SLO Equity Podcast

This episode has been more than six months in the making. We followed these proclamations as they were submitted, introduced, debated, celebrated, and, at times, challenged. When we started recording, we didn’t know where the story would lead, or how much these seemingly symbolic recognitions would reveal. There was simply too much for one episode, so we’re telling this story in two parts.

What does it mean when a local government chooses to recognize a community? And what does it mean when that recognition becomes controversial?

In this two-part episode of the SLO Equity Podcast, we look beyond the ceremonial language of proclamations to explore what they reveal about belonging, representation, and local politics in San Luis Obispo County.

Through conversations surrounding Arab American Heritage Month, AAPI Heritage Month, Pride Month, and Immigrant Heritage Month, we hear from people involved in bringing these recognitions forward and examine what happened when some proclamations faced resistance, controversy, or failed to receive full support.

These conversations remind us that proclamations may be symbolic, but the process behind them is not. Who gets publicly recognized, who is willing to offer that recognition, and where resistance emerges can tell us a great deal about where our community is right now.

Continue Learning

• Diversity Coalition San Luis Obispo County https://diversityslo.org
• SLO Equity Podcast https://diversityslo.org/sloequity
• San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/departments/board-of-supervisors
• GALA Pride & Diversity Center https://galacc.org
• NAACP San Luis Obispo County https://naacpslocty.org

About the Podcast

The SLO Equity Podcast shares local stories and conversations that explore equity, inclusion, power, and belonging in San Luis Obispo County.

The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Diversity Coalition San Luis Obispo County, its board members, partners, sponsors, or any organizations with which the speakers may be affiliated.

Find the SLO Equity Podcast at diversityslo.org/sloequity, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What does voting have to do with belonging?

In this episode of the SLO Equity Podcast, we sit down with City of San Luis Obispo staff to talk about representation, civic participation, and the move to Citywide Single Vote beginning with the November 2026 election.

We unpack what’s changing, why the change happened, what voters need to know, and how participation in local government extends beyond Election Day. And we wrap things up with a lightning round, a chance to have a little fun and get to know the people behind City Hall beyond their job titles.

Guests

• Matt Pennon — Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager
• Samantha Vethavanam — Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Administrative Specialist
• Natalie Harnett — Policy and Project Manager City of San Luis Obispo

Resources

• Citywide Single Vote information: slocity.org/voting
• The Belonging Project & DEI: slocity.org/diversity
• Questions about Citywide Single Vote: [email protected]
• Diversity Coalition events & resources: diversityslo.org

This episode of the SLO Equity Podcast recognizes Disability Pride Month through conversations about access, inclusion, employment, and belonging.

We begin with Jennifer Chassman Browne, disability advocate, writer, and speaker for Diversity Coalition's upcoming Disabilities 101: Access, Awareness, and Community event. Jennifer shares her own lived experience with disability, reflects on the meaning of Disability Pride, discusses recent federal disability policy changes, and introduces her upcoming book, See Us, Know Us, which highlights the diverse experiences of people with disabilities through personal stories.

We also hear from Andrea Wasko, local business owner whose company has intentionally created employment opportunities for people with disabilities. As she prepares to transition the business,Connoisseur Creations, Inc., to new ownership, Andrea reflects on the value of inclusive hiring and her hope that this commitment to opportunity and belonging continues into the future.

Together, these conversations explore a simple but important idea: accessibility is about more than removing barriers—it's about creating communities where everyone has the opportunity to participate, contribute, and belong.

Guests

• Jennifer Chassman Browne — Disability advocate, writer, and speaker
• Andrea Wasko — Business owner and community member

Resources

• Jennifer Chassman Browne: Preorder See Us, Know Us and learn more about Jennifer's work: www.jenniferchassmanbrowne.com
• Interested in continuing Andrea Wasko's mission of inclusive employment or learning more about the business? Contact Andrea at [email protected].

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Diversity Coalition San Luis Obispo County, its board members, partners, sponsors, or any organizations with which the speakers may be affiliated.

Thank You to:

Thank you to the City of San Luis Obispo - DEI Office - DEI High Impact Grant. Programs and projects supported by the City of San Luis Obispo funds are open and accessible to all otherwise qualified members of the public and without regard to race, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or disability.

Episode notes

This episode of the "SLO Equity Podcast — Making Space for Every Story", explores Pride beyond the month of June through a conversation with GALA Pride and Diversity Center, San Luis Obispo County's LGBTQIA+ community center.

As the first installment in our year-long Pride series, this episode reflects on the history of Pride as both a celebration and a protest, the evolution of LGBTQIA+ advocacy on the Central Coast, and the importance of creating spaces where people can experience belonging.

Guests Linnea Valdivia and Trevor Norcross discuss the history of GALA, why Pride still matters today, and what they hope the future of the LGBTQIA+ community in San Luis Obispo County will look like. Trevor also shares his perspective as the father of Lily Norcross, whose experience as a transgender student-athlete in Arroyo Grande became part of a national conversation. Together, they reflect on the power of public narratives and how communities can choose empathy, curiosity, and care over fear and division.

Guests:

• Linnea Valdivia — Program Manager, GALA Pride and Diversity Center
• Trevor Norcross — Vice President, Board of Directors, GALA Pride and Diversity Center

Pride All Year Long

In this episode you'll also hear brief excerpts from longer conversations with local LGBTQIA+ community members. Those full interviews will be released individually over the coming months as part of our Pride All Year Long series.

The views expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organizations.

Continue learning:

Diversity Coalition San Luis Obispo County — https://www.diversityslo.org

GALA Pride and Diversity Center — https://galacc.org

Resources for Transgender People - https://glaad.org/transgender/resources/

Fact Sheet: Transgender Participation in Sports - https://glaad.org/fact-sheet-for-reporters-transgender-participation-in-sports/

This episode is part of The Ethics Edit: Applied Ethics in DEI in the San Luis Obispo Community, a special subseries of the SLO Equity Podcast created and developed by Mikayla Mariano as part of her senior project at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), with support from the Diversity Coalition of San Luis Obispo County.

This episode of the SLO Equity Podcast features a conversation between host Mikayla Mariano and Father Ian Delinger, Rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in San Luis Obispo and host of Playing with Food on KCBX.

As part of The Ethics Edit, this discussion explores how ethical principles such as justice, dignity, inclusion, and responsibility take shape within community life. Drawing from his experiences in ministry, public engagement, and relationship-building across diverse groups, Father Ian reflects on what communities owe one another and how belonging can be cultivated in meaningful ways.

Together, Mikayla and Father Ian examine the ethical dimensions of inclusion in San Luis Obispo County, discussing the role of faith communities, the importance of recognizing human dignity, and the responsibilities individuals and institutions have in creating welcoming spaces. The conversation also considers how ethical values can help bridge differences and foster stronger, more connected communities.

Guest: Father Ian Delinger — Rector, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, San Luis Obispo; Host of Playing with Food on KCBX

Host: Mikayla Mariano — Host, SLO Equity Podcast; Creator of The Ethics Edit: Applied Ethics in DEI in the San Luis Obispo Community

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The views expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organizations.

To learn more about the Diversity Coalition of San Luis Obispo County, support our work, or get involved, visit diversityslo.org.

This episode was edited and produced by Mikayla Mariano, Velanche Stewart, and Rita Casaverde.

This episode of the SLO Equity Podcast — Making space for every story centers a conversation with men of color living in San Luis Obispo County on California’s Central Coast.

Recorded as an in-person roundtable, this discussion brings together four local voices to reflect on a simple but layered question: What is it like to be a man of color in San Luis Obispo County?

From navigating visibility and isolation to questioning how community is experienced across different spaces, the conversation surfaces both the progress in diversity and inclusion and the realities that continue to shape everyday life in SLO County.

Roundtable speakers:

• Ben Arona — Restaurant owner (Benny’s Pizza) and History Professor at Cuesta College
• Cornel Morton — Community leader and Board Chair, Diversity Coalition San Luis Obispo County
• Ernesto Reyes — Senior Coordinator for Equity & Inclusion, Cal Poly
• Velanche Stewart — Community member, creative, and Diversity Coalition's Community Outreach Committee member

The views expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organizations.

Continue learning:

• Diversity Coalition San Luis Obispo County — https://www.diversityslo.org Learn more about local programs, trainings, and community efforts.

The SLO Equity Podcast is back! In this relaunch episode, we talk about housing in San Luis Obispo County, not just as policy, but as something we’ve experienced and had to navigate ourselves.

We break down redlining in a friendly conversation, and connect it to what people are still dealing with today. We also interview RACE Matters' Executive Director, Courtney Haile, about their documentary short "Restrictions Apply". Courtney was also featured in a past podcast episode, Why San Luis Obispo Lacks Diversity, where we discussed the then-upcoming documentary release. Now, we return to it, capturing new reactions, reflecting on the film, and the work that still needs to be done.

This episode also includes reflections from an anonymous resident sharing their own experience navigating housing in SLO County. Real conversations, local context, and a deeper look at what’s shaping our community.

In this episode, we:

• Share lived experiences with housing in SLO County
• React to Restrictions Apply by RACE Matters SLO
• Reflect on how these systems continue to shape everyday life

SHOW NOTES

• Get involved with Diversity Coalition and the SLO Equity Podcast: https://www.diversityslo.org
• RACE Matters SLO – Restrictions Apply short documentary (18 mins): https://www.racemattersslo.org/restrictions-apply
• Previous episode: Why San Luis Obispo Lacks Diversity: https://www.diversityslo.org/sloequity

Understanding Housing Inequity

• A Gender Equity Perspective on California’s Housing Crisis 👉 Read the report
• European Institute for Gender Equality – Gender Mainstreaming 👉 Learn more
• California Tenants Guide - A guide to residential tenants’ and landlords’ rights and responsibilities 👉 Learn more

This episode is coming to you thanks to:

• Diversity Coalition San Luis Obispo County
• Diversity Coalition's Community Outreach Committee
• Special thanks to: Velanche Stewart, Chenda Lor, KT Bertrand, Yolande Sukal, Courtney Haile,

In this second part episode, M’Lynn Martin shares about how her voice was systematically shut down in San Luis Obispo County for standing up for what she believed in. This is what racism looks like today.

This episode was first published on 09/24/21

In this special 2 part episode M’Lynn Martin, a youth pastor shares how she was raised in San Luis Obispo county and what it was like to be on of the only black girls in north county. In the second episode you’ll hear how her voice was systematically silenced by the church she worked for in 2020 for speaking out against racism.

This episode was first published on 09/24/21

Garrett Olson, CEO of the Food Bank and Dr. Nooristani Founder of the Noor Foundation and Noor Clinic share their missions for serving the underserved and why people of color are often a large percentage of that population.

This episode was first published on 9/30/21