Last week we wrote about a Zoom event for BIPOCS only sponsored by the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) to discuss (ie, sell) the proposed new Portland city charter.
It was clearly advertised as being for BIPOCS only, and its sign-up form required particpants to declare their race. I gave it a whirl, declaring my race as “mongrel,” which happens to be true—and, I suspect, also true of many of our POCs as well.
My application sailed through; I’m betting that whoever vetted the sign-ups misread my race as Mongol.
The Zoom session (can’t get too close to the pee-pul, even post-Covid) was the result of the Charter Commission’s “partnership” with CCC, which is being paid to handle the Commission’s public relations and “listening.”
True to their title, the CCC is mostly listening to…well, you know who.
I dropped a line to the CCC (at sol@coalitioncommunitiescolor.org), asking the following questions…
1. Who decided to hold a BIPOC-only Zoom session? CCC or the Charter Commission?
2. Who made the final decision and was it reviewed/voted on by the membership of the Charter Commission?
3. Did you seek any legal advice about the legality of spending public funds to conduct the session for BIPOCs only. What was that advice?
4. Will you prevent, block, or otherwise exclude any whites who have signed up to view the session?
5. How have you determined the race of participants who have signed up?
6. Will white/Caucasian members of the Charter Commission be allowed to view the Zoom call?
And “Sol Mora, Pronouns: She/Ella” responded. We’ll let you decide whether this is a walk-back or full-fledged skin-back…or whatever:
Thank you for your inquiry about our event. This event is designed for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) Portlanders to share their experiences, but there are no restrictions on who attends this event. We updated our registration form to clarify this and are updating all flyers.
In light of another email from Sol, sent to sign-ups, I’d say it’s more of a tactical retreat:
In CCC’s original Zoom registration and flyers, we shared that the upcoming event was an affinity space for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) only. I would like to update registrants to share that this event will be a prioritized space for communities of color to share their experiences and comments in a trusted community space, and all are welcome to attend. We simply ask that you respect our community agreements below.
Some of those “agreements,” are pretty obvious, such as, “One person speaks at a time.” Others are kinda odd: “Please keep this space confidential when stories are being shared.” On a Zoom call?
And then, “Take care of yourself. Be attentive to your body.” Golly! What do you suppose we’ll be “sharing” on March 21?
Bottom line: whites are now OK…but not prioritized. We all know what that means.
I also dropped a line to Vadim Mozyrsky, who we presume is white, since he is an immigrant from Ukraine, a member of the Charter Commission, and also running for City Council against arch-racist scold Jo Ann Hardesty. (His resume is as long as your arm, but those are the highlights.)
I asked him the same questions and, for the record, here’s his reply:
Thanks for bringing this event to my attention. I read your Substack link and the Twitter post, but otherwise this is new to me. This Zoom session is not on our Charter Commission calendar and I didn’t receive an any notice about this meeting, unlike other listening sessions where at least we were offered an opportunity to participate. Perhaps this event is not sponsored by the Charter Commission. I’ll look into it.
Best, Vadim
That was two days ago. He’s still looking into it.
In 2020 at a special meeting of the Portland Committee for Community-Engaged Policing, which was Zoomed in on by more than 450 people, then-co-chair Lakayana Drury announced that black people would get to talk first.
This is the kind of racist stunt that has been allowed to go on in Portland and has been unchallenged by the legacy media. Fighting racism with more racism leads to more racism, but racism can be very profitable.
Drury has since left PCCEP and a teaching job and moved on to more profitable pursuits with his nonprofit, Word is Bond.
Thank you for pushing back against explicit plans to hold a no-white-people meeting on a matter of critical civic importance.
Here's something else for you to consider challenging. It is the Portland Bureau of Development Services (BDS) "Arts Empowerment Program" that provides racially preferential assistance to BIPOCs and other favored identity groups in obtaining assistance in the sometimes confusing process of obtaining a building permit. Here is how the BDS describes the program:
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The Arts Empowerment Program assists artists and arts organization get permits. We focus on assisting Black, Indigenous, people of color and persons with disabilities.
How we will support you
Answering questions about the permit processes
Researching your potential site before you sign a lease or contract
Finding solutions and problem solving for projects in process
Keeping you updated on the progress of your project
Connecting you with other potential community resources
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This doubtless violates city, county, state and federal ordinances, laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin or color, yet there it is. Someone is taking it upon themselves to implement the Kendi doctrine that: "The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination."
I suppose the architects of the Arts Empowerment Program believe that all white artists are privileged, entitled members of the upper middle or upper class who are living off trusts established by their great grandparents and who have the best lawyers at Portland's most elite white-shoe law firms on retainer to handle trivial matters such as building permits for their 4000 sf art studios at their ancestral manses in Portland Heights. Who knows?
Here is a link to the program's web site: https://www.portland.gov/bds/empowered-communities-programs/arts