Conservation Course 2021

March 8th: An Introduction to the Conversation - Explore the complexities and challenges inherent in the relationship between race and the outdoors.

Speaker Khavin Debbs is the Partnership Manager for Tiny Trees Preschool, an all-outdoors preschool in the Seattle area. Khavin earned a Masters in Urban Environmental Education at Antioch University while working at Tiny Trees. His thesis was called #naturesowhite: Decolonizing the Outdoors for Families of Color. Khavin was born and raised in Sacramento, CA and he notes that it was there that he cultivated his love for being outside and experiencing nature. He attended Sacramento City College, where he first started his career in Early Childhood Education. He then worked at Mustard Seed School, an emergency school for homeless children. In 2013, Khavin relocated to Seattle, where he taught at a Montessori preschool and finished his BA from The Evergreen State College and his MAED from Antioch University. He is currently working on a doctorate in Educational and Professional Practice.

Speaker Keith Matt was born and raised in Omak and is a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes. He is a first generation college graduate who attended the University of Washington with his B.A. in Education, Communities & Organizations and American Indian Studies, along with a minor in Comparative History of Ideas. In addition to working as a Youth Advocate for the Foundation for Youth Resiliency & Engagement (FYRE), Keith continues his work as an Adviser for the UW’s Undergraduate Research Program. As an Indigenous scholar, Keith's lived experiences ignited a catalyst for advocacy, liberation and social change; to foster cultural responsiveness and racial equity in underrepresented communities, higher education and across his own research, scholarship, and academic endeavors.

March 22nd: Sustainable Agriculture Through the Lens of Solidarity - Join us to learn about and honor the contributions of BIPOC farmers to the sustainable agriculture movement in our region.

Speaker Rosalinda Guillén is a widely recognized farm worker and rural justice leader. She is Executive Director of the organization Community to Community Development in Bellingham, an organization dedicated to food sovereignty, immigrant rights, and environmental and climate justice. Currently she has provided support, training and mentorship to the leadership of WA State’s newest self-organized farm worker union, Familias Unidas por la Justicia. The oldest of eight, she grew up in LaConner WA in the 60's and began laboring as a farm worker with her family in the fields of Skagit County at the age of ten. Her current efforts are focused on developing ag policy with a culture that transforms farm labor from low-wage, unhealthy, oppressive work into a well-paid, respected profession.