Civil Rights

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.

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, who represents Oregon's 1st Congressional District, shared a thread on Twitter, recalling that she had visited New York just days before the attack and had taken a photo of her children in front of the Twin Towers. She said, "As we reflect on this anniversary, let us recommit to doing what makes our communities stronger – engaging in daily acts of kindness, spending time with loved ones, and creating a welcoming place for all."

Home care workers and consumers shared their daily lives with members of Congress to urge them to support a $400 billion investment in care that would make it easier for seniors and people with disabilities to get the care they need, and create good, union jobs for care workers. In Oregon, SEIU 503 members Gloria Arroyo Martínez and José Arroyo welcomed Rep. Suzanne Bonamici as they spent a day caring for their 31-year-old son Oscar. "Families like ours rely on care. That's why I'm asking you to fight for good union home care jobs," said Gloria.

Oregon senators and representatives are asking U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate "extremist groups" following violent clashes between protesters last month in Portland. In a letter dated Aug. 30, Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer, called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate "interstate criminal activity and coordination between extremist groups across state lines with the intent to commit acts of violence in connection with recurring violent altercations in Portland."

US Rep. Suzanne Bonamici joined those who condemned the recent actions by the school board, issuing a statement on August 26. "Students need a welcoming and safe school environment, and all school leaders should strive every day to make sure students know they are valued and respected," she wrote. "The Newberg school board's move to ban Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ pride symbols in schools is antithetical to this bedrock value."

"The principle of freedom of speech does not preclude the Proud Boys and other right-wing extremist groups from espousing hateful, repugnant ideologies," reads the letter, signed by Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer. "However, the Constitution does not provide protection for the criminal behavior that we have seen in Portland such as assault, firearms violations, potential hate crimes, and more—some of which may rise to the level of federal offenses."