President’s Message
You know how Oregon springtime weather reports can be a combination of the harsh and the heartening. The day I started writing this message, for example, dispiriting drizzle was followed by brilliant late afternoon sunshine. My neighborhood report might feel like that this month, with the early news gloomy and the later news uplifting.
The harsh news is that two of our Asian American neighbors have reached out to BWNA after two separate incidents of racial harassment directed at them. This fits a deplorable national trend of hate crimes targeting Asian people. According to a study of police statistics in major U.S. cities, such incidents have risen by nearly 150 percent this year, these acts of racism seemingly caused by fears around the COVID pandemic stoked by unscrupulous politicians.
As was eloquently expressed in a public letter from 26 civic groups banded together as Greater Portland’s Chinese American Community, “These crimes hurt not only Asian Americans, but also all our communities in this country. Discrimination of any kind is a shameful part of our society, and hate—not a virus—is a pandemic that will destroy our civilization,” and an infection that can start in any neighborhood, I would sadly add.
In response to B-W citizens’ reports to BWNA board members, we’ve collected and publicized (in the March-April issue of the newsletter as well as on our website “Community Resources” page) community safety information for folks victimized by or witnessing racial or other harassment. But one more time we need to assure our neighbors of Asian ancestry—and all our neighbors—that everyone of every background is welcome here.
After all, our national diversity is both our tradition and our blessing. As Ronald Reagan said when he signed the 1988 bill providing restitution for and acknowledging the “grave wrong” of the disgraceful World War II internment of Japanese-American civilians, “Not in spite of but because of our polyglot background, we have all the strength in the world. That is the American way.”
Here are a couple of quick extra resources to help us through this:
- The Stop Asian American/Pacific Islander Hate group has information to support communities standing against racism: https://stopaapihate.org.
- The Portland children’s publisher A Kids Book About is offering a free e-book to help families discuss anti-Asian hate: https://akidsbookabout.com/pages/anti-asian-hate.
- See the BWNA website blog page for more support resources: www.bwnapdx.org/blog.
So what’s the good news?
At our April general meeting, two neighbors—Sam Balto and Patty Nelson—stepped up to become the newest members of the BWNA board (see article about Sam on page 11 of this issue and about Patty in the upcoming July-August issue). Our gratitude goes out to folks willing to volunteer their talents and time to make this a better place to live. Welcome, Patty and Sam!
The main topic at that April meeting was traffic problems in the neighborhood, and our Transportation Committee had arranged for a Portland Bureau of Transportation staffer to come hear about our issues (see details on page 5). In addition, various board members discussed other ongoing BWNA projects, including our New Neighbor Welcoming Project (see page 1 of this issue), our financial support for the Community Cycling Center’s distribution of hygiene kits to families suffering economically during the pandemic (details on page 11), our Friends of Wilshire Park Committee’s glorious new plantings and plans for future park improvements (details on page 10), and other good works.
As sun clears the gloom, so do all these positive actions far outweigh the negative. And it’s springtime, with its hope and promise for better days ahead.