|
|
Front cover image of zine "A Dream Rezoned". The collage includes historical notices from the City of Portland, Portland map outlining redlined neighborhoods, the Mayo House, and "Mama" Julia.
|
|
A Dream Rezoned
Last year, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, The Office of Community & Civic Life and four community members—Cleo and Kayin Talton Davis, Carolyn M. Leonard, and Sharita Towne—got together to create a narrative that would expand on BPS’ 2019 report, the History of Racist Planning in Portland.
The result of this collaboration, “A Dream Rezoned”, tells the story of a Black family in Northeast Portland whose property was denied city permits, deemed a “blight” and bulldozed. Years later, Cleo Davis, the grandson of the property owner, advocated for the city to apologize and move a neighboring house—that was scheduled to be demolished—onto his family’s property. As a result of the Davis family’s presentation to Portland City Council, they received a formal apology and the city waived $40,000 in fees for relocating the Mayo House onto their property. The Mayo House is slated to be remodeled and turned into a space that will provide a space for art, healing, and convening; but the house also stands as a marker for the displacement and mistreatment of Black Portlanders in the Northeast neighborhood.
The decision to have the story presented as a "zine" was intentional. A zine is defined as a self-published work of original (or appropriated) texts and images that are popularly photocopied for circulation. In keeping with the tradition of zines, we created this resource to be free and easy to reproduce and distribute. So, get your copy today!
|
|
HB 2949 Looks to Create Opportunities for BIPOC Mental Health Care Workers
Paying for higher education is one of the most extreme hardships that Generation Z faces. 69 percent of college students in the class of 2019 had to take out student loans, and per the latest statistics, there is a total of $1.71 trillion in student loan debt in the United States. Many students are not able to obtain the education they want because they cannot afford it, a dilemma further increased for Black, Indigenous, and youth of color youth, who already face generational wealth gaps and systemic racism going into higher education. Black college graduates owe an average of $25,000 more in student loan debt than white college graduates. In the 2015-2016 school year, Indigenous students received the lowest average loan amount of any racial group.
But here is some good news: Oregon Legislature just passed HB 2949, a bill mandating the “establish[ment of a] program to improve BIPOC mental health workforce, including pipeline development, scholarships for undergraduates and stipends for graduate students, loan repayments, and retention activities.” The bill also includes a directive for the Oregon Health Authority to “provide funding to counties, community mental health programs, and organizations to support individuals to transition from incarceration back into [the] community” and create a task force to look into “loosening restrictions on formerly incarcerated individuals obtaining licenses to provide mental health care.”
This legislation helps enable students to accomplish their career goals by centering mental health and wellness, specifically by increasing the number of culturally responsive and linguistically accessible mental health professionals. Currently, BIPOC only make up about 10% of mental health workers in Oregon. Having monetary and culturally responsive assistance helps students in achieving and maintaining their aspirations that might otherwise be out of reach. Furthermore, it means that students can receive culturally competent mental health care-- care from people who understand their lived experience.
Bills like HB 2949 are one way we can invest in education, jobs, and mental health services for Black and indigenous communities, which are all essential to their ability to thrive. Click here for a simplified version of the bill from APANO.
For culturally responsive and linguistically accessible resources in Portland, click here .
Written by Camilia Saulino. Camilia is an summer intern at Civic Life, she grew up in Portland, and is currently studying at sociology at University of California San Diego.
|
|
Why Is House Bill 2949 Not Getting More Attention?
 As a Black therapist, I recognized early in my life that my community had a lack of knowledge, support, resources, and access to mental health services. As a result, I have witnessed many Black Portlanders suffer in silence.
Luckily, the recently passed House Bill 2949 aims to create pathways for Black, Indigenous, and people of color to enter the mental health workforce and obtain scholarships, stipends, and loan repayments so that our community no longer has to suffer in silence.
I made the decision to pursue a career in mental health precisely because my community is underrepresented in the field and are often served from a white supremacy framework. In my experience, while mental health organizations present themselves as healers, they often fail to heal Black people because the system’s foundation has historically oppressed Black communities.
House Bill 2949 creates and cultivates a culture that acknowledges Black people and people of color as human beings. It acknowledges the complexity of our different identities and the services needed for all Oregonians, no matter where they come from, what they look like, or their social economic status. Notably, the bill allows the space to normalize discussions about mental health in communities of color, provides space to develop therapeutic techniques, and facilitate healing for our all communities to evolve without penalty.
House Bill 2949 also creates pathways for Black people and communities of color to pursue careers that create financial security, meaning, and purpose. Increasing the pool of mental health professionals of color allows for the Black community to re-write their narrative to build a meaningful and impactful place in the healing industry.
The Black experience is complex and requires a clinician that can understand the true essence of their client’s experience. It is so important that we all have access to a clinician that understands our individual culture, experience, and whole being.
This bill has the potential to disrupt the status quo and make room for communities of color to heal, leading to people of color not just merely living and surviving, but get to a place of thriving. If we can see communities of color as humans with complex identities in need of equitable, holistic, and accessible services, then we can get to a place where more can get on a better path toward thriving.
Written by Tyesha McCool Riley. Tyesha is Civic Life's Mental Health Program Specialist.
|
|
|
|
Returning to school this year will look and feel different for our Portland students. The Community Safety team has created a new training to help families navigate the transition.
|
|
School Re-Entry: Avoid Awkwardness & Angst
It is safe to say that many of us feel socially awkward transitioning back to “normal” life (a description that might even seem like an understatement to some). Now imagine experiencing that anxiety and confusion on top of being a preteen or teen. Scary, right? Going back to school after interacting through a screen for the past year and a half will be overwhelming for young people and can be equally daunting for their parents trying to guide them.
To assist families in navigating this transition, Civic Life’s Community Safety Program is holding a virtual training session on Wednesday, Aug. 11 from 3 to 4 p.m. The training will cover topics such as personal safety and assertive communication, internet and social media safety, pedestrian safety and safe routes to school, and self-care. There will also be opportunities to ask questions if you have any specific queries.
The transition back to in-person school can be stressful, but it does not have to be. It will take time to adjust and feel comfortable and this event will give students and parents the tools to combat anxiety and fear. “Remember – be kind to yourself, be kind to your fellow students, your teachers and to others in the community,” Community Safety Program Administrator Mary Tompkins says.
This event is open to students, parents, and families. To watch it, go to the Sunday Parkways Facebook or participate directly through Zoom. If you missed it, you can visit this link to watch the recorded video. We hope to see you there!
|
|
The RHYTHM of East Portland
Unit Souzou, a Portland taiko drum ensemble, is seeking eight community members that have a strong connection to East Portland to join their RHYTHM Project. The cohort will meet over three months to build relationships and conversations around the pandemic lock down, post-pandemic emergence, and safety on the streets of East Portland.
Project facilitators will use their experience as organizers and artists to create activities and conversations that explore remembrance and observation connected to place. Cohort members will be compensated for their time.
You can find out more about this opportunity here.
|
|
The City Needs Your Input!
Portland State University is conducting a city-wide survey to better understand attitudes and knowledge about homelessness in general, and tiny pod villages in particular. The results will be reported by neighborhood.
The survey takes on average 10-15 minutes and is anonymous. The responses will help collect opinions on how people in different Portland neighborhoods think and feel about homelessness and how the city can develop programs to address homelessness in your neighborhood.
The only requirements for participation are being at least 18 years old and living in the City of Portland. Each respondent can only take the survey once. The survey can be found here.
The survey closes on August 3, 2021.
|
|
 National Night Out for Safety and Liberation
Join the Black & Beyond the Binary Collective for Night Out for Safety and Liberation (NOSL). This annual event is celebrated across the nation on the first Tuesday in August. NOSL asks community members to reimagine what public safety looks like beyond policing.
This is a family-friendly event that will feature food, live music, a kid zone, COVID-19 vaccine opportunities, and many other community resources. The event has been organized and led by the Umoja 2021 leadership development cohort, which centers on Black queer and trans youth (ages 14 to 26). Come and support an event led entirely by youth organizers. The event will be hosted on Tuesday, Aug. 3, from 4 to 9 p.m. at 5633 SE Division Street. You can find out more here.
|
|
|
|
Photo Credit: Tojo Andrianarivo, from a dance performance at My People's Market at 4 Broadway Post Office
|
|
My People's Market is Back!
My People’s Market was created in 2017 by Travel Portland and Prosper Portland to advance opportunities for business owners of color. This August, visitors will once again be invited to shop, eat, and watch performances by entrepreneurs, makers, artists, culinary wizards, and beverage crafters of color!
All vendors are sourced from Mercatus – a business directory and story archive that elevates the narratives of entrepreneurs of color in the Portland, while connecting the City and region to the local talents, businesses, services and products.
The market will take place over three days on the North Park Blocks (around 220 NW 8th Avenue):
- Friday, Aug. 6 from 4 to 8 p.m.,
- Saturday, Aug. 7 from noon to 6 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 8 from noon to 6 p.m.
Tickets aren’t required to attend but they are encouraged. You can RSVP and receive your tickets here.
You can follow My People's Market on their Instagram @mypeoplemarket
|
|
Join an Advisory Body!
Joining an advisory body is a way for Portlanders to lend their expertise and personal or professional experience to the City of Portland. As an advisory body member, you will work closely with community members and City of Portland liaisons to impact policies and programs.
North Portland in Motion Community Action Group– Closes July 31
North Portland in Motion is an upcoming planning effort to identify transportation needs and near-term investments to improve access to community destinations and support walking, biking, and transit use in the North Portland peninsula. The North Portland in Motion Community Advisory Group (CAG) will play an essential role in providing feedback, helping solicit and engage the broader North Portland community, and helping shape the final plan recommendations. Apply here!
|
|
|
|
|
|
