Coalition of Communities, happy June!
As we enter summer, we do so with purpose and Pride. We proudly stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community as they face ongoing attacks by this administration that undermine the lives of trans and queer folks, and disproportionately harming those who are also BIPOC, youth, and immigrants. This month we also celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month as well as Juneteenth, marking the end of slavery in the United States.
As an alliance of cross-cultural power, we honor this month by recommitting ourselves to the fight for racial justice, equity, and systemic change. We look forward to gathering with people who share our commitment to justice and equity at our event, the Summer Soirée: Rooted in Resilience happening next Friday.
This month we uplift our collective strength and remind ourselves that when united, we have always found a way forward and always will.
In Solidarity,
Marcus C. Mundy
Executive Director
🔔 ACTION ALERTS 🔔
Save the Multnomah County’s Office of Sustainability
Right now, the Office of Sustainability is at risk of being eliminated due to budget cuts. This office provides critical support to low-income and vulnerable Oregonians facing utility shutoffs and is actively working to hold polluters accountable. It’s also been an essential partner locally, working with us on co-developing community-led, climate strategies tools for a just future, including the county’s first-ever Climate Justice Plan.
Closing the office would mean losing momentum toward meaningful solutions that protect people from the growing threats of extreme weather and climate change. We urge the Board of Commissioners to maintain the level of funding set in the Chair’s proposed budget. Join us: Contact your representatives on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners and make your voice heard! Find your commissioner here and how to contact them here.
Protect City of Portland’s Diversity and Civic Leadership programs
CCC has been engaged in collaborative advocacy efforts, working alongside Unite Oregon, Urban League, IRCO, NAYA, and Latino Network to urge for sustained funding for the City of Portland’s Diversity and Civic Leadership (DCL) initiative. These programs work with BIPOC-led community based organizations to support and empower the next generation of community builders. Because of our collective work, we’re seeing growing support to restore funding to the DCL initiative. Community members are urged to contact City of Portland councilors directly and the council clerk at councilclerk@portlandoregon.gov to express support for restoring funding for the DCL initiative.
Joining community voices for change
Alex Riedlinger, CCC’s Advocacy Manager, joined our CCC member the Urban League of Portland on their lobby day at the Oregon State Capitol advocating for fair housing policies and assistance to prevent Oregonians being evicted from their homes.
Our Climate Justice and Health Coordinator, Santi Sanchez, spoke in front of the Ways and Means committee to share how the Water Equity Fund has strengthened our water justice work statewide.
CCC staff attended a lobby day for Unite Oregon, one of our coalition members. Along with dozens of other community members, we went to Salem in support of their 2025 Action Agenda advocating for housing protections, energy affordability, and investments to create more resilient communities impacted by climate change.
Together, with our members and partners, we have secured key policy victories via budget advocacy at Multnomah County effectively advocating to preserve vital programs such as School Based Mental Health and Homeless Employment Programs, while promoting the integration of the Successful Families Initiative into SUN community schools with a focus on culturally specific support. This led to commissioners proposing amendments to restore funding and protect services for vulnerable populations.
Sustaining our fight in a changing climate
Black, indigenous, and people of color are a part of frontline communities who are disproportionately impacted by negative effects of climate change. That’s why environmental justice is a critical part of our racial justice movement.
Last week, we gathered leaders from around the state for a conversation about how to make climate justice work more resilient against the current federal landscape. We are encouraged by the work being done and the people committed to making our planet a better place for everyone. Thank you to the University of Oregon Law Center for hosting us.
Check out this photo album for more photos!
In May we also hosted a community event in Portland about water affordability and access. Thank you to our friends at the Portland Water Bureau, Multnomah County and the Portland Harbor Community Coalition for joining us as speakers!
Data meets action
Stories, songs, maps, and more are all ways to capture community data. CCC’s Research Justice Institute flips the script on traditional research methods by centering the lived experiences and desires of the community, working shoulder to shoulder along the way. Read more about how we’re doing that in this profile "Coalition of Communities of Color Redefine Data Use" by the Northwest Area Foundation.
One of the ways we’ve used community data is through our research justice report on Clackamas County to highlight the ways community and dominant institutions should work together to make a county where everyone feels like they belong. Watch our video that shares more about why this work matters and how we can move it forward.