Beginning in February and running through this month, the Community Conversations series centered on building more inclusive neighborhoods, an intergenerational conversation with Asian Americans, family histories and more.

In co-sponsorship with the city of Mercer Island and ONE MI — and other organizations along the way — the seven-part series concluded with “Mitigating Implicit Bias” on Dec. 8.

Trainer Hitomi Katsumi conducted the webinar as a representative of Right To Be, an organization that focuses on making “a world that’s free of harassment and filled with humanity,” according to its website.

Merrill Thomas-Schadt, the city’s senior management analyst, said that one of the areas that Katsumi touched upon was identifying and addressing implicit bias. The strategies that Katsumi provided included, “asking questions instead of making assumptions, employing techniques to reduce stress during an uncomfortable interaction, and broadening your exposure to communities and perspectives outside of your norm,” Thomas-Schadt noted.

Along with the aforementioned topics covered during the series about diversity, equity and inclusion, there were also webinars that delved into “disability” as a strength and how to be an ally, a two-parter for both teens and adults.

Other groups who took part in the series were Do the Work MI, the Mercer Island High School (MIHS) Education Coalition for Asian American Representation, the Stroum Jewish Community Center, Mercer Island Historical Society, the Washington State Jewish Historical Society and the MIHS Black Student Union.

The initial webinar took place on Feb. 2 and panel members discussed the history of segregation and racial covenants on Mercer Island and in Seattle and the steps needed to be taken to move toward inclusive community.

The Jenny Lay-Flurrie-led Nov. 7 presentation, “Disability and Accessibility,” has been shared throughout the community and Thomas-Schadt noted that, “the city has already taken steps to make its meetings more accessible by amending the process to request assistance in attending them.”

Microsoft chief accessibility officer Lay-Flurrie, who is deaf, noted during her presentation that vital discussions about disabilities and accessibility need to take place.

After the city council appropriated $60,000 in the mid-biennial budget to go toward the series in December of 2021, the path was clear to include the series on the 2022 city docket, according to a council document.

Currently, there are no Community Conversations plans for 2023, said Thomas-Schadt, who added that the city has forged connections throughout the series that can lead to future culturally diverse and inclusive events in partnership with various Island groups.

One of those groups is ONE MI (Organizing Network for Equity), which states its mission on its website: “To enhance positive identity for children of color, advance cultural competency in the Mercer Island community, and drive community-level policy change for equity.”

When discussing the webinars on becoming strong allies, the group’s Danielle Damasius hoped that teens and adults would become empowered when heading into the community.

In June, ONE MI and the city were deeply involved in a pair of major community events at Mercerdale Park: the Mercer Island Pride Celebration and the Juneteenth Festival, which was organized by the MIHS Black Student Union.