From November 14, 2016 – November 17, 2016 Mariam Kabaha, Israel’s National Commissioner for Equal Employment Opportunities (EEOC) visited the Pacific Northwest. Commissioner Kabaha is currently the highest-ranking Arab woman in Israel’s civil service and is responsible for mainstreaming equality and eliminating discrimination in the workplace on 16 grounds that include gender, age, nationality, and sexual orientation. Her goal is to have civil and private sector diversity in Israel reflect the population’s diversity.
The Commissioner began her visit in Seattle, WA and presented to the Washington State Bar Association followed by a lecture on equality in the workplace to students and faculty at the University Of Washington School Of Law and the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. Ms. Kabaha met with the City of Seattle Office for Civil Rights to learn about and exchange policy ideas related to collecting public sector data on workplace discrimination and types of trainings that are valued by employers. Her visit to Seattle concluded with a community event at Temple B’nai Torah in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.
In Palo Alto, CA Commissioner Kabaha met with Latina and Israeli-American businesswomen and tech entrepreneurs at an event hosted by the Israel Collaboration Network (ICON) to learn about their experiences in Silicon Valley and to share what she and the EEOC are doing to support women in tech.
In San Francisco, CA Ms. Kabaha spoke at the Women in the Workforce Conference held at the African American Art and Culture Center that was co-hosted by the Consulate General of Mexico, the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, the National Council of Jewish Women, and Shalom Bayit. The Conference addressed the current status of women in the workforce from international, national, state and local perspectives. In Oakland, CA the Commissioner concluded her visit to the Bay Area as part of a panel presentation with the State Bar of California to members of the California Labor and Employment Law section.
Ms. Kabaha’s visit was an excellent and successful opportunity for two regions committed to equality to discuss and collaborate on ways to improve the workforce for all individuals seeking employment.