By MC2 Jose Hernandez

NPASE Det. NW

Naval personnel from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility attended a breakfast hosted by the PSNS IMF Diversity Leadership Council and the African-American Employee Resource Group at the Olympic Lodge on Naval Base Kitsap- Bremerton, Feb 19.

The event paid tribute to African-American History Month and included static displays of prominent African-Americans throughout the history of PSNS IMF and Navy Region Northwest. The event also included a cultural development workshop on micro aggressions by keynote speaker and assistant professor of counseling at the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, Dr. Caprice Hollins.

“As a clinical psychologist I have to take and understand all aspects of my patient’s life and past experiences into consideration,” said Hollins. “And many of those times I have to take their race, gender or background and ask if that has been a factor because my experiences as a dark skinned woman may not be the same as those of women or men of different ethnic backgrounds.”

The workshop covered cultural relevancy and aimed at improving skill in effectively engaging all people of all cultures and backgrounds professionally in the workplace.

“Diversity does not mean that you have people of different colors or background in a set medium.” said Hollins. “The true meaning of diversity is when people of various colors and backgrounds can be themselves in their environment.”

Following the lecture, attendees had a chance to browse the static displays and ask Dr. Hollins questions.

“The command is a big place with people of various creeds and backgrounds and it is our goal to make it a more successful workplace,” said PSNS Mechanical Engineer and African American Employee Resource Group co-chair Deborah Brown. “We can accomplish this by recognizing all of the individual pieces and backgrounds that make PSNS such a great place to work.”