We stand in solidarity with Orange County’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community and condemn the anti-Asian rhetoric and hate crimes occurring in our community. Join us to #StopAsianHate. Learn More and Donate

The last year has magnified the challenges and divisions facing our community. But Orange County is stronger when we’re united—united in our diversity and in our passion to improve lives of everyone who lives here.

Cultures United is a new initiative to help promote conversation, collaboration, philanthropy, and unity. Informed and motivated by our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement, we’re excited to launch the virtual Cultures United Conversation Series.

CULTURES UNITED CONVERSATION SERIES

Brought to you by

Discover similarities within our community
Find pride in the different cultures that make up Orange County
Learn about the challenges facing our most vulnerable communities
Be inspired to take action

We will only be better together when we understand each other’s stories.

UPCOMING EVENT

CULTURES UNITED
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (PDT)

We’re excited to continue our Cultures United Conversation Series as we explore other cultures in Orange County.

In the past few months, our Cultures United chairs have created an opportunity for open dialogue, powerful insights, and sharing stories within the Asian-American, African-American, and Latino/Hispanic communities in Orange County.

Each conversation highlights the challenges faced by the community regarding representation and equal access as well as differences in languages and traditions. It also acknowledges the similarities in the experiences and ways of uplifting our community.

We invite you to join us as we reflect, share our learnings with one another, and work together to determine concrete actions we as a community need to take.

CHECK OUT PAST CONVERSATIONS

CULTURES UNITED CONVERSATION 1

This first event provided a candid start to conversations around diversity.

Sharing their own inspirational journeys, our three panelists, Ben Alvarado (Executive Vice President and Director of Core Banking, California Bank & Trust), Martha Daniel (CEO and President, Information Management Resources, Inc.), and Tam Nguyen (President, Advance Beauty College), also explained why they’re optimistic about the future of Orange County.

View event recording here.

CULTURES UNITED CONVERSATION 2

Our Cultures United Conversation Series continued with a deeper look into the Vietnamese community in Orange County.

Our featured speakers Tam Nguyen, President, Advance Beauty College, Linda Nguyen, Director of Community Relations, 360 Clinic, Derrick Nguyen, Attorney At Law, Law Offices of Derrick H. Nguyen, and Anne Nguyen, a former Youth Career Connections intern, shared their experiences as Vietnamese-Americans, the model minority myth, how the Vietnamese community has navigated the pandemic, and the opportunities that are available for collaboration with other Asian-American sub-groups.

Despite differences in languages and backgrounds among the various ethnic and generational groups, there are similarities in the experiences we share living in Orange County.

View event recording here.

CULTURES UNITED CONVERSATION 3

This Cultures United event provided an intimate look into the African-American community in Orange County.

Our featured speakers Martha Daniel, Information Management Resources, Inc.; Mayor Letitia Clark, City of Tustin; Dereck Moore, Building Maintenance of Tomorrow and 100 Black Men of Orange County; Starlerra Simmons, Advocate and Activist; and Doniel Sutton, Fastly, Inc. shared their experiences of growing up and living as African-Americans in Orange County, the challenges faced by the community regarding representation and equal access, and how we can acknowledge our differences while celebrating our similarities across cultures.

The conversation continued essential dialogue about equity, opportunity, and how we can help uplift each other as a community.

View event recording here.

CULTURES UNITED CONVERSATION 4

Our Cultures United conversation yesterday highlighted the Latinx community in Orange County.

Featured speakers Ben Alvarado, California Bank & Trust, Dolores Arredondo, City National Bank, Jamie Ramirez, CSULB student, and Richard Sanchez, CalOptima, shared stories of their upbringing, social inequities experienced by the Hispanic population, and how culture plays a role in corporate/professional settings.

View event recording here.