts board recruitment on an ongoing basis. Please take the opportunity to nominate yourself or someone else.

All nominations will be considered continuously, and all applicants can expect to hear from us within 30 days of receipt of your online submittal. Candidates will be invited to meet with up to three board members for a conversation. Once a decision is made, successful candidates will receive a welcome call followed by a welcome email.

For questions about board membership or recruitment, please contact our President, Bill Fishburn (he/him/el), at hispanicroundtable+boardrecruiting@gmail.com.

Board of Directors Nomination Form – English | https://forms.gle/vopDeZCJST2gjsVx8

HRT Reclutamiento Para la Junta (español) 

La Mesa Redonda Hispana trabaja para fortalecer las comunidades hispanas y latinas en los condados de Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific y Thurston. Actualmente, buscamos personas entusiasmadas para unirse a nuestra Junta Directiva. Creemos firmemente que la diversidad es nuestra fuerza. Valoramos tus habilidades, perspectivas y experiencias vividas, y creemos que son invaluables para ayudar a dar forma al brillante futuro de nuestra organización. Si usted o un amigo/colega representan estas creencias, ¡queremos escuchar de ti!

Nuestra Historia

La Mesa Redonda Hispana fue fundada en diciembre de 2002 por 15 personas representando organizaciones con servicios para las comunidades hispanas y latinas en los condados de Thurston y Mason. El objetivo inicial era crear un espacio para que las agencias compartieran formalmente recursos y aprendieran unas de otras. El grupo rápidamente cumplió con este objetivo y amplió su propósito de descubrir y promover programas y servicios para la comunidad locales hispanas y latinas. Este esfuerzo de colaboración dio lugar a una red unida de profesionales dedicados a mejorar los servicios y este trabajo continúa hoy en día.

Nuestra Misión

La misión de la Mesa Redonda Hispana se enfoca en fortalecer la comunidad latina e hispana a través de asociaciones, educación, trabajo comunitario y representación cultural. Nuestros valores de unión y colaboración, educación, comunidad y representación cultural respaldan nuestras reuniones como junta directiva y nuestras actividades anuales de participación comunitaria, tales como las cumbres comunitarias y nuestra larga tradición de organizar una cumbre para jóvenes en asociación con colegios y universidades locales. Te invitamos a conocer más sobre nuestro trabajo visitando www.hispanicroundtable.org. 

Actualmente, nuestras prioridades para miembros para la junta incluyen:

  • Personas que se consideran colaboradoras, compasivas y empáticas.
  • Personas motivadas y dispuestas a tomar la iniciativa y participar en las actividades de la organización por aproximadamente 8 a 10 horas por mes. (El compromiso de tiempo varía de mínimo a máximo en los meses previos a nuestra Cumbre Anual para Jóvenes que ocurre al fin de cada noviembre).
  • Candidatos que puedan comprometerse a dos años de participación activa como miembro de la junta.
  •  Solicitantes con el deseo de impactar y apoyar positivamente a la comunidad hispana y latina.
  • Personas con fuertes habilidades de comunicación en inglés o español (esto se trata menos de poseer un dominio del idioma a nivel universitario y más de comprensión básica y poder mantener una conversación).
  • Miembros de la comunidad que trabajan en las comunidades educativas o empresariales.
  • Candidatos que residen y/o trabajan en los condados de Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason y Pacific.

Cómo unirse a nosotros

La Mesa Redonda Hispana lleva a cabo el reclutamiento de la junta directiva de manera continua. Aproveche la oportunidad para nominarse a sí mismo o a otra persona. Todas las nominaciones se considerarán continuamente y todos los candidatos interesados pueden esperar a escuchar de nosotros dentro de los 30 días. Los candidatos serios serán invitados a reunirse con hasta tres miembros de la junta para conversar. Una vez que se toma una decisión, los candidatos seleccionados recibirán una llamada de bienvenida seguido por un correo electrónico de bienvenida.

Para preguntas sobre la junta directiva o el proceso de reclutamiento, comuníquese con nuestro presidente, Bill Fishburn por correo electrónico a president@hispanicroundtable.org.  

Formulario de Nominación para la Junta – https://forms.gle/nffbRYndD2vwqy826

Featured, General, Immigration

Resources for Immigrants and Refugees | Recursos para Inmigrantes y Refugiados

As all of us continue to navigate emerging policies and activities targeting our most vulnerable neighbors, friends, and family members; we will post resources that we find. | Mientras todos seguimos explorando políticas y actividades emergentes dirigidas a nuestros vecinos, amigos y familiares más vulnerables, publicaremos los recursos que encontremos. 

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) released guidance on state and federal protections for immigrant students in Washington’s K–12 public schools. | La Oficina del Superintendente de Instrucción Pública (OSPI) publicó una guía sobre las protecciones estatales y federales para los estudiantes inmigrantes en las escuelas públicas K-12 de Washington. 

Rapid Response Hub, resources posted by the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs. | Rapid Response Hub, recursos publicados por la Comisión Estatal de Asuntos Hispanos de Washington.  

Know Your Rights, resources from the Northwest Immigration Rights Project. | Conoce Tus Derechos, recursos del Northwest Immigration Rights Project. 

Know Your Rights, informational flyer posted by the South Sound YMCA. | Conoce Tus Derechos, folleto informativo publicado por South Sound YMCA. 

We Have Rights, collection of short videos . | Tenemos Derechos, colección de videos cortos.

Featured, General, Media

Help children and parents separated at the border.

Please join us in our effort to raise funds for organizations that are doing effective work to defend the rights of immigrant families, refugees, and the children being held in cages by our government.

Stand up for human rights.  Reach out to people in your community who want to make a difference.  Lend a hand and a heart.

The Immigrant Families Assistance Project 

Congress has refused to pass effective and humane immigration legislation.  Their refusal to act responsibly has set the stage for the current president to attack immigrants with dehumanizing words and inhumane policies, which have resulted in the deaths of immigrants; arrests of refugees legally seeking asylum; traumatizing separations of children from parents that may prove impossible to undo; and unconstitutional mass judicial proceedings, including processes in which infants are not provided representation and are expected to represent themselves!

Now the president has withdrawn money previously made available to assist indigent defendants and is demanding that immigrants and asylum seekers be rejected without due process.

We will not stand silent and idle while our government terrorizes children and undermines the constitution and values that define humanity.  We will not be complicit.

Please join us in our effort to raise funds for organizations that are doing effective work to defend the rights of immigrant families, refugees, and the children being held in cages by our government.

  • Buy a shirt and wear it to express your compassion and support for immigrant families and refugees.
  • Buy additional shirts for your loved ones and best friends.
  • Make an additional tax deductible donation today, through the link below, to support the work of these worthy organizations.
  • Share this announcement on your Facebook and Twitter pages. Help us make this go viral and let’s raise enough money to make a difference together.

Click here to learn more about the Hispanic Roundtable’s Immigrant Families Assistance Project.

Featured, General

The Immigrant Families Assistance Project

We’ve partnered with a local (Olympia) Latino-owned business and Latina artist to respond to the callous statement made by First Lady Melania Trump with the jacket she wore to visit families who have been separated as the result of her husband’s cruel and inhumane immigration policies.

Click here to learn more about the Hispanic Roundtable’s Immigrant Families Assistance Project.