HB+HC Community Leaders: Where Are They Now?

As 2020 wraps up, so does our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities (HB+HC) initiative. We at NWHF are so excited to have witnessed the incredible growth of community leaders over the last five years. We know HB+HC played only the tiniest role, if any, in that growth. And we know that leaders don’t belong to any one Collaborative or organization; they shift and change how they show up in movements over time. In the five short years of HB+HC, many Collaborative members transitioned to new roles within and outside the HB+HC Cohort. Whether they’ve moved on to new jobs or grown within their organizations, we think all of these leaders deserve recognition. 

Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity to contact all of the incredible participants in HB+HC, so we’re only highlighting a few. It’s important for us to note that a few leaders can never represent the full brilliance of BIPOC communities throughout Oregon and SW Washington! 

We asked each community leader: 

1. What were you doing five years ago, in 2015?

2. What are you doing now?

3. Any plans for 2021?

Diana Avalos-Leos (Healthy Communities, Healthy Futures)

1. I was serving as the Operations Manager for Healthy Living Collaborative of Southwest Washington.

2. I’m working in the Washington State Department of Health on a COVID-19 vaccination and care coordination project to support health jurisdictions who are working with community-based organizations to ensure people are supported during quarantine and isolation. 

3. Nine years ago I founded Clark County Youth Leadership organization, which provides advocacy, leadership, mentoring and after-school programming for BIPOC youth and their families. 2021 will be our 10-year anniversary, and we will continue to scale to provide leadership and networking opportunities for BIPOC youth and families. 

Karla Castaneda (Youth Equity Collaborative)

1. I co-developed a youth leadership cohort that focused on reproductive justice and developed another that focused on education. These cohorts were made up of young passionate humans, and I learned so much from their curiosity, directness and drive. I was able to take young people to advocate in Salem for reproductive health, education, transportation and housing. Young people were taking over the legislative session by testifying, rallying and showing up. All this, plus trying to finish my freshmen year of college.

2. I’m currently working at Verde as their Finance and Human Resources Coordinator. I’m learning a lot as I dive into numbers and policies. I question why things are and work with a team that is curious and open to new possibilities. 

3. Not sure yet. I’m not planning anymore, I’m just seeing where life takes me.

Andrea Gonzalez (La Voz de la Comunidad)

1. Five years ago today I was pursuing my bachelor’s in social work and struggling to navigate an educational system as a first generation college student. In 2017, I began my work at the Lower Columbia Hispanic Council, now Consejo Hispano, where I spent the following three years working with the community I grew up in. Through our work at HB+HC, not only did I get to work alongside local North Coast community leaders, but also leaders and organizers from all over Oregon and Washington!

2. Back at it y'all! I am currently pursuing my master’s in social work while working and interning at the Northwest Regional Education Service District. My role there is as a Family Engagement Specialist in the Migrant Education Program for Tillamook County. I'm very excited to be working with a new community, and although it can be difficult at times, and I have had to get very creative, relationship building with this community has been gratifying and vital during pandemic times. 

3. After 2020, I think my only real plan is to survive and thrive, graduate this spring and continue working with communities in the North Coast.  As we struggle to address the challenges and barriers that have been highlighted in this pandemic, I reflect on the work we have done and the work still to come in our communities. 

Jenny Lee (Racial Equity Agenda)

1. In 2015, I was working in Honolulu, Hawaii at my first job after graduation. During the legislative session, we built a coalition to pass driver licenses for all, which was such an honor to be a part of. But I was eager to come back to my home state of Oregon, so that fall I moved back and started a new position convening the Oregon Housing Alliance.

2. After working as the Advocacy Director at the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) and then in the same role at the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), I am back at CCC as the Deputy Director. As Deputy Director, I work to support CCC's programs, organizational development and coalition engagement to build power to take collective action for racial justice.

3. I am excited to build out CCC's affiliate 501(c)(4) and collaborate with our growing team as we work for systemic change. In 2021, we will be building a coalition to advocate for a more inclusive democracy in Portland and work with communities to develop policies that center BIPOC voices. From there, we will advocate at the Charter Review Commission to rethink our form of government and how we elect our lawmakers, and build a long-term campaign to win the changes we want to see at the ballot.

Amanda Manjarrez (Racial Equity Agenda)

1. Five years ago, I was starting my third year at Lewis & Clark Law School, which is what originally brought me to Portland, Oregon.  

2. Today, I am an active member of the NM State Bar and the Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at Foundations for a Better Oregon. At FBO, we work with partners in community and across sectors to reimagine how Oregon supports every child to learn, grow and thrive. 

3. We’ve been working closely with a coalition of community-based organizations to develop a shared 2021 legislative agenda focused on advancing racial equity in Oregon’s education system. Most of my time will be spent advocating for that policy agenda along with our community partners during the 2021 Legislative Session. I'd also really like to travel and to hug friends and family again.

Dolores Martinez (Eastern Oregon Latino Alliance for Children & Families)

1. Five years ago I was working as a housekeeper in a hotel and got my promotion as head housekeeper that year, without any knowledge in technology or the English language, but with a lot of passion and motivation to learn. In 2015, I was registered in a toys for tots program that EUVALCREE provides. I never thought that one day, two years later, I was going to be doing the same thing, but in a different way, registering people in the same program that helped me.

2.  In February, I will celebrate four years being part of EUVALCREE as a staff member. Now, I'm the Director of Community Engagement, as well as an application assistant for OHP (Oregon Health Plan). Honestly I never imagined learning what I have learned, meeting many people, learning computer skills, improving my English, working in different programs and being able to help and provide support to my community. I am really a different person than I was back in 2015 and am grateful for all the people that have supported me in my growth. I love being part of the changes in my community. I love what I do.

3. Fight my fears, be more confident, learn more, practice my English more, keep growing so that way I can support more, participate more, be the voice of my community, keep my motivation, and be the best model to my family! 

Minerva Moulin Alvarez (La Voz de la Comunidad)

1. I was running my cleaning business. 

2. I am working now for Consejo Hispano. I am a Civic Engagement Coordinator. 

3. My plans for 2021 are to keep serving our minority communities and be the voice for those who can’t speak and are oppressed by people in power.

Ophelia Noble (Healthy Communities, Healthy Futures)

1. As I reflect on 2015, I think about hurt, trials and tribulations of being “priced out” of my hometown (Vancouver, WA), moving my family to Kelso, WA and experiencing the worst forms of racism that I have experienced in my life. From receiving a three-page letter from an unknown source telling me my family needs to get out the town to a local SSD worker telling me they don’t want someone like me contracted to become a payee for folks receiving SSI/SSD payments (although the agency was in desperate need of payees), to my children experiencing micro and macro aggressions on a daily basis in the education system, community, and health care system. Seeing “CLAN” acronyms in the school (meaning Citizenship, Leadership, Advocacy, Nobility), but set in the context of the community; seeing MAGA hats on children and Confederate flags on trucks parked in the school lot, to Confederate insignia on hats, belts, etc. Inevitably being called a ni*** on many occasions. Unfortunately, this reflection is not seamless, as I don’t think I have found a way to process it any meaningful way other than trauma.

   As a member of the HB+HC initiative, I was able to literally and figuratively take an emotional break from the trauma, traveling to different areas in Oregon to see the ways in which communities of color were exercising activism, services and systems change work, seeing amazing BIPOC-led health care services, food banks, community centers, relationships with political leaders and thought bubblers. There seemed to be a constant theme that I circled back to: “It all started with activism in one way or another a need to lift up the voices of Black and Brown folks impacted by systemic racism in all its forms from, institutional to interpersonal and internalized, from microaggressions to macroaggressions.” I was also able to sit in deep supportive, patient and caring respect as I began to regain my own ability to trust again. I distinctly remember sitting in a session around what it may take to build 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) infrastructure in SWWA and having an emotional reaction almost to tears as I contemplated all the ways I could fail my community, the potential loss of friendship and connection to community. Among other thoughts, more importantly I felt again, I began thinking about the possibilities in life again. I began dreaming again a state of awareness that I had lost just two years prior. I was able to be surrounded by BIPOC strength, courage, patience, love, awareness and SUPPORT!   

2. Five years later, and I am now supporting community building out the necessary tools to receive the same care I received as I navigated one of the most difficult times in my life. I am helping to build out an equitable community-based, culturally specific CHW Program, uplifting the spirit of organizers and activists, and supporting infrastructure development of the first 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) sister organization led by community, in community, while also supporting the development of a multicultural center. I am working alongside commUNITY to ensure social, economic, environmental and political justice (equity). This is no longer a quiet conversation behind closed doors. I am personally building up the courage to make a political run in my hometown to work within the system to make change! 

Denise Piza (Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition)

1. Five years ago, in 2015, I was really delving into the work with the Let's Talk Diversity Coalition as an Outreach Coordinator.  We were working hard at facilitating equity, diversity and inclusion trainings in Central Oregon, along with supporting work with Juntos and facilitating the workshops for families in Culver. At that time I was also sitting on the board of our school district's ESD and Kids Club. We had a lot going on at the Coalition, but also in my family. I was pregnant at the time with my now four-year-old daughter, so there were a lot of important things happening. I was able to connect with some amazing leaders in our community and had the opportunity to collaborate on many projects that positively impacted our communities. I actually connected with many folks that I currently have the opportunity to work with in various capacities through the HB+HC Collaboratives.  

2. Currently, I am transitioning to a new position with Oregon Health Authority and took a little break before getting started there. I am really excited to join the team and get started. Also as many of us are, I am working from home and supporting my children and my nieces and nephews with online learning through this pandemic. This year has definitely presented us with new and different challenges.  

3. For 2021, I am looking forward to supporting my eldest in his last year of high school and getting him to graduation. My son was the reason I became so active in advocacy work and being there for him in this important milestone is going to be a priority. I also hope to continue to build with other community leaders on a lot of the work we have done together since I moved to the Willamette Valley.  

Jaylyn Suppah (Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition)

1. I was working at LTDC going into year two, feeling more comfortable in my job as the Native American Outreach Coordinator. Before I started working for LTDC, I was a volunteer for the organization. I was learning a lot and working in partnership with my tribe and community. I started learning more in depth about advocacy, grassroots organizing, leadership and community work. I also began my work as a cultural awareness facilitator and trainer. The focus of my work was the Papalaxsimisha program, which I along with the full support of OSU Open Campus in Madras, created and was hosting our first cohort of the program. It was one of my toughest years as I became a single mother raising two children ages two and four. I also got my new home on the reservation late in the year, and I was so grateful. This is the year I really started on my healing journey as a woman, a mother and community leader. 

2. I am raising two beautiful children who are homeschooling this year due to COVID. I am a student at The Evergreen State College in the Masters of Public Administration Tribal Governance program. I work for my tribe, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, as the Community Planner in Health & Human Services. Our tribe is one of the Regional Health Equity Coalitions throughout the state of Oregon advocating for equity, decolonizing practices and policies and how to uplift our traditional knowledge and ways of being. I also oversee the Papalaxsimisha program and Family Resilience program. I serve on several boards and committees such as the Governor’s Health Equity Committee, National Indian Education Association and MRG Foundation. 

3. The biggest plan for 2021 is running for school board for the Jefferson County 509-J School District in May. 

Kathy Wai (APANO VOTE Network)

1. I was the Policy and Civic Engagement Manager at APANO from 2014-2017. I then eventually became the Field Director from 2017-2018. During my time at APANO, I managed year-round civic engagement training, outreach and political education activities to increase voter participation in underrepresented communities (specifically API immigrants, new citizens, elders, and college-age students). I also led the HEART Campaign (Health Equity and Reform Team) to pass health equity legislation statewide specifically for COFA/Pacific Islanders, newly arrived immigrants, and helped support the passage of the Reproductive Health Equity Act through organizing town halls and training community members on legislative lobbying.

   Through my involvement with HB+HC, I also had the opportunity to organize the VOTE Network with 12 Asian and Pacific Islander organizations to help build their capacity to conduct culturally specific voter education, registration, phone banking and policy advocacy for year-round 501(c)(3) electoral efforts.

2. I ran for an open seat on the North Clackamas School Board in 2017 and became the youngest woman of color to serve on the Board. Since then, I've been involved with the creation of the Oregon School Board Members of Color Caucus, serving on the executive leadership team and representing the Clackamas Region. I've also been appointed by Governor Kate Brown to serve on TriMet's Board of Directors and am currently serving on NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon's PAC Board. Aside from my public service roles, I've worked most recently as the Census Justice Director for Oregon Futures Lab and worked with our BIPOC leaders to get our communities accurately counted in the 2020 Census. 

3. I want to travel in 2021, since I wasn’t able to in 2020.

How the Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Initiative Evolved from 2015 through 2020

With a multi-year initiative, change is inevitable. New leaders are elected to office, policies are passed and repealed, and nonprofit staff members transition to different roles. Organizations merge and dissolve. Some opportunities arise, and others disappear.

Over the course of our six-year Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities initiative, we experienced all of this and more. The initiative and our grantees pivoted time and again, responding to crises and shifts in public interest.

This is how HB+HC evolved from 2015 through 2020:

Where We Began

When we first called for applications for HB+HC’s Organizing Grant Year, we created a dashboard of metrics to measure positive improvements in health. We called this dashboard the Health Compass. It included milestones for health at birth, kindergarten and high school. It also recognized four dimensions of health: social, mental, spiritual and physical.

At our Organizing Grant Year gatherings in 2015, participants filled in blank Health Compasses with their own milestones. They wrote in milestones like “culturally specific services to prepare parents,” “all children have access to healthcare,” and “access to safe places to congregate and play.” They also participated in workshops about NEAR (Neuroscience, Epigenetics, ACEs, Resilience) science, health system transformation, and coalition building.

At the end of the Organizing Grant Year, ten Community Collaboratives continued on to participate in the full initiative:

• APANO VOTE Network, led by Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon

• Successful Transitions, led by Southern Oregon Education Service District (later transitioned into Criminal Justice Coalition, led by Unite Oregon Rogue Valley) 

• Eastern Oregon Latino Alliance for Children and Families, led by EUVALCREE

• Healthy CAPACES, led by Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste

• Healthy Communities, Healthy Futures, led by Healthy Living Collaborative of Southwest Washington (left the HB+HC initiative after folding into SWACH)

• Immigrant and Refugee Engage Project led by Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization

• La Voz de la Comunidad, led by Consejo Hispano (formerly Lower Columbia Hispanic Council)

• Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition, led by Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition (disbanded)

• Racial Equity Agenda, led by Coalition of Communities of Color

• Youth Equity Collaborative, led by Momentum Alliance

Building Power for Kids & Families

During our first official year of Communities Collaborate, we dug deep to understand what it means to build power as communities. HB+HC’s emphasis shifted toward BIPOC communities taking seats at decision-making tables.

In fall 2016, Collaboratives designed and participated in a “Building Power Assessment.” This included questions about organizing models, frameworks, movements, policy agendas and public policy influence, coalitions and networks, campaigns, communications, leadership development, fundraising, legal tools and electoral politics.

The assessment illuminated something we already suspected: different Collaboratives possessed different strengths, and all Collaboratives were more confident in some areas than others. This led us to recognize an opportunity for Collaboratives to share skills with one another. Collaboratives held trainings for one another on fundraising, youth leadership, communications and more. Some Collaboratives even visited each other, community-to-community, to share knowledge.

Changing Political Landscape

The results of the November 2016 election, both locally and nationally, put many of the Collaboratives into defense mode, especially those who counted immigrants and refugees among their staff, board and community members. Organizations hosted Know Your Rights trainings and advocated for cities and school districts to pass statements of sanctuary and inclusion. Throughout their time together, the Collaboratives defended immigrants’ rights through defeating anti-immigrant ballot measures. They also campaigned for progressive policies like Ethnic Studies in Oregon schools, affordable housing measures and healthcare for all children.

How We Worked Together

Gatherings

Every year of HB+HC, except 2020, we held one to three Cohort gatherings. At the three-day gatherings, representatives from each Collaborative spent time building relationships with each other, leading and attending workshops to learn relevant concepts and skills, and being inspired by keynote speakers from across the country. Each Collaborative was responsible for hosting one gathering, and time was also spent visiting people and places in the community and learning about each other’s work. 

We held gatherings in Warm Springs, Woodburn, Salem, Medford, Portland, Astoria and Ontario, Oregon, as well as Vancouver and Kelso/Longview, Washington. We did everything from door-to-door canvassing for issue campaigns to riding public buses for a city-wide scavenger hunt. Participants enjoyed delicious food from BIPOC-owned restaurants and catering companies. We covered a myriad of topics in keynotes, workshops and conversations, including the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act in Oregon, disability justice, Oregon’s Black history, combating anti-Blackness, how to use the Voter Activation Network, communications skills, parent leadership and so much more.

Leadership Team

In 2017, we formed the Cohort Leadership Team. This group was made up of key representatives from each Collaborative. Together, they suggested content for gatherings, made decisions for shared Cohort action and held each other accountable.

The Leadership Team met about once a quarter to discuss strategies. They also convened annually in a longer retreat format to build stronger bonds and develop the following year’s Cohort action priorities. The leadership team was responsible for bringing the Cohort Action Plan back to their communities and deciding what to lead on and what to support.

Cohort Action Plan

The Cohort Action Plan included four focus areas:

Narrative - The Cohort chose to contribute to a new narrative about communities of color in Oregon to unite communications efforts around advocacy and political campaigns.

Leadership Development - Collaboratives wanted to assess existing leadership development programs and determine gaps they could help fill in. 

Policy Advocacy - Collaboratives worked together to support policy campaigns each year. For example, the Cohort successfully campaigned for the Equal Access to Roads Act and the Oregon Voting Rights Act during the 2019 Legislative Session. 

Electoral Organizing - Collaboratives supported candidates and ballot measures for general and special elections, including state and school board races.

Collaboratives participated in Cohort Action in various ways. Some contributed staff time to work on campaigns. Others brought community members from across the state to lobby in Salem. The Cohort Action Plan allowed Collaboratives to participate in Cohort-level actions in any number of ways, depending on what aligned with their Collaborative-level interest, capacity and goals. While we saw some success in the Cohort Action Plan, we realized it was very challenging to juggle four sometimes separate, sometimes overlapping priorities. Additionally, because of the limitations of 501(c)(3) organizations and political work, some Collaboratives were not able to contribute directly. Other times, people working on Cohort Action were not able to coordinate their efforts to accomplish their intended goals.

501(c)(4) Funding

Unique among other foundations, NWHF has the ability to grant 501(c)(4) dollars, as well as 501(c)(3) dollars. Throughout the initiative, HB+HC Collaboratives had the option to request 501(c)(4) funding alongside 501(c)(3) funding. In 2016, just one Collaborative, Healthy CAPACES, received 501(c)(4) funding. In 2020, five Collaboratives requested and received 501(c)(4) funding: Healthy CAPACES, APANO VOTE Network, Racial Equity Agenda, Criminal Justice Coalition and Eastern Oregon Latino Alliance for Children and Families. 501(c)(4) funds have allowed these Collaboratives to ramp up their lobbying and electoral organizing. 

2020 Crises and Opportunities

The COVID-19 pandemic, renewed social uprising against police killings of Black people, and wildfires all introduced unexpected hurdles and windows to opportunity. For instance, the Collaboratives involved in the #WeCountOregon 2020 Census campaign were forced to adjust their outreach plans after COVID-19 broke out in the U.S. Previously, outreach plans prioritized door knocking and in-person events. In March and April, the campaign quickly pivoted to online and phone-based outreach. Another example: The national social uprising catalyzed by a police officer murdering George Floyd renewed political attention and interest in Black Lives Matter movement policy demands. This presented an opportunity for Portland organizations and activists to bring a community oversight measure to the November ballot, which passed with more than 80% of voters in support.

Conclusion

We’re far from where we started with HB+HC. For one, we’re not ending the initiative asking Collaboratives to tell us if they met the measures set in the Health Compass. It’s not that we no longer believe these metrics to be important; we do. Rather, we’ve come to recognize that the same set of measures aren’t meaningful in every community. Communities define health in different ways. We’ve also realized that building power through narrative change, leadership development, policy advocacy, and electoral organizing is a long-term strategy with much farther reaching benefits than are easy to measure. Only time will show how these efforts improve health.

Celebrating Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Collaborative Accomplishments From 2015 Through 2020

Northwest Health Foundation’s Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities initiative is wrapping up after six years of grantmaking. Over the course of this initiative, the HB+HC Collaboratives built power individually as well as collectively. For example, one Collaborative, the Eastern Oregon Latino Alliance for Children and Families, was instrumental in persuading the City of Ontario in eastern Oregon to form a diversity advisory committee and ensuring the committee includes Latino representation. Other advocacy wins, like No on Measure 105, involved every Collaborative in the HB+HC Cohort, with different Collaboratives contributing to door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, writing editorials, creating campaign ads and more.  

In the last few years, the Collaboratives accomplished more than we could ever capture. We recognize HB+HC played only a small part in supporting these accomplishments, and other organizations and community leaders who were not funded through HB+HC contributed to them as well. That said, we still want to celebrate these incredible wins! Here are a handful of the HB+HC Collaboratives’ accomplishments over the last six years. (We’ve included some links to examples.)

• Registered thousands of new voters.

• Held lobby and legislative action days.

• Established new 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations.

• Endorsed candidates.

• Published voter guides.

• Knocked on thousands of doors, made tens of thousands of phone calls, and sent tens of thousands of texts in support of issue campaigns, candidates and get-out-the-vote efforts.

• Led leadership and advocacy trainings.

• Led and won issue campaigns.

- Oregon Voting Rights Act

- No on Measure 105

- No on Measure 106

- Driver’s Licenses for All

- Cover All Kids

- Reproductive Health Equity

- Ethnic Studies

- Student Success Act

- Portland Clean Energy Fund

- Stable Homes

- Prescription Drug Labeling

- Paid Family Leave

- Fair and Honest Elections

- Tobacco and E-cigarette Tax Increase

- Decriminalizing Drugs and Funding Treatment

- Preschool for All

- Portland Police Accountability

• Led and won candidate campaigns across Oregon.

• Held candidate forums, listening sessions and town halls.

• Expanded their geographic reach and opened new offices.

• Held community events.

• Created and served on advisory committees.

• Brought critical lived experience to coalitions.

• Forged new partnerships.

• Researched and released reports.  

• Wrote letters to the editor and editorials, and made campaign videos.

• Developed a cross-cultural racial equity narrative.

• Created COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.

• Participated in a statewide Census campaign emphasizing outreach to hard-to-count communities.

• Pivoted time after time as new crises arose, including the election of President Trump in 2016, increased presence of ICE in our communities, social uprisings against police brutality, the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires and more.

A Snapshot of the HB+HC Initiative

What was Civic Health Assessment & Planning?

Civic Health Assessment & Planning (CHAP) took place during the first three months of 2020. Northwest Health Foundation convened CHAP for two reasons: (1) helping interested organizations assess whether they are a good fit for our upcoming four-year Civic Health initiative and (2) gathering information to help us create a funding structure for Civic Health.

NWHF granted 21 BIPOC-led organizations $8,500 to $10,000 depending on how far they had to travel to participate in CHAP. The 21 organizations included culturally-specific and cross-racial organizations; organizations led by Black, Native, Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander, immigrant and refugee, and disabled leaders; organizations from across Oregon and Southwest Washington; and organizations with various types of experience and strategic approaches. All of the organizations expressed interest in building capacity for civic engagement and electoral organizing.

NWHF hired Black-led, Southern Oregon-based political consulting firm Dancing Hearts Consulting to facilitate CHAP. They met with the CHAP organizations four times as a group and met with each organization separately. They also assigned homework between meetings, which included readings, videos, and conversations among organizations’ board, staff and community members.

During the meetings, participants built relationships with each other, learned about and discussed electoral organizing and other types of civic engagement, and engaged around movement building. They also talked about anti-Blackness, Native erasure, and ableism in social justice spaces.

Thanks to CHAP and the participating organizations’ reflections and input, NWHF and Dancing Hearts Consulting have come up with a tiered funding structure. Emerging organizations with less experience in civic engagement and electoral organizing will receive larger general operating support grants than more experienced organizations. We’ll also provide support in the form of additional infrastructure development and field supplement grants, coaching, technical assistance, access to voter data file development, convenings and peer-to-peer exchanges. In addition, we will only accept organizations committed to developing a common understanding and approaches to building power, with a focus on addressing anti-Blackness, Indigenous erasure, and ableism.

We’re prioritizing organizations led by Black and Indigenous communities. Public policies have harmed these communities the most. So when they lead political and policy change, all of us come out ahead. 

While we expect most Civic Health organizations to have participated in CHAP, we know there may be organizations who missed the CHAP call for applications or who have emerged since. We are particularly interested in meeting organizations led by and serving Black and Native communities. Culturally-specific or cross-racial organizations led by and serving Black and Native communities are a funding priority for the Civic Health Cohort. We encourage them to contact our Senior Programs & Operations Associate Stephenie Smith for a conversation before applying. Please contact her at stephenie@northwesthealth.org.

Readings and Videos

NOTE: We also have Spanish translations of these readings. Please email stephenie@northwesthealth.org if you would like us to send them to you.

“10 Key Elements of Movement Building” - Manuel Pastor

Video: https://youtu.be/-YYkfbiTQSo

Reading: https://bioneers.org/manuel-pastors-10-key-elements-movement-building-ztvz1802/

“10 Key Elements of Movement Building” Accessible PDF

“Why We Need to Stop Saying ‘People of Color’ When We Mean ‘Black People’” - Joshua Adams

https://level.medium.com/we-should-stop-saying-people-of-color-when-we-mean-black-people-29c2b18e6267

“Why We Need to Stop Saying ‘People of Color’ When We Mean ‘Black People’” Accessible PDF

“Invisibility is the Modern Form of Racism Against Native Americans” - Rebecca Nagle

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/racism-against-native-americans

“Invisibility is the Modern Form of Racism Against Native Americans” Accessible PDF

“7 Ways Non-Black People of Color Perpetuate Anti-Blackness” - Palmira Muniz

https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/7-ways-non-black-poc-perpetuate-anti-blackness-in-their-communities/

“7 Ways Non-Black People of Color Perpetuate Anti-Blackness” Accessible PDF

“The Social Justice Sector Has An Internal Racism Problem” - Itzbeth Menjivar

https://sojo.net/articles/social-justice-sector-has-internal-racism-problem?fbclid=IwAR3epUAcBkO2qdPDi94zQi4o0ejPKqiI1POh3t3XIhQdCRMD4HeKP2Ds_zY

“The Social Justice Sector Has An Internal Racism Problem” Accessible PDF

“Valuing Whiteness: Colorism in the Latino Community” - Sabrina Rivera

https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/valuing-whiteness-colorism-in-the-hispanic-community/

“Valuing Whiteness: Colorism in the Latino Community” Accessible PDF

“What Disability Justice Has To Offer Social Justice” - Resource Generation

https://resourcegeneration.org/what-disability-justice-has-to-offer-social-justice/

“What Disability Justice Has To Offer Social Justice” Accessible PDF

“4 Ways White Privilege Shows Up in Social Justice Movements” - Will Dominie

https://collectiveliberation.org/4-ways-white-privilege-shows-up-in-social-justice-movements/

“4 Ways White Privilege Shows Up in Social Justice Movements” Accessible PDF

“Are Asian Americans White? Or People of Color?” - Naseeb Bhangal & Oiyan Poon

https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2020/01/15/asian-americans-people-of-color/

“Are Asian Americans White? Or People of Color?” Accessible PDF

“It’s Time to Reembrace a Politics of Radical, Queer, Outsider Activism” - Urvashi Vaid

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/stonewall-radical-queer-activism/

“It’s Time to Reembrace a Politics of Radical, Queer, Outsider Activism” Accessible PDF

From Capacity Building to Implementation: Health & Education Fund Impact Partners

The Health & Education Fund—a partnership between CareOregon, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Meyer Memorial Trust, Northwest Health Foundation and the Oregon Community Foundation—is excited to award an additional $835,000 in grant funds to 15 organizations serving Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Last year we invited applications for projects focused on family leadership and resilience to improve outcomes in early life for children zero to eight-years-old. Fifteen organizations received capacity building grants of $30,000 each, and six organizations received implementation grants of $100,000 to $125,000 each. These organizations are currently addressing barriers to health and education by building leadership and stronger relationships with parents and families, supporting parent and family organizing to change policy, and establishing partnerships with early learning, education and healthcare systems.

This year we invited the original capacity building grantees to either re-up their capacity building grants or apply for implementation grants to advance their work to the next level.

The following organizations received Impact Partnership grants this year:

CAPACITY BUILDING

• Adelante Mujeres; $40,000; serving Washington County

• Black Parent Initiative; $40,000; serving Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah and Washington counties

• Centro Latino Americano; $40,000; serving Lane County

• Coalition of Communities of Color; $40,000; serving all counties in Oregon

• Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; $40,000; serving Jefferson and Wasco counties

• FACT Oregon; $40,000; serving all counties in Oregon

• Native American Youth and Family Center; $40,000; serving Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah and Washington counties

• Oregon Child Development Coalition; $40,000; serving Morrow County

• Southern Oregon Child & Family Council, Inc.; $40,000; serving Jackson County

• The Next Door, Inc.; $40,000; serving Wasco County

• The Noble Foundation; $40,000; serving Clark and Cowlitz counties

• United Community Action Network; $40,000; serving Douglas County

IMPLEMENTATION

• Familias en Acción; $125,000; serving Clackamas, Deschutes, Hood River, Jackson, Malheur, Marion, Multnomah, Umatilla and Washington counties

• Micronesian Islander Community; $125,000; serving Linn, Marion, Multnomah and Polk counties

• KairosPDX; $105,416; serving Multnomah County

Capacity building grants support organizations to develop parent-led efforts and community leadership, as well as to establish and build relationships with early learning, education and healthcare systems. Implementation grants support organizations to work toward a specific goal for systems change led by parent and community leaders.

The Familias en Acción Community Council at the 2019 May Day rally in Salem, Oregon to support Driver’s Licenses for All.

For example, through their capacity building grant Familias en Acción formed a community council of organization representatives, parents and future parents of young children. Together the council learned about and practiced policy advocacy. With their implementation grant, Familias en Acción will continue developing the community council’s advocacy skills, use their curriculum about intergenerational health to build the knowledge of Latino parents, and work toward changing systems to improve access to nutritious food.

The Health & Education Fund Partners have also recently hired Insight for Action to consult with some of the Impact Partners. Insight for Action will provide customized technical assistance for up to nine Impact Partners. Coaches will help groups define their systems change goals and develop the tools and practices to stay on track and monitor progress. The Health & Education Fund Partners chose an approach that works for organizations and family leaders, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to evaluation.

Together the Health & Education Partners seek to support whole families and opportunity communities, focus on the strengths and assets these communities already possess, and promote enduring change through multi-year investments from the Health & Education Fund. Learn more about the Fund here.

Campaigning for a United Warm Springs

“With 50% of our Tribal membership under the age of 30, we strongly believe that we need leadership that represents our demographic and ensures that decisions today honor our ancestors and future generations.”

— Unite Warm Springs

Northwest Health Foundation knows when elected officials look like their constituents, the policies they create work better for all of us. So, when a community leader connected to one of our funded partners is running, we want to spotlight them. This does not constitute an endorsement.

Jaylyn Suppah (Warm Springs, Wasco, Shoshone Bannock, Yakama) is running for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Council as part of the Unite Warm Springs campaign, a group of four candidates dedicated to a common goal: “help build our People and our Nation.” Although tribal members will vote on each candidate separately, the four chose to campaign together, because they believe in a Warm Springs united across voting districts.

Several community members had encouraged Jaylyn to run for Tribal Council in the past. So, when Unite Warm Springs approached her to join them, she said yes. A slate of candidates with a common platform has never run in Warm Springs before, and that excited her. Although technically she’s running for a seat as Simnasho District representative, she emphasizes her intent to serve the whole Nation of Warm Springs.

Besides the few years Jaylyn spent at college attaining her associate’s degree, she’s lived her whole life in Warm Springs. Currently, she works for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs as a community planner, managing the Papalaxsimisha program, which supports Native youth. As a freshman in college, Jaylyn struggled with finances and debt. Now she’s creating a financial management program for youth, so others will know what she didn’t as a teenager.

Before working for the Tribes, Jaylyn worked for the nonprofit Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition, one of Northwest Health Foundation’s grantees through the Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities initiative. Thanks to Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition, Jaylyn started getting into advocacy, policy change and cultural awareness. Jaylyn currently attends Evergreen State College. She’s working toward a B.A. through the Native Pathways Program, with an emphasis on tribal government.    

Jaylyn wants Warm Springs to start talking about their historical trauma. She says they need to talk so they can start healing. She also wants to empower youth to get involved in advocacy and government.  

No matter whether she’s elected or not, Jaylyn plans to continue this work.

Learn more about Unite Warm Springs.

Who represents Centennial School District's ESL and refugee students?

“We all want our friends, families and the next generation to have a secure future.” – Sumitra Chhetri

Northwest Health Foundation knows when elected officials look like their constituents, the policies they create work better for all of us. So, when a community leader connected to one of our funded partners is running, we want to spotlight them. This does not constitute an endorsement.  

In the last decade, Centennial School District in east Portland went from 16% students of color to 54%. That’s a huge demographic shift in a short amount of time. It’s a safe bet the schools, particularly the students of color, are feeling those growing pains.  

Sumitra Chhetri, a leader in our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Cohort, is running for Centennial School Board, Position 3, because she believes these students deserve representation. As a Bhutanese refugee who moved to Portland with her family in 2008, graduated from David Douglas High School as an ESL student, and now works for Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, she hopes to bring first-hand experience to the position. 

Sumitra’s brother, a current Centennial High School student, is enthusiastic about his sister’s campaign. He and his friends have been eager to share their input. At Sumitra’s Campaign Kickoff, her brother and two other students stated their support for Sumitra, because she will represent their voices as students of color.

Sumitra graduated from Portland State University with a degree in political science, and she’s actively participated in the political process since high school. As a college student, she traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for tuition equity. She also interned with a group lobbying in Washington, D.C. for paper bags instead of plastic in stores. She’s since spent lots of time in Salem advocating with the immigrant and refugee community, is currently vice president of the Oregon Bhutanese Community Organization and a community engagement liaison with the City of Portland, and was recently appointed to the Metro Citizenship Review Committee.

“I understand what students of families of color face,” wrote Sumitra on her campaign website. “Over the years, I have worked with immigrant and refugees families and communities advocating for issues such as access to education, health care, transportation, language, and affordable housing. Lack of health care, transportation, and affordable housing all impacts the learning ability of students in school.”

We wish you luck, Sumitra!

Learn more about Sumitra at her website and on Facebook.

Erika Lopez and Felicita Monteblanco: Do you see your values reflected?

This blog is the fifth in a series of posts celebrating community leaders who reflect our equity priorities. At Northwest Health Foundation, we know communities need the power and resources to sit at decision-making tables, to help dispel beliefs and practices that do not promote their health, and to help shape those that do. From local school boards to the state legislature, parents and families should have a voice.

Felicita Monteblanco and Erika Lopez with their mentor Maria Cabellero Rubio, the executive director of Centro Cultural de Washington County.

Good friends and proud Latina women devoted to their families and careers, Erika Lopez and Felicita Monteblanco both ran for office in 2017. Neither had campaigned for an elected office before. Felicita had only tried canvassing once – in 2016. They both won their elections.

After the 2016 presidential election, when anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric increased across the country, Erika’s ten-year-old son came home one day afraid. He was concerned his mother, an American citizen and immigrant from Mexico, would be deported. Erika was hurt and concerned that this was something he worried about when he should be able to focus on his education. Of course, she could explain to him why she wouldn’t be deported, but he still didn’t quite understand why so much negativity was hurled at his Mexican heritage and community. And while she could comfort him, she worried about all the other students in her community who faced the reality of being separated from their families. She looked at the Hillsboro School District board and saw no representation of the diverse community she lives in. The Hillsboro School District has a majority minority student body, but the board did not reflect that. There were no board members from an immigrant, bicultural, bilingual community. She did not see herself or her community reflected. They didn’t have a voice in the governance of a system that impacts families and students in a monumental way.

Felicita also recognized the lack of diversity among local elected officials. In 2013, she joined Vision Action Network. As the coordinator for the Washington County Nonprofit Network, Felicita met many leaders and became more aware of the issues facing her community. In particular, she noticed the Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation Department’s board was made up entirely of men, most over 40 years old. She didn’t see herself or her values reflected by them. She wondered what it would mean to have the lens of a 32-year-old mixed woman in that space.

Felicita and Erika at Erika's swearing-in and first meeting as a Hillsboro School District board member.

Erika and Felicita both participated in Emerge Oregon’s Class of 2017. While they were encouraged, and ultimately decided, to run independently of one another, they were thrilled when they found out the other had plans to run for office. Too busy with their own events and door-knocking to campaign for each other, they supported one another in a different, equally important way: empathizing through texts and phone calls. Felicita says their friendship was “life-saving for my mental and emotional health.” Erika described her campaign as “a whirlwind.” She doesn’t think she would’ve been able to get through it without her network of friends, family and coworkers.

It’s only been seven months since Erika and Felicita started serving in their respective elected offices. They’re still learning the ropes, getting to know their fellow board members and figuring out policies and logistics. Felicita said: You have 100 ideas when you campaign, but once you’re elected you have to celebrate the small wins. Change takes time. She’s most curious about expanding ideas around what Parks and Recreation can do and exploring how parks can be used to build community and connect people in the unincorporated neighborhoods surrounding Beaverton.

Felicita and Erika still support each other. They attend events together. They share their networks, as well as lessons learned in their respective roles. Recently, Felicita went to one of the Hillsboro School District board meetings. Parents from Hillsboro’s Latino Parent Advisory Committee presented at the meeting. Felicita described a moment when Erika, who is bilingual, asked them a question in Spanish. Seeing someone on the board who looks like them, who speaks their native language, was so impactful. Now they know there’s a leader on the school board who understands their needs and can communicate with them in their native language. Hopefully this will empower them to become elected leaders themselves and encourage their children to become elected leaders.

More than anything, Erika and Felicita want to use their new positions to lift up more women of color. They want folks to be civically engaged, to see that becoming an elected official is not only attainable, but incredibly important. Their voices are needed. You don’t have to be a certain age or have certain degrees. What’s important is lived experience and representation. If you look at a decision-making table and no one sitting at it shares your values, you should do what you can to sit at that table.

Sita Symonette: Your Voice Matters. Speak Out.

This blog is the fourth in a series of posts celebrating community leaders who reflect our equity priorities. At Northwest Health Foundation, we know communities need the power and resources to sit at decision-making tables, to help dispel beliefs and practices that do not promote their health, and to help shape those that do. From local school boards to the state legislature, parents and families should have a voice.

When Sita Symonette joined the Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette board of directors in 2012, only three out of 19 board members, including Sita, were women of color. Five years later, a lot has changed. Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette’s board includes Black, Latinx, Native, Asian and significantly more LGBTQ members, and Sita has been elected PPCW’s first  African-American woman chair.

As an acupuncturist and small business owner who prioritizes inclusivity and women’s health, Sita brings an alternative healthcare perspective to Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette. She also brings a history of community service and social justice work.

Growing up, Sita’s brother was close friends with the son of Billy Frank Jr., Native American environmental leader and treaty rights activist. Frank and his wife were like second parents to Sita. Seeing them center service in their own lives motivated Sita to center it in her own. She started volunteering when she was a preteen and never stopped. In graduate school, she became the first student ever to sit on Oregon College of Oriental Medicine’s board. And after graduate school, she worked with a group that brought Martin Luther King, Jr’s teachings of nonviolence into high schools through slam poetry.

When Sita joined Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette’s board, she had the background and willingness to quickly jump in on equity and inclusion. Considering 40 percent of the people PPCW serves are people of color, she knew the organization needed to do more to represent that community. She took part in hiring a Director of Equity and Inclusion, helped develop an equity lens and equity mission statement, and participated in equity trainings with board and staff.

In her new role as chair, Sita wants to keep PPCW rolling in the right direction, integrating equity into every aspect of their work. Recently, the organization began implementing telemedicine in Oregon’s rural communities. She’d like to see that expand over the next couple years, ensuring everyone has access to their services even if they can’t get to a brick and mortar location. She also wants to recruit younger voices to the PPCW board. Of course, priority number one is keeping the doors open, no matter what happens at the federal level.

For those who would like to take on leadership roles in the future, Sita has several words of advice: If there are people you look up to in the community, reach out to them. Become involved in your community. Show up at different events. Follow through with what you say you’re going to do. Youth, know that your voice matters; speak out. Lastly, seek out culturally specific leadership programs and take advantage of them.

Speaking of leadership programs, here are a few to get you started:

All Born (In) - Social Justice Youth Program

American Leadership Forum of Oregon - Fellows Program

Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon - API Community Leadership Institute; Climate, Health and Housing Institute; & Community Organizing for Advocacy and Leadership

CAPACES Leadership Institute - TURNO, Leadership Forum & more

City of Portland - Disability Power PDX

Disability Art and Culture Project - Reject Economic Ableist Limits

Emerge Oregon - The Emerge Program

Latino Network - Unid@s for Oregon

Lower Columbia Hispanic Council - Adult Leadership Program, La Voz de la Comunidad & La Cima

Momentum Alliance - Student Alliance Project & Leveraging Momentum

Oregon Health Authority - Developing Equity Leadership through Training and Action

OPAL Environmental Justice - Bus Riders Unite!, Youth Environmental Justice Alliance & Organizers-in-Training

Western States Center - Western Institute for Leadership Development & We Are BRAVE

Announcing the Disability Justice Leaders Collaborative

Northwest Health Foundation is excited to announce the Disability Justice Leaders Collaborative.

The Disability Justice Leaders Collaborative will convene leaders from across our region to discuss how to ensure the voices and experiences of people with disabilities, particularly people of color with disabilities, are represented by decision-makers. They'll also discuss how disabled people can build collective power in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Over 100 people applied to be a part of the Collaborative, demonstrating the need for investment in this area. We invited 16 of them to meet four times over the course of the next six months.

We sought leaders who expressed an interest in exploring and learning more about Disability Justice, who are already involved in efforts to build power in their communities, and who bring lived experience around intersectional identities and want to be part of a larger conversation about intersectionality. All the Collaborative participants identify as disabled people of color, representing Asian-Pacific Islander, Black, Latino, Muslim and Native communities. Our participants also identify in other ways, including queer, transgendered, gender non-conforming, youth, houseless, multi-racial, immigrant, refugee and rural.

The work of this Collaborative will center around Disability Justice, a movement-building liberatory framework created in 2005 by Sins Invalid. Disability Justice centers Black and brown, majority queer disabled people to address the whiteness and single-issue focus of the mainstream disability rights movement. Disability Justice acknowledges that ableism works hand-in-hand with other forms of oppression and stresses that multiply marginalized disabled people get to create movements and organize out of their strengths, vulnerabilities, body/minds and genius. We’ve engaged two established Disability Justice movement leaders, Stacey Milbern and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, to facilitate the Disability Justice Leaders Collaborative.

Stacey Milbern

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

The Disability Justice Leaders Collaborative will:

• Discuss visions and strategies for ensuring the needs of disabled people are centered in decision-making;
• Deepen and collectively build their understanding of disability justice; and
• Discuss how disability-led organizations can work together in new ways with:
  • Organizations led by communities of color;
  • Existing and new disabled, Deaf, sick and neurodivergent communities and organizations;
  • Leadership programs and funders.

Over the long-term, we hope this effort will influence organizations led by people of color to learn about the Disability Justice framework and apply it to their work. We also hope these leaders will contribute to ensuring our region’s leadership includes disabled people and people who understand, and are committed to, Disability Justice.

This Collaborative is a joint effort supported by Northwest Health Foundation and the Collins Foundation. We are eager to learn from these leaders and share our experiences with other funders and community leaders.

Read more about Northwest Health Foundation's journey to understand and incorporate a disability equity lens in our work on Medium. Stay tuned for updates over the next few months!

Why We Endorse Measure 101

Everyone deserves the chance to lead a healthy life. That includes affordable healthcare, and that's why we’re proud to join over 60 groups in endorsing Measure 101.

We know that:

• Mothers with access to affordable healthcare have healthier babies.
• Students with health insurance miss fewer days of school.
• Employees with access to affordable healthcare for themselves and their families are more productive and happier.
• All Oregonians benefit when friends, family, coworkers and neighbors can see a doctor or nurse, and don't have to visit the ER for routine care.

Voting yes means that, for the first time, every child in Oregon will have healthcare.

350,000 Oregonians rely on the funding that Measure 101 secures in order to keep their healthcare. I hope you’ll join us in voting YES on Measure 101 for healthcare this January. If you agree that every Oregonian deserves healthcare, no matter who they are or where they work, pledge to vote YES. 

James Manning: I'm Not a Politician; I'm a Public Servant.

This blog is the third in a series of posts celebrating community leaders who reflect our equity priorities. At Northwest Health Foundation, we know communities need the power and resources to sit at decision-making tables, to help dispel beliefs and practices that do not promote their health, and to help shape those that do. From local school boards to the state legislature, parents and families should have a voice.

Senator James Manning doesn’t think of himself as a politician. He’s a public servant, and he’s been a public servant for a long time.

Before becoming involved in Oregon government, Senator Manning worked as a state corrections officer, police officer, railroad special agent and private investigator. In 1983, he enlisted in the United States Army. After 24 years of active duty, during which he filled many roles, including everything from Military Diplomat to the Australian and New Zealand Special Forces to Postal Supervisor to U.S. Army Assistant Inspector General, Senator Manning retired in 2007 and moved to Eugene.

In retirement, Senator Manning felt the urge to give back to his community. He quickly got involved with nonprofits like United Way for Lane County. He also served on the City of Eugene’s Police Commission and was appointed by two Oregon governors to the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs. Then, in 2016, he campaigned to represent District 14 in Oregon’s House of Representatives.

Senator James Manning lost in the primaries to Representative Julie Fahey. However, he didn’t consider his campaign a waste of time; he enjoyed it. He liked going door to door, taking the time to hear from community members. In particular, he appreciated the opportunity to talk with elderly community members. He recalled one woman who took a while to get to the door, who he soon realized hadn’t been eating and set her up with Meals on Wheels, as well as a man who he spent 20 minutes with, although he was only supposed to take three minutes with each voter.

After his loss in the primaries, Senator Manning assumed he’d go back to doing what he’d been doing: serving on commissions and committees and working towards a doctor of education in organizational leadership. That’s what he did, for a while. At least until the Lane County Board of Commissioners unexpectedly appointed him to replace outgoing Senator Chris Edwards in December 2016.

What are Senator James Manning’s priorities as an elected official? Listening and responding to people’s needs. Living wages. Good jobs. Quality, affordable healthcare. Refusing to leave senior citizens and children behind. Senator Manning has pledged not to make a vote that will hurt people.

As a child, Senator Manning sometimes went to bed hungry. At times, he was homeless. Now, he wants to be an inspiration to people who feel like there is no hope. He wants to inspire people to seize opportunities and give back to others.

His advice to others who are think about running for office: It has to be about helping people, not about personal gain. Visit places that don’t feel familiar to you. Visit schools. Pay attention to the kids huddled outside, waiting for their first meal of the day. Build up name recognition, and then just do it.

Denise Piza: We're All Just People

This blog is the second in a series of posts celebrating community leaders who reflect our equity priorities. At Northwest Health Foundation, we know communities need the power and resources to sit at decision-making tables, to help dispel beliefs and practices that do not promote their health, and to help shape those that do. From local school boards to the state legislature, parents and families should have a voice.

"It sounds scary," said Madras City Councilor Denise Piza, "It's not that scary."

Denise ran a write-in campaign for Madras City Council in November 2016 and won. All it took was a Facebook post. She'd decided to run too late to be included on the ballot, but thanks to social media and a supportive community, it wasn't too late to get elected. It also didn't hurt that she's been representing her community as a leader for years.

At age 25, while acting as an advisor to the Jefferson County Education Service District board, Denise was asked to fill the seat of a board member who had passed away (after waiting a period of time in respect of the member). Later, she ran for the position — successfully. She served on the ESD board for six years. In addition, Denise has served on the Kids Club of Jefferson County board and the City of Madras Planning Commission.

Denise stands with her five children, baby evalyn on her hip. Everyone smiles.

Denise wants to emphasize that elected leaders are all just people, like anyone else. There are no special requirements or trainings anyone has to go through to serve their community. She herself went into City Council not knowing exactly what to expect. She understood budgeting, reviewing ordinances and examining policies would be a part of it, but otherwise figured she'd learn as she went. And she has.

So far, she's participated in establishing an annual budget and allocating grants to community programs. She and the other councilors heard presentations from 24 local organizations and decided which ones to fund and how much to give them. During the experience, folks raised questions about the process. Since then, she, another board member, the City's finance director and a community member have been working to streamline it.

Denise's top priority as a city councilor is to pass equitable and inclusive policies, as well as to call out policies that aren't. First and foremost, she wants Madras to pass an inclusivity resolution to protect undocumented community members, as well as establish an advisory group to the mayor made up of community members that represent the city's full diversity.

Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Denise moved to Madras, Oregon with her family when she was seven-years-old. She became a U.S. citizen at 18. As an immigrant and woman of color, she appreciates the opportunity to represent her community in a position that has historically been held by white men. She wants to encourage other women and people of color to run for office, too. The more people who get involved, and the more reflective our democracy becomes, the more change will happen. For the better.

Denise is happy to talk with anyone who is considering running for office, especially in rural communities. You can contact her at denise.piza@gmail.com or through Facebook.

Helen Ying: Connecting the Dots for a Better World

This blog is the first in a series of posts celebrating elected leaders who reflect our equity priorities. At Northwest Health Foundation, we know communities need the power and resources to sit at decision-making tables, to help dispel beliefs and practices that do not promote their health, and to help shape those that do. From local school boards to the state legislature, parents and families should have a voice.

Helen Ying stands in front of a crowd of her supporters, arms outstretched.

Helen Ying's personal mission is to engage and empower people to improve their communities, something she's been doing her whole life. As a young teen and recent immigrant, Helen served on Marshall High School's student senate. It didn't matter to her that she was still learning English. She wanted to improve her community, and she'd found a way to do it — becoming a leader. This desire continued through adulthood, bringing Helen to where she is now: a member of Multnomah Education Service District's elected board of directors, National Vice President of Membership for the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, and a force for change in our region.

Of course, Helen's journey wasn't a straight path from student senate to county-level elected official. First, she became a leader in her church, volunteering to coordinate the choir at age sixteen and superintending Sunday school at eighteen. For thirty years, she worked as a math teacher, school counselor and vice principal. During this time, she realized how few laws and policies truly support health, particularly the health of children and youth. When Helen retired, she knew she wanted to do one of two things: become a missionary or run for office. Lucky for all of us, she chose the latter.

Helen marches in the St. Johns Parade, waving with one hand and holding a campaign sign in the other.

Helen didn't win her first campaign for office. In 2011, then Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder approached her and suggested she run for his soon-to-be-vacant seat. Helen campaigned for six months and came in second. But she doesn't consider her campaign a failure. She ran against four white men and received more votes than three of them combined. Furthermore, the connections she made and visibility she gained during that campaign led to dozens of other opportunities.

After her loss, several community leaders approached Helen and invited her to serve on boards and committees. These included the Creation Committee for the Office of Equity for Portland and the Oregon Health Policy Board Coordinated Care Organization Criteria Work Group, among others. She also chairs the Asian American Youth Leadership Conference and serves as a board member for We Can Do Better. So, when Northwest Health Foundation President & CEO Nichole June Maher suggested Helen run for Multnomah Education Service District, Position 2 in 2017, Helen was ready. And this time, she won.

As a Multnomah Education Service District board member, Helen is committed to taking MESD to the next level. She strongly believes she and her fellow board members have the skills they need to succeed, to promote policies that will support health for children and youth.

In Helen's opinion, it is incredibly important for elected officials to reflect the communities they serve. As a young person, she couldn't understand why there weren't any leaders who looked like her. This year, at the Oregon School Board Association Conference, she and the other school board members of color (the most ever in Oregon's history) met to start a caucus to support one another and ensure their voices are heard. Helen wants today's students of color to be able to envision themselves in leadership roles, and seeing school board members who come from their communities making a real difference is part of that.

More than anything else, Helen Ying wants to inspire others, especially young people, to become involved in their communities and strive to make the changes they want to see in the world. Her advice? Start small. Consider your skills, where you can have influence, what needs to change. Make a commitment to yourself. It could be as simple as encouraging family members to vote. Continue taking tiny steps, working your way up to bigger actions. Participate in an issue campaign. Meet with your legislator. Join a committee or board. One day, you might even decide to run for office.

If Helen's story motivated you to get engaged, check out the partnership and learning opportunities on our Open Opportunities page. Maybe you'll find your next small step toward improving your community.

Jefferson County School District 509-J's Board Should Reflect Its Students

In Oregon, we value everyone’s voice; we believe democracy only works when everyone’s point of view is represented. That means decision makers, from school board members to city councilors to state legislators, need to reflect the communities they serve. We know our communities are healthier when elected leaders can truly speak to their neighbors’ experiences and needs.

Unfortunately, that rarely happens. For example, fewer than 30% of Jefferson County School District 509-J's 3000 students are white. The majority are American Indian (34%) and Hispanic (34%). Nearly all of 509-J's American Indian students live on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. And yet, 509-J's five-member school board has generally only had one board member from Warm Springs at a time. Most have come from Madras, which is 66% white.

509-J's school board hasn't reflected its students, and that shows in the school district's graduation rates. In Oregon, which ranks 49th of 50 U.S. states for its high school graduation rate, 509J is in the bottom 15% of school districts. Only 57% of its students graduate in four years.

Why is this, and what can be done to change it? According to KWSO Station Manager Sue Matters, who is running for position 2 on 509-J’s school board this May, the district has focused too much on test scores and not enough on communicating with, listening to and considering input from teachers, students, families and the community. The people who don't show up at family nights, who aren't represented by the school board, are the ones the school district needs to reach out to the most and try their hardest to engage.

Warm Springs Chief Operations Officer Alyssa Macy, who is campaigning for position 3, agrees communications between the board and community could improve. She also believes education is strongly linked to communities’ wellbeing.

Sue Matters, whose two children went through 509-J schools, served on a number of school site councils, so she is familiar with the schools’ strengths and challenges. As Warm Springs Radio's station manager, she's also grown comfortable interacting with community leaders and communicating what they say and do to her fellow Warm Springs residents.

In Sue's opinion, Jefferson County 509-J schools, the school district's board members and administrators, worry about the wrong things. They punish students for trivialities like wearing hats to school, when they should foreground students’ academic achievement; be aware of students’ family life, mental health and other individual needs; and ensure their schools are a place youth feel welcome. They think conventionally, attempting to apply methods that have worked to boost other schools' test scores and graduation rates, when they should realize that their community and schools are unique and one size does not fit all.

Alyssa Macy grew up in Warm Springs, and she now has two foster children who are students in the Jefferson County School District 509-J. Alyssa has plenty of experience advocating for indigenous peoples nationally and internationally. She wants to improve graduation rates for students in her community and expose them to as many opportunities as possible.

With the May 2017 election, Jefferson County School District 509-J faces a pivotal moment. Three of five school board seats are up for grabs, and a Warm Springs resident is running to fill each of those seats. This year, 509-J's school board could reflect its student body. Hopefully voters will make that happen.