SAVE THE DATE: 2018 CCC Legislative Action Day

Coalition of Communities of Color Legislative Action Day, February 8

Join advocates for racial justice from around the state at the Coalition of Communities of Color Legislative Action Day on Thursday, February 8, in Salem, Oregon. Advocates will be coming together to meet with legislators to talk about a racial equity agenda for the 2018 legislative session.

During the Legislative Action Day, you will:

• Hear from legislators leading on advocacy for communities of color
• Meet with legislators to share your story and talk about issues that are important to you
• Learn more about bills with an impact on communities of color

If you're new to legislative advocacy, this is a great way to get experience meeting with legislators. We will provide you with all the training and information you need. For experienced advocates, this is an opportunity to come together and show that policymakers must prioritize racial equity during this legislative session. The event is free and lunch will be provided.

Register here. Please contact Jenny Lee, CCC Advocacy Director, at jenny@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org with questions.

CCC Announcement :: Join Us In Welcoming Our New Advocacy Director

Dear Friends, Colleagues, Partners, and Supporters:

Please join the Coalition of Communities of Color in welcoming our new Advocacy Director, Jenny Lee. Jenny brings extensive advocacy, convening, and facilitation skills along with a passion for racial justice. Jenny comes to CCC from Neighborhood Partnerships, where she helped convene the Oregon Housing Alliance, engaging coalition members and partners throughout the state and to help develop state legislative priorities to ensure all Oregonians have access to safe and decent housing. With her leadership and coalition building skills, the Housing Alliance secured several key legislative and funding victories. We are very excited to have her join the team. For more information about Jenny's background read her bio here.

Jenny Lee will begin on October 2nd, and can be reached at:  jenny@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org.

CCC Announcement :: Amanda Manjarrez Transitions from CCC

Dear Friends, Colleagues, Partners, and Supporters:

It is with much joy and a tinge of regret that I am announcing that Amanda is leaving the Coalition effective July 31st. Amanda has accepted the position as Director of Advocacy at Latino Network. Please join me in congratulating her on this important position where she will no doubt excel.

During her time at the Coalition of Communities of Color, Amanda effectively set up a strong foundation for the Coalition's advocacy work. Amanda worked collaboratively with our members to achieve several legislative accomplishments in this legislative session and increased legislative accountability through the to be published Racial Equity Report Card. This year, the CCC Lobby Day had over 150 participants. In the fall of 2016, under her leadership, CCC helped pass 4 out of the five ballot initiatives CCC endorsed, including more resources for affordable housing and resources to improve high school graduation rates. At the City, CCC helped pass the Small Donor Elections reform that will increase political power for communities of color in Portland.

Even though I only got the opportunity to work with her for a short time, I will miss her commitment to and skills in collaboration, coalition building, and social justice organizing. Amanda is inspiring to work with, and I am sure she will continue to accomplish great things for our community.

In the next few weeks, CCC will hire a new advocacy director. Click the button below to view the full job announcement, and please forward to your networks.

CCC Announcement :: Julia Meier Announces Transition from CCC

Dear Friends, Colleagues, Partners, and Supporters:

I am announcing my transition from the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC). I am thankful to the best group of folks someone could work with: our members, staff, Board, partners and funders. I am indebted to the leaders who started meeting 16 years ago to form what would become the CCC. Individuals who saw that racial justice requires cross-cultural movement building. In 2009, I joined the CCC as its first staff member. Since then, we grew from an $85K budget into a more than $1M a year organization. We expanded from a one-staff shop to a growing and impactful organization with a well-earned statewide reputation as a leader in racial justice.

We have accomplished so much together.

• We highlighted the rich diversity of Oregon and uplifted the growing and thriving communities and organizations of color who call this region home.
• We spent 2009 to 2014 conducting research that lifted the veil off of regional narratives about race. It showed that Portland is neither as white nor the utopia that some people tell themselves.  Communities of color are large and growing rapidly. There are deep and broad racial inequities.
• We tirelessly advocated on behalf of culturally-specific and pan-immigrant and refugee organizations for equitable public and private funding of communities of color. We moved from defending the utility of organizations of color to working in partnership with funders on how to operationalize equitable funding.
• We built our voice and visibility in Oregon politics so Oregon policy can be set by those most impacted by the issue. Our annual legislative action day earlier this month had more than 150 participants. We are creating a 501(c)(4) organization.
• We created Bridges - the CCC's leadership development initiative to promote representative leadership. Bridges includes six culturally-specific leadership development programs united under one cross-cultural umbrella that collectively graduate about 100 leaders of color each year. In its fifth year, Bridges is moving into a new phase centered on robust advocacy and civic engagement.
• We are implementing a community based research project in Washington County. We have a full-time researcher who is partnering with local jurisdictions and community organizations to put together a first of its kind report on the lived realities of communities of color in Washington County.
• I am proud to have been a part of the CCC's journey. As far as we know, there is nothing like us anywhere in the country. Cross-cultural alliances tend to be time-limited or issue-limited.  And I know why. This work is hard and broad - it is about movement building - it is generational work - and it is about achieving racial justice.

Our work has never been more important. The CCC will be here to fight for representative leadership, built political power in communities of color, community-owned data and research, and equitable policies - including the re-balancing of resources - to tackle our community's toughest issues.

We have the right team in place at the right time to do this work. I give my deepest gratitude to, and I have the utmost confidence in, the CCC team: Kodey Park Bambino, Amanda Manjarrez, Shweta Moorthy, Rob Nathan, and Maggie Tallmadge.

I will be with the CCC for the next couple of months working full-time then part-time and a supporter of the CCC forever. The Board of Directors is leading the search process for the next Executive Director. Carmen Rubio at Latino Network is the point person on the Board for the hiring process and any questions or input you may have. Here is a link to the Executive Director Job Announcement. Please help me get the word out about the position.

I send my love to all the supporters of the CCC.

Julia Meier, Director

Coalition of Communities of Color

The CCC Seeks A New Executive Director

Title:                EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR  

Status:             Full-time, exempt

Reports to:      Board of Directors

Location:         Portland, Oregon

Position Overview

The Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) seeks a passionate Executive Director to advocate for real change by addressing socioeconomic disparities, institutional racism, and inequity of services experienced by our families, children and communities. The ideal candidate will have experience organizing communities of color and underserved populations for collective action resulting in social change to obtain self-determination, wellness, justice and prosperity.  

Formed in 2001, the CCC is an alliance of culturally-specific and pan-immigrant and refugee community-based organizations.  The CCC supports a collective racial justice effort through policy analysis and advocacy, culturally-appropriate data and research, and leadership development in communities of color.  The Executive Director serves as the chief executive officer of the CCC overseeing all operational and administrative functions.  The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and works with CCC staff in the daily operations of the CCC.

Responsibilities  

The Director’s top priorities are fundraising, organizational and staff development and relationship building with CCC members and partners.  The general duties of the Director include, but are not limited to, the following, and will evolve as the CCC continues to grow:

• Ensures ongoing programmatic excellence and consistent quality of finance and administration, fundraising, communications, and systems; recommends timelines and resources needed to achieve the strategic goals;
• Monitors and addresses all matters of organizational climate and culture;
• Manages and facilitates resolution of the sometimes competing demands and occasional conflicts among the various constituencies and member organizations of the nonprofit;
• Aligns multi-issue programs under a singular and focused vision and strategy;
• Ensures effective systems to track scaling progress, and regularly evaluates program components, so as to measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the board, funders, and other constituents;
• Develops, maintains, and supports a strong Board of Directors;
• Works with the Board of Directors in carrying out established policies, reviews those policies and makes recommendations for changes; attends meetings, ensures preparation of reports, maintains records and communicates about any emerging and pertinent internal and external issues that affect the organization;
• Develops a strategic plan with the guidance of the Board and members and with the support of the staff;
• Fosters a collaborative, mission-driven environment that engages, challenges and supports team members in meeting organizational and personal goals;
• Approves all matters regarding employment, retention, and dismissal of personnel;
• Represents the organization to all of its constituents;
• Represents the organization in its relations with business, state, and federal agencies and with local, state, regional, and national organizations;
• Actively participates in and leads the development and implementation of a fundraising plan;
• Identifies, cultivates and secures funding sources including major donors;
• Leads and facilitates professional development, coaching and support of CCC staff;
• Creates and oversees the organization-wide budget of more than $1M to ensure financial stability and growth of the organization, and develops staff capacity to assist in building and managing program budgets;
• Conveys financial information and concepts to the Board and staff;
• Deepens and refines all aspects of communications—from web presence to external relations with the goal of creating a stronger brand;
• Manages all aspects of non-profit compliance with local, state and federal regulations; and
• Uses external presence and relationships to garner new opportunities for the CCC.

Qualifications

• The Director should meet or exceed the following criteria:
• Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education;
• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive leadership experience with manager and/or director level experience, ideally working with and serving communities of color;
• Ability to understand and manage complex political situations and navigate high-stakes competing interests;
• Experience and demonstrated track record of success with fundraising and grant development;
• Experience creating and/or managing budgets of at least $500,000;
• Excellent verbal, written, and digital communication skills; ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences;
• Comfortable with community outreach with an intent to engage in the broader community as the face and ambassador of the organization;
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with people from different cultures and experiences; ability to lead and work with cross-cultural environments and occasionally regionally diverse environments including rural communities;
• Ability to develop and build relationships with tribal communities;
• Awareness of differences among vulnerable populations and the disparities faced by communities of color;
• Ability to learn and build on varying cultural and community norms of diverse CCC communities;
• Strong management skills, including managing a team environment and willingness to make difficult disciplinary and personnel decisions;
• Ability to communicate effectively with different constituents;
• Clarity of values that are critical to organizational culture, along with the ability to communicate those values to the organizational community; and
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule to meet the needs of the organization, including evenings and weekends. 

COMPENSATION

Starting salary is $75,000-$95,000 depending on experience.  Paid time off is based on tenure with the organization and is generously accrued.  We also provide medical, dental and vision insurance, a Flexible Spending Account, and Life Insurance.  Employees may enroll in a 401k retirement plan with employer contribution after one year of employment.  We provide an $80/month transportation stipend and a cellphone stipend.

TO APPLY

Please send a cover letter and resume via email to hr@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org.  No phone calls, please.  In order to ensure full consideration, please submit application materials by Tuesday, April 18, at 12:00pm.  All applicants will be notified once a hiring decision has been made.  In order to ensure a timely hiring process, please hold the following times for potential phone and/or in-person interviews: the afternoons of April 21, 25, 26, May 2, and May 5.  We anticipate a June 2017 start date.

Communities of Color Month of Action for Measure 97

October 14, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Amanda Manjarrez, 505-400-6513, amanda@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org

Communities of Color Month of Action for Measure 97

(Portland, OR) – Communities of color are increasingly engaged in Oregon’s future, with leading cultural organizations mobilizing voters for Yes on Measure 97. With Oregon’s demographics rapidly changing, and more than 1 in 4 Oregonians identifying as persons of color, Measure 97 would reverse decades of public divestment that have perpetuated racial disparities, investing in Oregon’s long-term health and prosperity.

In support of Measure 97, key organizations have announced plans to engage Oregon voters through door knocking, multilingual phone banking and bilingual ballot parties. Groups including the Coalition of Communities of Color, APANO, Causa, Unite Oregon, and the Oregon Latino Health Coalition are scaling up efforts with hundreds of new volunteers to reach 13,000 voters, including those who have been recently registered through Oregon’s New Motor Voter Law.

“We’ve struggled for 25 years as corporate profits have skyrocketed while health disparities persist and our kids don’t graduate on-time,” says Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons, Executive Director of APANO, adding, “Yes on Measure 97 balances the scales ensuring corporations pay their fair share so our children and Oregon will thrive.”

“Measure 97 will provide Oregon with the ability to make targeted investments in education that will improve outcomes for communities of color,” says Julia Meier, Executive Director of the Coalition of Communities of Color.

“Our groups are fired up and getting out talking to neighbors, family and friends for Yes on 97. After decades of divestment, Measure 97 stabilizes revenue for Oregon and allows us to extend health care access to children and families across Oregon,” says Andrea Williams, Executive Director of Causa.

Measure 97 would raise the minimum tax on corporations, applying a 2.5% tax on Oregon sales over $25 million dollars. Measure 97 is endorsed by over 260 organizations.

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Formed in 2001, the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) is an alliance of culturally-specific community based organizations. http://www.coalitioncommunitiescolor.org/. APANO is a statewide advocacy organization, uniting Asian and Pacific Islanders to achieve social justice. http://www.apano.org/. Causa is Oregon’s Latino immigrant rights organization working to defend and advance immigrant rights by coordinating with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. http://causaoregon.org/. Unite Oregon represents the merger of– Center for Intercultural Organizing (CIO) and Oregon Action (OA) – who together have decades of experience organizing immigrants, refugees, people of color, and low-income Oregonians to address racial and economic disparities and improve quality of life in our state. http://www.uniteoregon.org/. The Oregon Latino Health Coalition is a collaboration of individuals and organizations who are dedicated to promoting health and wellness and reducing disparities for the Oregon Latino community through prevention, education and sharing of resources. http://orlhc.org/

April 2016 Equity Lens :: REDEFINE Update

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Vision

The Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) and our partners envision connected, balanced, healthy and thriving communities framed thRough:

• Principles of Environmental Justice
• Relational Worldview Model
• Multiplicative Benefits and Sustainability Redefined
• Seventh Generation Perspective
• Social Cohesion

Members of the CCC have established this shared vision to guide our work in Redefine: The CCC’s Initiative for Climate and Environmental Justice.

We believe any environmental or climate initiative must lead with racial and economic equity, prevent harm, provide benefit, and ensure inclusive and accountable decision making. Keep reading to learn more about how we apply these principles. To see the 2016 Redefine Principles, please click here.

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Projects

Tyee Khunamokwst: “Leading Together”: Cross Cultural Climate Justice Leaders—In December 2015, the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), the CCC, and OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon were awarded a grant from the Kresge Foundation to implement Tyee Khunamokwst: “Leading Together”: Cross Cultural Climate Justice Leaders.  Tyee Khunamokwst is our three-year climate resilience plan for the Portland metro region that articulates how communities of color can shape public processes related to climate resilience.  We prioritized cross cultural climate action capacity, housing justice, transportation justice, green infrastructure and disaster resilience.  Additionally, our collaborative is working with national grantees to make the case of anti-displacement as a pillar of climate resilience. To see the full and abbreviated version of the plan, please click here.

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Advocacy Efforts

Again, members of the CCC jumped full force into 2016 short session, securing victories with Minimum Wage, Inclusionary Zoning, Coal to Clean, and more.  The CCC also pushed for three main bills with partners at Renew Oregon and Living Cully related to our climate and environmental justice work. To see detailed information on the CCC's 2016 Legislative Priorities, please click here.

Clean Electricity and Coal Transition Plan—With its passage, Oregon became the first state in the nation to phase coal out of its energy grid.  The legislation also doubles our use of renewables by 2040, creates a community solar program with a 10% low-income subscription target, and incentivizes additional electric vehicle infrastructure. Over the long run, given the high cost of coal infrastructure and maintenance, switching to renewables will reduce energy costs for ratepayers. Community solar allows residential and small commercial customers of Pacific Power and PGE to participate in the ownership of off-site solar projects which would be credited against their electricity bill.  It also directs the PUC to ensure that at least 10% of the overall community solar program capacity be provided to low and moderate income customers.

Cully Park—Verde is transforming a 25-acre brownfield in Portland’s largest and most diverse neighborhood (Cully) into a public park. This new community asset provides opportunities for healthy eating and active living, educates youth, creates jobs and sets a template for community development of environmental infrastructure. 

Healthy Climate Bill—The CCC supports a carbon pricing bill that ensures Oregon meets its statutory climate pollution reduction goals and holds major polluters accountable. Equitable climate policy means historically underserved communities are involved in decision making, are not harmed by climate change and policy solutions, and see revenues reinvested in ways that reduce disparities and create direct benefits and opportunities in our communities.

Check out Greenlining Institute’s report to see how California has reinvested carbon pricing revenue to address the priorities of low-income communities and communities of color. 

And on everyone’s mind? Air toxics in Portland. Cadmium and arsenic associated with glass manufacturing were detected first around Bullseye Glass (SE) and Uroboros Glass (NE).  As people of color and people with low-incomes, we have known for decades the burden of air pollution, toxics and particulate matter on our communities in Portland and globally. While no community should experience these risks, why have two “hot spots” of metals in certain neighborhoods finally drawn attention to air quality, yet the disproportionately higher risk in our communities of color and low-income communities due to diesel exhaust and other toxics have not? We are working with our partners at Beyond Toxics, CRAG Law Center, Neighbors for Clean Air, Oregon Environmental Council, OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, and others to ensure more than spot treatment. The State of Oregon must be accountable to the health of our communities. Contact the CCC, OPAL Oregon Environmental Justice, and Neighbors for Clean Air for upcoming workshops, resources, and advocacy opportunities.

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How You Can Help

Where else can you lend your voice, experience and expertise? Through 2016 and 2017, we are poised to continue our fight in the legislature to:

• ensure polluters pay for the harm they cause to our communities and environment;
• provide equitable funding and representation for our communities;
• regulate diesel and air toxics that compromise our health; and
• expand use of clean energy technology to reduce environmental and financial inequities.

Do you have a story to tell related to the health of your community? Contact Maggie Tallmadge, Environmental Justice Manager, at maggie@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org.  The CCC will also develop a series of workshops on climate and environmental justice including concepts, root causes, solutions, and advocacy opportunities. Reach out and stay tuned for more details!

July 2015 Equity Lens: Education Justice Update

HB3499 Signed Into Law!

Governor Kate Brown signing into law HB3499 with students and members from communities of color. (Photo: Gordon Friedman / STATESMAN JOURNAL)

This legislative session, Governor Kate Brown signed into law HB 3499, a comprehensive approach to improve outcomes for Oregon’s English Language Learners (ELL) by increasing transparency, accountability, and systemic supports for schools, educators, and students. Currently, only 49% of ELL students graduate from high school and for many years, communities of color throughout the state have struggled with these detrimental educational outcomes. Leaders from communities of color knew we could do better, and with HB3499, our communities have the ability to turn this crisis into an opportunity for students throughout Oregon. HB3499 will ensure that ELL resources are focused on delivering quality ELL programming to our most vulnerable students and resetting the status quo of using these critical resources to fill shortfalls in school budgets.

The CCC, our members, and our community partners were instrumental in all leading facets of this groundbreaking legislation – from research on best practices for ELL students, to compiling statewide data on ELL outcomes, to drafting the bill, and to building a broad base of support with communities of color throughout the state. The CCC appreciates the leadership of Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO); Center for Inter-Cultural Organizing (CIO); as well as our advocacy our partners at Stand for Children and Northwest Health Foundation.

“With out the advocacy and united voice of leaders from a the Coalition of Communities of Color and Stand for Children this groundbreaking law would never have been passed.” - Nichole Maher, President and CEO of Northwest Health Foundation

In addition to community leadership on HB3499, the Department of Education and the Governor’s Office provided leadership in convening all stakeholders to have facilitated dialogue about the impact of this legislation leading up to the session.

HB3499, which was sponsored and championed by Representative Joe Gallegos, passed with unanimous support from both the house and the senate. If you have any questions or need any more information, please feel free to contact the CCC.

July 2015 Equity Lens: Community and Economic Development Update

Bullitt Foundation Site Visit to Cully Park

We’ve ended the 2015 legislative session, we’re midway into the summer, and CCC’s Community Economic Development Program (CED) is heating up!

Already, CCC completed a CED environmental education series, which provides an opportunity to set a CCC wide vision of the environment, displacement and gentrification.

In addition to ongoing organizational and coalition work, we are continuing efforts on a collective agenda to address displacement and gentrification, uplifting the voices of those most impacted by gentrification and displacement and respecting our culturally-specific histories, experiences and approaches.

Members are scaling existing community engagement processes, environmental initiatives, and climate justice work to a regional and statewide level. 

We have joined Renew Oregon, a statewide campaign to pass climate policy, advocating for legislation that will (1) drive significant carbon and pollution emissions reductions, (2) mitigate the negative impact of climate change and climate policies on communities of color, and (3) provide opportunities and reinvestment for communities of color.

Finally, CCC members, NAYA and OPAL are completing robust climate resiliency planning to ensure our communities are prepared for the impact of climate change on intersecting priorities such as meaningful participatory planning, transportation, housing, public health, and economic opportunity.  Look at CCC and collaborative work on climate action here.

A WRAP UP ON SOME RELEVANT LEGISLATION:

• HB 3470 The Climate and Justice Stability Act moved much further than expected—through public hearings, out of Rules and into Ways and Means.
• With incredible support HB 2564 Inclusionary Zoning passed through the House and into the Senate, but Senate leadership opted against a final vote on the bill.

CCC PRIORITY BILLS:

• SB 214: Age 3 to Grade 3 - In Senate Committee on Ways and Means upon adjournment
• SB 553 A / SB 554 A: Disproportionate Discipline - Signed into law
• HB 3499 B: English Language Learners - Signed into Law
• HB 3025 B: Ban the Box - Signed into Law
• HB 2002:  End Racial Profiling - Signed into Law

Please contact Maggie Tallmadge, Environmental Justice Manager, at maggie@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org with any with related initiatives, efforts and events!