WCMGA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee - Washington County Master Gardener Association

The WCMGA DEI Committee is a group of Washington County Master Gardeners who are working to help the chapter grow our efforts in the areas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We developed the WCMGA land acknowledgment that is read at chapter meetings and is posted at both our demonstration gardens, as well as accessibility and inclusivity assessments for our public events and volunteers. (Accessibility and Inclusivity assessments available below.)

We meet in person at the Washington County OSU Extension Office on the second Tuesday of each month from 10am to 11am. We invite WCMGA members to join us! Allies welcome!!

Please contact Larina Hoffbeck at hoffbeck@frontier.com for more information.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Vocabulary

July, 2024: Allyship

“The lifelong process of building relationships with marginalized communities to which one does not belong. This is a practice of showing up, working in solidarity with, and centering the needs and voices of marginalized groups. This work should be done as directed by those communities. These efforts can be named as allyship only by the marginalized group. To be acting in allyship means that you are actively working to dismantle structures of oppression.”

– https://gscc.msu.edu/education/glossary.html

The members of the WCMGA DEI committee recognize that the terms and phrases used when discussing topics related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion may be unfamiliar or confusing to many people. Definitions may also change over time. Since gardening is for everyone, we’d like to help foster understanding of DEI vocabulary with our members and other readers of Chapter Chat and the WCMGA website.

We hope you’ll check back each month for new words and phrases as well as examples of how Master Gardeners can incorporate these concepts into our work with the public and with our own members.

For more information on how and what it means to be an “ally”, please check out these links:

What is allyship?

Ally Up! Practice Effective Allyship ( a PDF fact sheet from Cornell Health with recommendations on how to practice effective “allyship” )

Want to be a better ally?