Welcome to our April 2026 newsletter
Be a Part of our Milestone Year + CCC Updates
Spring is all about new beginnings and fresh growth. As we celebrate 25 years as the Coalition of Communities of Color, we’re doubling down and building on our values as we navigate political headwinds. Everything that got us here continues to guide us as we grow, strengthen our work, and invest in the generations to come.
Read our updates to learn how we’re moving this work forward and opportunities to celebrate this milestone year with us!
Celebrating 25 years: The Summer Soirée is back on June 18 at OHSU
Don’t miss this year’s Summer Soirée.
Join us as we celebrate 25 years of coalition building, impact, and community. This milestone event will be an unforgettable evening honoring our journey while looking ahead to the future. Purchase your tickets today and be part of a night of reflection on what we’ve achieved together and the work that still lies ahead.
Our celebration includes delicious bites from local, culturally-specific restaurants, lively music, exciting raffle and auction packages, and a few fun surprises along the way.
Become a sponsor today and bring communities together to advance racial justice in Oregon. By committing now, you will be a key partner in driving our collaborative efforts forward. Click here to learn about the different sponsorship levels available and the benefits that come with supporting our event.
Our celebration includes delicious bites from local, culturally-specific restaurants, lively music, exciting raffle and auction packages, and a few fun surprises along the way.
Become a sponsor today and bring communities together to advance racial justice in Oregon. By committing now, you will be a key partner in driving our collaborative efforts forward. Click here to learn about the different sponsorship levels available and the benefits that come with supporting our event.
From Memphis to Portland, we're moving climate justice forward
The Coalition of Communities of Color’s (CCC) climate justice and health equity work will continue to grow as one of 32 organizations nationwide selected to receive grant funding as part of the Kresge Foundation's Climate Change, Health, and Equity (CCHE) initiative. CCHE strengthens a unified movement for climate justice and health equity by advancing community-driven solutions and national movements through a network of community-based organizations, health institutions, public health departments, and health practitioners.
To kick off the three-year initiative, grantees came together in Memphis, Tennessee, in March for a two-day convening that centered relationship-building and learning. As the sole CCHE initiative member representing the Pacific Northwest, staff from our Environmental Justice and Research programs had the opportunity to present on panels focused on public health and successful cross-sector partnerships, and the use of community data in uplifting environmental justice. We had a great time learning about local environmental justice work and about Memphis' rich racial justice history.
CEDAR: Tending data for healthier communities
Did you hear? Our community data ecosystem has a name! Over the past few years, through the MADE for Health Justice Initiative, we’ve worked with local and national partners to conceptualize a community-centered data hub. Its goal is to help local community organizations store, organize, and use their data to further health and climate justice.
What are we calling it? The Collective Environmental Datahub for Action and Resilience, also known as CEDAR.
Our initial release will focus on aggregating and sharing existing datasets. This will help environmental justice groups better coordinate their advocacy strategies by understanding who organizations are working with, what issues they’re addressing, and where their work is taking place. While the project is still in the development phase, we are excited to launch our Environmental Justice Community Data Cohort this spring. For the next six months, six community-based EJ organizations will join us to learn how to organize, analyze, and use community data in preparation for CEDAR.
Want to learn more? Watch our latest video sharing our vision for a more just and healthier Portland. You can also visit our dedicated landing page to learn more about this project.
Building Power for Communities of Color
Did you know that CCC has a political sister organization? Building Power for Communities of Color is dedicated to cross-cultural political action for racial justice. Learn more about what they do, including who they’re supporting this election cycle by visiting their website ColorOregon.org and signing up for their mailing list.
Read CCC's 2026 Legislative Recap: The Oregon Legislature wrapped up their 2026 short session. From winning stronger protections for immigrants and refugees to successfully passing fairer policies for renters and making our state budget more resilient to federal headwinds, we are proud to lift up the key victories many of our coalition members won for our communities. Read our blog post to see what you missed.
American Troubles: A Tale of Two Democracies
America’s political system isn’t working the way it should. In Portland, CCC led the charge to reshape Portland’s charter by helping to pass proportional representation and ranked choice voting in 2022. These reforms are transforming our local elections to be more equitable and driving meaningful representation in our local leadership. In fact, just two years after adopting these changes, voters elected the most diverse City Council in Portland’s history.
Take a closer look at what we accomplished in Portland in this new documentary from More Equitable Democracy, “American Troubles: A Tale of Two Democracies.” The film includes familiar faces including our own Executive Director Marcus Mundy and Deputy Director Jenny Lee. The film explores how proportional representation can transform electoral systems to be more inclusive, uplift communities of color, and decrease political polarization at a time when our country is so divided.
Stand with Workers on May Day
This May Day (Friday, May 1st), stand with workers from across the state in Salem, Oregon and show the strength of worker unity. Click here or scan the QR code on the flyer to learn more and join the movement.
