Black Lives Matter
I am copying a message from Rep. Janell Bynum that points out what needs to change if we want to stop the oppression that occurs everyday in our state.
I am truly touched by all the letters of condemnation surrounding the murder of George Floyd. Especially the ones coming from people who are in leadership positions. I know your hearts mean well, but I can't help but point out that we all have a responsibility to DO more than write letters or send thoughts and prayers. Oregon is ripe for change. And I am here for it out of love for my country, state, and my children.❤️ So I've compiled a short list of things I see on a daily basis that effectively amount to the same oppression and murder we saw in MN. Here goes...
Examples of how Oregon keeps her metaphorical knee on the necks of Black people
👀:
1. Education: Consistently under-educating our children. Graduation rate-70.4% vs. 80% overall. And the state is considering reductions to the Student Success Act to set us further behind.
2. Access to capital: Banks shrugged their shoulders when asked about whether our community got any PPP loans or loans in general over the past 10 years. I dare one to show me how many loans they've processed. Business Oregon killed the one good bill we had to address this in 2020. And offered no replacement.
3. Democracy: If you want to run for office, you have to be able to afford it. This job pays minimum wage. Basically its a retiree job that doesn't even cover child care. Yet, if you do the job the way it needs to be done, it's full time. Believe it or not Black people are keenly aware of economics.
4. Law enforcement: Police reform in the Legislature and in Portland stalls every time. We the people pay the insurance claims for police brutality and misconduct. Bad cops can't be fired and just get recycled through the system. Case in point: Michael Fesser and the West Linn PD
5. Jobs: Union contracts ensure that even if we did hire more Black teachers or law enforcement, they'd be the first to go in a downturn. I support labor, but I'm not seeing enough movement on this. The issue isn't new.
6. Professions: Licensing boards and state commissions are rarely diverse. Present an opportunity to diversify and you've got a fight on your hands. I once had to remind a staffer at the governor's office that it was ok for 2 African Americans to be on a board. Try to add some minorities to the profession, it's all out war. Example: my call to add more counselors to the field by addressing licensing requirements has been met with resistance only by the board itself. Hmm..
7. Justice: Our jails are disproportionately full of mentally ill and poor people. According to the Oregonian, "For every 1,000 black residents, about 21 are in prison, the seventh-highest rate in the country. Oregon's rate is nearly double Washington's and 46 percent higher than the national average."
8. Media: The media has yet to be able to hire and retain enough Black journalists to avoid making serious and avoidable errors. Whether it's racist-tinged graphics or statements like, "She has too much of an urban tone for us" I find it troubling that we have to ask them to tone down the anti-blackness in the midst of all this. POC lawmakers held a meeting yesterday and made this very request. For real.
So there you have it. I can't unsee these things any more than most people won't ever see them. What's the call to action? All I ask is that my brothers and sisters and children are treated humanely. That we get a fair shot. If you're standing in the way of a fair shot, you have your knee on our necks too.
With love from a Black woman,
Janelle
I am truly touched by all the letters of condemnation surrounding the murder of George Floyd. Especially the ones coming from people who are in leadership positions. I know your hearts mean well, but I can't help but point out that we all have a responsibility to DO more than write letters or send thoughts and prayers. Oregon is ripe for change. And I am here for it out of love for my country, state, and my children.❤️ So I've compiled a short list of things I see on a daily basis that effectively amount to the same oppression and murder we saw in MN. Here goes...
Examples of how Oregon keeps her metaphorical knee on the necks of Black people
👀:
1. Education: Consistently under-educating our children. Graduation rate-70.4% vs. 80% overall. And the state is considering reductions to the Student Success Act to set us further behind.
2. Access to capital: Banks shrugged their shoulders when asked about whether our community got any PPP loans or loans in general over the past 10 years. I dare one to show me how many loans they've processed. Business Oregon killed the one good bill we had to address this in 2020. And offered no replacement.
3. Democracy: If you want to run for office, you have to be able to afford it. This job pays minimum wage. Basically its a retiree job that doesn't even cover child care. Yet, if you do the job the way it needs to be done, it's full time. Believe it or not Black people are keenly aware of economics.
4. Law enforcement: Police reform in the Legislature and in Portland stalls every time. We the people pay the insurance claims for police brutality and misconduct. Bad cops can't be fired and just get recycled through the system. Case in point: Michael Fesser and the West Linn PD
5. Jobs: Union contracts ensure that even if we did hire more Black teachers or law enforcement, they'd be the first to go in a downturn. I support labor, but I'm not seeing enough movement on this. The issue isn't new.
6. Professions: Licensing boards and state commissions are rarely diverse. Present an opportunity to diversify and you've got a fight on your hands. I once had to remind a staffer at the governor's office that it was ok for 2 African Americans to be on a board. Try to add some minorities to the profession, it's all out war. Example: my call to add more counselors to the field by addressing licensing requirements has been met with resistance only by the board itself. Hmm..
7. Justice: Our jails are disproportionately full of mentally ill and poor people. According to the Oregonian, "For every 1,000 black residents, about 21 are in prison, the seventh-highest rate in the country. Oregon's rate is nearly double Washington's and 46 percent higher than the national average."
8. Media: The media has yet to be able to hire and retain enough Black journalists to avoid making serious and avoidable errors. Whether it's racist-tinged graphics or statements like, "She has too much of an urban tone for us" I find it troubling that we have to ask them to tone down the anti-blackness in the midst of all this. POC lawmakers held a meeting yesterday and made this very request. For real.
So there you have it. I can't unsee these things any more than most people won't ever see them. What's the call to action? All I ask is that my brothers and sisters and children are treated humanely. That we get a fair shot. If you're standing in the way of a fair shot, you have your knee on our necks too.
With love from a Black woman,
Janelle
