Advocacy through the Lens of Racial Justice

Advocacy through the Lens of Racial Justice

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Speak to your legislators about how Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's policy priorities would advance racial justice in Oregon:

Housing

  • HB 2544, the Unaccompanied Houseless Youth Services bill, will make sure host homes are available for these young people with nowhere else to turn, 51% of whom are youth of color.
  • SB 282 will extend the grace period for payment of back rent accumulated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, 30% of Black renters are at risk of eviction because of rent unaffordability.

Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Communities

  • SB 718, the Welcoming Refugees bill, will provide extended case management for 1 ...

Speak to your legislators about how Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's policy priorities would advance racial justice in Oregon:

Housing

  • HB 2544, the Unaccompanied Houseless Youth Services bill, will make sure host homes are available for these young people with nowhere else to turn, 51% of whom are youth of color.
  • SB 282 will extend the grace period for payment of back rent accumulated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, 30% of Black renters are at risk of eviction because of rent unaffordability.

Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Communities

  • SB 718, the Welcoming Refugees bill, will provide extended case management for 1,800 refugees in Oregon, providing them the support they need to thrive and saving taxpayers thousands in the long term.

  • HB 3265, the Sanctuary Promise Act, protects Oregonians from racial profiling and ensures that local police and resources will not be used for federal immigration enforcement.

Creation Justice

  • HB 2021-23, the 100% Clean Energy for All Act, will ensure that the communities most harmed by our fossil fuel-based electric grid, who are disproportionately Black, Indigenous and Communities of Color, will benefit from the clean energy transition.
  • HB 2842, the Healthy Homes bill, will fund home repairs in low-income and environmental justice communities to improve energy efficiency and air quality in the home. Environmental justice communities are communities disproportionately subject to environmental harms, and they are overwhelmingly Black and Brown communities.

Police Accountability

  • HB 2928 will restrict police use of weapons like tear gas and rubber bullets, which have been used far too often against nonviolent demonstrators demanding justice for Black Americans.
  • HB 2417, the Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams bill, will provide a humane alternative for responding to mental health crises, which today end far too often in violence toward BIPOC individuals and people experiencing houselessness.
  • SB 621, pertaining to community oversight boards, will ensure that communities have real authority to hold police accountable for misconduct. In Portland, the police arrest Black individuals at a per capita rate 4.3 times higher than white people.
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Call your Legislators: Racial Justice for Oregon!

Call your legislators to tell them how EMO's policy priorities (see left) will advance racial equity in our state!

We don’t need to be experts on all the ins and outs of racial justice or policy to take action! 

Though signing petitions, sending messages, and making calls may seem like small actions, we know that when we take action in coordination with thousands of other people of faith in fierce love, together we can have a real impact.

Sample script:

“Hi, my name is ___________, and I live in your district. Today, I am calling you as a member of (congregation/organization), in partnership with Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.

"I urge your support on EMO’s 2021 legislative priorities, which seek to address racial injustice in its many manifestations.

"I especially urge your support on (name and number of bill(s), and description of bill(s) (see left)). This bill is important to me as a person of faith because ___________.

"Thank you for your time, and I look forward to tracking your engagement on this bill!”

Make your call count, tell us how it went