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Monday, January 16, 2012

Politics Legislature Gets Low Grade on Racial Equity

Posted by Sarah Mirk on Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 12:29 PM

This morning's Think Out Loud on OPB gave a rundown on a depressing report with a timely MLK Jr. Day release date: A coalition of equity group in Oregon gave our legislature a racial equity report card... and the grade isn't good.

The groups gave the Oregon Senate a C for advancing racial equity and gave the Oregon House a D. To determined the grades, the groups noted that the state signed into law 10 bills that they believe will promote greater racial equity in the state, but that 11 other proactive measures died somewhere within the political machine.

For example, one of the equity promoting laws that passed is HB 2880, which makes it part of the mission of Oregon's Department of Motor Vehicles to provide voter registration materials. People of color are significantly less likely to register to vote, so handing out voter registration cards at public agencies like the DMV will (hopefully) encourage more people across the racial spectrum to vote.

One law that passed the Senate but died in a House committee is SB 612-A, a wage theft construction bill. Latino and black workers report way higher rates of wage theft than white workers and the bill would have broadened the definition of people who are punishable for wage theft to include people who "recruit, solicit, supply or employ workers."

Portland is still the whitest major city in America (and getting whiter at its core) but the non-white population of Oregon has grown from 16.5 percent of state residents in 2000 to 21.5 percent in 2010. Despite increased diversity, reports like this one and 2009's State of Black Oregon report show a damning slow rate of progress on improving racial equity in the state.

 

Comments (4) RSS

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1
I thought that "wage theft" was basically withholding wages - paying less than you're legally required to. So how can our current law against that not include people who recruit, solicit, supply, or employ workers? How do you commit wage theft without being one of those people?
Posted by Reymont on January 16, 2012 at 12:56 PM · Report
2
What a fucking shock that a state where citizens of the largest city deny there are any black people living there is bad on racial equality.
Posted by tcraighenry on January 16, 2012 at 1:44 PM · Report
3
2880 is a small but good step, and shows a Legislature that is at least (and it's a low bar) not moving aggressively to RESTRICT voting rights, as is true across the country.

That's a Jefferson Smith bill, I believe. There he goes again, backing up social equity rhetoric with results...
Posted by torridjoe on January 16, 2012 at 11:45 PM · Report
4
Yes it was Jefferson Smith's bill. He was also the only candidate running for mayor who didn't slam the office of equity.
Posted by TerriBudwing on January 17, 2012 at 8:57 AM · Report

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