Welcome to the October 2020 edition of the Equity Lens!
IN THIS EDITION OF THE EQUITY LENS:
Message from the Executive Director
“BE NOT DISMAYED”
Dear Members, Partners, and Community,
If 2020 has taught us nothing else, it is the confirmation that communities of color remain under siege from every angle. Whether you speak of disparities in healthcare, employment, housing, transportation, immigration, criminal justice or just plain opportunity, we have been challenged.
But, my beloved community, be not dismayed. This newsletter is not a lament but rather a reminder that we have everything we need to move ahead. This is a celebration.
It is a celebration of your vote on November 3rd, a vote for change. It is a celebration that the brilliance that resides in our own communities is being shared one candidate at a time, one ballot measure at a time, one policy at a time.
Without communities of color, there would be no Student Success Act, addressing the needs of historically disadvantaged children; no Portland Clean Energy Fund, addressing environment justice and jobs for people of color; no Parks Bond measure; no Permanent Supportive Housing/Homeless Services measure; no chance for the much-needed Transportation measure to improve infrastructure and provide 37,500 jobs; and no Measure 110 addressing equitable public safety for Oregon. We know that supporting Preschool for all and the Portland Public School Bond measure will help OUR kids.
Communities of color know that these measures are more than taxes, and these candidates are more than figureheads.They are our protection, our future security, our entrées into full participation. We cannot and will not be denied. Our power, hard won, is the power of the vote to make needed change.
There is a reckoning coming, and soon.
2020 has been a hard year for us all, but: 2020 can be our greatest year, despite all, because it can be the beginning.
Vote. Lead. Now. Vote.
Respectfully,
Marcus C. Mundy, Executive Director
Coalition of Communities of Color
ELECTION UPDATE: BALLOT MEASURE ENDORSEMENTS
This year, CCC has endorsed four ballot measures that will advance racial justice and create more equitable opportunities for BIPOC communities. We make our endorsements by voting on members’ priorities. Read on for more information on our ballot measure endorsements, and vote by Tuesday, November 3 at 8:00 PM!
Let’s Get Moving (Measure 26-218, Metro region)
CCC and many of our members have been an integral part of Measure 26-218 from its inception. Let’s Get Moving puts our values of racial equity into practice by making critical transportation investments in neighborhoods that have long been underserved due to a history of racist transportation planning. The communities CCC represents deserve access to transit, safe streets and sidewalks, and the unionized jobs that this measure will create. This Metro regional measure invests in priorities identified by communities of color, including free public transit for high school students, and in the neighborhoods where many communities of color already live.
Preschool for All: Measure 26-215 (Multnomah County)
Every child deserves a great start in life. Measure 26-214 will give kids that start by providing every family with a free, quality, and culturally-responsive learning environment in classrooms where every teacher earns a living wage. A number of CCC members have led in the development and campaign for this historic measure that will create opportunity for children of color and their families.
Yes for Portland Schools: Measure 26-215
Yes for Portland Schools is a $1.2 billion bond renewal will create opportunity for BIPOC students in Portland Public Schools. It continues the rebuilds and remodels of Portland Public Schools high schools. CCC is particularly excited about focused investments in a new Center for Black Excellence in North/Northeast Portland students and schools, built out of the community’s vision. The bond will also help create a Multiple Pathways to Graduation, in addition to curriculum, health, safety, accessibility, and technology improvements.
Yes for More Equitable Public Safety: Measure 110 (statewide)
Measure 110 will help reduce disparities for people of color, immigrants, and refugees by removing unfairly harsh punishments for minor, nonviolent drug offenses. A Criminal Justice Commission report found that Measure 110 would virtually eliminate disparities in drug arrests and convictions. Kayse Jama, Executive Director of Unite Oregon and one of the leaders on the campaign, says, “Decriminalizing drug possession and expanding access to treatment will help reduce the racial disparities in our criminal justice system, and help all Oregonians who suffer from addiction.”
Remember to vote!
Tuesday, October 27 is the last day to safely mail in your ballot. Postage is free! After that, be sure to put your ballot in a dropbox by Tuesday, November 3 at 8:00 PM. Find your nearest dropbox here.
Note: CCC’s endorsement does not indicate a position for any of our individual members.
Bridges: Leadership Development Update
2020 Bridges Virtual Convening
This year, we gathered virtually for the 2020 Bridges Convening, with over 70 participants. Together we celebrated the work of our Bridges Alumni and recognized those who are driving systemic change on the front lines of COVID-19 and racial equity work. During our day-long program, we heard from distinguished leaders, Carmen Rubio (UNID@S graduate), Justice Rajee (African American Leadership Academy graduate) and Governor Kate Brown, share a few words and a call to action for our Bridges Alumni to be the representative leaders we so desperately need.
We partnered with the Luna Jiménez Institute for Social Transformation to deliver a dynamic work session led by Nanci Jiménez and her team. Through one of her signature workshops, the Virtual Constructivist Listening Module, we learned the transformational practice of Constructivist Listening which supports us to heal the root causes and effects of oppression, gain clearer thinking in the present moment, and build deeper relationships with ourselves and others.
"Being listened to through Constructivist Listening encourages emotional discharge—the necessary and often missing aspect of sustainable social justice work. This practice has profound impacts on our capacity to stand up against injustice and create transformational change." — Nanci Jiménez
We concluded our time together with a lively discussion on joining boards and commissions at local and state levels, with panelists from Multnomah County, the State of Oregon, and Bridges alumni who have firsthand experience serving on boards and commissions.
As we approach our ten year anniversary in 2021, we have much to celebrate. When CCC first launched the Bridges Leadership Program, our goal was to advance racial equity in Oregon by building a pipeline of leaders of color with more development opportunities, a deeper network of connections linking leaders of color to each other, and dismantling of structural racism. And that goal continues to be what we strive towards. We have made immeasurable progress, with over 500 alumni who are leading and driving systems change at the state and local level. Now more than ever, we must be committed to continue lifting up the needs of our communities and live by the values that drive us.
Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support!
PLATINUM SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
Bronze Sponsor
Multnomah Bar Association
Silver Sponsors
WorkSystems
Office of Governor Kate Brown
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE UPDATE
Energy Justice Leadership Institute
Help Shape Oregon’s Energy Future!
The Energy Justice Leadership Institute (EJLI) will create space for participants to learn together, share experiences, and shape our energy policy to ensure that it truly serves communities that are most impacted by our energy system.
5 Week EJLI Learning Series
The sessions will be held once per week on Zoom from 5:30–7:30 PM and will begin on December 3 and end January 14.
Week 1, Thursday, Dec. 3: Energy and You
Week 2, Thursday, Dec. 10: Where Does Energy Come From?
Week 3, Thursday, Dec. 17: Who Controls Energy?
Week 4, Thursday, Jan.7: Visions for Energy Future
Week 5, Jan. 14: Next Steps
Apply here to participate in the Energy Justice Leadership Institute. The application deadline is Friday, November 20, 2020.
$500/month stipends are available to support participant’s time spent in sessions. Stipends for Grassroots Action Team and anticipated at a similar amount, but exact amount to be decided, based on grant funding decisions
Portland Clean Energy Fund Update
“PCEF was created by frontline communities who know climate justice is racial justice. We would not have this opportunity without the community’s dedication to turn this vision into reality. I’m proud of and thrilled by this unprecedented effort by the community and the City.” —Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty.
The Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) has released its inaugural request for proposals (RFP) for $8.6 million of funding for green jobs, healthy homes, and community energy projects that focus on frontline communities. The City of Portland and the PCEF team welcome the community’s best ideas for addressing climate change and advancing racial and social justice. The PCEF program is requesting proposals for the $8 million–$9 million of grant funding from community organizations to:
Create green jobs in the clean energy sector and provide workforce training programs that offer a pathway to family-wage jobs for underserved Portlanders.
Fund improvements in the community through renewable energy and energy efficiency investments in homes and other buildings.
Support regenerative agriculture and other green infrastructure projects that sequester carbon.
Spur innovative projects that produce climate and community benefits.
Recognizing that our community’s needs are many and varied, the PCEF Grant Committee has designed an RFP process that strives to acknowledge the needs of applicants from small or larger community-based organizations. A guide to the process is available online, and a series of information sessions is scheduled to allow applicants to learn more and ask questions.
Important Dates
The RFP is already open and will close on Monday, November 16 at 11:59 PM.
Questions about the RFP must be submitted no later than Thursday, October 29, 11:59 PM
Applications due Monday, November 16, 11:59 PM
Awards announced late February 2021
Research Justice Update
The Research Justice Institute (RJI) at CCC has been working hard to develop a framework for rethinking how we research and collect data during times of crisis—and moving forward. We have heard from the community many concerns with research and data:
“We are tired of telling the government the same things over and over and seeing no changes.” “We are tired of one-off projects that feel extractive, taking information from our community to rubber-stamp decisions that are already made or strategies not informed by the community.” “We are tired of data that ignores, undercounts, misrepresents, and doesn’t honor the knowledge and expertise of our community.”
We hear you and are working towards a sustainable, community-led strategy of “data justice.” This term is not new and has been applied to address the ways data is used to surveil and profile certain populations, often marginalizing BIPOC communities. While this concern informs our understanding of data justice, our focus is on a community-centered data justice framework that addresses the harmful ways that data is used by dominant institutions across our state.
The RJI’s vision for data justice is that data should:
Make visible community needs, challenges, strengths, and solutions
Be representative of community
Be treated in ways that promote community self-determination
We will do this by elevating BIPOC community knowledge, expertise, and solutions as data and advocating for these data to inform decisions that impact communities of color. Also, we continue to work with governments and dominant institutions to provide guidance on data equity strategies, and hold them accountable so their data-informed work doesn’t erase, misrepresent or mistreat our communities’ wealth of knowledge and expertise. The goal is to offset flawed, exclusionary, and racist administrative data sets with data equity strategies and community-led data for more just outcomes.
We have some exciting plans for how we develop and grow community-led data. Please visit our website for more information about our approaches and how you can collaborate with us.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: PCRI
Kymberly Horner, Executive Director of PCRI
We recently had a chance to connect with Kymberly Horner, Executive Director of Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc. (PCRI), to talk about their mission, how they’ve responded to community needs in 2020, and the future they are seeking to build with an anchor of stable, diverse, and livable Portland neighborhoods.
For 28 years, PCRI has worked to build and rebuild community in the face of intentional exclusion of people of color in homeownership and denial of opportunities to build intergenerational wealth. Kymberly was drawn to PCRI because of its unique history and clear vision for community development. PCRI reinvests in communities that have been impacted by redlining, gentrification, and illegal mortgage practices that preyed on Black communities and resulted in their homes being taken through foreclosure. It took grassroots efforts that built broad political support to try and secure these homes to get them back into the hands of people in the community. PCRI’s work has grown to provide quality homes, both rentals and homeownership, that will enable families to build intergenerational wealth.
Kymberly came to PCRI in 2019 after 17 years working in economic development for the City of Oxnard, California. When Kymberly began, PCRI was on its way toward their goal of Pathway 1000—building 1,000 units in ten years. Despite the turbulence of 2020, PCRI’s extensive partnerships have enabled them to continue their work, including PCRI’s new multifamily apartment building, King + Parks, where families have already begun to move in, and a new homeownership project in Blandena.
PCRI’s extensive partnerships with organizations like the Housing Development Center and government entities have made the complex work of developing affordable homes possible. Some of PCRI’s plans for new homes have been bumpier, but have been moving forward. Government responses have included direct assistance for people impacted by the COVID-related housing crisis, as well as financial products that have made the already complex work of assembling financing viable. The Oregon Cares Fund for Black Relief and Resiliency has been another resource for PCRI. PCRI is currently preparing to apply for the Portland Clean Energy Fund, which has been a longstanding priority for CCC and many of its members.
2020 has brought unprecedented challenges to BIPOC communities, as well as new opportunities for change. Kymberly shared, “It was a very emotional experience to watch someone be murdered and watch how people rallied together to say Black Lives Matter and we need to start righting some of these wrongs. Watching it occur in PDX was even more moving and emotional.” While the emotional turbulence and disruptions have been taxing, the year has “certainly demonstrated that as an African American-led organization, [PCRI was] prepared to weather the storm through a financial crisis and pandemic.”
In addition to continuing to develop homes and support housing stability, Kymberly and the PCRI team are looking forward to launching deeply into their Pathway 1000 initiatives and other emerging projects as they continue building community through housing. No matter the climate we are in, PCRI will continue to play a critical role in serving the housing needs of Portland’s Black community and beyond.
CCC STAFF & THEIR ANIMAL FRIENDS
2020 has been a long year and with the election fast approaching, animal companions are an important part of supporting our team! Meet CCC staff with some of their favorite animal friends, past and present!
Mira Mohsini with Kaya and Bailey
Jenny Lee and godcat Eleanor
Taren and Thunder
Marcus Mundy with Baldwin (canine), Taylor, Hughes, and Nina
Anissa Pemberton and Roxie in Space (Credit: Gordon Weller)
Andres, Nick, and pumpkin Benito