Portland African-American Leadership Forum

PORTLAND AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP FORUM HELPS PORTLANDS BLACK COMMUNITY IMAGINE THE ALTERNATIVES WE DESERVE, BUILDS OUR POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORTS LEADERSHIP TO ACHIEVE THOSE ALTERNATIVES.

THE #WECOUNTOREGON CAMPAIGN IS A STATEWIDE, COMMUNITY-LED EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT HARD TO COUNT COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING BLACK PEOPLE, UNDERSTAND AND TAKE THE 2020 CENSUS. DURING OUR FIELD CAMPAIGN, PAALFS GOAL IS TO CONTACT 5,000 BLACK FOLK ABOUT THE CENSUS. BLACK PEOPLE ARE HISTORICALLY UNDERCOUNTED AND WE NEED TO DISRUPT THAT PATTERN IN OREGON THE CENSUS IS ABOUT MONEY, POWER AND REPRESENTATION. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COUNTED DIRECTLY CORRELATES TO THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS THAT ALL OREGONIANS RELY ON. THE 2020 CENSUS COULD MEAN ANOTHER SEAT IN CONGRESS FOR OREGON, WHICH IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR VOICES TO BE HEARD. LASTLY, FULL PARTICIPATION IN THE CENSUS PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A NEW NARRATIVE ABOUT WHO LIVES IN OREGON. OUR MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AROUND THE 2020 CENSUS INCLUDE SURPASSING OUR GOAL OF MAKING 5,000 CONTACTS, AS WELL AS THE HIGHLY ATTENDED BLACK CENSUS SUMMIT. WE ALSO CONDUCTED 2 SEPARATE IN-HOUSE COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE (ECJ)THROUGH A BLACK QUEER FEMINIST LENS, WE PROMOTE HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL WELL-BEING BYENGAGING AND CENTERING PEOPLE FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. WE DEVELOP AND ADVOCATE FOR RELEVANT SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES FACING THEIR COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. SUPPORTED BY OUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE (ECJ) COUNCIL, WE ORGANIZE AND ACTIVATE THE BLACK COMMUNITY ON RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ISSUES. FROM CONGESTION PRICING TO GHG EMISSIONS, WE EDUCATE THE BLACK PEOPLE ON POLICIES AND EFFORTS THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT THEIR COMMUNITY. WE BUILD TOWARDS A MOVEMENT THAT WORKS TO DISMANTLE SYSTEMIC ANTI-BLACKNESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM. WE HOPE TO SUSTAIN THE VISION OF A THRIVING, CONNECTED, AND RESILIENT BLACK COMMUNITY. IN 2019, WE CREATED A STRATEGIC PLAN TO GUIDE OUR PROGRAMMATIC VISION FOR THE NEXT 2-3 YEARS WHILE ENGAGING DIRECTLY WITH 68 BLACK PEOPLE AND BLACK ORGANIZATIONS TO DEFINE THEIR CORE ISSUES WITH THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE AND TO ADVANCE THEIR SOLUTIONS THROUGH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AT THE LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND/OR STATE LEVEL(S). ADDITIONALLY, WE ENGAGED 41 BLACK PEOPLE IN OUR DIGITAL ORGANIZING SITE AND ESTABLISHED OUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE COUNCIL. OUR PROGRAM HAS A DECENTRALIZED LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE, ALLOWING EMERGING AND ESTABLISHED BLACK LEADERS TO HAVE AN EQUAL VOICE AT PAALFS ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE COUNCIL. WE PRACTICE A CONSENSUS DECISION-MAKING STRUCTURE THAT ENABLES ALL PARTICIPANTS TO BE INVESTED IN THE CHOSEN OUTCOME. OUR NEWLY ADOPTED ECJ STRATEGIC PLAN OUTLINED TRANSPORTATION AS OUR ORGANIZING AND ADVOCACY FOCUS FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE PROGRAM. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON PROJECTS SUCH AS ZERO CITIES, A NATIONWIDE INITIATIVE TO CREATE POLICY ROADMAPS AND COMMUNITY TRAINING FOR CITIES WORKING TOWARD AN EQUITABLE ZERO CARBON BUILDING SECTOR. ZERO CITIES IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, VERDE, APANO, AND OPAL, AND THE CITY OF PORTLANDS CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. WE DEFINED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IMPACTED BY LOOKING AT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY OUR PROGRAM (68) AND ADDING THAT TO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE INDIRECTLY IMPACTED (3,181), FOR A TOTAL OF 3,249.

THE BLACK LEADERSHIP ACADEMY FORMERLY KNOWN AS AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY ACTS AS A FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE A GROUP OF TRANSFORMATIVE BLACK LEADERS. THE YEAR-LONG TRAINING PROGRAM ADDRESSES PERSONAL, CULTURAL, CIVIC AND PROFESSIONAL NEEDS OF EMERGING BLACK LEADERS IN PORTLAND. ABOVE ALL ELSE, PAALF WORKS TO FOSTER LEADERS WHO HOLD A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO FIGHTING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE AND LASTING CHANGE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CENTERS ON FELLOWSHIP, MENTORSHIP, AND PROJECT-BASED LEARNING. PARTICIPANTS EXPLORE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TRANSFORMATIVE BLACK LEADER THROUGH THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC SKILLS NECESSARY TO ACTUALIZE LEADERSHIP IN EVERYDAY WORK IN THE COMMUNITY.

THE #WECOUNTOREGON CAMPAIGN IS A STATEWIDE, COMMUNITY-LED EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT HARD TO COUNT COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING BLACK PEOPLE, UNDERSTAND AND TAKE THE 2020 CENSUS. DURING OUR FIELD CAMPAIGN, PAALFS GOAL IS TO CONTACT 5,000 BLACK FOLK ABOUT THE CENSUS. BLACK PEOPLE ARE HISTORICALLY UNDERCOUNTED AND WE NEED TO DISRUPT THAT PATTERN IN OREGON THE CENSUS IS ABOUT MONEY, POWER AND REPRESENTATION. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COUNTED DIRECTLY CORRELATES TO THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS THAT ALL OREGONIANS RELY ON. THE 2020 CENSUS COULD MEAN ANOTHER SEAT IN CONGRESS FOR OREGON, WHICH IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR VOICES TO BE HEARD. LASTLY, FULL PARTICIPATION IN THE CENSUS PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A NEW NARRATIVE ABOUT WHO LIVES IN OREGON. OUR MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AROUND THE 2020 CENSUS INCLUDE SURPASSING OUR GOAL OF MAKING 5,000 CONTACTS, AS WELL AS THE HIGHLY ATTENDED BLACK CENSUS SUMMIT. WE ALSO CONDUCTED 2 SEPARATE IN-HOUSE COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE (ECJ)THROUGH A BLACK QUEER FEMINIST LENS, WE PROMOTE HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL WELL-BEING BYENGAGING AND CENTERING PEOPLE FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. WE DEVELOP AND ADVOCATE FOR RELEVANT SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES FACING THEIR COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. SUPPORTED BY OUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE (ECJ) COUNCIL, WE ORGANIZE AND ACTIVATE THE BLACK COMMUNITY ON RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ISSUES. FROM CONGESTION PRICING TO GHG EMISSIONS, WE EDUCATE THE BLACK PEOPLE ON POLICIES AND EFFORTS THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT THEIR COMMUNITY. WE BUILD TOWARDS A MOVEMENT THAT WORKS TO DISMANTLE SYSTEMIC ANTI-BLACKNESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM. WE HOPE TO SUSTAIN THE VISION OF A THRIVING, CONNECTED, AND RESILIENT BLACK COMMUNITY. IN 2019, WE CREATED A STRATEGIC PLAN TO GUIDE OUR PROGRAMMATIC VISION FOR THE NEXT 2-3 YEARS WHILE ENGAGING DIRECTLY WITH 68 BLACK PEOPLE AND BLACK ORGANIZATIONS TO DEFINE THEIR CORE ISSUES WITH THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE AND TO ADVANCE THEIR SOLUTIONS THROUGH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AT THE LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND/OR STATE LEVEL(S). ADDITIONALLY, WE ENGAGED 41 BLACK PEOPLE IN OUR DIGITAL ORGANIZING SITE AND ESTABLISHED OUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE COUNCIL. OUR PROGRAM HAS A DECENTRALIZED LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE, ALLOWING EMERGING AND ESTABLISHED BLACK LEADERS TO HAVE AN EQUAL VOICE AT PAALFS ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE COUNCIL. WE PRACTICE A CONSENSUS DECISION-MAKING STRUCTURE THAT ENABLES ALL PARTICIPANTS TO BE INVESTED IN THE CHOSEN OUTCOME. OUR NEWLY ADOPTED ECJ STRATEGIC PLAN OUTLINED TRANSPORTATION AS OUR ORGANIZING AND ADVOCACY FOCUS FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE PROGRAM. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON PROJECTS SUCH AS ZERO CITIES, A NATIONWIDE INITIATIVE TO CREATE POLICY ROADMAPS AND COMMUNITY TRAINING FOR CITIES WORKING TOWARD AN EQUITABLE ZERO CARBON BUILDING SECTOR. ZERO CITIES IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, VERDE, APANO, AND OPAL, AND THE CITY OF PORTLANDS CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. WE DEFINED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IMPACTED BY LOOKING AT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY OUR PROGRAM (68) AND ADDING THAT TO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE INDIRECTLY IMPACTED (3,181), FOR A TOTAL OF 3,249.

THE BLACK LEADERSHIP ACADEMY FORMERLY KNOWN AS AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY ACTS AS A FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE A GROUP OF TRANSFORMATIVE BLACK LEADERS. THE YEAR-LONG TRAINING PROGRAM ADDRESSES PERSONAL, CULTURAL, CIVIC AND PROFESSIONAL NEEDS OF EMERGING BLACK LEADERS IN PORTLAND. ABOVE ALL ELSE, PAALF WORKS TO FOSTER LEADERS WHO HOLD A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO FIGHTING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE AND LASTING CHANGE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CENTERS ON FELLOWSHIP, MENTORSHIP, AND PROJECT-BASED LEARNING. PARTICIPANTS EXPLORE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TRANSFORMATIVE BLACK LEADER THROUGH THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC SKILLS NECESSARY TO ACTUALIZE LEADERSHIP IN EVERYDAY WORK IN THE COMMUNITY.

THE #WECOUNTOREGON CAMPAIGN IS A STATEWIDE, COMMUNITY-LED EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT HARD TO COUNT COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING BLACK PEOPLE, UNDERSTAND AND TAKE THE 2020 CENSUS. DURING OUR FIELD CAMPAIGN, PAALFS GOAL IS TO CONTACT 5,000 BLACK FOLK ABOUT THE CENSUS. BLACK PEOPLE ARE HISTORICALLY UNDERCOUNTED AND WE NEED TO DISRUPT THAT PATTERN IN OREGON THE CENSUS IS ABOUT MONEY, POWER AND REPRESENTATION. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COUNTED DIRECTLY CORRELATES TO THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS THAT ALL OREGONIANS RELY ON. THE 2020 CENSUS COULD MEAN ANOTHER SEAT IN CONGRESS FOR OREGON, WHICH IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR VOICES TO BE HEARD. LASTLY, FULL PARTICIPATION IN THE CENSUS PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A NEW NARRATIVE ABOUT WHO LIVES IN OREGON. OUR MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AROUND THE 2020 CENSUS INCLUDE SURPASSING OUR GOAL OF MAKING 5,000 CONTACTS, AS WELL AS THE HIGHLY ATTENDED BLACK CENSUS SUMMIT. WE ALSO CONDUCTED 2 SEPARATE IN-HOUSE COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE (ECJ)THROUGH A BLACK QUEER FEMINIST LENS, WE PROMOTE HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL WELL-BEING BYENGAGING AND CENTERING PEOPLE FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. WE DEVELOP AND ADVOCATE FOR RELEVANT SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES FACING THEIR COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. SUPPORTED BY OUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE (ECJ) COUNCIL, WE ORGANIZE AND ACTIVATE THE BLACK COMMUNITY ON RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ISSUES. FROM CONGESTION PRICING TO GHG EMISSIONS, WE EDUCATE THE BLACK PEOPLE ON POLICIES AND EFFORTS THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT THEIR COMMUNITY. WE BUILD TOWARDS A MOVEMENT THAT WORKS TO DISMANTLE SYSTEMIC ANTI-BLACKNESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM. WE HOPE TO SUSTAIN THE VISION OF A THRIVING, CONNECTED, AND RESILIENT BLACK COMMUNITY. IN 2019, WE CREATED A STRATEGIC PLAN TO GUIDE OUR PROGRAMMATIC VISION FOR THE NEXT 2-3 YEARS WHILE ENGAGING DIRECTLY WITH 68 BLACK PEOPLE AND BLACK ORGANIZATIONS TO DEFINE THEIR CORE ISSUES WITH THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE AND TO ADVANCE THEIR SOLUTIONS THROUGH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AT THE LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND/OR STATE LEVEL(S). ADDITIONALLY, WE ENGAGED 41 BLACK PEOPLE IN OUR DIGITAL ORGANIZING SITE AND ESTABLISHED OUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE COUNCIL. OUR PROGRAM HAS A DECENTRALIZED LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE, ALLOWING EMERGING AND ESTABLISHED BLACK LEADERS TO HAVE AN EQUAL VOICE AT PAALFS ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE COUNCIL. WE PRACTICE A CONSENSUS DECISION-MAKING STRUCTURE THAT ENABLES ALL PARTICIPANTS TO BE INVESTED IN THE CHOSEN OUTCOME. OUR NEWLY ADOPTED ECJ STRATEGIC PLAN OUTLINED TRANSPORTATION AS OUR ORGANIZING AND ADVOCACY FOCUS FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE JUSTICE PROGRAM. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON PROJECTS SUCH AS ZERO CITIES, A NATIONWIDE INITIATIVE TO CREATE POLICY ROADMAPS AND COMMUNITY TRAINING FOR CITIES WORKING TOWARD AN EQUITABLE ZERO CARBON BUILDING SECTOR. ZERO CITIES IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, VERDE, APANO, AND OPAL, AND THE CITY OF PORTLANDS CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. WE DEFINED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IMPACTED BY LOOKING AT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY OUR PROGRAM (68) AND ADDING THAT TO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE INDIRECTLY IMPACTED (3,181), FOR A TOTAL OF 3,249.

THE BLACK LEADERSHIP ACADEMY FORMERLY KNOWN AS AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY ACTS AS A FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE A GROUP OF TRANSFORMATIVE BLACK LEADERS. THE YEAR-LONG TRAINING PROGRAM ADDRESSES PERSONAL, CULTURAL, CIVIC AND PROFESSIONAL NEEDS OF EMERGING BLACK LEADERS IN PORTLAND. ABOVE ALL ELSE, PAALF WORKS TO FOSTER LEADERS WHO HOLD A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO FIGHTING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE AND LASTING CHANGE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CENTERS ON FELLOWSHIP, MENTORSHIP, AND PROJECT-BASED LEARNING. PARTICIPANTS EXPLORE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TRANSFORMATIVE BLACK LEADER THROUGH THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC SKILLS NECESSARY TO ACTUALIZE LEADERSHIP IN EVERYDAY WORK IN THE COMMUNITY.