November is Native-American Heritage month While there is much work to be done to repair the harm and trauma inflicted upon the native peoples of North America, there are many things you can TODAY to help Native Communities heal. Here are 5 things you can do: Acknowledge that you are always on stolen land. Use this interactive map for more information about lands and languages in relation to your physical location. Support Portland's Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) by making a donation. Donate to the First Nations COVID-19 relief fund: First Nations Development Institute is responding to American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian community emergency needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more and make a donation here: firstnations.org/covid-19-fund/ Decolonize your knowledge and actions by doing your research. Here is a list of books everyone should read: thehumanityarchive.com/history/ Talk about and engage with Native American issues. Engage with your neighbors, family and friends about the displacement of native communities and the housing crisis. You can find out more information here: nativepartnership.org/livingconditions

Tabor Commons RFP Process Extended! SE Uplifts hopes to fill our Tabor Commons space as soon as possible using an open evaluation process! Tabor Commons, located at 5633 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97206, is now available for lease! We will be picking a new tenant by way of a RFP process. The criteria? The criteria is centered around our mission, and the community feedback we collected in 2016 (see details below). SE Uplift will also be using our newly adopted equity lens to evaluate proposals. You can find these documents here. We also recognize, given the conditions created by the pandemic, prioritizing Tabor Commons as a “community space” at this time may be limited or challenging and we will do our best to accommodate that given the current conditions and our equity goals.

SE Uplift Welcomes New Staff

Matchu Williams he/him/his Matchu feels fortunate to work with the community in advancing the SE Uplift mission of collaborating to build informed, inclusive, and participatory neighborhoods that support our social and ecological well-being. He looks forward to assisting neighborhood and partnering with the community in building capacity in building equity in their programs for civic engagement. 

Matchu holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a focus on Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies and Criminal Justice. You may know Matchu from the SE Uplift Board of Directors where he was recently Vice Chair. He brings a wealth of community engagement to SE Uplift having previously served as Chair of Mt. Scott Arleta Neighborhood Association, BikeLoud Memorial Events Coordinator, Arleta Triangle Project Planning Committee, South East in Active Motion Co-Chair, and has volunteered with many groups including Urban Gleaners, Sisters of the Road, SOLVE, Transition Projects, Food Not Bombs, Humane Society of SW Washington, and more.  He loves sustainability and all things local including support for the arts, cycling, housing reform, transit, and the amazing regional food economy. Portland is a wonderful city that he wants everyone to be able to be a part of. On his days off he dreams of the next bikepacking (biking + camping) trip. Last year he bikepacked the San Juan Islands and campgrounds in the Cascades. When in town he enjoys cycling, seeing movies on the big screen at the historic Hollywood Theatre, and enjoying food at Portland Mercado with friends.

Eaen Goss (they/them or he/him) Eaen’s professional background is in higher education administration and non-profit administration. They started out working for TRiO, a college access program for first-generation, low income college students and students with disabilities. Because Eaen held these identities themselves as a student, this was something they were immensely passionate about and decided to pursue as a career. Eaen received their Master of Education degree in Student Development Administration from Seattle University in 2016, with the goal of continuing to pursue college access work after graduation. Their plans changed, however, when they were drawn to disability justice organizing outside the sphere of higher education. That same year they began working for Disability Rights Washington, an organization focused on legal advocacy for people with disabilities in Washington state. Since moving to Portland in 2018, Eaen has been using the knowledge gained through experiences like this to engage in community building work in the area, especially as it relates to promoting accessibility and inclusion for disabled folks.

Eaen feels most passionate about community empowerment, which is strongly tied to accessibility, justice, and equity. They are invested in creating a community where everyone (especially BIPOC, queer, disabled, and poor folks) has the access and agency to shape their lives and the place they call home. Eaen firmly believes that this begins with having community spaces that are accessible and open to begin with.Their passion lies in working with others to see this become a reality.  Eaen is most looking forward to providing support to the SE Uplift staff and the communities of SE Portland. They are really excited by the work the SE Uplift team is already doing to address historical inequalities and injustice and see a ton of potential for moving forward. They’re looking forward to working to ensure that community involvement is possible for anyone who wants to take part.   On days off, Eaen is likely spending time with their partner and dog, a 13-year old rescue Chihuahua. They also enjoy doing art, working with different community groups in the Portland-area, and eating as many snacks as they can get their hands on. Eaen is also currently collaborating on forming a community care project for disabled folks in PDX and spends any remaining free time on that.

Explore Updated & Enhanced Land Use & Transportation Webpages!

Satisfy your inner land use or transportation nerd and go exploring on our newly updated and enhanced Land Use & Transportation Webpages!  Satisfy your inner land use or transportation nerd and go exploring on our newly updated and enhanced Land Use & Transportation Webpages!  Pages are organized by, and tailored to, our three key audiences. That way each audience gets the information they are (most likely) in search of – without getting lost in their search.     For our community organizations and groups doing LU/T work, we created a landing page with ways we can specifically support them and add capacity. This includes support with LU/T grant applications, creating resources and toolkits, conducting trainings, and more! We look forward to supporting more groups doing advocacy work in 2020, particularly those we’ve not historically supported in a robust way.      For neighbors with questions, we added a “frequently asked questions” page for general neighbors with land use, and transportation-related questions. Neighborhood Associations and partners are welcome to suggest additional FAQs and use this page on their own websites.     We beefed up our LT/T Representative Page for our new and long-standing Neighborhood Association Representatives (and any curious neighbors). That way they can find the information, resources, and contacts to be effective in their role any time!        The Neighborhood Planning Program Manager hopes you find these updates pages useful and welcomes any sharing or cross linking if it helps you or your organization. As always, we are a small staff wearing many hats, and welcome suggestions or feedback on these new (and resource heavy) pages.

A Brief History of Hate in SE Portland Debra Kolodny, Executive Director, Portland United Against Hate

FBI statistics confirm a three-year trend of increasing hate around the country that began with the 2016 election. In 2017 major cities around the country were seeing a 20% increase in hate incidents. But not Portland. Portland saw a 200% increase. Most of us know about the Max murders and maybe some of us thought that they were outliers, unusual in our fair city. But they were simply the murderous tip of the iceberg. In fact, incidents of verbal hate assault take place on the Max and on busses and in the streets, parks and cafes on the daily. Even during this pandemic, when COVID 19 has triggered and increase in anti-Asian incidents. In the past 3 years, since Portland United Against Hate (PUAH) has been collecting data we’ve seen an average of 220 incidents reported a year. And we know that we are still only gathering the tip of the iceberg. Oregon was founded as a white state and its roots are showing. Its roots are showing. And what about this year? Will we see an uptick of hate again in the wake of this election with its still (November 5) uncertain result? In a year with one of the candidates tells the Proud Boys to stand back and stand by, you better believe it. Tragically Portland has already seen significant organized White Nationalist violence and hate. From screaming curses and epithets to setting off a pipe bomb to firing live rounds and paint balls to driving cars into people, all at Black Lives Matter protests and prayer vigils, we’ve seen an acceleration of organized hate here since August. We’ve also seen an increase in organized hate at public parks with racist and anti-Semitic graffiti and nooses left and the “Southwest Mob” taking responsibility for their acts of domestic terrorism.

The New York Times recently ran an article that chronicled over 100 incidents of right wing armed protestors around the country, with the police often giving the protestors a pass. The Forward ran a piece sharing that hate groups called for post election violence almost 950 times on social media. The frequency of this chatter increased significantly in September. In the wake of this frightening reality, what can we do? If you are targeted, or you witness or you hear about a hate incident, please report to ReportHatePDX. If you want resources to support you, go to PortlandUnitedAgainstHate.org and check out our resource page to find the organization that feels best suited to your situation or that is most clearly culturally competent to support you. Let your neighborhood association know and ask them to send out a letter saying no to hate and ask them for what support you would like to have. Perhaps flyering the neighborhood that those with your identity are loved and welcome. Perhaps a car caravan rally with signs/banners of support. Perhaps a socially distant celebration at a park that was desecrated with graffiti or other hate messaging. If you have been doxxed and you are afraid to be in your home, reach out to your friends and find a safe place to stay for a while and don’t reveal where you are. For those who feel comfortable going to the police, contact their hate crimes unit or contact Lutheran Community Services Crime Victim Advocacy Program to learn about your options. Together we will make it through this dangerous time, but only together. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay strong!

Local Holiday Shopping Guide Leah Fisher, SE Uplift

Shopping local this holiday season has never been so important!    During this time of COVID-19, and the unprecedented closures and limitations placed on our beloved main street and local business, shopping local this holiday season has never been so important. Here are some opportunities and resources to help you get a deal while supporting local venders, shops and more!    The Portland Mercado is hosting “Winter Mercado” again this year... just with a few less vendors for more social distancing. Visit the Mercado on Saturdays from 11:30 to 3:30 and support local makers, artisans, and Latino entrepreneurs this holiday season! Or check out more details on their facebook site.  Central Eastside Industrial District is getting behind their businesses, by co-hosting and highlighting these holiday shopping opportunities:   Wild Holiday, November 17th 5-9pm at Fieldwork Design, 601 SE Hawthorne Blvd: shop a ton of your favorite local makers while sipping on seasonal wines and munching on complimentary vegan + gluten free treats during their first ever WILD HOLIDAY.  Portland Night Market: located at 100 SE Alder St Portland, OR 97214, Check it out Friday December 1st & Saturday the 2nd from 4pm to 11pm. And Sunday, December 3rd from 11am to 4pm. Join 200+ local vendors for a weekend of food, music, drinks, art, makers and merchants in the Central Eastside! The Portland Night Market is an all ages and FREE event.    Venture Portland is also encouraging Portlanders to support local businesses citywide. See the opportunities to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list! Whether you choose to shop Gray Thursday, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday or Cyber Monday, you’ll be able to take advantage of great local deals and discounts in your favorite neighborhood stores.  Or click here for more information.

Interest in becoming a Doula? Mothertree Internship now open!

Birth Doula Internship/Mentorship 2021 Internship: Sign Up Now STEP 1: Complete & Submit Application  STEP 2: Register & Attend the Orientation Night; pay application fee* STEP 3: Attend the Orientation Night: 2021 Dec 4th 6:30 – 9:00 pm *COVID19 program elements may change to virtual options *Fee: $2600 PIF (payment plan available –$2900) Pre-requisites: Birth Doula Training

SE Uplift Neighborhood Coalition (503)232-0010 info@seuplift.org seuplift.org