A Season of Change, Transition, and Regrounding at Allyship in Action

As we enter the end of a long smoky Central Oregon summer with the promise of crisp fall evenings on the horizon, Allyship in Action is also in a season of change, transition, and regrounding. 

Three years ago, a group of community members dedicated to social justice came together informally to provide an anti-oppression and allyship workshop for the City of Bend’s Welcoming Week. It’s hard to believe how much has evolved since then. Three of us — Erin Rook, LeeAnn O’Neill, and Kerani Mitchell — formed the company Allyship in Action. We are grateful to be a part of the social change ecosystem of Central Oregon and rooted in place-based work to advance equity and social justice with such a thoughtful and inspiring team of contractors from across the region.

With this year’s Welcoming Week kicking off on September 10th, it is with bittersweet feelings that we also announce our company’s largest evolution since its formation — Erin Rook’s departure from Central Oregon and his partner role at Allyship in Action. After 8 years here and many of those living apart from his husband, Erin has joined him in California. Erin will continue to be a beloved friend and new contractor with Allyship in Action in the collective movement for liberation. We are so excited to see what Erin decides to do as we know he has a thousand ideas brewing for his future! 

We are not taking new clients at this time while we focus on the work we currently have committed to and to provide us time and space to adjust to this change and transition. We have some exciting ideas on how we can continue to refine our approach to this work and will provide updates as we dream, change, and reground. We thank everyone for their understanding and patience. 

If your organization is interested in engaging in transformational social justice work in 2022 with us, please refer to our request for services form for more information. 

In solidarity,

LeeAnn and Kerani