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.

June 2017 Equity Lens :: Bridges Update

Bridges Alumni Provide Metro Input on their Equity Plan

Bridges Alumni participating in focus group discussions with Metro & Momentum Alliance.

This spring and summer, Metro has partnered with the Momentum Alliance, the CCC and our Bridges Alumni to help Metro better understand community priorities as they relate to the new 5-year equity strategy Metro has developed. This community summit focused on setting priorities for 4 of their prominent departments; Parks and Nature, Oregon Zoo, Property and Environmental Services, and Planning. This spring we had 36 participants from the tri-county region comprised of alumni representing all of our culturally specific Bridges Leadership Development Initiative programs. Participants will return in September to review the qualitative data collected by the CCC and Metro for a second round review. Final recommendations on community priorities will be finalized this October. 

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Remembering: Vanport 69th Anniversary

“The great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it..history is literally present in all that we do.”

— James Baldwin

Source: City of Portland Archives

This past month, May 30th, 2017 marked the 69th anniversary of the Vanport flood. CCC wants to take a moment to remember this tragedy as it provides all of us with a critical lens into Oregon’s history surrounding race and class. This tragedy also gives us context for the importance of using a racial equity lens when we think about issues surrounding, housing, employment, healthcare, and more. Because we understand our history and how we are unconsciously controlled by it, CCC and our members are committed to reshaping our future. Click here to access our resource, ReBuilding Community, developed by the CCC, Redefine, and Urban League of Portland. This report provides a disparate impacts analysis and cross-cultural agenda to prevent displacement and gentrification. 

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Have you joined the Bridges Online Directory?

Are you alumni from one of our Bridges Leadership Initiatives? Make sure to create a profile on our Bridges Online Directory so we can stay in touch about more paid civic engagement opportunities like these.  

June 2017 Equity Lens :: Redefine Update

The 2016 elections and federal level rollbacks on pro-people of color and pro-climate policies have only heightened the important role of states, cities, organizations, and communities in leading racial, environmental, and climate justice efforts. 

Redefine: CCC's Initiative for Environmental and Climate Justice and the Climate Justice Collaborative focus on building leadership and capacity within communities of color and driving racially just environmental and climate solutions at the state and local level. Moreover, the CCC is focused on building strong coalitions and understands the intersections of issues and movements. We have offered just a snapshot of our efforts below. These priorities will make our communities more resilient, address climate change and work to eliminate racial disparities.  

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Climate and Energy Justice

On June 1st President Trump began the process of pulling out the United States from the Paris Climate Accords, increasing the disastrous effects of pollution and climate change on our communities and slowing the transition to an equitable, clean energy economy. However, on the same day, Multnomah County and the City of Portland became the first communities in the Pacific Northwest to commit to being powered by 100% renewable energy by 2050.
 
We know communities of color, low-income communities, Native American tribes, and immigrants and refugees are hit first and worst by climate change and the pollution that drives it. We also know we must shift our exploitive economy (profit-driven, growth-dependent, and industrial) to one that is regenerative (sustainable, equitable and just for all its members)—and our communities must be at the center of fighting the bad and building the new. A Just Transition must:

• Shift economic control to communities
• Democratize wealth and the workplace
• Advance ecological restoration
• Relocalize most production and consumption
• Retain and restore cultures and traditions
• Drive racial justice and social equity

Read more about the regenerative economy and Just Transition framework through Movement Generation.That is why Verde, the CCC, and partners like OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, Community Action Partnership of Oregon (CAPO), and Northwest Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (NWSEED) pushed and secured provisions in the 100% Renewable Resolutions that prioritized:

1. Holding low-income ratepayers harmless during this energy transition, which is fundamental to ensuring that access to the financial and environmental benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy is shared equitably across all economic classes.
2. Requiring clear commitments to community-based development and ownership of renewable energy infrastructure, which people of color and low-income people can use to meet their priorities. The City and County are required to support capacity building of organizations to realize these goals.

What does this mean? This means our communities can define our energy and economic future, by envisioning, planning, and developing an economy, energy savings, and benefits that serve local community needs. Much of today’s energy policy rewards those with economic means to maintain a low-carbon lifestyle rather than reducing financial, technology, and ownership barriers for communities already leading and innovating—communities of color, low-income communities, and tribes. Climate justice means not only shifting from exploitive fossil-fuel based sources of energy, but also dismantling corporate control of energy sources and transitioning to democratic, community-based control.
 
Learn more about energy democracy and community-based energy:

• Toward a Climate Justice Energy Platform: Democratizing Our Energy Future
• Energy Democracy For All: What is Energy Democracy
• NAACP Just Energy Policies Report

 A big thank you to Multnomah County (Chair Kafoury, Commissioner Vega Pederson, County Commission, and Office of Sustainability) and the City of Portland (Mayor Wheeler, City Council, and Bureau of Planning and Sustainability) for supporting this vision.

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Housing Justice, Rent Stabilization, and Climate Resilience

The CCC released a report “Building Community: A Disparate Impacts Analysis and Cross-Cultural Agenda to Prevent Displacement and Gentrification” written by the CCC and Urban League of Portland and funded by Meyer Memorial Trust. The “Rebuilding Community” brief is based on the experiences of many of Portlanders from communities of color, advocacy organizations and a series of culturally-specific focus groups held over six months. It provides a vivid narrative of the impact of barriers to people finding a stable home. The report recommends policymakers can help slow the displacement of communities of color by passing legislation like HB 2004A, which limits evictions without cause against individuals and families who follow the terms of their leases.
    
Housing Stability and Anti-Displacement: What does environmental and climate justice have to do with it?

Investments in environmental and climate justice strategies do not work if they do not include investments in housing stability and affordability. Lack of affordable, safe and energy efficient housing leads to heightened displacement, worsening existing environmental injustices such as communities located near high traffic and pollution corridors; increased distances to healthy foods, jobs and community centers; less ability to afford energy or water costs due to increased transportation costs; and less access to public transit and walkable neighborhoods.

Displacement of our communities to the outskirts of cities directly contributes to climate pollution due to increased travel distance, prevents equitable access to new climate resilient infrastructure and environmental benefits, and decreases economic stability. People experiencing homelessness are overexposed to environmental hazards such as pollutants, extreme weather, and incomplete pedestrian infrastructure—clear environmental injustices. Moreover, increasing climate impacts in other parts of the country are making the Portland metro region a more attractive place to live in. Of course, climate change is just one factor among many that influence people to move, but as climate change heats up, many have theorized that migration to the Portland and the Pacific Northwest will accelerate, which will make housing even more expensive.

Combating displacement through strategies like equitable development, affordable housing, local minority contracting and construction, and energy savings is a climate, economic and community resilience strategy. We recognize that climate solutions can stabilize neighborhoods and communities and help alleviate poverty.
 
For more legislative updates see REDEFINE’s most recent newsletter here.
 

June 2017 Equity Lens :: Advocacy Update

The Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) endorsed a bold agenda to advance racial equity in the 2017 Legislative Session. Each bill prioritized by our members aims to address socioeconomic disparities, institutional racism and inequity in services affecting our communities. The Oregon Legislature has come a long way toward addressing racial disparities and creating more opportunities for all. In 2016, we also saw a record number of leaders of color elected by Oregonians to represent our communities in Salem. These are signs of progress. But, we still have a long way to go to overcome Oregon’s difficult history with racial inequality and exclusion.

On March 1st, over 150 advocates from communities of color met at the state capitol in Salem for CCC’s Legislative Advocacy Day. The day was an opportunity for community members to meet with their legislators to advocate for more affordable housing and tenant protections, greater investments in education, health care, protecting civil rights, and expanding economic and environmental justice.  Many visited the legislature for the first time. Throughout the session, CCC members have also had the opportunity to testify in front of legislative committees on issues benefit our communities, like a bill to develop ethnic studies standards or creating a fund to invest in culturally-specific early learning. To advance racial justice for the long term, it’s imperative that we continue to work toward elevating the voices of communities of color in policy-making.

This year, the CCC is also leading the 2017 Legislative Report on Racial Equity. The 2017 report released this fall will be the fourth edition of the facing race series. It is a project of nine nonpartisan, community-based organizations dedicated to advancing racial equity through legislative advocacy. Our hope is that this report will encourage legislators to continue to engage with communities of color early and often.  To be included in the report, a bill must be identified as a priority by communities of color and be explicit about addressing race, reduce or remove institutional barriers that lead to poor outcomes in communities of color, or protect against racial discrimination and violence. The following legislation was nominated for this year’s report.

• HB 2004: Prohibits landlord from terminating a tenancy without cause. 
• HB 2845: Requires the Oregon Department of Education to develop statewide ethnic studies standards.
• HB 2864: Requires higher ed. institutions to provide ongoing culturally competency opportunities, create standards, and provide bi-annual reports on progress.
• HB 3066: Creates an early childhood equity fund to invest in culturally-specific early learning services.
• HB 2355: Provides a system to record and track data from officer-initiated pedestrian and traffic stops; mandates training; and reduces penalties for possessing a small amount of drugs.
• HB 3078: Improves safety and creates savings for the state by fixing the family sentencing alternative, reducing presumptive sentencing, removing mandatory minimums and reinvesting savings into supervision and treatment.
• HB 2232: Provides coverage for the full range of reproductive health services with zero out-of-pocket costs.

This session, we’ve seen significant progress on many of our priorities. The bills that require funding are just starting to be heard in the Ways and Means committee, while bills like HB 2004 and HB 2864 are on their way to the Senate floor for a final vote. With the 2017 Legislative Session wrapping up in July, our hope is that the legislature will take meaningful steps toward advancing racial justice and investing in Oregon’s future. 

June 2017 Equity Lens :: Research Update

We at the CCC have steadfastly moved towards our mission of racial justice despite the challenges and aggressions of white supremacy and racism exacerbated under the Trump presidency. In 2017, the community-based participatory research project in Washington county has made progress in its efforts to consult with public entities to share and inform equitable data collection practices as well as partner with local nonprofits to share our principles of research justice and raise awareness of online data equity tools. In addition to the Washington county project, CCC's research justice efforts have taken a leadership role in co-founding the Portland United Against Hate Initiative with CCC members, community-based organizations and the City of Portland. 

Washington county research project: The steering committee outlined and proposed a resilience-based understanding of racial equity as well as a shift away from the ‘white savior complex’ of achieving racial equity through policymaking. At its core, the project seeks to understand the lived realities of communities of color, their experience with systemic oppression (both historical and contemporary), and reflect the strengths, resilience, and aspirations of communities of color. This project is rooted in equitable partnership and collaboration with impacted communities. Community leaders are playing an integral role in defining their priorities, articulating their experiences, and identifying strengths that can inform the research but also build the capacity of their community. Our inclusive, community-driven process is invaluable as it informs both the quantitative data analysis and the planned community specific conversations in Washington county over the summer. 

We have also formed partnerships and created initiatives with CCC members and organizations (both public and private) that share our research justice vision of racial equity and will work to implement similar efforts into their practices. In the immediate aftermath of the US presidential elections, the CCC joined a group of community organizations to create a short and long term response to the uptick in hate behavior against communities of color. Through this collaborative partnership, the CCC helped found the Portland United Against Hate (PUAH) initiative. The CCC research justice program leads the data response efforts of PUAH and is working collaboratively with partners to create a hate documentation process that serves an authoritative memory and evidence of racism driven hate in a seemingly progressive city. In addition to PUAH, the CCC is also a stakeholder in the Regional Equity Atlas and leverages that role in advocating for community-driven research agendas and equity driven data.

Aside from starting new projects to progress our racial justice mission, the CCC research program has also worked with public partners to ensure the continuity of past advocacy. So far this year, the CCC has completed their research consultation with West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District and helped them create culturally appropriate, data collection surveys that assist in determining the extent of racial disparities in their jurisdiction. We have also commenced a consultation with Oregon Health Authority about the Race Ethnicity Language and Accessibility data collection standards, and have begun advising Portland State University (PSU) and Joint Office of Homeless Services on research methods to accurately capture the houselessness experiences of communities of color in Multnomah County. 

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

December 2016 Equity Lens :: Research End of Year Update

Research End of Year Update

The Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) adopts a ‘research justice’ framework that centers communities of color as the experts of their lives and acknowledges their right to self-determine, their priorities, and their right to impart that as authoritative knowledge to policymakers and other audiences. This year the CCC hired a full-time researcher to lead our data and research strategy as well as implement culturally appropriate data and research projects that advance racial justice.

In the last nine months, the CCC has launched a multi-stakeholder community-based participatory research project into the lived realities of communities of color in Washington County. Also, the CCC is continually exploring collaborative and consultation opportunities focused on culturally appropriate and equitable data projects with institutions of higher education and local governments.

Click Here To Download Summary

After the tremendous impact of CCC’s An Unsettling Profile research series in Multnomah County, we are leading the first comprehensive community-based research project about the state of racial equity in Washington County. We are seeking to shift common understandings of racial equity from a deficit framework of perceiving communities of color as victims to a strength-based approach that allows communities of color to identify their strengths and sources of resilience and re-frame racial disparities as repercussions of institutional racism that are barriers to their well-being. 

The CCC has also been invited to consult on data gathering and collection projects by Portland State University (PSU), Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS), Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (WMSWCD). The CCC is on OHA’s ad-hoc Race, Ethnicity, Language And Disability (REALD) committee to ensure that state and county health datasets collect culturally appropriate data and that the great community advocacy that had led to the adoption of REALD is sustained. We are also working in collaboration with PSU to recommend the best methodologies to JOHS to identify homelessness among communities of color. Lastly, we are consulting with WMSWCD to assess racial disparities in their service provision. 

Looking forward to 2017, the CCC is committed to providing responsive and strategic research to advance racial justice advocacy and movement building with our communities, member organizations and outside partners.

For more information and questions, please contact Shweta Moorthy, Researcher, at: shweta@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org (503) 200-5722 Ext 555.

December 2016 Equity Lens :: Advocacy End of Year Update

This year, the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) hired an Advocacy Director to increase our ability to impact change locally and in the upcoming legislative session. That change started with the 2016 election.  In the 2016 election cycle, the CCC:

• Endorsed five ballot measures aimed at improving the lives of people of color in Oregon.
• Produced a 2016 voter issue guide to help inform voters of key ballot measures that impact communities of color.
• Collaborated with each campaign to turn out volunteers, organize canvasses in communities of color, get the word out in the media, and provide guidance on campaign strategy. 

While we know the result of the national election will create new challenges, locally we were successful on 4 out of 5 CCC ballot initiative priorities. These local victories will give more families access to safe, affordable homes, improve our schools, and protect our natural areas. Also, we saw new levels of engagement in communities of color that will set the stage for future success on the ballot.

Even during elections, we know that our work on other issues impacting communities of color does not stop.  Since the passage of HB 3499 (English Language Learners programs), the CCC has worked diligently with our allies to develop rules for the new law that will lead to better implementation and ultimately outcomes for English Language Learners (ELL). This week, the State Board of Education adopted many of our proposed rules thanks to the incredible advocacy of our allies in the ELL Advisory Workgroup.

Earlier this month, the Portland City Council passed the Open & Accountable Elections Act, which will enact a new public campaign financing program that matches low dollar donations given to candidates. The CCC and our member organizations helped lead the way to pass this important reform, working with a local coalition of over 30 organizations. Check out this op-ed written by Julia Meier and Joseph Santos-Lyons to learn more about how it impacts communities of color.

This new law will create more opportunities for diverse representation in Portland city government. The program empowers candidates to run for office without taking big campaign contributions. Instead, candidates can run with small-dollar contributions from local city residents that will be matched 6-to-1 by the city. In a city where only 7 women, 2 people of color, and 2 people from the outer east side have ever been elected to city office, and at a time when big special interest money is dominating our elections - this is huge victory for our communities.

As the CCC prepares to announce our 2017 legislative endorsements, we will continue to work hard to engage the community and create opportunities to advance racial equity in Oregon.

December 2016 Equity Lens :: REDEFINE End of Year Update

End of Year Wrap Up

The Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) and our members continue to work with communities of color, tribal governments, environmental, public health and labor partners across the state to develop a strong front and climate justice policies focused on real greenhouse gas emissions, jobs, and equity.  These policies must support a cohesive racial justice agenda for the State of Oregon and the City of Portland.

To achieve our agenda, REDEFINE, the CCC's Initiative for Climate and Environmental Justice, has worked collaboratively with partners to build capacity in member organizations as well as provided education and engagement opportunities focused on environmental and climate justice.
The development of a curriculum workgroup and series of cross-cultural workshops has helped communities of color better understand public policy and to develop their personal narratives as a tool for their climate justice advocacy.

Our first climate justice workshop focused on: 1) understanding the root causes and impacts of climate change on a personal, local and global level, 2) identifying solutions, and 3) connecting attendees to opportunities to take action. Our second workshop for organizations and communities of color will be held on Wednesday, December 21, at 5:30 pm (REGISTER HERE) and will be focused on how 2017 climate justice policies (e.g. capping pollution/investing in communities, housing, and transportation) can support a larger racial justice agenda and respond to community needs.  Upon completion of our two-part workshop series on climate justice, we will adapt these for other organizations of color. In 2017 we will build on this foundation through a series on green infrastructure funded by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.  Please contact Maggie@communitiesofcolor.org to host or attend a workshop.

Finally, we continue to seek resources from local and national funders to support communities of color to act and lead on environmental and climate justice solutions. Meyer Memorial Trust (MMT) recently awarded grants to CCC members – Africa House, Portland African American Leadership Forum (PAALF) and VOZ Workers’ Rights Education Project through MMT’s Healthy Environment Portfolio.  The grants will support capacity building, strategic planning, and curriculum development around environmental and climate justice.