Racial equity is the heartwood of Metro’s parks and nature values: every other aspect of work grows from that strong core. In 2016, the Metro Council adopted the Strategic Plan to Advance Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the parks and nature department created an action plan to work toward that policy. The 2019 bond measure, which voters passed by an overwhelming margin, strengthened the department’s commitment to racial equity by making it a requirement for all of the bond-funded work. Beyond these strong and clear policy directions from the Metro Council and voters, the department holds its own commitment to make nature accessible to everyone.
For Metro, achieving racial equity in greater Portland means that race would no longer be a reliable way to predict a person’s life outcomes on measurements like education level, health or wealth, which are currently very closely related to race. In the process of creating racial equity, every group and community in greater Portland would see its well-being improve.
This means making sure people of color feel welcome and safe when they visit Metro destinations. It means creating job training and mentoring for people of color so the department’s workforce looks like the people it serves, which isn’t true now. It means Indigenous people, both those with close historical and cultural ties to the region and those with tribal roots in other parts of the country, will have more meaningful and easier access to cultural resources on properties that Metro protects and manages, all of which are on land ceded by regional tribes in the early years of colonization. It means contracting with more certified minority-owned, women-owned and emerging small businesses.
Parks and Nature created a racial equity action plan in 2018, building on Metro’s agency-wide plan. The action plan laid out steps the department would take over the next five years to meet the agency’s and the department’s racial equity goals. Throughout 2024, Parks and Nature has developed an update to its first plan, looking to build on the successes and learn from the challenges of meeting its commitments to racial equity.
Metro’s commitment to racial equity leads it to also work to better serve other communities that have been underserved or harmed by governments, including Metro. Thanks to the 2019 bond, Metro has been able to devote more resources to making sure its parks are accessible in a variety of ways to the disability community. That means making improvements to meet ADA requirements, but it also means going beyond ADA to provide options like trails that adaptive mountain bikers can both access and find challenging.
Story: A new ranger badge
A regular concern among the rangers was that by losing the badge or changing it, they would lose their ability to enforce important safety rules. Without a badge, would the public even listen to them? This was understandable. Through the conversations, however, a consensus grew that a badge – a piece of metal – shouldn’t be the first tool used to engage with people, even if rules were being broken.
During the remainder of 2020 and throughout 2021, I held several formal meetings with stakeholders and numerous informal, often one-on-one conversations, to talk about possibilities. All of these conversations were necessary. They helped me and the park rangers see what was possible when we work to include everyone in the conversation. They were also painful at times. Everyone is at a different place in their understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and liberation work and what positive change can look like. It can be uncomfortable to embrace change when it affects something you feel supports you personally or professionally.
Through the wonderful conversations with stakeholders, it was clear most wanted to keep a badge in place but wanted to see it redesigned. First and foremost was a desire to encapsulate nature on the badge. Being able to have nature represented is one of the main things that helps distinguish a park ranger badge from law enforcement. It is also a point of connection between a ranger and a park visitor. Nature and a passion for the outdoors is the common ground between park patron and park ranger.
Fortunately, Metro’s parks are gorgeous! Inspiration was everywhere. Rangers, Metro staff and community members made suggestions on what to feature, and the design slowly took shape. At the end of last year, more than 18 months after starting the project, I shared the final design. It was incredible to see people look at a badge differently. Some, including myself, were taken aback. There was certainly a sense of pride, particularly from those who would have the chance to wear it every day. For others, seeing the final design was the moment they understood what all the fuss was about and why the project was important.
From: More than just a badge