TRUCKEE, Calif. – The Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee (CCTT), a program of the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) has been presenting an equity and inclusivity-focused training series called the Community Belonging Training Series. For the third overall session and the final one this year, Dr. Léa Herbert and Dr. Galaxina Wright spoke on the impacts of systemic inequity and how to navigate differences in professional spaces.

The CCTT series is intended for public agency partners, nonprofit staff, and board members in the Tahoe and Truckee region. According to the TTCF page on the series, the series is meant to “explore key theories and practices related to community engagement, equity, and belonging… and build equity literacy and DEI principles into actionable insights.” The program was made possible by the Barracuda Championship PGA Tour Golf Tournament.

“The Barracuda Championship and the PGA TOUR have pledged to support organizations in our region that are having a tangible, positive impact on traditionally underserved communities. Our team consists of individuals from all different backgrounds and cultures, all of whom believe strongly that TTCF’s Community Belonging Training Series will pave the way for meaningful conversations and activations in the DEI space. We’re honored to contribute to that cause,” said Andrea Quiruz, Barracuda Championship marketing director and corporate partnerships manager.

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Last Thursday, Herbert and Wright both invited attendees to reflect on individual, interpersonal, institutional, and structural lenses of their life. Herbert spoke at length on the many different privileges people may have: race, class, education, age, gender, and more.

Herbert also pointed out that these privileges are often tied to geographic areas and their histories. Truckee has a history of racism towards various groups—in the late 1800s, the intense boycotts and discrimination of Chinese-owned businesses used to intimidate Chinese immigrants out of towns was even called “The Truckee Method.” To this day, Latine people in the Truckee area are most impacted by racial disparity, according to Race Counts, a site that aggregates data on racial disparity throughout California.

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However, Truckee is also making steps to improve these outcomes. Vice mayor Jan Zabriskie has attended these workshops, and Truckee will be holding an IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) workshop on December 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Community Arts Center.

During the presentation, Herbert also emphasized that privilege is not evil—and can often be used for good. She urged people to unpack their privilege and use it for the Three T’s: Time, Talent, and Treasure, which are ways to give back to a community. Attendees spoke about their volunteer efforts, sponsorships and support for marginalized people, and assessing implicit bias in their life. Wright also acknowledged those in the audience who were acknowledging their privilege and felt apologetic about their actions. She encouraged people not to beat themselves up over, and that “acknowledging is an important step.”

“I’m a big believer in knowing when to hold the mic and when to bring the water. Allyship is about lowering the ego… and truly being able to be a support,” said Herbert.

Next year, the last two workshops in the series will take place in person. The first is a session called “Building Inclusive Cultures: Personal Brand, Recruitment and Retention” and will take place on Wednesday, January 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. The final one will be a DEI Action Plan Development Workshop and will take place in the Council Chambers at Truckee Town Hall on Thursday, January 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.