The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners proclaimed June 19, 2024, as Juneteenth Day in Multnomah County, continuing the annual recognition of the day when news of the abolition of slavery actually reached the westernmost slave state of Texas in 1865.
“It gives me great pleasure to recognize next Wednesday, June 19, as Juneteenth Day in Multnomah,” Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said during Thursday’s Board meeting.
“As the first County in Oregon to declare Juneteenth an annual paid holiday for employees, this holiday holds a special place in our culture as a County and gives us an opportunity to reflect on and remember and especially celebrate Black American freedom, heritage and culture.”
While the Emancipation Proclamation officially granted freedom to enslaved people in Confederate states in 1863, slave owners defied the proclamation and continued to enslave people until well after the Civil War ended in April 1865.
“Many Black Texans in bondage knew they were free, but they needed the Union army there to enforce it,” said Commissioner Jesse Beason, who co-sponsored Thursday’s proclamation along with the Multnomah County Employees of Color Employee Resource Group.
“The end of enslavement was a momentous event, one dreamed about for centuries. It's easy and convenient to think that its impact was felt primarily in the South.”
Here in Oregon, history is more sordid, explained Beason.
“We weren’t for slavery per se, but we weren’t for Black people, either,” he said.
In 1868, the Oregon Legislature actually rescinded its ratification of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship and equal protection under the law, Beason noted. The amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution without Oregon’s approval. The Legislature didn’t formally ratify the 14th Amendment until 1973, more than 100 years later.
“So thank you all for being here on this day of remembrance,” Beason said. “Thank you to our County for recognizing this day as sacred before many did. And thank you to Black people for always pushing us toward the democracy that every American deserves.”
Thursday’s presentation included a panel of four speakers, including employees from the Library, the Department of County Human Services and the Health Department who gave passionate remarks and strongly advocated for more truth and reconciliation, ingenuity, and overall support — in the community and the workplace — for Black people.
Lanel Jackson, an Employees of Color Employee Resource Group event coordinator and a Black Cultural Library Advocate, thanked commissioners for their support of Employees of Color and their recognition of cultural, historical and other experiences over the past year.
“We would like to thank our union for bargaining to make Juneteenth a regular recognized holiday in our contract. Having a better understanding of each other enables all of us to better serve our communities when we appreciate, acknowledge and respect the differences and similiaries we all share.”
Jackson said the history and experiences of the descendants of enslaved African people differ from those of other groups who live in the United States.
“The miracle of our existence lies in the cultural, intellectual and social contributions made by our ancestors — as well as the faith that our ancestors carry that one day their descendants would live a life of self-determination, freedom, liberty and happiness,” she said.
“Despite the many successes and triumphs, our legacy is marked by continuous fights against systemic racism, which has historically marginalized Black individuals at various spheres of life, including employment. Recognizing and acknowledging this legacy and history is crucial in understanding the social and economic challenges faced by Black communities today.”
Jackson called on County leaders to continue elevating Black employees in the workplace to combat systemic racism. She advocated for increased representation and stronger diversity goals, and said Black employees should be represented at all government levels.
Providing equitable opportunities for professional development, mentorship and advancement, and creating an environment where unique experiences and values of Black employees are respected, is crucial, explained Jackson. “And implement supportive policies that hold individuals accountable that contribute to hostile work environments.”
Jackson was joined by Jackie Tate, a 30-year employee at Multnomah County, and the first Black female president of the County’s largest union, Local 88.
As a proud Black woman whose ancestry can be traced back to slavery in rural Tennessee, Tate said her family matriarch created a large extended family that spans from Tennessee to Chicago to Detroit and even all the way to Portland.
“I’m happy to be here to celebrate Juneteenth, as it has special meaning to me, my family and many other Americans. African American history is American history.”
But Tate also acknowledged continued struggles with systemic oppression, racism and white supremacy, even in Multnomah County.
She also urged more retention, protection and promotional opportunities, and compensation for workers of color, as well as more pathways for Black workers in entry-level positions. She said managers should provide more support for workplace trauma and implement or support trauma-informed practices and trauma leave.
“Take your breaks and lunches. Eat delicious food. Do the things that make you happy,” Tate said.
“Surround yourself with people who love, respect and support you. And take time to relax. We are our ancestors' greatest dreams and we deserve to live with joy and to rest.”
Larry Turner, a clinical services specialist with the Promoting Access to Hope team, described his work helping African Americans access treatment and other services for substance use or mental health disorders.
“My earliest memory of Juneteenth was Mrs. Clara Peoples,” Turner said.
Peoples was a resident of Vanport who worked for decades in the community organizing Juneteenth celebrations and local community events. Vanport was Oregon’s second-largest city during and after World War II, home to many Black Oregonians who were unable to live freely in other communities because of racist housing and lending policies. Vanport, now part of North Portland, was destroyed by devastating floods in 1948.
“They would go around the neighborhood saying, ‘It’s going to be Juneteenth, it’s going to be Juneteeth,’” shared Turner. “They said it was about Black people being free.”
“I didn’t see freedom in our neighborhood,” said Turner. “What I saw was an opportunity to play in the streets. What I saw was an opportunity to own a Black business in our neighborhood and opportunities to own houses in our neighborhood and attend Black schools. But when I was bussed out, then I knew that freedom wasn’t something that I really had.”
Turner expressed hope for a comprehensive strategy and model that allocates funding for the Black community.
“We need to set aside funds to develop our own programs,” said Turner. “We need to establish our own institutions, educational programs, job support programs, health clinics, and food and nutrition programs and get back to what we used to do when I was young.”
“We used to have gardens,” he continued. “We used to feed each other in our neighborhoods. We used to have community breakfasts. We had health clinics, natural healers and a sense of community which has been displaced by the colonialism that has taken place in Portland, Oregon.”
Turner commended the County’s declaration of racism as a public health crisis, but he also pushed for more work to advance that declaration. He requested more funding for programs like the County’s Healthy Birth Initiative, the Department of Community Justice’s African American Program, the retention of Black employees, increased incentives for County programs and more.
“Black people are strong," said Turner. “Black people are excellent. Black people are resilient. Black people are determined. Black people are persevering. Black people are caring. Black people are kind. Black people are gentle. Black people are loving.
“And Black people are very, very, very aware.”
Commissioners’ remarks
Commissioner Lori Stegmann echoed the sentiments of the speakers and the history of inequities.
“The United States was founded on chattel slavery,” said Stegmann. “When we think of the production of sugar and cotton, it is really a horrific history of social injustice and we haven’t come as far or, some would argue, far at all.”
Stegmann congratulated Tate on her role as Local 88’s first Black female president but noted the absurdity that “in this day and age, people of color are still talking about the first.”
A proud moment for her as a commissioner was when Multnomah County declared racism to be a public health crisis, Stegmann said.
“We have to do better, and frankly we haven’t,” said Stegmann. “We do have to incentivize people… We have to be able to listen to our community members to tell us what they want and what they need and we have to listen to them and put them in leadership roles to ensure those needs are being met.”
Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards said white residents in particular “need to hear and reflect how history has shaped our community and give us the opportunity to shape our future in a different way.”
“I want to thank the panel for the truth telling today. I appreciate when individuals speak to the commission and don’t tell us what we want to hear and give us a framework for our future work,” said Brim-Edwards.
“I appreciate the specific recommendations for actions the commission can take to improve economic opportunities and make this a more just and fair place to work and a county to live in.”
Commissioner Sharon Meieran thanked the panel. “This is such an important day to take a real step back and reflect and, as the proclamation said, ‘honor our past; understand our present; and strive for a better future.’”
“I really love what Jackie said: ‘We are our ancestors' greatest dreams and we deserve to live with joy and rest,’” said Meieran.
Chair Vega Pederson ended the proclamation acknowledging the work still needed.
“While we have seen improvement across different groups in hiring, retention and promotion, we are not seeing the same thing for our Black employees — and that has got to change. I am committed to that. I know our chief operating officer is committed to that as well. We have to do more to create a workplace that offers true respect, belonging and opportunity for our Black employees. We know there are systems of oppression that still permeate our organization and so many others.”
“Your voices everyday at this County matter.”
Watch the full board meeting here.
Read the proclamation here.
