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My Turnby Maileen Hamto |
 |
From The Asian Reporter, V19, #23 (June 16, 2009), page 6.
Examining poverty from a policy perspective
The economic crisis has not treaded lightly on Oregon. Oregonians have the infamous distinction of living in a state with the second-highest unemployment rate in the country, next only to Michigan. As the manufacturing and construction industries take a steep downturn, families have experienced job losses across many rural and urban counties. 211info, a service that helps callers connect with community resources, has reported a sharp rise in calls asking for emergency food, rent, and utilities assistance.
Yet even before the economic downturn, many Oregon families had already been living in poverty, with communities of color especially vulnerable. What makes the experience of poverty difficult for many to overcome are the interlocking causes that keep people poor: lack of access to good education, living-wage jobs, and affordable healthcare.
Access to living-wage jobs is a big issue. A 2007 report by the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette points to the fact that 33 percent of African-American and 24 percent of Latino households earn a living wage, compared to 45 percent of white households. But even for people with living-wage jobs, it’s hard to keep up with the rising cost of living. According to the report, a person earning minimum wage must work 72 hours per week, 52 weeks per year to afford a two-bedroom apartment for a family in the Portland-Vancouver area.
Economic success is tied to a community’s education levels. The report states that in our community, youth of color are less likely to graduate from high school than whites: 17 percent of American-Indian, 14 percent of Latino, and 12 percent of African-American youth age 16 to 19 are not in school and not employed, compared to seven percent of whites. The economic repercussions of dropping out of high school are tremendous. Young people who don’t have a high school diploma lack the job skills needed to secure living-wage jobs.
The report further states that access to quality, affordable healthcare is also a major issue in our communities. It is estimated that 84 percent of the region’s uninsured are members of working families. Some 33 percent of African-American adults and 62 percent of Latino adults have no health insurance. People without health coverage are less likely to receive and seek care when sick. When people are sick, unmet medical needs create barriers to finding and keeping jobs.
Fundamental flaws currently exist in systems and policies that impact low-income people in diverse communities. To convene key players and the best thinking about the issues at hand, the Oregon League of Minority Voters (OLMV) is hosting a one-day Poverty Summit at the end of the month which will bring stakeholders from local and state government, nonprofits, service providers, and diverse communities together to take a closer look at how systems and policies are impacting low-income minority communities in Oregon.
A strong multicultural and multigenerational team makes up OLMV’s leadership. Co-chairs Sho Dozono and former state treasurer Randall Edwards are at the helm of the group. Maria Rubio, a community leader and former staff member for Portland mayor Tom Potter, is the head of planning for the Poverty Summit. Promise King, an émigré from Nigeria who worked in city and state government, serves as executive director. Board members include Asian Reporter publisher Jaime Lim, Jefferson High School principal Cynthia Harris, former Oregon secretary of state Bill Bradbury, and others.
According to Rubio, "OLMV’s 2009 Poverty Summit will kick off a two-year campaign to represent our commitment to public engagement. OLMV believes that lasting solutions are only possible when policy recommendations reflect the collective voices of people of all colors and organizations who work every day to eliminate poverty in Oregon."
Randall says the goal of the summit is to "weave together several strands of our current broad poverty initiatives into one inclusive narrative that respond(s) to our current system’s inequities with new facts and ideas."
The forum will bring together activists, political leaders, and concerned citizens to formulate policy initiatives focused specifically on policies that have perpetuated poverty in communities of color. Several workshops and panels will focus on areas such as healthcare disparities, workforce development, justice, housing, and education. Invited plenary speakers include Dr. Phyllis Lee, a founding member of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon; Joann Bowman, executive director of Oregon Action; Gale Castillo, president of the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber; and others.
At the end of the day, the goal is to establish a set of policy proposals that can be developed collaboratively with individuals and statewide organizations. "We also want to reflect a systemic approach to addressing issues of systems equity and its impact on poverty," says Edwards.
To learn more about the OLMV Poverty Summit, visit <www.oregonlmv.org>.