First Peoples' Community

The First Peoples' community includes students, staff and faculty of color at Evergreen. First Peoples' often gather for potlucks, community forums, political discussions and celebrations. During the Day of Absence gathering, the First Peoples' community spends the entire day away from the Olympia campus to welcome new members, renew acquaintances and discuss issues that affect the community of color. During the Day of Presence event, we gather together on campus as a demonstration of our unity. In June, we celebrate the end of the academic year with First Peoples' Graduation to recognize those who have made significant contributions to the community and honor the achievements of our graduates.

Evergreen is located just outside the Olympia city limits in Thurston County. People of color represent 15 percent of the population in Olympia; and 14 percent of the population in Thurston County are people of color.

There were 4,124 undergraduates enrolled during Fall Quarter 2006. Nineteen percent of the student body was students of color. There were 224 students of color who graduated with a bachelor degree in 2006. 23 percent of staff and 18 percent of faculty are people of color.

Undergraduate Student of Color Enrollment for Fall Quarter 2006

• African American 5%
• American Indian 4%
• Asian/Pacific Islander 5%
• Chicano/Hispanic/Latino 5%