As we remember George Floyd’s life and legacy, we must acknowledge that we have the responsibility to act. We are long overdue for increased action and investment in racial justice and equity initiatives in Portland and Oregon.

We Are The Bridge: Rise for Racial Justice is a grassroots coalition of Portland-based organizations, including 50501 Portland, the Coalition of Black Men, the Oregon Working Families Party, SURJ PDX, BIPOC Rise Moor Healing Center, Radical Rest, Momentum Alliance, and Veterans for Peace PDX Chapter 72. Together, we are calling for immediate action to expand opportunities for our local Black community to thrive— economically, socially, and spiritually.

We Are The Bridge is demanding immediate action from local elected and business leaders. Our specific demands are listed below.

Economic Opportunity:

• We demand accountability for large corporations like Walmart, Target, and McDonald's who have rolled back DEI workplace initiatives. We expect the reinstatement and long term funding of DEI initiatives and positions that have been removed.

• We demand increased investment in workforce development, technical assistance, and capacity building opportunities for Black owned businesses and Black led nonprofits.

Social and Political Awareness:

• We demand for local municipalities, counties, and state governments to pass official resolutions recognizing the 5 year anniversary of George Floyd’s sacrifice, the presidential administration’s ongoing attacks on Black communities, and a thorough audit of actions taken for racial justice by the respective jurisdiction in the past five years.

• We demand officials from local municipalities, counties, and state governments increase their outreach and engagement on issues facing Black community members, visiting Black leaders and organizations working on these issues.

Spiritual Freedom and Racial Healing:

• We demand the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and Oregon Metro support the with the funding of an official Black Celebration Plaza in Portland that uplifts the concepts of Black excellence, Black resilience, Black courage, and Black love.

• We demand increased investment in projects that promote safety and belonging for Black Oregonians: including violence prevention outreach, restorative justice efforts, programs for healing historic and racial trauma, and culturally specific placemaking initiatives like murals and block parties.