What would Portland be like if instead of reacting to social problems, we intentionally planned for social success? What if we worked to ensure social and economic equity with each step forward, rather than scrambling to backfill the scars of gentrification?
Members of Portland’s black community are asking similar questions as they compile the People’s Plan. It’s a forward-thinking agenda of what communities would look like if they were envisioned with black people in mind — and then addressing how we make that happen.
They should have the support of the entire community — with a sense of urgency. The fact is that Portland’s African-American population is on the front lines of this city’s paralyzing income stagnation and housing crisis.
Median household income in Portland has moved little since 2000, and even weakened among renters.
Meanwhile, housing costs, particularly rents, have skyrocketed beyond affordability, according to the Portland Housing Bureau’s inaugural State of Housing Report, the first phase of which was released this week.
“The rebounding of post-recessionary wages among white households has not been shared, and inflation-adjusted incomes of communities of color continue to fall,” the report states. “Communities of color experience a disproportionately low homeownership rate when compared to white households, and the population as a whole. Although African American and Native American households showed increases in homeownership rates, corresponding income, affordability, and population trends suggest a decline in the number of renter households in these communities as they are priced out of the city, rather than true increases in homeownership.”
There’s a saying that if you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem: In the absence of an inclusive agenda of equity and economic opportunity, our city is promoting economic and social segregation.
So the black community decided they were going to be part of the solution. Individuals, along with businesses, community leaders and nonprofits are coming together to craft a landscape that works for all — with the support of City Hall. It’s not about where people were, but where they are now, and where they want to be. And then it’s targeting efforts to make it happen, right down to creating a neighborhood where everyone is welcome, where people know each other, and where black lives matter. We take that for granted at our own peril.
