During January 2024, the AAUW Port Townsend branch is recognizing Velda Thomas, a woman of the diverse global majority. Thomas has lived in Port Townsend for over sixteen years. She is a writer, poet and published author. She is also well known for her work in holistic health, shamanic work, and as a ritual leader. “Love of creative expression has been a constant thread running through my life.” Whether visual, written or performance, she has dabbled in it all blending genres to expose distinct hybrid forms of personal expression. Her current practices and interests include sound, somatic movement, clay, printmaking, poetry and personal narrative. In December 2023 she completed an art residency at Fort Worden. She believes that now is a time for her to combine all her gifts into a focus on community wellness and support. “We need one another to resonate, create, and hold each other,” Thomas states. She asks something we can all consider, “How can I be more human-caring?” She is also currently focused on the needs of the local BIPOC community.
She is married, and has two grown children. From her website, Thomas was “born in England, UK with family ancestry sourced from Africa, the Caribbean and the America’s. She has worked as a fashion designer, kindergarten teacher, adult educator, birth doula, massage therapist, and sound practitioner.”
here in Port Townsend. Natalia immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 2012 after earning her BA degree there and has many talents from design, sewing, organizing, and management. In Mexico she worked as a fashion designer/illustrator for jeans from design through the industrial process to the final product. Locally, she has created original designs and up-crafting clothing in children’s wear, then sewing and selling her items. Through her volunteer work for Dove House, she was encouraged to apply for the position at JCIRA, and was hired.
At JCIRA she works with immigrants from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rice, Panama, Peru and more – all here in our community. She also represents JCIRA in area schools during equity training for teachers and staff so that they can better serve our diverse population. One of her passions is serving immigrant children by seeking collaboration with groups to fund local camps and after school activities for these students. She involves her daughter in many of her activities to set an example of being an advocate for others.
The AAUW of Port Townsend is honored to recognize Tonia Burkett as a vital woman of the global majority in our community. Ms Burkett earned her BA and MA degrees in Portland, OR and worked on her doctoral studies in North Carolina as a Ford Foundation Fellow. Her work is centered on community organizing and education through consulting and workshops. She has her 
