Thank You for Empowering our Community Action Plan
Juneteenth 2021 was incredible - it was beautiful to see so many Portlanders celebrating throughout the city! This year, honoring Black descendants of slavery has meant more than ever amidst the ongoing struggle against anti-Blackness in America.
We've heard continued calls for defunding police and subsequent uprisings to dismantle the white supremacist values of our country. We are continuously witnessing a display of social impact in community through mutual aid. We have benefitted from the shared resources that are no longer being gatekept from grassroots organizations and on the ground organizers.
Thank you to everyone who continues to show up for racial justice and who have changed their lives to make social change possible.
Many organizers are working through trauma and experiences compounded on top of a particularly polarizing year - please remember that self-preservation is not only necessary, but that you are deserving of it.
This Juneteenth, we were honored to be in a position to give back to community by investing in organizations who are determined to do their part. One of the recipients of that support was Our Streets PDX, who are in need of immediate support due to displacement. Please donate to keep them active and sign up to volunteer for their community garden projects and meal distribution events.
Please enjoy photos from the Juneteenth week of service sponsored by DSP! Also a huge thank you to Kee’s Loaded Kitchen and her staff for pulling off the largest #FeedingBlackPortland of all time! So many people were able to eat free, delicious soul food in honor of community and Black emancipation.
The priority placed on building mutual aid networks last summer has been instrumental in maintaining the momentum for social change when it’s been needed the most. We know that the fight against racial injustice, police violence and white supremacy doesn’t lie within the next American administration, but within ourselves - we have the power of community to rely on one another and we have to be mindful of the detrimental changes that are taking place around us. The more we can connect, the easier we can organize and continue to take care of each other.
Please help us share critical food resources from Oregon Food Bank, check out the Food Finder online tool which shares a detailed list of pantries, free food markets, free meal sites and more. The Free Summer Meals program can also be found here.
With this weeks' extreme heat warnings, these cooling centers have opened up in both Multnomah and Washington counties in addition to the Q Center on Sunday 11a-6p. Please take care of yourselves and your neighbors by providing cooling stations in your areas - distribute frozen water bottles, purchase fans for folks who are without A/C, offer to transport those who may need critical relief, etc. A printable flyer of the aforementioned cooling centers can be found here, please share far and wide!