Oregon ACLU Launches Major Racial Justice Effort
by BONNIE SOUZA
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"There needs to be a conscious awareness of white privilege and an acknowledgement that you can't have that disparity in a democratic or just society." "Racism is a beast we have to face everyday." "The ‘96 Immigration law makes it almost impossible for folks to be legal; it impacts people and families in so many different ways." |
These are some of the comments we have heard this summer as we have been meeting with individuals in communities of color. We’ve gone out in teams of board and staff members to initiate new or strengthen old relationships in Oregon's African-American, Asian-American/Pacific Islander, Latin-American and Native-American communities, and to learn which issues related to racial justice currently are of greatest concern.
It is no secret that people of color are among those who are at the greatest risk of being abused by government agencies-and by society at large-simply as a result of the color of their skin.
| Our current effort to make direct contact with the people who have firsthand experience with racial injustice-personally and through their own community involvement-in order to identify ways that ACLU can be effective and responsive to communities of color in a collaborative pursuit of racial justice. | "Children of color have to carry the burden of racism from the time they enter school." |
We are currently compiling the information gathered this summer for discussion during our October Board retreat. Based on this discussion and Board approval, staff will begin to develop specific racial justice projects in collaboration with our coalition partners. We also intend to broaden our outreach to communities of color after the retreat and well into the future.
We'll keep you informed of Oregon ACLU's progress as this critical new focus of our work gets off the ground.