BY KATE GONSALVES

As leaders in powerful positions who are experts in their field, Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw and Portland Public Schools Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero, you have arrived at an important time.

As a white mother, I worry deeply about my biracial boys and other black and brown children growing up in Portland. And recent data illustrates my fears are not unfounded.

Portland, Oregon is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Some of the things I appreciate most about the region are the state's natural beauty, the food and a culture of people who embody the state motto "She flies with her own wings." However, what often goes unspoken is that for too long, Oregon has buried much needed conversations about racial equity and bias under its veneer of progressivism.

Oregon can be a very unwelcoming place to people of color. The Southern Poverty Law Center recently listed Oregon as having more reported hate incidents than any other state in the nation. As a white child, I counted on the police and teachers as support systems. Today, if my biracial kids need help, I don't have the same confidence that my children can turn to a police officer or teacher for assistance without being perceived as suspects.

For too long, communities of color in Oregon have been over-policed and under-protected. The often unconscious practice of associating black or brown skin with criminality begins early. According to a recent report by the Sentencing Project, black boys are more than four times as likely to be suspended from area schools than their white peers for the same infractions. Similarly, racial bias is baked into every sector of the criminal justice system as illustrated by the Multnomah County Racial and Ethnic Disparities Report. It is a direct result of this deeply entrenched racism that black, Latino, and Native American children remain overrepresented in Oregon's juvenile facilities.

In August, the images of white Southerners holding torches in Charlottesville captured the public eye as the nation's face of racism. Yet, you may be surprised to learn that Oregon has the seventh highest rate of incarceration for African Americans in the nation. Virginia ranks below Oregon on the list at 29th.

The data is grim but it's not out of line with Oregon's colonial history. These historical roots of racial inequality remain woven into the fabric of our schools, government, juries and law enforcement. Still it's easier for many Oregonians to point fingers afar rather than take a hard look within.

If we hope to build a better future for the increasingly diverse children of Oregon, we must reconcile these lived realities with our progressive values. As new leaders to our region I hope you don't shy away from these conversations and instead make racial equity and restorative justice an ongoing priority with measurable results. Many community members including myself are willing to do everything we can to be part of the solution - our children's futures are tied to your success.

Kate Gonsalves is political director at the Oregon Justice Resource Center. She lives with her family in Southeast Portland.

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