Civil Rights

The Newberg school board's termination of the contract of Superintendent Joe Morelock has elicited howls of protest and a flurry of activity since the 4-3 decision on Nov. 9. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, who represents Newberg as part of the 1st Congressional District, said in a prepared statement, that she has been closely following the school board's actions over the past several months.

A delegation of Oregon leaders ⁠— including Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Kurt Schrader, and Peter DeFazio — wrote to the U.S. Department of Commerce urging them to declare a catastrophic regional fishery disaster. Three years of drought in a row have severely impacted the Pacific Northwest's salmon populations.

Oregon's congressional delegation has taken several close looks at Chemawa over the last few years, starting with a visit in May 2018, which included representatives from several Oregon tribes. That visit was followed a year later by an emotional and occasionally combative congressional hearing. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Beaverton, and Kurt Schrader, D-Canby, have visited Chemawa more recently, including in 2019, when they emerged to say they felt encouraged that the school was making changes.

It has a waiting list annually and serves as a "choice school" for many in the Native community. Yet in 2019, Oregon U.S. Reps. Kurt Schrader and Suzanne Bonamici criticized the school for failing students and the tribes who entrusted their children to the school's care.

As 2021 marks the first year that Indigenous Peoples' Day is recognized in the state of Oregon, Governor Kate Brown noted the milestone in a statement calling it "overdue" and thanked state Reps. Sanchez and Alonso Leon along with other state lawmakers for making the bill recognizing the holiday a reality. Oregon's U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici also joined in the call for federal recognition, tweeting "Indigenous People's Day provides an opportunity to come together in celebration of the vibrant traditions & immeasurable contributions of tribal nations in Oregon & across our country.

NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad told a House panel last week that the agency has already made history on the hiring front this year, with women now occupying half of all the assistant administrator jobs. At last week's virtual hearing before the Subcommittee on Environment, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) told Spinrad that diversifying the workforce would go a long way in helping NOAA address the issue, particularly with women assigned to research vessels. "It's getting women in the field, but also keeping them there," she said.

Time is running out to make long-overdue investments in our country's growing community of LGBTQ+ elders, who have spent their lives breaking barriers and blazing the path toward equality for the generations who follow. In our roles as a member of Congress who is passionate about addressing the needs of older LGBTQ+ Americans, and as the CEO of the nation's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older people, we know this moment is a rare opportunity.