1. Many people have an appreciation for Portland’s diverse communities and cultures.

• Community members enjoy the vast array of culturally-specific restaurants, education and entertainment options.
• Many people hold the impression that Portland is generally accepting of diverse individuals and communities.
• Some people look forward to the anticipated increase diversity of the Portland metro area's population.
• Persons identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer appreciate the overall sense of acceptance in Portland.
  • People find comfort in being able to be open about sexual orientation.
  • Many people still want to have the right for everyone to marry, including same sex marriages.

2. Portlanders identifying with minority groups frequently experience inequities and injustices in their lives.

• Many people in minority communities describe the uneven distribution of wealth and lack of family wage jobs as forms of racial injustice. 
• They attribute the persistent income gaps between whites and minority groups and the lack of sufficient affordable housing to the legacy of racial segregation.
• Community members also express frustration from being discriminated against based on their income level, religion, skin color, ability, age, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation.
  • Immigrants and refugees are often unable to utilize the professional skills they bring here from other countries in their work.
  • Minorities often feel targeted and/or misrepresented by media sources.
  • African Americans and other groups express anger and resentment over their displacement from North and Northeast Portland neighborhoods.

Sample Strategies:

1. “More cops that come from North Portland area (recruited and retained), less racial profiling, improve unemployment rates among minorities.”
2. More effort should be made to ensure that employers recruit and hire minorities.
3. “Encourage minority owned businesses to move back to downtown. Provide incentives for minorities to live in affordable housing in the Pearl/NW.”
4. Implement loan programs and incentives for potential minority business owners.
5. Policies need to directly reflect values that encourage minority populations to feel welcome to live anywhere in the city.

3. Portland’s ethnically diverse groups seek greater recognition, more opportunities, and improved relations with the broader community.

• In general, many members of ethnic minority groups seek to increase respect in the mainstream for their community and for the cultural richness they bring to Portland.
• Some people would like to see greater public recognition of both historical and recent oppression of minority groups.
• The common portrayal of people of color in the local, mainstream media is seen as generally negative and should change to highlight community strengths.

  African American / Black Community:

• There is a feeling among many respondents from this community that there are not as many opportunities for African Americans as there are for other ethnic communities.
• Respondents sense a growing lack of unity and solidarity within the African American community. They attribute this, in part, to the displacement of families from North and Northeast Portland.
• There is a need for more advocacy from within this community.
• Black-on-Black crime needs to be eliminated.
• There is a need for more African American people in visible leadership positions.
• The mainstream media and culture must stop targeting African Americans.
• There is anger and resentment regarding gentrification in the Alberta and Mississippi neighborhoods, and how it has disproportionately affected the African American community (for more, see Economy: Housing).

  African Immigrant Community:

• There is the feeling that this community is largely ignored by decision-makers and their many cultural backgrounds go unregognized.
• African respondents are made invisible when they are counted as Black or African American.
• At the same time, respondents call for increased interaction and integration between African immigrants and African Americans.
• There is a need for more support of recent African immigrants and refugees.
• A community center should be designed for the African communities.

  Arabic and Islamic Community:

• There should be more support for this community, and recognition of their contributions, especially by the media.
• Many wish elected officials would hire Arabic or Islamic staff.
• Greater accommodations are needed for their religious beliefs and practices, such as:
  • Respect for gender separation;
  • Making Arabic a language offered in public schools;
  • Offering Halal lunches for Muslim children;
  • Providing swimming facilities for women only; and
  • Making a place for the required Islamic prayers in schools.
• Establish an Arabic or Muslim sister city for Portland.

  Asian and Pacific Islander Community:

• Have more culturally-specific services and resources for this community.
• Better integrate specific groups within this community, such as the Korean community.
• Provide more exposure for this community’s contributions.

  Latino / Hispanic Community:

• Provide more educational opportunities for this community, for both youth and adults.
• Help other communities understand that Latinos are here looking for opportunities to lead better lives and they are not criminals (this was often mentioned of undocumented Latinos).
• Reduce police harassment of this community.
• For day laborers specifically, create a center where they can access services and employment.
• Create an Ombudsman’s Office for Latinos.
• There were some calls for staging boycotts and demonstrations to show the growing political power of this community.

  Native American Community:

• Recognize that they native people are the original inhabitants of this area and of the entire continent and afford them the respect that they deserve.
• Create a community center for Native Americans.

  Russian and Eastern European Community:

• This community would like more opportunities and services.
• Have an organization that could bring together all Russian-speaking people.

Sample Strategies:

1. People suggest that more public displays be placed throughout the city that portray different cultural groups’ historical contributions to Portland.
2. More museums, cultural heritage sites and ethnic plaza malls should be constructed to highlight the diversity of Portlanders.

4. Many sense that the existing neighborhood system needs to change because it does not adequately integrate minority groups into the decision-making and public participation.

• People are concerned that homeowners and businesses are typically privileged and have more access to decision-making through the Neighborhood Coalition system.
• Some want to abolish the neighborhood associations because they are too “middle-class and white”.
• Others desire the neighborhood system to change, finding ways to also include non-geographic, identity-based groups that cross neighborhood boundaries.
• Some believe that Neighborhood Associations could better include minority groups if they were provided more resources.

Sample Strategies:

1. Encourage elected officials to listen more to the community, especially to the Neighborhood Associations.
2. Support Neighborhood Associations so they can better reach out to and integrate diverse communities in their work.

5. Training to increase understanding of diversity and culturally appropriate practices is needed for all sectors of government and for the community at large.

• Education and awareness should be a tool for building more unity within the community.
• Trainings are necessary for police, public servants and the general public. For instance, some people request that school staff receive cultural sensitivity trainings in order to understand the increasing diversity of students.
• One way to increase understanding is to recruit and retain more minorities in public servant appointments and positions of power.
• Portlanders call for more physical and social spaces where diverse community members can interact and communicate.

Sample Strategies:

1. Build more permanent physical spaces where cross-cultural communication and dialogue can occur.

6. People want to see more opportunities for leadership development in minority communities and more leadership positions filled by minorities.

• The City should invest in the development and support of civic leadership of minorities.
• Leadership, both public and private, should become ethnically diverse, working to open opportunities, alleviate citywide social issues.
• Portland needs more women and people of color in positions of power.