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Announcing our BIPOC Behavioral Health Report - Available in English and Spanish
Announcing our Portland Charter Review Toolkit
Fall 2021 Equity Lens Newsletter
2021 Legislative Recap
A Historic Legislative Session for Racial Justice
Our Victories, and the Work Ahead
The Oregon State Legislature adjourned Saturday, June 26. Over the course of the session, we moved from some of the most acute COVID-related public health impacts toward an equitable recovery marked by meaningful action for racial justice.
2020 made the conversation on racial justice more salient than ever at the legislature, and CCC was positioned to help pass groundbreaking racial equity legislation. Read the original priority agenda we set in January, and learn more about how CCC develops its legislative agenda here.
Amidst the challenges of an all-remote session, CCC had a more robust legislative advocacy program than ever under the leadership of our new Advocacy Director, Elona J. Wilson. We regularly testified at hearings and informational briefings, submitted written testimony, met with legislators, supported coalition and grassroots organizing, and spoke with the media to advance our racial justice agenda. Beyond our direct lobbying, we also were invited to speak at informational briefings including the structural racism of our tax system, improving community access to the legislature, and making legislative service more accessible for all Oregonians who want to hold office.
Our member organizations and partners came together and built powerful coalitions to achieve these wins. The BIPOC Caucus—representing the largest class of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) legislators ever—demonstrated the power of collective action and led the way toward racial justice. Three of these legislators have strong ties to CCC. Sen. Kayse Jama, former executive director of our member Unite Oregon, Rep. Khanh Pham, former Manager of Immigrant Organizing at our member APANO, and Rep. Andrea Valderrama, CCC’s former Advocacy Director, all played critical leadership roles. We thank all of the members of the caucus for their leadership, and to their allies who joined them in this effort.
In addition to CCC’s agenda, our members saw significant wins on items like $80 million in safety investments on 82nd Avenue, Cover All People (health care for all eligible low-income Oregonians, regardless of immigration status), increasing access to mental health care for BIPOC Oregonians, and many more. We celebrate their leadership and the victories they won to strengthen their communities.
Our 2021 Agenda
Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity
The Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity campaign’s three bills all passed with broad support, positioning us toward a more equitable climate future. This statewide campaign brought together an unprecedented coalition of frontline advocates from rural, coastal, BIPOC, and low income communities who worked tirelessly to take action for climate justice.
Energy Affordability (HB 2475) will help Oregon families afford their energy bills through lower energy rates for residential ratepayers with lower incomes who most need the relief.
100% Clean Energy for All (HB 2021) will transition Oregon’s electricity to 100% clean energy by 2040—the fastest timeline in the nation. It centers benefits for the communities and workers most impacted by climate change and extractive industries.
Healthy Homes (HB 2842) invests $20 million in fixes to make homes safer to live in and more affordable to heat and cool while providing living wage jobs through home repairs work.
Our environmental justice team played a critical role in this coalition. Nikita Daryanani, CCC’s Climate & Energy Policy Manager, said, “Oregonians in every part of the state are going to see major benefits from more clean energy, such as good-quality jobs, community ownership of disaster-resilient solar projects, and less air pollution,” with the entire package helping low-income families afford their utilities and essential home repairs.
Immigrant and Refugee Justice
Welcoming Refugees and Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement
Immigrant Oregonians are part of our families, communities, workplace, classmates and faith communities. We all deserve the opportunity to thrive, which includes providing the support our immigrant and refugee communities need, and ensuring they are safe from unfair harassment and profiling.
Sen. Kayse Jama, the first former refugee elected to the Oregon State Senate and former executive director of CCC member organization Unite, led the passage of legislation to create a state Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement (SB 778), and allocated resources as part of Welcoming Refugees (SB 718 and ultimately passed in the budget bill) so that our state can better support our community members who make Oregon their home.
Sanctuary Promise Act
Immigrant Oregonians deserve safety, fairness, and dignity. Voters and legislators have expressed their commitment to these values, but in practice, we are failing to meet them. Just like other Oregonians, they should be free from racial profiling and threats to their safety The Sanctuary Promise Act (HB 3265) strengthens and clarifies Oregon law to live up to these values of safety and fairness for immigrant communities. It draws a clear line between our local institutions and federal immigration enforcement and allows those unjustly harmed to enforce their rights in court.
Economic Opportunity
Oregon IDA Initiative
Matched savings accounts (Individual Development Accounts, known as IDAs), are a critical asset-building tool for BIPOC Oregonians to help them achieve their financial goals such as entrepreneurship, higher education, or buying a home. A number of CCC’s members participate in this program. This year, the initiative emerged even stronger, with the passage of the coalition’s entire legislative package, including full funding and changes that will benefit participants by making it easier to save and better meet their needs.
Child Care for Oregon
Our child care system has long failed to meet the needs of working families. Like other inequities, this burden falls heaviest on BIPOC families in Oregon. With the COVID pandemic devastating the system, the need for sustained public investment has never been clearer. A strong, racially equitable child care system is essential to the wellbeing of our children and economic opportunity of our families. HB 3073 is a step toward building a child care system that works for all Oregonians. The passage of this bill will allow for better coordination of services and funding; help rebuild the child care sector after the pandemic; and provide immediate relief to our most vulnerable families trying to access child care during the recession by reforming the Employment Related Day Care program to better serve children, parents, and providers.
Education Justice
CCC was an active member in a new coalition, Oregon Partners for Education Justice. Together, we worked to build a legislative agenda to invest in a more inclusive, equitable and racially just public education system through policy and investments in the success of students of color. This year, we also worked to pass HB 2001, a critical strategy to maintain a racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse educator workforce that supports student success, especially for BIPOC students.
Stable Homes for All
With Oregon’s eviction moratorium set to expire on June 30, we worked as part of the Stable Homes coalition to pass SB 282, which would give tenants until February 2022 to repay their back rent and provided other protections. While not ideal for tenants, the infusion of federal rent assistance and hard work of service providers would help Oregonians stay in their homes. When it became clear that rent assistance would not be disbursed in time, the Legislature passed SB 278 to ensure renters who were waiting on assistance would not be evicted. Given the challenges with getting rent assistance to those in urgent need, we are seriously concerned that stronger action is needed to ensure no one loses their home due to the pandemic.
Strengthening Democracy
Missed Opportunities
Ranked choice voting (SB 791), a voting method that allows every voter’s voice to count, and improved voter demographic data collection (HB 2745) did not pass this session. We look forward to returning next session. While our priority bills did not pass, other major improvements for our electoral system passed, including language access for the voter pamphlet and counting ballots postmarked by election day, did make it through.
Justice Denied
A Missed Opportunity to Transform Criminal Justice
After the murder of George Floyd and the uprisings for Black lives, CCC took up community safety and transforming the legal system as a top priority with renewed urgency. This legislative session, HB 2002 was our top priority in that effort. The bill would have limited unnecessary police stops and arrests, transformed community supervision with approaches that promote public safety and success, and invested $8 million to community-based, culturally specific services.
Despite the legislature’s stated commitment to racial equity, and the recognition of the profound harm that the criminal legal system does to Black and brown Oregonians, a small number of legislators blocked this legislation in the final stages. Our coalition accepted many amendments that pared down the bill, but we know the final version would have been a meaningful step toward justice that would benefit the Oregonians who have been—and those we know will be—devastated by our criminal legal system.
While this was a painful missed opportunity for major change, we are heartened that some important policies in HB 2002 ultimately passed in other bills. Through SB 620, Oregon became the second state in the nation to eliminate fees for post-prison supervision, probation, and parole, helping tens of thousands of folks impacted by the criminal legal system achieve financial stability so they can care for their families. HB 2172 also expanded earned leave for Oregonians on post-prison supervision, allowing a greater reduction in time on supervision so folks can focus on rebuilding their lives and connecting with their community after incarceration.
A number of important investments also came out of this advocacy, including new grant-supported Restorative Justice programs (HB 2204); the Reimagine Safety Fund, Black community-led workgroup that will develop community safety alternatives, and funding for the Criminal Justice Commission to support a Transforming Justice Initiative that invests in communities of color with practices that equitably reshape Oregon’s public safety system.
CCC also worked to secure resources for our members to provide community-based, culturally-specific responses to gun violence through American Rescue Plan funds, but we know that this is ultimately just filling a gap. We also credit the BIPOC Caucus leading the way toward police reforms. But real change is needed more urgently than ever.
As a member of the Transforming Justice Coalition that fought to pass HB 2002, our Advocacy Director Elona J. Wilson said, “‘We’re deeply disappointed that Senate leadership didn’t step up, but we’re not going to stop fighting for the policies our communities need.” We call upon the legislature to pass these reforms in the short session next year, we will put in our full effort, and we will accept nothing less.
Looking Ahead
The road toward systemic change is long, but we reached a number of new milestones this year. All of the bills passed will improve the lives of BIPOC Oregonians and make our state stronger. These were only possible thanks to the years of organizing by community advocates. Their work laid the groundwork for real change amidst the ongoing crisis of the pandemic. As we celebrate our wins, we know we have much work to do to continue building our coalitions for racial justice. This session was historic in many ways, but like every session, we leave with much more to do. Over the coming months, we will develop our priorities that will build on our wins and continue to fight for the change our communities need, preparing for the 2022 legislative session, the elections, and beyond. We know that the power of community is transformative, and we will continue to build this power through the collective action of our members and many partners who share our vision for racial justice in Oregon. We hope you will join us in this journey.
Support Our Work
Our legislative advocacy work is only possible through the support of our donors. Systemic change relies on individual supporters who believe in our mission for racial justice. Please consider celebrating our victories and preparing for the work ahead by making a contribution today. Thank you.
Announcing Our 2021 Legislative Agenda
The 2021 legislative session has just begun, and the Coalition of Communities of Color is proud to release our priority legislative agenda. Every session, CCC engages throughout the legislative process to pass bills that increase opportunity and advance racial justice for communities of color.
As we continue respond to the pandemic, we also are looking to systemic change that will create a more equitable future for all. Our agenda is made up of legislation identified by our members, who work directly with communities to build solutions that will enable Black, Indigenous, and other Oregonians of color to thrive.
Our 2021 Priority Legislation
Supporting Families
Community Safety
Economic Justice
Strengthening Democracy
Immigrant and Refugee Justice
Environmental Justice
We'll also be building on our work around education justice, health equity, and more. Learn more about specific legislative items on our website here, and you can also download a PDF of our agenda. We'll be adding updates and more information as the legislative session advances, as well as opportunities for community members to get involved.
Learn more about CCC’s endorsement process and what it means here. The positions on our agenda represent only the position of CCC as a coalition and not individual members. Please contact CCC's Advocacy Director, Elona Wilson, at elona@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org with questions.
October 2020 Equity Lens Newsletter
CCC Job Announcement :: Climate & Energy Policy Manager
The Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) seeks a Climate and Energy Policy Manager to support CCC’s environmental justice program. The ideal candidate will perform in a fast-paced environment that consistently pursues new mission-driven opportunities as well as thrive in a dynamic, multicultural environment and be motivated by the CCC’s mission, including its commitment to environmental and climate justice. They will understand how to be collaborative, inclusive, and accessible while leading in development of climate and energy policies that meet the diverse needs of Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities in Oregon.
