Accurate data can help public agencies reinvent their systems in a fair and equitable manner."
- Communities of Color in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile, 2010
"Communities of Color in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile," is the result of a Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) effort funded by Northwest Health Foundation. For the first time, diverse communities partnered with a researdh institution to generate data about the lived experience of communities of color in Portland. The Coalition of Communities of Color and Portland State University worked in partnership on the project.
Diverse communities participated in the the process from the beginning, and large populations, such as the African immigrant community, were documented for health and quality of life factors for the first time in Portland's history.
"Having this data is shocking, sad, and shows disparities, but I'm an optimistic person. It's an opportunity."
- Victoria Libov, Co-Chair, Slavic Coalition of Oregon
Data, however, can't speak for itself. Because of the advocates partipating in the effort, many of which you see in this video, local media and government agencies have begun to take notice. In fact several agencies, including the City of Portland and the Portland Public School System, have changed the way they see the world and do their work.
