Past President’s Message
Editor’s Note: President Tim Hemstreet takes a deserved breather from his President’s Message this issue, and Immediate Past President John Sandie graciously steps up to the plate to pinch hit for him.
In early June, prompted by the swell of emotions after George Floyd’s tragic death, I began writing an article about my personal “evolving thoughts on racism.” It was intended to be an internal assessment, a candid critique, of my life’s journey of experiences with and attitudes about race. Well, after a frustrating number of starts and stops, in which I never felt that the words were capturing my feelings, I put it aside—unfinished. I turned my attention to the Multnomah County Library and blew through ebooks with topics not previously on my radar: “Freedom Is a Constant Struggle” by Angela Davis, “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins, and “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo. Admittedly, I am still wrestling with my views at various levels concerning terms or concepts such as white privilege and implicit and aversive racism. However, I believe that just the act of trying to further understand and absorb these concepts is a movement forward toward being less passive regarding systemic racism. Along these lines, I have periodically joined the small neighborhood group protesting Black Lives Matter and other injustices on 33rd Avenue at the west end of Wilshire Park…just to actively “do something.” (Read what some of my fellow “sign-wavers” had to say in an article by Amy Hamdan on page 10 of the newsletter.)
However, a real focal point occurred when a neighbor approached me, knowing that I was associated with BWNA, to discuss and seek help on a very disturbing incident of blatant racism, possibly a hate crime, that was directed at him within our own neighborhood. Soon after, the neighbor openly shared his experience on Nextdoor and offered to network with others who may have experienced similar confrontations. Awareness of this incident coupled with a report to BWNA of racially motivated harassment of a B-W resident in Wilshire Park prompted an exchange of emails among our board members on what neighbors expect of BWNA in these situations and available resources to help. These include Portland United Against Hate (PUAH), a group of organizations and sponsors working through the Office of Community & Civic Life, which I subsequently contacted for guidance and advice. Based on BWNA Vice President Tim Gillespie’s summary of the board’s email discussion and suggestions from PUAH, the board worked collectively to write a clear position statement, “Our Pledge,” which is now posted on the BWNA website blog (www.bwnapdx.org) and featured on page 4 of this newsletter.
But words need to be converted into actions as well as viewed through a minority lens, and the August 10th General Meeting afforded the opportunity to do something about it. A key step toward education about issues was to make use of the PUAH workshop series planned for later in 2020, and all board members were encouraged to get on the PUAH mailing list for updated information. In addition, BWNA will contact the Central Northeast Neighbors coalition (CNN) to discuss the possibility of partnering to sponsor one or more of these workshops. Another idea expressed involved creating forum opportunities for neighbors from minority groups to talk about their life experiences in confronting bias and racism, and a new Communications Committee was formed to help facilitate the flow of dialog and information between BWNA and residents, with an emphasis on encouraging minority participation as members of the board. Finally, the board continues to welcome suggestions, including one recommending that a clear set of steps and key contacts/links be posted on the BWNA website for neighbors to reference in the event of a racist incident. We welcome your suggestions!
I clearly remember the advice I got from a neighbor in a follow-up discussion on these matters: He said it really is very simple, “Just say hi and be a good neighbor.”—to which I say, let’s all test out his theory!