July 7, 2015

PORTLAND – The City of Portland’s Office of Equity and Human Rights will present its City-wide Racial Equity Goals and Strategies to City Council, tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. at City Hall.

Council is expected to adopt the racial equity goals and strategies as a guide to help institutionalize racial equity in City policies, plans, and procedures.

Community members and City employees will be present to testify in support of adopting the goals and strategies.

QUOTES:

Dante James, Bureau Director:

“We have looked across the country at various best practices for racial equity work and produced a set of three overall city-wide goals that are fairly wide-raging and all-encompassing. These goals may be specifically couched in terms of racial equity, but achieving these goals will help provide greater benefits for everyone as they receive the services of the City.

Mayor Charlie Hales:

“We are a very diverse city. And racial equity means understanding both that diversity today and the institutional racism and historical wrongs that underlie that diversity, even now.”

Portland’s Office of Equity and Human Rights provides education and technical support to City staff and elected officials, leading to recognition and removal of systemic barriers to fair and just distribution of resources, access, and opportunity; starting with issues of race and disability.

For more information, please contact Jeff Selby at jeff.selby@portlandoregon.gov.

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