Martine Coblentz, Clackamas County Resolution Services
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Equity hashtag: #StayWoke
Why does racial equity matter to you?
I come from a nuclear family where my mother is Afro-Caribbean and Father is Jewish American. I was born in Haiti and also lived in Guatemala as a young child. We moved to the USA when I turned 10. I have from a very young age been taught about race and ethnicity with strangers pointing out how different I was from my mother or my siblings. Race has always been a reality. I’ve experienced the toxic effects of race and racism. I believe it is like a disease, and people need to work at ways of curing and healing from it. I’ve been on both sides of racial equity as the lightest child among me and my siblings, I was treated with deference over them and on the opposite end I have been treated with discrimination as a POC and clearly not a White person. So, I know on both ends what it is like to be of privilege and to have committed micro aggressions toward my own sibling, processing that, humbling myself and working on my own implicit biases AND, I have had to process the discrimination I face in the outside world and micro aggressions toward me. Race issues are literally killing people in this country, and raising children of color gives me a stronger sense of duty to work toward racial justice for all. With the hope that my children and the youth of today will live in a more just world for all people.
Related experience
I have been serving on Clackamas County Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council. I served as chair, co-chair and member over the past 4 years. I have given training on working with interpreters, training on equity issues in mediation/facilitation, working with immigrants and refugees, etc. I have given these equity training as a private contractor throughout the State.
I believe my work is an asset to the CORE as well since I work in conflict resolution. Much of the processes used in my work is very much in line with Equity and Diversity work.
Kari Herinckx, Washington County
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Equity hashtag: #equityiseverything
Why does racial equity matter to you?
Racial equity is profoundly intersectional; it challenges various forms of oppressions in addition to racism. While racial equity is personal to me as a Black woman, the commitment extends to fellow communities that are seeking transformational change toward liberation.
Related experience
I have worked in higher education as the divisional/institutional lead on diversity and inclusion; and city government focusing equity policies. Currently I work for Washington County overseeing the County’s broad public involvement efforts that includes policy development and guidance on issues of equity and inclusion. I grew up in a rural area of Oregon and come from a large farming family.
Karla Hernandez, Adelante Mujeres
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Equity superpower: building leadership and empowering others to advocate for themselves
Why does racial equity matter to you?
Racial equity matters to me because I believe it is an essential component in creating successful and thriving communities. When everyone in a community feels like their voices and needs are being met, we all can move forward. However, if racial inequities are not getting addressed it will be difficult to move forward and have a community where we all thrive.
Related experience
I have been a community organizer and community leader, through my different roles I have been able to create safe and welcoming spaces for communities to come together, share experiences, and leadership training. Through both professional and volunteer work, I have worked with communities of all backgrounds. I am also someone that identifies as an immigrant, and I understand many of the challenges and barriers that come with the label.
Duncan Hwang, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon
Pronouns: he/him/his
Equity hashtag: #resultsnow
Why does racial equity matter to you?
My focus on equitable community and economic development are informed by many of my lived experiences. I grew up in an immigrant family in rural upper Michigan and vividly remember my first day of preschool when I did not yet speak any English. My mother later opened one of the first Chinese restaurants in the area and I grew up watching her work so hard making her business a success. This upbringing helped ground me in the struggles of new immigrants and how important small businesses are to the success of our communities.
I was politicized while studying at the University of Michigan and on paper I received degrees in Political Science and Asian Studies. In reality though, I spent most of my time as a campus activist leader and after graduation I worked as a state program manager for a mainstream civic engagement organization. As many organizers do, I then went to law school at Lewis & Clark Law School and ended up working in corporate law for a major international law firm based in Beijing, China. This corporate experience provided unique perspectives on what wasn’t working in the global economy as well as practical experience in real estate, contracting, and working cross culturally.
In seeking more socially conscious work, I moved back to Portland and began working for the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon where I learned how to bring a racial equity lens to my work. I now have the privilege of empowering and advocating with AA and NHPI communities through a multidisciplinary approach to community development. My policy advocacy focuses on bringing the community voice to real estate development, transportation planning, land use, and the development of affordable housing.
Related experience
I’ve been proud to partner with Metro in advancing racial equity through my work at APANO in a number of ways:
- As an equity thought partner, I was engaged with Metro on the Racial Equity strategy through creation of the Equity Framework Report and in community engagement for the Racial Equity Strategy.
- As a community stakeholder, I have participated in bringing new voices to the decision-making process through planning processes such as Metro’s Powell Division High Capacity Transit process or in planning out the Metro owned Jade District development as part of its transit oriented development program.
- As a grantee, our organization receives funding to support programmatic work such as connecting API youth with nature through Metro’s Nature in Neighborhoods program.
These experiences provided insight on the impact Metro can have on our communities and will help inform my work at the CORE.
Laura John, Education Northwest
Pronouns: she/her
Equity hashtag: #IndianCountryMatters
Why does racial equity matter to you?
Addressing racial equity in our communities will ensure that all people have access, opportunity, and support to realize their potential and actualize the goals that they set to achieve. Each and every one of us has the right to live in an equitable society where we can thrive and be successful in the endeavors that we set out to accomplish.
Related experience
Throughout the course of my career I have worked to address racial equity issues that impact Indian Country in the areas of education, public policy, access to healthcare, federal and state budgets, and family well-being. I grab every opportunity to educate others about the importance and value of including American Indian/Alaska Native people in equity discussions.
Patricia Kepler, Independent Living Resources
Pronouns: she/her
Equity hashtag: #AccessForAll
Equity superpower: My super power would have to be my Advocate shield. I really don’t know how to take no for an answer. When I see an injustice, I tend to stick with it until the opposition gives up.
Why does racial equity matter to you?
Equity is essential if we are going to create a truly inclusive community that welcomes everybody to the table. On a personal level I have been forced to sit on the sidelines or be excluded from participation because of barriers created by external sources. Equitable policy makes sure that everyone has the opportunity to participate.
Related experience
I have served as a volunteer with Metro for many years, helping with park clean-up and community events. I also work as a community partner through my job at Independent Living Resources. We are completing our second Nature & Neighborhood grant for the Access Recreation Project.
Donna Maxey, Race Talks
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Equity superpower: I know lots of people, from diverse backgrounds, in high and low places.
Why does racial equity matter to you?
Racial equity helps to flatten the playing field and make our societal values of hard work, education, and fiscal security truly possible for all people.
Related experience
My social activism has been handed down to me from my grandparents and through my parents. Donna has served on the Human Rights Commission for the City of Portland; Pacific University Alumni Board; was recognized as one of Oregon’s Outstanding Women in 2015 and received the Spirit Mountain Community Fund’s award in 2017 for her leadership as the Director of RACE TALKS.
Shweta Moorthy, Coalition of Communities of Color
Pronouns: she/her
Equity hashtag: #browngirlsresist
Equity superpower: I’m like Nymphodora Tonks in the Harry Potter world – the research/data voice in social justice spaces; and the social justice voice in research and data spaces.
Why does racial equity matter to you?
As an immigrant woman of color, racial equity is deeply personal to me. I see racial equity as a path to a just community, a just region and social justice driven foreign policy that recognizes and dismantles the manners in which black and brown people have been harmed and subjugated by colonial and capitalist institutions.
Related experience
I work as a researcher for the Coalition of Communities of Color. In that work I envision and implement a research justice vision that seeks to decolonize knowledge and data and bring back power to communities of color to tell their own stories and be experts of their experience. I’m also involved in Asians for Black Lives and local South Asian organizing efforts.
Dele Oyemaja, WorkSource Portland Metro – SE Works, Inc.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Equity superpower: equity dialogues
Why does racial equity matter to you?
As a person of color, racial equity matters to me because I believe it is an obligation of every organization to incorporate its practices within the workforce. Morally, I also believe it is the right thing to do. I intend to use my membership on the CORE as a platform to lend my voice and address some of the inequities within our society.
Related experience
I currently work for WorkSource Portland Metro, SE Works Inc. As an Employment Specialist. I manage a Federal Department of Labor grant that assists ex-offenders find and retain employment. In my work, I see a lot of injustice in the criminal justice system pertaining to numbers of offenders who are people of color being released back to society. In addition to my day job, I also volunteer as Chairman of Africa House Advocacy Council. My work pertains to crafting various policies that address inequities and various form of challenges that immigrants, newly arrived and people of color face in their daily undertakings.
María Caballero-Rubio, co-chair
Centro Cultural de Washington County
Pronouns: she/her
Equity hashtag: #Equality ≠ Equity
Why does racial equity matter to you?
Racial equity matters to me because everyone deserves to have what they need to thrive. No one deserves to be treated as “less than” because of the color of their skin, and it’s time that we fix the inequity.
Related experience
I have worked in government and systems change for most of my career and believe that true change happens when the community is vested in in the process. I understand the importance of balancing the government’s desire for efficiency and the community’s need for inclusion; and I believe that Metro has found that balance.
Katie Sawicki, Equity in Action Consulting
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Equity hashtag: #racialjusticetakesdailypractice
Why does racial equity matter to you?
In my professional, personal, and activist experience, racial equity is the most effective way to ensure policy, program, practice works on behalf of all people. It an approach that centers race and allows dominant culture organizations to make the culture shift they need to “walk” the talk. It matters to me because inheriting a legacy privilege, also means we inherit a responsibility to address historic inequities created by systems of oppression.
Related experience
I provide support to organizations, coalitions, community groups seeking to advance racial justice work. Most often, I do so through policy and campaign development, policy and education materials, building organizing capacity, or organizational development that centers on communities most impacted by economic and health inequities. I believe there are so many inspiring racial justice leaders and organizations in town with great ideas in the works; I try to provide whatever support is needed to help that work cross the finish line into movement building and social change.
Sharon Gary-Smith, co-chair
Philanthropic consultant
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Equity hashtag/superpower: This #FierceJusticeDeva can maneuver hard conversations with strong differences of opinion on tough race topics to a solid engaged meeting of the minds – in one round.
Why does racial equity matter to you?
In order to live fully – to be economically, socially and environmentally whole and thriving in our communities, our counties and state - I'm convinced we must name inequities and disparities that directly correlate with race and color. Racial equity necessitates examining the impacts of racism and white supremacy and brings forth intentional analysis in order to develop programming that can reduce and eliminate inequitable barriers to justice for all.
To be effective and successful, this change must start with and be centered in racial equity in order to truly deconstruct and rebuild systems and institutions that work with and serve each of us fully.
Related experience
I have spent one half century deeply engaged in community organizing, agency capacity building, women and families advocacy and organizational leadership focused on building a more humane, equitable and inclusive society for all.
Effie Stansbery, Mercy Corps Northwest
Pronouns: they/them
Equity superpower: listening
Why does racial equity matter to you?
I see racial equity as a fundamental necessity. As a trans white person, I understand that racial equity impacts everyone. Without fair treatment, access, advancement and opportunity for all people- no one thrives. Racial equity matters because people of color have been historically mistreated and continue to experience mistreatment daily and I believe this is unacceptable. I come at this work with an intersectional lens, keeping in mind that each type of liberation is inherently bound and working towards the freedom of all oppressed peoples- using the famous quote from Aboriginal activists in Australia, “If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
Related experience
My experiences have been varied – from Cleveland to North Carolina to New Mexico to the beautiful Pacific NW. I have lived and spent time in most major regions of the United States- each bringing a different perspective to the conversation on racial equity. In addition, I have spent my entire short career working with people to achieve their goals in a social work setting.
Oliviah Walker, Multnomah County Health Department
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Equity hashtags: #stayfocused #communityinformed #collectiveaction #generationalimpact
Why does racial equity matter to you?
Racial equity matters to me because although my family and communities have been disproportionately impacted by structural and historical oppression and trauma, we are still finding ways to survive and thrive through healing, culture and limitless creativity. I am incredibly passionate in working with systems to address systemic and structural barriers that disenfranchise many of our most vulnerable communities. I have an interest in seeing how Metro will operationalize the racial equity plan, and ensure that CORE has power and voice to contribute to the work being done. I also want to ensure that the indigenous perspective is visible and contributes to the vision of this work.
Related experience
I have over 16 years of experience working on behalf of communities of color and indigenous communities in rural, urban, and tribal settings, primarily focusing on youth development, adolescent health, and health equity. I have worked at both the City and County level (City of Minneapolis, MN and Multnomah County) on policy, systems and environmental strategies to meet the needs of youth and families, as well as creating and implementing culturally specific health strategies in partnership with systems and communities. I have a strong background in navigating the complex relationships between communities and government systems and could provide significant support to ensure that we are utilizing equity and culturally specific lenses to ensure local government systems are identifying and addressing systemic barriers.
Daisy Quiñonez, Community Alliance of Tenants
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Equity superpower: politization
Why does racial equity matter to you?
Racial equity matters to me because we must name and address the systemic inequities that exist in order for Black, indigenous, and other folks of color to thrive and self-determine.
Related experience
I’m a lifelong Portlander, daughter of immigrants, who grew up in the working class and deeply multi-cultural community of East Portland. I have a background in advocacy and organizing in reproductive, voting, and tenant rights, access to higher education, community development, and housing policy here in Oregon. I’m currently a grad student of Urban and Regional Planning at PSU and am excited to work with Metro to achieve a more just region.
Metro and MERC liaisons
Shirley Craddick, Metro Council liaison
Christine Lewis, Metro Council liaison
Juan Carlos González, Metro Council liaison (alternate)
Karis Stoudamire-Phillips, Metropolitan Exposition and Recreation Commission liaison