White Supremacy and Oregon: A Workplace Case Study

in ,

Imagine being a person of culture and building up the courage to step forward and file a complaint at work because some of your fellow employees have been actively and openly racist toward you. Now imagine your boss, a white cis male, deciding that the best response to addressing your complaint is calling up his buddy, a white cis male who is also a local police chief. Not to ask his buddy how he should handle this situation, mind you, but to call in a favor in putting together a fraudulent case against you to portray you as stealing from the company to terminate your employment. Sounds crazy, doesn't it?

Welcome to Crazy Town.

West Linn, Oregon, to be exact.

Read More

Take The Pledge

in , ,

Anyone who has followed me, seen me speak, or been to a training I’ve facilitated can likely ascertain one thing about me: I care about people. I know firsthand how impactful being shown even a modicum of decency and respect, to be seen as a human being, can be. One of the human issues that we are collectively facing as a community in the city of Portland is an increase in homelessness and housing insecurity for our friends and neighbors. And that is why I am supremely honored to be a member of the steering committee for The Pledge PDX: neighbors helping neighbors. I implore PDX businesses to join me in supporting our homeless and houseless neighbors today!

Read More

Being Black, Feminine-Identifying, and Affiliated With The Police in a Racist Utopia

in , , , ,

A few days ago an article surfaced on Oregonlive.com, the online home of The Oregonian newspaper, concerning Portland, Oregon Mayor Ted Wheeler’s performance review for Portland Police Bureau Chief Danielle Outlaw. There’s a lot to unpack after looking at this performance review, unpacking that when you look at Chief Outlaw’s actions as Police Chief bring up a lot of interesting things to examine about the way things often unfold for BIPOC folx when what resembles white cis hetero power and privilege is bestowed upon them by the white establishment.

Read More

Atatiana, Zion, Black Trauma, and Initiation

in , ,

Zion may not have been physically murdered the night a police officer gunned down his aunt. But you can bet a part of Zion's soul, and probably most of his innocence, died that night. This is one of the hardest and saddening parts of being Black and Brown in the United States - our children don't get to be the innocent and open youths they should be for as long as they should be. Their reality, the dangers of being Black and Brown and viewed as a threat at practically any age, takes this all away from them far too early in their lives for anyone to deem it as acceptable.

Read More