The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, Aug. 6, celebrated its monthly Proclamation Day by approving three proclamations.
“I appreciate having time set aside for these proclamations because they serve to honor, celebrate and recognize, or create awareness about, important issues or groups and individuals for services and achievements,” said Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, reflecting on this recently launched Board practice. “This has become a really special thing for our community here in Multnomah County.”
Health Center Week
The Board proclaimed Aug. 3-9, 2025, as Health Center Week in Multnomah County. The proclamation recognizes and celebrates the County’s Community Health Centers, which combine medical, dental and behavioral healthcare services under a single “health home” to meet the community’s needs. Multnomah County’s Community Health Center program serves more than 55,000 people each year across nine health center locations and nine Student Health Centers.
This proclamation, Vega Pederson said, helps “express our appreciation for the many people across this County who support critical health services for thousands of people.”
“Health centers also play a critical role in reducing racial and ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic, and other health inequities,” said Community Health Center Board Chair Tamia Deary, reading from the proclamation.
“Community Health Centers serve as beacons of hope for many members of our community,” added Interim Health Center Executive Director Anirudh Padmala.
The proclamation was co-sponsored by Deary, Padmala and Health Department Director Rachael Banks.
Community Health Worker Awareness & Appreciation Month
The Board also proclaimed August as Community Health Worker Awareness and Appreciation Month in Multnomah County.
While Multnomah County acts as the local public health authority, with the Board of Commissioners providing health policy direction, “for our average community member, the people who they engage with first and most regularly — the ones who they rely on to get the support they need — are often our community health workers,” said Vega Pederson.
“These are compassionate advocates who in many cases are from their community, who look like them, can speak their language and understand their culture, which I love. Community health workers are the front line, and we would not be able to fulfill our role as the public health authority without them.”
Ahmed Alzubidi, a program specialist with the Public Health Division’s Community Partnerships and Capacity Building Program, thanked the Chair for her description of community health workers.
“Even some people in my community, they call [community health workers] the ‘hidden soldiers,’ because they do all the jobs, and people, they don’t know about them,” he added. "Some of them even take the extra mile as community leaders.… They go above and beyond.”
“Community health workers have a uniquely intimate understanding of the communities they serve,” said Jennie Brixey, also a CPCB program specialist in the Community Partnerships and Capacity Building Program, as she read from the proclamation. “That understanding enables them to build trusted relationships, serve as liaisons between the community and much needed health and social services, improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery, increase treatment capacity in underserved areas and improve community health knowledge and individual self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, informal counseling, coaching, social support and advocacy.”
Black Business Month
Last, the Board proclaimed August 2025 as Black Business Month in Multnomah County.
The annual observance was created by historian John William Templeton and engineer Frederick E. Jordan in 2004 to reflect on the history of Black entrepreneurship, its impact on the U.S. economy and the resilience of the Black community.
“Black businesses and people built this nation and many of our communities,” said Commissioner Shannon Singleton, who co-sponsored the proclamation with Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon. “Black-owned businesses in the U.S. are a significant economic force contributing billions in revenue and providing millions of jobs.”
Commissioner Singleton said she would highlight various Black businesses on social media, in her newsletter and in her Board comments throughout the month. Additionally, every week in August, she will hold an event at a different Black-owned business. Each gathering will focus on a different industry to discuss their concerns, barriers and victories, and ideas.
Commissioner Jones-Dixon shared his own history with Black business owners and the inspiration he draws from them.
He remembered asking his barber, back in eighth grade, what was next for him. The barber said he was going to open up his own shop — which he did, about five years later. Eventually, after he opened several more locations, Commissioner Jones-Dixon said, the barber opened a barber school to train others, too.
“I also want to remind everybody that’s on this Board, all elected officials, as far as our collective responsibility around creating the conditions and the environment where we all can thrive,” Commissioner Jones-Dixon said.
Salomé Chimuku, a policy advisor to Commissioner Singleton, read the proclamation.
“In 2024, the Black Business Association of Oregon identified 530 Black-owned businesses in Oregon. Notably, 38% of these businesses are located within three miles of Martin Luther King Boulevard in Multnomah County,” the proclamation said.
Commissioner Jones-Dixon called out multiple Black business owners, entrepreneurs and community leaders in the audience.
“I really wanted to take this space and the time to say thank you — it’s a genuine thank you — on behalf of the region, on behalf of the Board, and on behalf of the community.”
