Building Bridges Event Aims to Strengthen Trust Between Communities

building bridges ward Keynote Speaker Eric Ward, Executive Director, Western States CenterThe Muslim Educational Trust will hold their 4th annual Building Bridges event on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019 from 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at Muslim Educational Trust, 10330 SW Scholls Ferry Rd. in Tigard.

Their first Bridges gathering in September 2016, came at a time of heightened tensions in our country and polarizing political rhetoric. Attendees explored bias as both a bridge and a barrier to maintaining a strong, safe, and caring community. The organization says everyone’s efforts strengthened trust between each other and the communities they serve.

Now in its fourth year, they are working as a united coalition to prevent, respond to and seek justice for incidents and crimes motivated by hate and racism against our community.

Keynote speaker Eric Ward joined Western States Center in 2017. WSC works nationwide to strengthen inclusive democracy so that all people can live, love, and work free from fear. He will speak to the national rise of White supremacy and how communities can respond in meaningful and effective ways to protect the most vulnerable populations and build greater resiliency.

Building Bridges of Understanding in Our Communities: Confronting Hate program highlights:

Learn from the perspectives of members of the Latino, Muslim, African American, and Jewish communities on the traumatic impacts of being targeted by hate, compounded by the challenges of dealing with law enforcement and the legal system.
Engage in an interactive dialogue with hate crime experts from law enforcement to understand what steps are being taken to improve hate crime prevention and response, and the role the community can play.
Cultivate new relationships with community members, public safety professionals, and elected officials who share a goal of breaking down barriers and building trust to make our communities more resilient.

The event is free, but registration is required. Lunch will be guaranteed for those who register before Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. Civil society organizations, e.g. NGOs, faith communities may register up to 5 attendees. Public safety and governmental organizations may register up to 3 attendees.