Tag Archive for: Pride Month

As Jama Software celebrates Pride Month with our current, former, and future LGBTQ+ employees, we’re feeling extra excited. We just heard the Supreme Court ruled in a landmark 6-3 decision that federal law protects LGBTQ workers from discrimination. That’s the way it should it be.

Jama Software remains committed to the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We make a conscious, concerted effort every day. We know we have more work to do, and we’ll stay focused where it matters: in board rooms, staff meetings, job interviews, and personal conversations. We’ve also re-upped our pledge to the Portland Tech Diversity Pledge through TechTown PDX.

We can’t hold our usual in-person Pride festivities to honor the LGBTQ+ community in our offices and beyond. Instead, our internal culture team has been hosting virtual Pride awareness meetings, we’ve been watching TedTalks, and having meaningful, open discussions. In addition, we’re making a donation to the non-profit New Avenues for Youth, a sexual and gender minority youth center resource center (SMYRC) dedicated to the prevention and intervention of youth homelessness.

Let’s share Pride recommendations.

This year Pride arrives in the midst of what feels like a watershed moment for the world, one where more people than ever are willing to stop, listen, learn, contribute, and take action if they can. To honor this moment and our LGBTQ+ community, we’ve posted a Pride Recommendation List on our internal site, where employees can share books, graphic novels, films and TV shows, podcast, websites, music, and nonprofits that speak to LGBTQ+ experiences.

We’d like to share that list with you now. Help us by adding more to it. You can reach out to us on LinkedIn. The best we can all do is continue to enlighten each other, and act where and when we can.

Happy Pride everyone. Hopefully next year, we can have the party this month deserves!

Pride Recommendation List (so far):

Books:

Graphic Novels:

Film/Television Shows:

Websites:

2020 Virtual Pride Guide

Non-Profits:

  • SMYRC – Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center (Portland)
  • COC Amsterdam – largest advocacy and support group in the Netherlands
  • Out In Tech – non-profit that unites the LGBTQ+ tech community
  • Solutions Not Punishment – builds power of Black, trans, and queer people to force systemic divestment from the prison industrial complex and invest in community support
  • Black AIDS Institute – working to end the Black HIV epidemic through policy, advocacy, and high-quality direct HIV services
  • Trans Culture District – the world’s first-ever legally recognized trans district, which aims to stabilize and economically empower the trans community
  • House of GG – creating safe and transformative spaces for community to heal, and nurturing them into tomorrow’s leaders, focusing on trans women of color in the South
  • Trans Justice Funding Project – community-led funding initiative too  support grassroots trans justice groups run by and for trans people
  • LGBTQ+ Freedom Fund – posts bail for LGBTQ+ people held in jail or immigrant detention and raises awareness of the epidemic of LGBTQ+ over-incarceration
  • The Okra Project – collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black trans people by bringing home-cooked meals and resources to the community
  • Youth Breakout – works to end the criminalization of LGBTQ+ youth in New Orleans to build a safer and more just community
  • TGI Justice Project –  a group of transgender, gender variant, and intersex people—inside and outside of prisons, jails, and detention centers—creating a united family in the struggle for survival and freedom
  • Princess Janae Place – provides referrals to housing for chronically homeless LGBTQ+ adults in the New York Tri-state area, with direct emphasis on Trans/GNC people of color
  • Transgender Law Center – changes law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression
  • Trans Women of Color Collective – exists to create revolutionary change by uplifting narrative, leadership, and lived experience of trans people of color

A record-breaking heat wave hit Portland, Oregon, this week but it didn’t stop the community from showing up to celebrate Pride Month – if anything it helped fuel the festivities. This month, as individuals, organizations, businesses, and allies, we came together to honor, celebrate, and show support for the LGBTQ+ community. And we at Jama Software were no exception.

Every year in June, the Pride flag can be seen hanging proudly on almost every block of the city, on t-shirts, and in storefront windows. First stitched together lovingly by political activist and designer Gilbert Baker in 1978, the Pride flag represents so much more than an identity, it’s a symbol of equality, pride, and most importantly, unity.

At Jama, this month and every month, we celebrate our very own current, former, and future LGBTQ+ employees. We are proud of their accomplishments and we are incredibly grateful for their contributions to our workplace and communities. True equality translates into richer, better lives for all of us.

Committing to the Work of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We acknowledge that there is a lot of work to be done and know that celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion cannot just happen on certain days or months. It must be a conscious, concerted effort that happens in board rooms, staff meetings, and in our personal conversations. We must continue to actively learn, go beyond our comfort zones, and see things from others’ perspectives. We cannot be wholly inclusive until every individual feels like they are heard, acknowledged, and appreciated.

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we have taken the Portland Tech Diversity Pledge through TechTown PDX. Jama employees regularly participate in AllyShift workshops through TechTown and receive Unconscious Bias training.

Last year, our very own Colleen Yeager was given the opportunity to speak at TEDxPortland about her powerful advocacy for transgender youth and the story of her own child discovering his transgender identity. Over 70 Jama Software employees showed up to support Colleen and hear stories from the community.

The event, themed “Bridges,” was focused on acknowledging our progress and exposing our challenges in the greater Portland community. Many were incredibly moved and inspired by Colleen’s story, and we are proud to call her a friend and colleague of Jama.

Jama’s Own Pride Celebration

This weekend on June 16th, we’re proud to be walking in the PDX Pride Parade alongside other local tech organizations who share our vision for diversity and inclusion including Smarsh, Cloudability, Airship, and Technology Association of Oregon.

And what would Pride month be without a big party?

On Thursday, June 13th,  we gathered together in our Portland HQ for a rainbow cake, music, drinks and a good time. Check out some of the photos from the event.

Happy Pride, everyone!