[IMC] For Immediate Release: Racism in Portland Mayor's Race

[Cameron Whitten]

African American Mayoral Candidate Cameron Whitten Excluded From Forum on
Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness

This issue began in the second week of February, when I introduced myself
to the Urban League of Portland, a non-profit whose mission statement is to
“enable African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power,
and civil rights”. At first I was told, as the only African American in the
race for Mayor of Portland, I would be invited to participate in the forum
on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness.
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=2701372233963

Only after a phone call the next day, was I informed that my invitation was
false. One of the event organizers stated that the slate of candidates had
been selected in November, and the process could not be altered for any
reason. I then inquired as to why the only other African American
candidate, Teressa Raiford for Commissioner Position #1, had been added to
the docket two weeks ago, even though she had also initially been excluded.
To that, I was told, “That’s a long story. We’re not even going to talk
about that.”

I have attended many forums in which I have not been allowed to
participate. Touting bullhorn in hand, I have always listened in the aisles
patiently. As I walked through the doors of the Emmanuel Temple Church in
North Portland, I knew this one would be different. They reserved table
space for me to put my campaign materials, which was segregated from the
other Mayoral candidates, Brady, Hales, and Smith. I was isolated into a
corner of the church with two other candidates of color, Mayor Candidate
Steve Sung, and Helen Ying for Metro Position #5, both of Asian descent.

I drew a sign that said “Separate But Equal”, brandished with the equal
signs proudly adopted by the Urban League. I walked through the church
singing Slave Songs, making analogy after analogy about how People of Color
often suffer from systemic oppression, having a marginalized voice with
lack of community empowerment.

There has always been the concern of racism in Portland, America’s whitest
metropolitan city. My predecessors put their lives on the line and died to
make sure that I would have better. It was in my position of being a
self-respecting African American, that my conscience gave me no other
choice but to honor my voice and birth given right of representation. With
an unbridled fire inside me, I disrupted the Urban League of Portland’s
forum by stepping onto the stage behind Brady, Hales, and Smith to
demonstrate how the issue of inequity is constantly looked over, although
it stares us in the face. We still have to go in terms of addressing bias
and institutional racism.

The Oregonian last week wrote an op-ed piece about how difficult it is for
women to run for office in Portland.
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/04/for_women_winning_office_in_po.html

Seeing that in Portland’s entire history, we have only had two African
Americans sit on City Council, it is blatant racism to see the silence
perpetuated by organizations such as the Oregonian, who seem to overlook
black candidates such as myself or Teressa Raiford for their own
self-interest. Portland deserves, and should expect better than this.

I am sorely disappointed by the Urban League of Portland, and by the
apathetic culture of First Class Citizens in Portland. In this campaign, I
have intimately become acquainted with the unnecessary treatment that East
Portland endures, being underserved and ignored, despite their inherent
worth and contribution to our City’s livelihood.  Obviously, there are Two
Portlands, and there are Two Classes of Mayoral Candidates. And just like
the doctrine originated by Louisiana in the 1890’s, the distinction is
‘Separate But Equal‘.

I refuse to be silenced any longer, for the sake of our mutual destiny.
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