Hello Coalition of Communities,
The Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC), after 25 years of diligent and principled work, after 25 years of incredible staff and dedicated board leadership, after 25 years of helping to transform Oregon and its policies and workplaces from a monochromatic town into a diverse mosaic of people from all backgrounds, countries, and ethnicities, after 25 years of fighting the good fight, is still here: fighting for Oregon, fighting for justice, fighting for community.
As we barrel into summer, with all the good weather and good times it hopefully represents, I wanted to take a moment, on behalf of the staff and board of the Coalition of Communities of Color, to briefly reflect on 25 years of serving community, frequently navigating political and economic headwinds that challenged our work.
I want to thank the many leaders who preceded me and the host of leaders who will follow, all working for a better Oregon for all families, workers, students, and residents.
I hope all who are reading this earnest newsletter from the Coalition use this summer to refresh yourselves, reflect on our world and its challenges, and enter the fall with clarity of purpose and a ferocity of action to help the team here at CCC continue to make real change happen in Oregon for communities of color and for all Oregonians. CCC hasn’t had a single success in 25 years that did not include you stalwarts in our respective communities supporting us, and we still can’t do it without you. We look forward to the next steps.
In Solidarity,
Marcus C. Mundy - CCC Executive Director
Celebrating CCC's past and buidling our shared future
Thank you to everyone who joined us and supported us for this year’s Summer Soirée! Our annual fundraiser is an opportunity to connect with community and support the work we do to build more equitable outcomes for communities of color in Oregon. As we celebrated 25 years as a coalition, we honored the vision and leadership of our founders and the many partners who have helped shape our journey along the way.
✨Relive the night✨
A special thank you to our Presenting Sponsor the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) and to the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) for hosting us. We also want to extend appreciation to our wonderful speakers and featured guests, Senator Jeff Merkley, Governor Tina Kotek, OHSU President Dr. Shereef Elnahal, OCF President and CEO Lisa Mensah, and our keynote speaker Self Enhancement Inc. (SEI) and CCC founder, Tony Hopson Sr.
Missed our event? There’s still time to support our mission of collective action to advance racial justice by making a donation. You can also hear from CCC founder Mr. Hopson Sr. on why the Coalition was formed and why this work still matters more than ever on our blog.
CEDAR momentum continues
This spring, members of our Research Justice Institute and Environmental Justice team traveled to New Orleans for the final MADE for Health Justice Spring Convening. It marked the third and final gathering with our partner cities: Baltimore, Tucson and Pittsburgh, as we celebrated the accomplishments of the MADE initiative and lessons learned together. Supported by the de Beaumont Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this convening was not only a productive working session but a celebration of the relationships and progress we’ve built over the course of this initiative.
While the MADE grant funding cycle is coming to a close, the project itself is far from over. It has evolved into the Collective Environmental Datahub for Action and Resilience (CEDAR). We invite you to explore our ongoing efforts and learn more about this next phase through our new landing page. If you’re a community-based organization that would like to get involved, click here to learn more or contact CCC’s Data Ecosystem Manager at dallas@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org.
Community data = community power
We are thrilled to announce the official launch of the EJ Community Data Cohort, a hands-on learning community that brings together eight local environmental justice community-based organizations to strengthen their capacity for managing community data. Throughout this cohort, participants are diving deep into the essential practices of cataloging, coding, categorizing, and connecting the rich insights that emerge from their work, not as an abstract exercise, but as a sustainable habit woven into their daily practices.
To support this journey, the Research Justice Institute is working closely with the Environmental Justice team to develop user-friendly tools and strategies tailored to the desires and needs of these organizations, ensuring that valuable community knowledge is preserved, organized, and strategically ready to inform advocacy, storytelling, and future policy decisions.What is community data? Check out our Introducing Community Data, free for download!
Bringing partners together for environmental justice
This May, our EJ team and partners welcomed advocates, community leaders, government staff, and cross-sector collaborators for a second time in Eugene for statewide convening for environmental justice issues.
Through engaging conversations and shared learning, participants at our "Building Just Futures" gathering explored connections between water, energy, climate, and environmental justice while building relationships to strengthen collective action across Oregon. Thank you to all who joined us and a special thank you to Dr. Alai Reyes-Santos and Madi Prue for their support in organizing this event.
Community Engagement Opportunity: Join the Water Justice Leadership Institute.
Are you curious about where your water comes from, how it impacts our communities and how you can help support policies that make water safer, and more accessible for your community? Join the Water Justice Leadership Institute by Oregon Water Futures. We’re proud to be a part of OWF and elevate water priorities. Applications are now open until July 13, no previous experience is required! Click here to apply.
Apply for the Water Justice Leadership Institute by July 13! (Closed)
HANDS OFF PCEF: Join our growing coalition.
This week, we announced the opposition campaign to say Hands Off PCEF. The campaign has launched a new website to help protect the Portland Clean Energy Benefits Fund (PCEF) against a police-backed ballot initiative working to divert PCEF dollars from major climate investments to hire more armed police officers.
More than 75 complaints have been submitted to the Oregon Secretary of State alleging that signature gatherers for the initiative misled voters with false information while trying to collect the more than 40,000 signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot.
And a new complaint also alleges multiple election law violations and includes video evidence. Join us in urging Secretary of State Tobias Read to thoroughly investigate every allegation and ensure that only lawfully collected signatures are counted.
Tell Elections Officials: Only accept signatures collected lawfully
Backers of the measure—the Portland Police Association and wealthy special interests—have that the money would be used to fund other public safety initiatives, but the truth is 1PDX2026 can only be used to hire more police personnel, not anything else –– and it would instead undermine and even halt climate work already underway.
We need your help to spread the word! Visit the Hands Off PCEF website, sign up for updates, share it with your community, and donate as we organize to defend PCEF.