Racial Inequities In Washington County Detailed In New Report

BEAVERTON, OR - From The Coalition of Communities of Color:The Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) and members of its steering committee gathered with elected leaders Monday for the introduction and release of groundbreaking research into the lived experiences of communities of color in Washington County and the racial inequities they experience across several quality of life indicators.

The gathering provided a venue for Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, the Mayors of Beaverton, Hillsboro, and Tigard, as well as leaders from communities of color to affirm their support of the report and to promote cross-sectoral change in partnership with communities of color to work toward racial equity and improved outcomes for communities of color.

"Washington County's diversity is a strength, and the many communities of color in our county have contributed immeasurably to our culture and economy," said Congresswoman Bonamici. "Although we have made progress, our work for equality and justice is far from over. As the 'Leading with Race' report indicates, one area where we can make significant progress is education. In Congress, I'm proud to be fighting for equity in education on behalf of Oregon's students. All students should have access to a safe and high-quality public education."

The report is the culmination of over two years of engagement and relationship building in Washington County.

The CCC has worked in partnership with a 12-member steering committee made up of communities of color, jurisdictional partners, culturally specific organizations, and organizational partners on this comprehensive, community-based research project into the lived realities of communities of color in Washington County.

The report features community narratives that provide quantitative and qualitative insights into the lived experiences of eight communities of color:

• African American Community
• African Immigrant Community
• Asian and Asian Immigrant Communities
• Latino Community
• Middle Eastern and North African Communities
• Native American Communities
• Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Communities, and the
• Slavic Community

"People of color have always lived in Washington County. We are part of the economy and social fabric," said Mohammed Alyajouri, a board member for Portland Community College and the Muslim Educational Trust. "At the same time, communities of color have persisted, survived, mobilized, and advocated for their right to exist despite repeated systemic attempts of genocide, 'sundown' laws, restrictive immigration policies, and heightened Islamophobia and xenophobia. Our communities continue to counter and push back on persisting racial inequities for the sake of our families and future generations."

Over the course of the project, 12 community organization partners from the nonprofit community, local government, and culturally specific organizations worked collaboratively to define the research agenda, structure, principals, and goals for the report.

The "Leading with Race" report serves as an important starting point for communities of color, local jurisdictions, and private stakeholders across all sectors to partner on policies that implement eight calls to actions and goals outlined in the publication.

"We, the steering committee, share the desire to be proactive in bringing about racial justice in Washington County so that all our communities can flourish. While this report represents the culmination of our initial inquiry, we intend for it to catalyze dialogue and action to build the community we want," said Olga Acuña, a Hillsboro City Council Member. "We seek to unite people and various stakeholders in Washington County in collective action for the advancement of racial justice."

The "Leading with Race" report is the first in-house research publication of the Research Justice Center of the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC). The report frames the issues most relevant to communities of color, dispels myths, and uplifts a community-driven process that tells the stories of our lived experiences.

For the next few months, the CCC and steering members will be coordinating presentations and discussions across the county in order to examine the report's findings, advance racial justice, and create partnerships on policies that drive accountability for action.

To obtain a copy of the report, please visit: www.coalitioncommunitiescolor.org/leadingwithrace

To see pictures and video roll from Monday's event, click here for the Dropbox link.

About Coalition of Communities of Color

The Coalition of Communities of Color's mission is to address the socioeconomic disparities, institutional racism, and inequity of services experienced by our families, children and communities; and to organize our communities for collective action resulting in social change to obtain self-determination, wellness, justice and prosperity.

Learn more about the CCC's work at: www.coalitioncommunitiescolor.org