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The Face of Race
Portland is often described as "one of the whitest" cities in America. Some communities of color say that creates the false impression that race is irrelevent here, and therefore the real issues that minorities face are diminished. The Coalition of Communities of Color recently commissioned a study to determine how ethnic minorities are fairing in Multnomah County. The short answer: Not so great.
The report (pdf), which is the first of seven, was released earlier this month. It looked at jobs, income, housing, education and services data. The report calls Multnomah County "uniquely toxic" for people of color.
Do you live in Multnomah County? How do you feel your race and ethnicity affects your experience when it comes to housing, employment, education and other areas of your life? If you live outside Multnomah County, what would you expect a report about people of color in your community to show?
GUESTS:
- Ann Caroline Curry-Stevens: Assistant professor at the Portland State University School of Social Work
- Nichole Mahar: Executive director of the Native American Youth and Family Center and a founding member and co-chair of the Coalition of Communities of Color
- Glenn Harris: Manager of the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative
Tagged as: ethnicity · psu · race
Photo credit: Frekieke / Creative Commons
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I am sick of "People of Color" screaming "Racism" about everything! This detracts from the TRUE problem of oppression of Poor People. The rich exploit the poor! And many poor people have brown skin. But people of all races are oppressed by the rich. But all y'all rich intellectuals buy into this crap. I have many bBlack and Native American activist friends from the 70's til Now... Playing on the 'White Man's Guilt' has been a 'Plan' for a long time. Allowing this Reverse-Racism allows all the Poor to Suffer, and gives 'People of Color' an excuse for low achievement, and to request Special Treatment. Cuz "We are minorities and we need a hand-up!"
The truth is there are more poor 'White' people than poor 'People or Color' but this "Racism" fulfills a self-serving agenda of Preferential Treatment for 'People of Color' in Hiring, Education, Housing, Financial Assistance, and Health Care. [Blonde-haired, Blue-eyed, Caucasian People are a Minority also]
This is bullcrap... And you are trying to peddle your Racist rich-people guilt onto everyone else.
[Disclaimer-- I am a 53 year-old unemployed White Male. Once my unemployment runs-out, I may end-up sleeping under a bridge. There are NO special programs for Poor White Trash because we don't have a dedicated, guilt-fueled, lobby]
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Poor Homeless folks live under bridges with $0000/year.
Go look at the line of people outside the Portland Rescue Mission or the Blanchet House. Go look at the people sleeping in doorways. They are usually White Folks. But since they don't have a "household income" to be statistically sampled, they are not mentioned in your statistics. The fact that the people you are sampling have homes means that they aren't that bad off! See the poor old woman collecting cans in a shopping cart. Or the people who live along the river in the National Park.
And here your are trying to justify your Racist position with statistics.
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Having spent 31 yrs overseas working in economic development and relief my take on the problems of Negroes is colored by six and a half years spent in Liberia, Uganda and Somalia. I also worked in 10 other LDCs including Belize.. with one two week consultation in Haiti in 1972 or 73. I also worked briefly with black coastal communities in Colombia.
Wherever they are, black communities all share the same social pathologies... extreme poverty, inability to create wealth, and use foreign aid to the best advantage, family abandonment, high rates of violence, and a general failure to advance.
Always wherever these communities are located it is the white man's fault for these failures in spite of the billions in aid of every description that has been programmed over the past 5 or 6 decades by the donor nations. Anyone who has worked in foreign aisstance in Africa or Haiti will know the truth of this assertion. What amazes me is the unwillingness of whites and blacks to face the fact that the fault chiefly lies with blacks and NOT with whites. The excuses put forth by ultra liberal whites and most blacks are wearing rather thin at this point.
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The only thing I found shocking or surprising about this report were the comments from other Oregon residents on the Oregonian article about the PSU study.
Nearly every comment (now deleted) included terribly racist stereotypes of people of color as alternately: lazy, having too many children, stupid, liars (as though they had made up the results of the study.) To see such comments openly made was frankly, disgusting. Confronting these commenters only seemed to increase their racist invective.
Having come from a society where I grew up as a white 'minority' in a largely black, hispanic and southeast Asian population, the differences between Portland and more diverse communities are readily apparent.
Of course I'm also concerned about the failure of Portland's attempts to better educate our whole population and reduce inequality for all populations, but we're unlikely to actually succeed in our endeavors until we attack the roots of personal prejudice and racism as well as institutional racism.
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In every poor country I know of: the greater the diversity by religion, race, ethnicty, tribe, language, etc. the greater the poverty, crime, and social and political tensions. NOWHERE on earth does diversity contribute in a positive way to the larger polity.
North Americans and Western Europeans have been force fed an enormous lie. To wit: that diversity is strength. The only institution strengthened by diversity is gov't. The social and political fabric of every diverse nation-as described- can finally only be held together by an authoritarian central govt. That, you may have noticed, is what is being created here, presently, in this nation.
The problem with institutional and media liberals is that they live in a cozy corner of fantasyland, one of their own creation and that land has nothing to do with the tough business of living with harsh reality.
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In regard to data... the guest talks about the previous data being unreliable and inconsistent for whatever reason. So what did the NEW data collectors do to ensure reliablility and accuracy. Seems as like the guest (sorry, I missed the name, title) was advocating for causes and then conveniently went out an got data that supported those causes (the same thing she claims policy makers were doing). So why should the "Coalition of Communities of Color" study be trusted more than any other?
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She states that "White people are over-represented in Housing"... White people are 79% of the populationg of Oregon... So 'People of Color' are 21%....
So what percentage of Housing should be dedicated to 'People of Color'?
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with all due respect, as long as this woman refers to her benificiaries as african american and mexican american etc. and refers to my people as "white folks" I can't see past her own racism to contribute to solving her problems. And your second guest is no better with her dichotomy of white communities and communities of color. White is a color, it's actually ALL colors if you want to get technical about the spectrum. But i'm not white, i'm more of an olivy peachy color. This dichotomy is contributing to the perpetuation of racism among the poor and that's just the way the rich want it. Ridiculous.
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What would you prefer? White is the name we've chosen for ourselves for at least a hundred years...
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But you are Whitey! White Folks own everything and are responsible for all the bad things in the world
Haven't you been paying attention?
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What i would prefer is that we start grappling with these issues as people, together rather than throwing numbers at each other, one group vs. another. i never chose the word white for myself and i am not bound by what has happened for the last 100 years. I'm a mixture of European American, Native American and who knows what else. Everyone is a person of color.
There are so many other connotations of the word "color." If "white people" aren't 'colorful" people, it implies that we are boring, dull and have no creativity, while the African American and Latino communities are described as brimming with contributions to art and culture. Further it is claimed that as colorless people we just steal from these contributions and manipulate their creators. Complete crap. Every culture has color, every culture is creative.
We can solve these problems together if we begin teaching children that there simply are no significant differences among people that are attributable to skin pigment alone. All families need to raise children with a sense of self respect and a sense of responsibility. This simply isn't happening in european american communities, latino communities or african american communities. We are a fractured society comprised of fractured families.
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hey arthur, you're simply wrong. don't you see that the "white people" you talk about are comprised of even more groups. Haven't you ever heard a white person tell a joke about jewish people and how they hoard all the money, keeping the rest of us down? It's the same stupid game. The significant things about me are
I believe in the power of belief
I have dedicated my career to human services and support of the arts and culture.
I pay rent, don't own a home or any stocks or bonds.
I pay taxes so that our government can address public service needs for all citizens and even some folks who aren't citizens...they are people too.
So you see Arthur, you look at me and you see "whitey," which is both inaccurate and racist. I look at you (at least what you have typed in response to my post) and I see someone who is holding himself back with hatred, mis-appropriated anger and self-pity.
I love you, man, but we can't address issues of institutional racism until we're on the same side of the table. Otherwise we're both seeing things upside down.
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The oppression is reflected every where. University or other organiations have have a special recruiting drive in order to add people of color/ minority, to be called diversed to have a veil over the white dominance... Is it not an example of disparity....its an over represenation of white over brown/black...
The oppression is reflected even in the classroom setup, in Universities, colleges schools..
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This remark (above) is wrong in so many ways...it is difficult to know wjere to begin to refute it. First of all, the modern world dominated by science and technology has been created mainly by people of European descent. The scientific method, the foundation of human progress, is the product of Europeans. Without this way of veiwing and dealing with nature, the entire world would still be squating in caves and gnawing semi cooked rodents.
How could it not be that "whites" tend to dominate this modern era? They created its foundations and spread it about the globe!!! Can you imagine Africa today without the contributions of Europeans? I travelled a good deal in village Africa and know as perhaps you do NOT know just how thin the veneer of civilization remains outside the cities.
The genius that created the modern world still mainly resides with people of European descent or others who have directly benefitted from their inventions and advances in the disciplines of science and the humanities.
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I moved to Portland in 1985, from the east coast, with a side jaunt through Denver for graduate school. I was taken aback at how racist Portland still was, and even more so, how hypocritical people were about it - back east, everything was pretty 'in your face,' while in Portland, it was always the subtext. I'd asked my coworkers to be where I should live, and everyone said 'Southwest,' and definitely 'NOT North or Northeast.' When I asked why, I was told because of the mixed neighborhoods - which they then went on to insist was NOT racist, but only due to 'Real Estate Values.'
O - K!
I settled in the Northeast, thank you. Fast forward to now, and I would say that certainly substantial progress has been made, both in Portland and the U.S., but in spite of the election of Barack Obama, there is still a strong undercurrent of racism, alive and well, and we still have far to go. I, for one have long been a supporter of Reparations to African Americans, to help offset the huge disadvantages that were forced upon them by generations of slavery, then Jim Crow, and finally segregation. I feel this way even though, now, as a 58 y/o white guy who has been unemployed over a year, and who isn't getting hired largely due to my age and previous income, I've still had years of relative advantage - which will enable me to survive until I figure out my next schtick.
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I am still amazed at the lack of understanding of the essential elements of sociology. I'm not sure if this is because of the application of PC to the curriculum or just one more indication of how ignorant we have become over the past few decades.
One would think that with travel so cheap and given the numbers with access to the Internet Americans would understand more than they apparently do, about the rest of the globe. I am talking about the so-called racism under discussion. Are Americans really so clueless they do not know that family, clan, tribe, language, religion, CULTURE ...all the elements that bond people together, are alive and thriving everywhere on the planet???
BUT, here, white Americans have been systematically stripped of each of these bonding elements in a carefully orchestrated program intended to render them effectively without a true culture. A real culture consist of both the taboo and the approved. What white America now reflects is a culture of 'yes'.. the total tolerance of everything, but a few criminal offenses. Every element that bonds together people elsewhere in the world are no longer operative in white America. Hence we haven't enough gumption left to even define national boundaries or protect our language or the basic institution of marriange or even gender!!!
But, dear friends the people now pouring into the USA from the LDCs know very well what constitutes a culture. They are hauling theirs with them. They know very well how to protect themselves and their ways and the means of obtaining and holding an ecoinomic niche within the amorphous mass of confused whites.
If you think you know what racism is all about...just wait! In another decade or two, YOU and your langauge will be in minority status and a hated one at that. Then you will bemoan the ignorance that led to your demise as a people with a country.
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I am multi-racial and I still wonder whether a supervisor who told me, "It's my way or the highway," was being racist or merely didn't like me.
My supervisor lived in an upper-class, white enclave of Portland. Everything in their demeanor made me feel race was an issue but I had no verifiable proof. I've also wondered why there were only a handful of non-white employees who worked for the company over the 12 years I was there.
I've concluded that I did my job well or I wouldn't have received raises every year. I was a leader at the company. I asked for promotion based on my work but I was denied twice.
Since I did no like working for my fourth supervisor I resigned to find a healthier life. That was 11 years ago and finding equal or better opportunities has become much more difficult.
The primary problem is that wealth is redistributed from poor to rich. The racial aspect is secondary in my mind.
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What if the wealth distribution reflected actual superior ability? Jews in America are always citing their superior intellect to account for their near monopolies in academia, investment banking, the media, entertainment and now politics. So if there is a racial or ethnic component to achievement this must be accepted in a true democracy based on ability.
Once more we should consider the proposition that if there is a racial aspect to financial success in a free country, we must also admit the probability that while some identifiable groups rise other, less well endowed groups, will filter out at the bottom.
If you want "diversity" then you must accept that every group able to retain its distinctive identity, as you have done, must agree that every other group retains the same right to protect their members. This is why certain peoples, such as the Japanese and Koreans, live is such relatively stable and lawabidding nations. In order for a diverse nation to hang together (tribal Mideast and Africa offer good examples) the central Govt must become dictatorial to hold the polity together. Iraq's fragmentation when the Baathists were removed is a prime example of diversity unleashed.
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None of the guests would have their jobs without victims to help the power of victimization is the reason the "leaders" like Jesse Jackson etc
have a vested interest in prolonging the approach that some citizens can not do for themselves.
Bill Cosby in his book Come on People points out that progress comes from personal responsibility, fathers taking responsibility for their children and people taking advantage of the tremendous opportunities America provides to all. Why are the "people of color" from the Asian Continent and foreigh students from Africa so successful? They see the opportunity, don't whine about their lot and get on with it.
I was living in San Diego when the Vietnamese refugees came in the middle seventies. They started out with state aid and in very few years became extremely successful. They spoke no English and their children became valedictorians.
Affirmative action programs have had the effect of stigmatizing blacks as being in their place because of special help. One wonders if his black doctor is a physician because he is well qualified or did he get his MD because of his color.
The racisim of Portland's mayor in offering special programs to all non white young people.
As a person of color and a native American I can tell you the route to success is open but not a route for success by "victims". Come on people stop being a person of color and start being a productive American.
I am against all racially based organizations like the Black Caucus in Congress, La Raza etc .
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**Cosign**
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Are programs that offer assistance to the impoverished community without regard to race or ethnicity a solution to this problem?
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Amen
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The key question this study clearly doesn't address, and probably couldn't, what is the quality of the 'colored' people being discussed? Portland is a very specific city, it is different from most of America, many people are in Portland because ideologically they want to be. They see the city as a liberal and perhaps intellectual city, it certainly doesn't mesh with mainstream America, the way other cities do. This also may not be nice to say, but the lifestyle of Portland doesn't mesh with mainstream 'colored' cultures. Just like most Americans aren't going to mesh with the sophistication of some country like France.
Portland is simply too modern and too sophisticated for the average 'colored' person to do well in. It may sound absurd and racist to some, but it isn't at all. Cultures are different, and mainstream 'colored' cultures are quite often very different from the Portland culture. Just like the culture of Sweden is going to be largely different from that of Haiti. If you put an average Haitian in Sweden they probably aren't go to do as well, as they would in a place like Miami. The disparity between the culture of Portland and 'colored' cultures is the problem. There is no evidence that these disparities are caused by racism, rather then the inherent wide cultural differences.
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Scott,
This is the first time I think I have disagreed with one of your posts. Your post IS racism, defined. People of color - meaning you are now lumping everyone of color into a group, and inferring that the other side of the spectrum, or whites will do well. Have you MET some of the white people in Portland? No, Portland isn't too modern or sophisticated, just the opposite. Portland is STILL rife with latent and deep racism. Anyone who has lived else where in America quickly realizes Portland is a deeply racist city in a deeply racist state, with a false idea that we are not. It is this true belief that the city suffers from a very strong racist but fails to recognize it that is inherently more dangerous than being openly racist.
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echolynch,
I am glad you don't agree with me! It proves my point (to me), which is why these problems never get resolved. People are not savvy enough to see things the other way round. They repeat the same cliches over and over again. They think any assumption about a group of people is bigotry, rather then useful analysis. Mainstream, specifically, black American culture doesn't mesh with Portland culture. Oh, is that a generalization? Well, how else does one talk about groups of people. Generalizations are, yes, generalizations, that is indeed the point of them. Of course there are always exceptions, but the mind works with generalizations, they are the shortcuts, that help us get things done. The study lumps everyone into a group---the people of color against the whites. Can you hear the guests on this show, talking about white privilege? What is that? Is that not racism, but what I said is? Really? I also said mainstream white American culture, doesn't mesh with Portland culture. Is that also bigotry? Do I allegedly not like white people too?
P.S. Yes, I have met some awful white racists in Portland. I have also met some awful black racists in Portland. Not sure what that means....most likely, not much, other then there are racists everywhere.
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Thanks for proving my point for me. So basically what you are saying is you are like all other Scotts, no different because we work in generalizations. And that all white people are better equipped to fit in here in Portland and it is the FAULT of the minorities to even try and fit into such an advanced culture. The problem with your point is that people are individuals. In my whole life I have never met two people exactly alike. And therein lies the fundamental problem. If one is incapable of seeing past superficial differences, then we are condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past.
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echolynch,
That is not what I am saying at all! Are you suggesting we restrict people from making generalizations to understand the problems faced as a group? And, are you serious? Yes, you are. And, many people are. What a travesty! How can you (they) not understand the differences, maybe it is semantics. This entire study, is a generalization! That is why people make studies. To get an average, overview, of what causes things to happen, or what is actually happening, or what things look like---to make a generalization. The error you are making is tantamount to labeling me a 'bigot' because I claim most Republicans don't like Michael Moore. Or, labeling me a 'bigot' because I say Germans are often efficient and excel at engineering. In the study of history and anthropology, and even evolution, we make broad generalizations to help understand what is occurring. The problem is generally not with the generalizations but in our interpretations of them and the meaning we attach to them.
Here is a line from your post on this page, and there were more statements that are equivalents to the types of generalizations you allege I shouldn't make: "Portland history is littered with a shameful past that Portlandites now believe to be false and disregard with ease." Why don't you talk about specific individual Portlandites? Or are we to believe that everyone in Portland disregards this history---including yourself?
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Come on people, Bill Cosby's book subtitled from victims to victors. Puts the onus on the communities which are so resistant to help even with many special programs and race based "help".
The panel today all have benefitted from victimization just like Jesse Jackson. As a native American and a "person of color". I view the affirmative action programs as instilling the attitude among employers that "this person may be qualified or may have his qualifications because he is colored and received many advantages over the normal student."
The fathers need to take responsibility for their children the people need to grab the tremendous opportunities offered by the US just like those people of color from Asia and the African foreign students in our Universities.
None of your programs will work until you demand personal resposibility from your groups of victims.
I am 68 and there is more racial stress and division now than when I grew up. Multiculturalism has been very destructive and the Portland Mayor's new programs for everyone except whites is just plain racism. There is no "reverse discrimination" only discrimination.
I wish you had invited someone to participate in the discussion who really knows something about the solution. Bill Cosby DEd could explain it to you.
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Emily, I listened to you repeatedly asking for specific facts or examples of how the institutional racism mechanism works, but all I heard in reply was assertions that it's bad, and it's there, and it's plentiful--but no real answer to your question. So, if the unemployment office has 10 White employees, 2 Hispanic employees, and 2 Black employees--how does this adversely affect a Black unemployed man who came into the office looking for a job? I also heard a complaint about "western business world view" or something like that as a feature of institutional racism. I am not entirely sure what this is, but whatever it is, should we adopt an Eastern world view? Why?
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It's time that Portland and the state of OR have honest and courageous conversations about racial equity and take active steps to change policy and systems. When sharing the findings with elected officials at City Hall, I heard very defensive comments from Council members, especially around employment and hiring of people of color in City positions. Access to professional and leadership level positions will greatly assist in changing and addressing the institutional racism that exists today.
Portland's demographics are changing rapidly and ignoring the factors that race plays in access to services, quality jobs and educations, housing, health care, etc - will only increase the ever growing disparities. Racism is a tenacious evil, but it is not unbeatable. Going back and forth about whether racism exists does not help to advance the discussion. Racism exists. Disparities exists. This is our starting point to do something to change these situations. These disparities affect everyone - we are interconnected and each person must get involved in the work to de-toxify Multnomah county.
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When I returned to the US after two tours in Vietnam as a Naval officer followed by 15 years as a photojournalist in SE Asia, I worked for a while as a shooter for the Portland office of an international wire service.
When I mentioned to the former chief photographer that I am an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, he said, "Don't you ever mention that you're an Indian to me again. I wouldn't have a (sic) f***ing Indian in my office." I didn't work there long.
It is difficult being poor in this country, no doubt about it, and the system does seem stacked in favor of those who are in a position to influence policy and politicians...as it ever was. All poor people are at disadvantage in that way.
But on top of that, on top of blatantly racist Western movies continuing to be shown (how would John Wayne movies be received if he were an Indian, picking whites off their horses with a pistol at 100 yards?) there certainly is racial bias at work here.
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Joe, obviously you were working for an idiot.
Let me remind you that every society has a top and a bottom. People, regardless of race, generally filter out according to their ability to achieve and thrive. Stupid people-and there are such- tend on the whole to do less well than smart folks. Standardized testing tells us that some identifiable groups have many more less capable people than other groups. That is fact..harsh, but true. Visit Florence then traval to Mombasa. Or if you are brave enough, try the Republic of the Congo or Liberia.
In a free country an employer is allowed to choose between competing applicants. If the applicants from a certain group more often meet his criteria for employment than people from another group, that is not prejudice but rather choice based on experience, testing or employment records.
In travels all over the world I have never yet been in a country that did not practice what we term racism. It is a fact of life everywhere. It is the glue that holds every people together. While political force holds diverse countries together.
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Are you kidding me? Poorest color family makes $700 a year? This is such an arbitrary nonsense fact. Anyone who only manages to pull in 1.9 dollars a day for a family is simply NOT TRYING, it has nothing to do with color. Don't try to pull on my heart strings with numbers. This show is so biased and silly I can barely stand to listen. No opposing perspective OPB? Guess I'll go watch fox for some balance. Worthless.
-32 year Old Oglala Sue Male, racism is in the eye of the beholder.
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I just don't buy the $700/$5,000 number for the poorest 10% of communities of color/white folks.
Some data that should be added to that:
How much public assistance do each of those groups receive, and hence what is their total income?
What role does difference in family size play? Are poor families with many children poorer because parents cannot work? Does this have any racial correlation?
And finally, any panhandler can tell you that $700/year would be a very disappointing take. It seems at least part of the explanation for that $700 figure must be a choice not to seek income, which may have to do with the opportunity cost of forgoing public assistance.
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I am white and I lived in Portland for 10 years, 1982 - 1992. During that time I knew a mixed-race couple. I was shocked to learn that they experienced racism in many forms. Not just being harassed for walking together in NE Portland, not just being pulled over to make sure the black man was not somehow victimizing the white woman, but housing that was offered the white woman was later denied the couple when the black male appeared.
When our family rented our house to an African American couple, we saw our former neighbors harass the nice people we had rented to.
It is a problem that these things happen, and I'm confident they still happen. Part of the difficulty is that these behaviors are invisible to most white people.
The large white majority needs to know this behavior exists at a personal and institutional level, and needs to be a part of the solution. We may not be able to outlaw personal racism, but we must do what we can to eliminate institutional racism through policy and enforcement.
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Colored cultures are more likely to be conservative. Multnomah county is largely a liberal community. That alone is enough to account for the disparity. That alone is enough to account for Portland being whiter then other places. It isn't whiter because of bigotry by whites, it is whiter because of bigotry by colored people. Why would a conservative want to move to a community that is liberal? Particularity if they had a choice? Colored people are more conservative in many areas. I've been called 'faggot' by more colored people then I care to remember. It also wouldn't surprise me if the colored people that are here, are quite possibly not here out of choice, but rather desperation. That also could add to the disparity, because they don't want to be in a community that based on statistics isn't like them.
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Scott, try seeing people as individuals, not groups, imagine talking one on one with someone and saying to them:
You are more conservative. You are a bigot. You've called me faggot.
And see how very silly your broad brush strokes are; and really, "colored", are you also still using negro?
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Milieu,
In response to a study that sees everyone by groups, you are now asking me to see them as individuals. Really? Is this how absurd everyone is? How can we ever accomplish anything? If we can't even get passed this boorish loop.
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Um actually, you're wrong. Portland, as the most populous city in Oregon, does have extremely racist roots whose vestigal tendons reach into the present day. You may not know this, but from mid-19th century until 1927 it was actually illegal for an american of african descent to settle in the Oregon Territory/State of Oregon.
The reason african americans are so geographically concentrated in the N. Portland neighborhoods is that during WWII we encouraged immigration (for what amounted to indentured servitude) to a community that no longer exists called VanPort. It was built on unstable ground alongside the river and meant to give these new immigrants easy access to their new "jobs" building ships for the war effort for extremely low wages. Where did VanPort go? It washed away in a big flood because it was unsafe to begin with.
All that said, this is 2010. As a mixed-race american who is always presumed to be "white," I agree with the spirit of today's program that institutional racism exists and that it is a problem here in Multnomah County. My issue with the guests on the program is that they ALL continue to contribute to the problem by creating a false mental dichotomy between "white folks" and "people of color."
Until all our children are raised without this false dichotomy in mind, there will be no significant healing for the community or for downtrodden members thereof. Until we all recognize our spiritual nature and that that nature has no ethnicity, we won't truly believe that we are all one people.
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thomboocha,
Did I at some point say, Portland doesn't have racist roots? No, I did not. Yes, I have heard, and am quite familiar with the history of racism in Portland. As I am quite familiar with the history of racism in all of the United States. In fact, we have discussed it on this show, previously.
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actually you did attempt to reduce the institutional racism in this area to a conservative/liberal issue, scottmil. That is just another socially useless, false dichotomy, not to mention a gross over-simplification. At any rate, we are not talking about political preferences in this issue as much as about social equity. There will be no social equity until we cease to draw lines between white/of color from both sides of the problem. Until we're all on one side of the problem, the problem will continue.
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thomboocha,
I didn't do that at all!!! You are making an inaccurate assumption. I didn't reduce anything---I discarded the claim entirely. I said I didn't believe the disparities were racism at all. I didn't chalk up the racism to a liberal/conservative issue, I claimed there is no evidence that the disparities were/are racism. That they could be do to inherent differences in culture, that has nothing to do with bigotry. That Portland could be very white, because the local culture doesn't fit together well with mainstream black culture and other cultures of color. And minorities that do live here, could have a hard time because of the cultural divide. I personally don't think Portland fits in with most white mainstream cultural groups either. Portland has a distinct culture and, because it is distinct, it means everyone will not do well here. It also happens that on average minority cultures are socially conservative, so I don't think minorities would do well in a socially liberal city. The difference between many bigger cities, is that they are often liberal because of circumstance, not choice. Like over time exposure to many lifestyles, cultures and ideas can somewhat democratize a place. Which is why people propose ideas like integration, because they hope the forced marriage of different types of people will essentially immunize people, to people who are different from them. Which is very different from an integration of choice, where people with the same social and cultural ideas get together because they have things in common....
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.... Lets reduce this. Were there ever a lot of black goths? Were there ever a lot black grunge-rs? Is it because goths are bigots? Or is it just a type of cultural, stylistic, difference? A place can be exactly like a musical genre and its followers or a social trend. Portland in its own way, became a trendy place, where many people moved to rather quickly, because they wanted to be part of its lifestyle. Considering that Portland is liberal and generally votes progressively, I think it would be a better idea to think a little bit more about the issue, rather then make the claim that there is a racism epidemic here, especially in comparison to other cities. Which no, I don't believe for a second! Really the problematic generalization began when people claimed that anytime a group of the same race is a majority, then the city must be racist. Which, if you applied to a country, then many of the countries on earth must be racist. Or apply it to Atlanta and say oh there is a black majority, so it must be racist place.
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"This model is not serving People of Color"
Ah... The truth come out! You want Special Treatment!
"We have got to make a Racial Equity adgenda front and center"
Since you have already decided what the statistics should say, you can tweek them any way you like to fit your adgenda.
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And to the people who say that Portland is the 'whitest city'... I can walk through North Portland (where I live) and see NO white people! So do we need to move some white people in there to even things up? The rent is much cheaper there than in Beaverton, so let us move 65% caucasian people into N. Portland and get this equality thing going!
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As you are clearly doing now. Should government only serve one group of its constituents? Are you afraid of racial equity? Should not government serve all of the people?
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"Should government only serve one group of its constituents? Are you afraid of racial equity?"
Not really... But let's get rid of all racial bull manure. No special treatment by race, creed, religion or lack of religion, sex, sexual orientation, or national origin.
BTW-- The woman being interviewed went to college because of support of the Alaska Native People. She got that support because of her RACE! Complaining about racial mistreatment that happened Decades or Centuries ago is also wrong. If it ain't, I would like to go back to Finland and get my land back that was stolen by the Czarist Russians, and the Soviets.
Therefore... complaining about slavery, Jim Crow, The Long March, The Trail of Tears, as well as the mistreatment on Chinese and Irish Immigrants by the Railroad Barons, and the internment of Japanese Americans.... All that stuff is getting pretty old.... GET OVER IT!
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Where exactly in North Portland? Mississippi, Gantenbein, Haight, Fremont, Russell, Knott, Killingsworth, Lombard, Commercial, Interstate, Alberta, Skidmore? Where is this mythical all black section of Portland? I'd like to know. It's impossible your statement about walking through this part of the city without seeing white people is true.
Many African-Americans have been forced out of this part of the city and NE due to the city's urban renewal plans which were started in the 90's driving up rents. That's obvious to anyone who's even somewhat been paying attention to city issues over the past decade. This suggestion for turning North Portland 65 percent caucasian actually seems to have already been surpassed to me.
Whether you like it or not, Portland is irrefutably one of the whitest cities in America.
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Hello I am a Black Man originally from Detroit, MI. I've been here over 20 years also. My comments are:
- We as an American people need to come together as one people to care, support and strengthen one another. We have too many enemies within and without the country for not to unify
- It is very true the real issue is in regards to rich and poor and the disparity in economics with people of color suffering more statistically.
- I believe it is up to each and every individual to stand for justice and overcome racism within industry, government, etc.
- I especially like to say to my African American brothers and sisters to work towards unification within their own families. My Mom says that charity starts at home and then spreads abroad.
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There are actually two discussion here, and Emily it would be a good idea to split them up into two shows. The oppression of poor Americans is its own whole show and deserves its own discussion.
Having been born and raised in Hawaii, where there is NO majority race and moving to Portland after serving in the USAF I was surprised to find much more racism here than in Texas or the South. And there it was open and overtly obvious when it occurred. Here it is much more dangerous, many who are racist here refuse to accept or believe they are racist.
Portland history is littered with a shameful past that Portlandites now believe to be false and disregard with ease. Portland has limited geographical areas where non-whites could live and own homes, the university system in Oregon is incredibly racist and white dominated. Does anyone remember Vanport City and the flood? Why was the one of the only places African-Americans allowed to live in a flood zone? Why was the response so slow, so bad and terribly costly to the families impacted by the flood? To get the residents, almost all minorities to LEAVE Oregon, and it worked. The participation in hate groups like the KKK was extremely high in Oregon and many of those sentiments are still here, under the calm surface running as deep as ever. Maybe if Oregonians stepped up and acknowledges the problems, we can begin moving to solving the problems.
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To my fellow white listeners: whether or not you 'see' race, whether or not you agree the numbers in this study are accurate, whether or not you agree with the guest's perspectives, I encourage you to at least consider the ideas in this discussion.
We as white people have not experienced history, government relations, even neighborhoods and schools, in the same way as people of color. While you may not want to 'see' an impact caused by the difference in 'skin color', try at least to understand that those with a history different from our own may have real, authentic and genuine challenges that we do not face. To see and understand this doesn't make you racist -- but makes you able to acknowledge difference.
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Thank you for this post, it's a good splash of cool water, but to your final conclusion, I would simply reply that to see and understand this allows one to be compassionate, not to simply acknowledge difference.
Compassion does not seek to prop the man with crippled legs up on crutches and walk away, it seeks to assuage his pain and heal his sense of self from within for the rest of his life. Compassion seeks to demonstrate to this man that he is fully able to engage productively and successfully, despite his challenges as compared to others.
Institutional racism won't be a "fixed" problem in our lifetimes. We must accept that without slowing our attempts to strengthen families and teach children of their inherent worth as physical and spiritual beings on a planet with unlimited social potential for the overall good.
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Wow, I am deeply saddened to hear and read some of these comments. Words like "You want Special Treatment!" and "Portland is simply too modern and too sophisticated for the average 'colored'" show a deep lack of empathy and understanding of living in a diverse world. These statements are racist.
I speak for myself when I say that I don't want special treatment I want equal treatment. I have been a victim of racism in a couple of the jobs I have had here in Portland.
I, while highly qualified with years of experience was denied a job promotion (which went to a less qualified white person) because i "didn't match the look of the other employees" and that I was "not what the patrons wanted to see".
Far too often do people of color strive to achieve but are denied opportunity simply because of the color of their skin. This, my Portland, is racism.
If there has to be a changes to laws, or programs put in place to change this disparity then I do not consider them "special treatment" I consider them an acknowledgment of institutional, political, personal racism and a path to a more equitable environment for all.
Once again I plead with you to look in your own heart and have the courage to admit your own bigotry and do something to change that.
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Okay Albert...
Once again I plead with you to look in your own heart and have the courage to admit your own bigotry and do something to change that.
So long as you will use your intelligence to realize how blatantly judgemental and racist that statement is.
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How is the quote judgemental or rascit, arthurseery?
I do not exclude anyone, including myself from that statement. So I fail to see how that is racist or judgemental. I have open ears and will listen to your side of the story.
I also stand by my statement for everyone to look inside and admit that biases, bigotry, racsism is real and ubiquitouse. Due to the nataure of being a social animal human to think that a person can escape all the sociological and historical pressures that are in part a causal factor of racism is most improbabal.
Therefore we are all racist to some extent. How we deal with that is up to the desire of the individual as well as society as a whole. I believe overcoming racism begins with the individuals admmitance to oneself that one has been socially taught to be rasicist, then one can begin to recognize behaivors that are inherently unequal.
So I'm interested to hear how you think this is judgemental or racist?
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"Portland is simply too modern and too sophisticated for the average 'colored' person to do well in"---yes it is!, and the average white person. That isn't bigotry, it is a straightforward and honest view of the way I see the city and culture in America. I also think that the average white American wouldn't do well living in most of Europe, because it is too modern and too sophisticated. I think the average white evangelical American would have an even harder time in Europe. Is all that bigotry too? Nope. It is digging deeper and taking culture into consideration.
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Scottmil,
I understand your pride in our city. I share much of that pride. There are many wonderful things about it. I still must stand by the statement that
"Portland is simply too modern and too sophisticated for the average 'colored' person to do well in"
is a bigoted statement. Here is why, instead of using the word "people" the word "'colored'" was used. This drastically changes the meaning of the sentence. The word 'colored' is a both connotatively and denotativly loaded term. It's origins have strong ties to racist epitaphs of the south and propagation.
If the intention of the statement was to be all inclusive of all races the correct term to achieve that would be "human", "people", "person" or other term that is universal, but these words were not used.
The choice of using the term "colored" over "people" syntactically singles out a race as unable to be sophisticated.
The term "colored" is most often associated with the black community. To say that the black community is unsophisticated is an inherently racist idea. Jazz music is beleived through out the world to be incredibly sophisticated. Jazz is a uniquely American invention widely understood to be formed by the music of African American slave decedents. Other incredibly clear examples of sophistication are the writing of Deboise, the art of Basquiate or the acting of Morgan Freemen.
Also I have many friends across the pond who would disagree about the sophistication level of Europe. Take "Brittan's got Talent" or "French Idol" as examples. Let's also remember that the UK brought the world "The Spice Girls".
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Albert,
I don't have pride in Portland. It is the city, out of the USA, that I have chosen to live in, and, it has many problems. I used the word 'colored' for efficiency and because it has the same meaning as 'people of color' used by the study. I wrote: "'colored' people." I did not say 'colored,' alone. Perhaps I am too literal. But it seems trite and dishonest to lesson the impact of something by creating the phrase 'people of color.' When 'colored people' has exactly the same meaning. The context was also different from the use you suggest. Hopefully you have a larger objection then the words 'colored people' used in my comments. Because that is indeed, a semantic and pointless discussion.
Yes, I did specifically mean racial minorities. Yes, I do think racial minorities in any country are generally, yes, on average, less culturally and socially sophisticated then the majority. It seems kind of obvious, that it would be hard for them not to be. Particularity when they have been oppressed, persecuted and held back by the majority. Which is why minorities are often conservative or traditional. My view seems like a generous viewpoint. Or would you prefer I suggest many minorities are statistically more homophobic, because they are simply bad people? Really to accept your view, you would have to believe that all cultures are equal, and no culture is more sophisticated then another. Perhaps you put too much value in the word sophisticated?
Jazz! While I often love the music, that argument is an irrelevant (and clichéd) way to try and say more about something then can be said. It is like saying Egyptians built the pyramids, so they have as much knowledge and technology as we do. Sure every culture has its strengths! But it certainly isn't bigotry to think some cultures are more advanced then others, or more sophisticated. It is time we got that infantile notion out of our heads. And stopped ignoring the obvious. If I were to use the 'sophistication' argument to say there is inherently something inferior about black people in general, that would be a problem. But, I never, nor would I, say that. For another example, I think Canadians are more culturally sophisticated then Americans. Is it wrong to think something like that? I generally don't think any of those types of beliefs are wrong, it is there applications that can get you into trouble.
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Yes, people of color definitely have challenges, and the history is dire and disgusting. Unfortunately, as with many oppressed groups, that oppression can destroy and/or infect the popular culture. In many ways I was infected by depression and self-hatred because I grew up in a evangelical home, that 'home' hated who I was, and in many ways I let that ruin the person I am. Every day is a battle to not self-destruct under the weight of the life I created. The combination of that home and my personality were a fatal brew. But, I am (self)-aware enough to realize I am also part of the problem, that even if I didn't entirely cause this 'me,' I am the one who has to battle to pick up the pieces.
Black American culture (specifically) is also infected, just like much of white American culture was/is infected by bigotry. Black American culture has largely not admitted the infection. They haven't worked through the issues, and white American culture has also grandfathered in a complacency and tolerance to the widespread problems within this culture. Of course, it doesn't mean black Americans are too 'blame,' this isn't about blame, it is about admitting that much of your culture, your person, was created out of an angry response to terrible conditions that were beyond your control---but, now you have the responsibility to change that, to not let it destroy you. You have to realize your culture, your person, is not always as healthy as it could be. All cultures and peoples need to do this. But, more often people who have faced discrimination and oppression have a greater battle or more to overcome....
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there's not much wrong with this argument, scott. nicely put.
but it's a whole lot easier to shed the past (especially the part you're not personally part of) and enter a new world where we're all just people. I don't need to study or even recognize the error of my ancestors' ways in order to usher in a new ethic of love and compassion that has no regard for skin color or sexual preference.
It may take practice, but it's simply a commitment to love that fuels this practice and progress. An affectation with suffering (whether due to race or sexual preference/identity) in place of an acceptance that suffering is our birthright as human beings, will always bring us down and was the main problem with the guests assembled for today's program.
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.....Gay culture is also very often that way, it is often infected with anger and self-loathing. There is also a lot of depression in the gay community, social problems, and a lot of people acting recklessly. To point this out, you are automatically labeled a bigot, because people assume you are saying look these people are garbage, these people caused this, there is something wrong with them as people, with their lifestyle. But you are not saying that at all! All you are saying is look many of these people have a lot of added problems, because of the oppression and discrimination they have faced. This discrimination caused damage, it wounded the people and their society. Just like terrorism succeeds by infecting a community with fear, the damage of terrorism is much greater then the act, because this fear does long-term damage. But, you don't fix this by pointing out the bigotry, you fix this, by fixing the people already suffering, by addressing their symptoms. You don't ignore the cultural problems for the superficial and misguided label 'tolerance.' The people need therapy too, the culture needs therapy too. To say that a race or group of people could go through a period of such extreme discrimination and not come out harmed, not come out wounded as a culture, is complete ignorance.
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I was floored by what I was hearing. Coming from a family who is predominatly of color.I have to disagree with what is being The members of our family who are of color are given services easier and in larger amounts then those members who are white. By services I am talking about, foodstamps, housing, schooling, emergency aid, help with bills etc. My daughter who is of color, participates in a program at school called S.M.I.L.E. Her best friend who is white was not allowed in the program BECAUSE she is white. The ironic thing is that financilaly, her "white" friend is poor and qualified more for the program except for the color of her skin. There are more scholarships available to my daughter, then to her friend who needs them more. I believe it is a perception problem more than a "color" problem. Like they said earlier the data is skewed, or not all the variables are taken into consideration. Growing up as a minority I KNOW that I have had many opportunities my white friends did not. It is a matter of taking advantage of those opportunities and programs.You can take a horse to water but can't make him drink. It is much easier to whine and play the poor me race card. Personally, what I saw among my friends growing up and in my community as a whole, was that it was easier to complain about how whites were so much better off, than to actually do anything to help themselves. It was not that the progams were not there but that they did not take advantage of them. Please, lets be honest and clear. Quit bringing up the race issue and focus on the problem. Why are our young people as a whole not graduating? Could it be example? My youngest daugher played softball and I was the ONLY hispanic parent who showed up to support her child. The majority of the team was hispanic. The programs are there, the communities need to be motivated to use it and to work hard. It is easier to whine and point fingers than to take care of oneself.I am embarressed that the race card is so often played, when it is more of a cultural problem, not race. Work hard and anyone can get where they want to go.
JJ
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Whenever I find myself involved with discussions regarding race, my mind floats back to a song by The Temptations called, Ball of Confusion. So much going on in the world and the one thing that is constant is the topic of race.
According to the The Coalition of Communities of Color, the report centers on the "...disparities that exist for our people." There, in the opening sentence, is part of the problem with discussions or studies on race. The perception from either side of the battle field that disparities exist for "our" people. Not your people, but our people. With so much emphasis on victimization and identification, is it any wonder that the topic of race generates so much controversy. From the kKK to the Black Panthers and every individual in between.
And the identification problem exists in the federal government, law enforcement and the judicial branch. A quick check of organizations within these organizations reveals splinter groups: African American Judges Association The Hispanic Police Officers Association, The Hispanic Bar Association, The Italian American Police Officers Association, etc. There is even a National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS).
Despite it all, I suppose talking allows us to vent; to exchange thoughts and ideas; to expose our minds to a new idea or philosophy. And that ain't all bad, right?
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Whenever I find myself involved with discussions regarding race, my mind floats back to a song by The Temptations called, Ball of Confusion. So much going on in the world and the one thing that is constant is the topic of race.
According to the The Coalition of Communities of Color, the report centers on the "...disparities that exist for our people." There, in the opening sentence, is part of the problem with discussions or studies on race. The perception from either side of the battle field that disparities exist for "our" people. Not your people, but our people. With so much emphasis on victimization and identification, is it any wonder that the topic of race generates so much controversy. From the kKK to the Black Panthers and every individual in between.
And the identification problem exists in the federal government, law enforcement and the judicial branch. A quick check of organizations within these organizations reveals splinter groups: African American Judges Association, The Hispanic Police Officers Association, The Hispanic Bar Association, The Italian American Police Officers Association, etc. There is even a National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS).
Despite it all, I suppose talking allows us to vent; to exchange thoughts and ideas; to expose our minds to a new idea or philosophy. And that ain't all bad, right?
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Comments are now closed.
I think that this report definitively shows that the high tax approach of Multnomah County and Portland does not work. If this is a “uniquely toxic” environment for disadvantaged groups despite the high taxes we pay here, then perhaps we should try the approaches of lower tax municipalities in Texas or Florida. Regardless, the report shows that high taxes (9% income tax at the state level) are not the answer to the problems of disadvantaged groups. It is distressing to know that we seem not to be getting much for what we pay.