Welcome to Visión Comunitaria of Oregon
Where Latine/x/a/o, Indigena, and Afro-Latine/x/a/o communities advance the well-being of all Oregon communities.
Visión Comuntaria is a colectivo of Latine/x/a/o leaders and organizations dedicated to creating and implementing a unified agenda to guide our advocacy, policy, and service provisions and strengthen relationships across Oregon.
About us
The purpose of the Visión Comunitaria de Oregon project is to build out a statewide strategy that has representation from the continental America’s and colectivo infrastructure centering Latinx/a/e/o, Indigena, Afro-Latine/x/a/o comunidades to help advance the wellbeing of all Oregon communities.
Visión Comunitaria is currently led by a collective of Latine/x/a/o leaders and organizations who will support building and implementing a Latine/x/a/o 10-year visioning and plan for Oregon.
Their focus is on the following six critical areas:
- Basic Needs
- Democracy, Civic Engagement, and Political Power
- Education
- Environmental Justice
- Cultural Transformation and Preservation
- Economic Justice & Wealth Building
Who We Are
Organizations that make up the Steering Committee are long-standing and trusted partners whose reach is statewide, or represent and serve specific regions and demographics in the Oregon Latine/x/a/o diaspora.
Supporting Organizations
Our History
In 2022, Latine/x/a/o community leaders across Oregon came together to en-visión the future for their community. These leaders provided candid feedback to inform Meyer Memorial Trust’s (MMT) developing work, strategic plan, and grantmaking, and to make a call to action for MMT and the philanthropic sector at large. (See the detailed report at this link) As a result, several priority areas were identified, and the Visión Comunitaria de Oregon project was formed to move the work forward.
Our Vision
- An Oregon where the diaspora of Latine/x/a/os is embraced and where our communities can organize interculturally, intergenerationally, and intersectionally.
- We envision a green space where our children can play.
- We envision beautiful and diverse neighborhoods where all are welcome.
- We envision healthy food that is connected to our roots.
- We envision collective wealth that is community owned and led.
- We envision the Latine/x/a/o community changing the face of Oregon through its vote and its voice–families voting together and making a difference.
- We envision a statewide Latine/x/a/o community that is connected.
- We envision an Oregon where our cultural traditions are celebrated and valued.
- We envision an Oregon where we are home and we belong.
Our Values
- In Lak’ech Ala K’in – You Are My Other Me (K’iche Maya)
- Cariño – Our Ability To See Each Other and To Be Seen
- Humility – We Are One Piece of the Puzzle, there are others that started this work and will continue the work.
- Relationship to and Responsibility for Land
- Health, Spirituality, Well-being, and Healing
- Collaboration – Building Off Each Other Strengths
- Our Community is Powerful When Organized!
- The Diversity in the Diaspora of our Latin American Culture – Embrace it and Address Our Internalized Oppression.
- Intersectionality Needs to be Cross-Cultural, Intergenerational, and with Solidarity.
- “The Fierce Urgency of Now.” – MLK, Jr.
Framework
After conducting listening sessions for each priority area with interested and affected groups, the Coalition of Communities of Color’s research department developed a framework to represent the 10-year vision visually.
The framework is not all-encompassing and represents a moment in time. We acknowledge that emerging trends and issues will arise or shift.
FAQ
How can I get involved?
If you’re interested in getting involved, please fill out the contact form and let us know what topic and field you’re interested in supporting.
Why these organizations?
The participating organizations are doing the work in the priority areas, have a history with Meyer Memorial Trust, and have mutual trust after collaborating for years. They represent a history of Oregon’s political power that has been building for years over decades, approach the work in similar ways, and have agreement on strategy and approach. We view this as bigger than us, and we want to extend that trust to our communities.
We’ve worked in these communities for decades, approaching this work with humility and deferring to communities’ lived experiences on this agenda. We’re building the conversation. Our goal is to unite our community to raise the best ideas, and we have a history of doing that.
How will this be funded?
Currently, the project is being funded by Oregon-based foundations, such as Meyer Memorial Trust.
How is our information going to be used?
We will securely store your information to create a database of interested and affected community members from around the state who will be engaged in the future.
How do I share a recommendation of a community member who should be invited to contribute to this project?
We will build out several opportunities for other Latine/x/a/os to participate, and we’d love to get in touch with them. Please share their information in the Contact Form.
Where can I share a model or approach with you?
We’d love to hear from you. Please fill out the Contact Form, and someone will contact you.
How will this not just be another Portland-Metro centric thing?
Steering committee members represent different sectors of Oregon.
How are you engaging the coastal, Eastern, and Central Oregon regions?
We have steering committee members representative of Eastern and Central Oregon.
How do I give feedback?
Please complete the Contact Form, and someone will contact you.
I noticed the framework doesn’t address an important issue or emerging need. How do I share this with the group?
The framework is not all-encompassing and represents a moment in time. We acknowledge that emerging trends and issues will arise or shift. We would love to hear what emerging needs are not represented in the framework. Please complete the Contact Form, and someone will contact you.
How will my community be impacted?
Our call to action will launch a collective conversation spanning Oregon to create a unified agenda that will guide our advocacy, policy agenda, and service provisions and strengthen the relationships of our community across Oregon.
Contact Us
If you are interested in learning more about Visión Comunitaria de Oregon or to tell us how you would like to engage, please utilize the Contact Form and include the following information: