Voting rights and journey of women in the service ...

September 2021

A monthly publication of the United States Coast Guard Civil Rights Directorate

Volume 16, Issue 9

voting rights and journey of women in the service highlight women's equality day event

By Patrick Ferraris, Communications Specialist, CRD, USCG HQ

USCG HQ recognized Women's Equality Day and its theme, "Celebrating Women's Right to Vote" on August 26th. Women's Equality Day is an annual observance that commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted women the right to vote on August 26th, 1920. The hardships women endured to reach this accomplishment was a key point of discussion. "Many women were fined, jailed, and ostracized by their community," stated Ms. Michelle Godfrey, Director of Civilian Human Resources, Diversity and Leadership, and the Executive Champion of the event. "The stakes were high, but they continued to fight to ensure their voices were heard and women got the right to vote," she added. Ms. Gracia Hillman, keynote speaker of the event and former Chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, spoke to the importance of voting rights and its impact on women throughout the nation. "Voting is the thread that binds all achievements for women's equality and rights...Gaining the right to vote paved the way for women to have direct influence on passage of laws that determined our true equality." Ms. Hillman also recognized the important role women have played and continue to play within the Service. "Women have traveled a mighty long road in the Coast Guard and I thank you for your perseverance. From lighthouse keepers in the 1800s, to official integration into activity in the 1970s, and to the appointment of the first female four star Admiral in 2021...Your training and thought leadership can bring us our next big accomplishment."

Top: Ms. Michelle Godfrey welcomes virtual attendees to USCG HQ's Women's Equality Day event on August 26th. Bottom: Ms. Gracia Hillman addresses virtual attendees at the event.

NEW VIDEO SUPPORTs CIVIL RIGHTS AWARENESS TRAINING; MORE videos IN DEVELOPMENT

The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) is the military's longstanding training institution for civil rights service providers. DEOMI also produces a host of educational materials that cover important human relations topics affecting the military and society. Recently, DEOMI developed an informative training vignette about age discrimination for Coast Guard civil rights which will be used in Civil Rights Awareness Training. Civil rights training videos and other media content are designed to increase awareness of behaviors that can negatively impact command climate. DEOMI is also busy at work creating more educational material for the Coast Guard as production of in-person videos resume. You can visit DEOMI's website for more training videos, special observance toolkits, the latest EO/EEO Diversity News, and other helpful resources.

Pictured: Members of DEOMI's multimedia department film Coast Guard training scenarios for educational videos at USCG Station Cape Canaveral on August 18th, 2021 (DEOMI Courtesy Photo).

This September, we recognize the tenth anniversary of the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT), a policy that prohibited openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals from military service. President Joseph R. Biden recently shared a statement about the repeal noting that: "On this day and every day, I am thankful for all of the LGBTQ+ service members and veterans who strengthen our military and our nation." The accomplishments of these individuals from the DADT era and those serving today continue to pave the way for the LGBTQ+ community to feel welcome, respected, and represented in our Service without having to hide who they are.

September 2021, Volume 16, Issue 9

Civil Rights on Deck 1

Coast Guard welcomes students to new school year and HELPed NEARLY 300 CHILDREN

By Patrick Ferraris, Communications Specialist, CRD, USCG HQ

On the afternoon of August 26th, the halls and playground of Anita J. Turner Elementary School in Washington, D.C. were alive for the first time in over a year during their back-to-school night event. Members of the USCG and partners at DHS joined to hand out 289 backpacks filled with school supplies as part of St. Elizabeth's Back-to-School Backpack Drive. Hundreds of volunteers from USCG and DHS donated backpacks and supplies worth thousands of dollars leading up to this event, and some helped pack the bags in an effort to give students joy and confidence, and to ease any potential financial burdens on families. While the Coast Guard loads backpacks and donates school supplies on a yearly basis to benefit the D.C. community, this event marked the first time that it was linked with the Coast Guard's Partnership in Education (PIE) Program. PIE unites the Coast Guard family with local schools and communities through opportunities to work directly with students, enhancing educational opportunities and raising awareness about the Service. "We look forward to building off of the success of our first event together, and are always looking for new opportunities to grow with Turner Elementary, as well as other schools in our community," said

Chaplain Andrew Hoyle, Coast Guard headquarters' PIE coordinator. "We hope to build new partnerships and engage our existing partners as much as we can so that we can generate even more volunteer efforts from the Coast Guard team," he added. For more information on CGHQ's PIE program, please contact Chaplain Andrew Hoyle at Andrew.P.Hoyle@uscg.mil. If you're interested in the PIE program, but located outside of the National Capital Region, please contact Juan Torres at Juan.A.Torres@uscg.mil.

Photos: Top Left- A Turner Elementary School student embraces a backpack filled with school supplies she received from PO3 Andres Gonzalez. Bottom Right: Chaplain Andrew Hoyle (standing, back left), along with USCG and DHS volunteers, pose in front of a table full of backpacks stuffed with school supplies during a back-to-school night event (USCG Photos by Patrick Ferraris).

2020 CENSUS RESULTS are in: america becoming more diverse than ever

By Max Theriault, Equal Employment Manager, CRD, Region 1, Zone 1

Recently, the U.S. Census Bureau released additional 2020 Census results which shows that the United States continues to grow increasingly more diverse, making it clear that each new generation of Americans will be more multi-racial and multi-ethnic than the last. As Baby Boomers continue to age towards retirement and Gen Z ages into the workforce, this change in demographics will become more visible within the Coast Guard workforce. Understanding that this increase in diversity is most profound in the population that is currently being recruited into the Service makes it that much more important to understand and undergo Diversity and Inclusion and Civil Rights training.Ensuring that all service members, managers, and employees understand their Equal Opportunity and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) rights and responsibilities can help maintain focus on the mission and ensure commands are free from discrimination, which follows the Coast Guard core values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty.

Pictured: A U.S. Census Bureau graphic that measures diversity index by state. Full data visualizations and infographics of the recently released 2020 Census results can be viewed on the Decennial Census Results web page.

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Civil Rights on Deck 2

CIVIL RIGHTS SERVICE PROVIDERS SHARPEN SKILLS TO SUPPORT WORKFORCE

Civil Rights Directorate

Dr. Terri Dickerson Director CDR Charlene Forgue Executive Assistant Ms. Francine Blyther Assistant Director and Chief, Civil Rights Operations Mr. James Ellison Senior Advisor Mr. Eduardo Zayas Division Chief Mr. Patrick Ferraris Communications Specialist

Contact Information

2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, DC 20593-7000 Phone: (202) 372-4500 Fax: (202) 372-8303

Visit us at: resources/civil-rights/

Subscribe to "Civil Rights on Deck"

Civil Rights Service Providers (CRSPs) recently attended service specific training at United States Coast Guard Headquarters August 23rd to September 2nd, 2021. The training course exposed new Equal Opportunity Advisors, Equal Employment Specialists, and Equal Employment Managers to Coast Guard specific policies and requirements within Equal Opportunity (EO)/Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) functions. These include topics such as understanding and implementing the complaint process outlined in 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1614; Anti Harassment and Hate Incident (AHHI) procedures; Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS) assistance; Civil Rights Awareness Training Delivery, and much more. Civil rights service specific training helps new CRSPs develop a base of knowledge and skills that will help them serve as advisors to Commanding Officers and Officers in Charge on EO/EEO matters. It also helps prepare them to provide assistance to the Coast Guard workforce to prevent, reduce, or eliminate discriminatory practices throughout the Service. Pictured Left: Daniel Burgoyne, EEO Specialist, Region 2, and Tabetha McFeders, Regional

Director, Region 1, lead a scenario based training exercise during Coast Guard Civil Rights Service Specific Training, September 1st, 2021. Right: Lawanda Jackson, Regional Deputy Director, Region 2, and Max Theriault, EEO Zone Manager, Region 1, work on a scenario together during the training.

region1 WELCOMES new member to team

By Benjamin Westerfield, Equal Opportunity Advisor, CRD, Region 1

The Civil Rights Directorate welcomes Max Theriault as the new Equal Employment Manager for Region 1, Zone 1. Max previously worked as an Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist with the Social Security Administration. Max is a U.S. Navy Veteran and served as a Sonar Technician aboard the submarine USS Annapolis (SSN-760), completing two U.S. Central Command deployments to the Persian Gulf and one Ice Expedition to the North Pole. He is a Massachusetts native who holds an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston, MA, enjoys traveling, and spending time with his girlfriend and their two dogs.

NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH IS "powered by inclusion"

By Juan Torres, CRD, USCG HQ

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). During this time, we honor the numerous contributions of people who have disabilities and raise awareness about the workforce issues they face. The Department of Labor selected "America's Recovery: Powered by Inclusion," as this year's theme to reflect the importance of ensuring individuals with disabilities have full access to employment, economic opportunities, and community involvement during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. All Coast Guard Commands and units are encouraged to commemorate this observance through in-person gatherings as permitted or use remote collaboration platforms, websites, newsletters, and social media to recognize this observance.

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