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Civil rights are a class of rights that protect individual freedoms. They also offer safety protection from discrimination, the right to privacy, freedom of thought, speech, religion, assembly and movement.  They guarantee that people can fully participate in our society, regardless of race, religion, sex, age or disability.

In our everyday lives, civil rights continuously occur at work, school and other areas in our community. These rights are so engrained in our daily lives, they aren’t noticed until denied. Here are some ways civil rights show up in our everyday lives.

My name is Vallie Needham Huisman, and I was elected as your President to serve a two-year term. I have been a member of the League since 2022 and have served on the Board since 2023. My husband, James, is an active League member and we have three cats named Sartorius, Soleus, and Maximus (bonus points if you can guess my naming scheme).

This article focuses on league member visits to people detained at the Tacoma Northwest ICE Processing Center. Current policies of the U.S. government have altered immeasurably the lives of people held at the facility.

As we wrap up our Primary Forums, we are looking on toward the General Election

Our volunteers have emailed all the candidates that are eligible for our primary forums their official invitations. We are eagerly awaiting their replies!

Local candidates in Thurston County are seeing emails from our Invite team in their inboxes starting last week. All candidates eligible for the Primary and General forums received a Save the Date email so they are able to reserve the following dates on their calendars:

Primary Forums: June 20 and June 28
General Forums: October 17 & 18

This FREE two-day community experience is dedicated to strengthening equity, belonging, and collaboration across Thurston County. Sessions are designed to foster
multi-racial collective action among community leaders and individuals who are
passionate about making a difference.

The first months of 2021 we formed the purpose of the committee. Time was spent reflecting on individual and shared history. Identifying the importance of addressing the League’s shortcomings, assessing where we are and planning for the future. We also took time during meetings to share what brought us to the league and why this particular committee was essential.