The Native American Community in Multnomah County: an Unsettling Profile
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The Native American Community in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile A partnership between & Dear Reader, We are pleased to present The Native American Community in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile – the most widespread study of our local urban Indian community. Three years ago, members of the Coalition of Communities of Color identified a common need to ensure that data adequately captures the lived experiences of communities of color. Data informs decision making but that same data often excludes dimensions of race and is undertaken without involvement of those most affected by the decisions guided by the research. The impact of these practices is that the Native American community, along with other communities of color, is rarely visible at the level of policy. The Coalition of Communities of Color decided to embark on a research project in which data could be used to empower communities and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities. The Coalition of Communities of Color partnered with researchers from Portland State University, as well as local community organizations, to implement a community based participatory research project into the lived realities of communities of color in Multnomah County. This project will produce seven research reports. The first, Communities of Color in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile (released in May 2010), covered communities of color in the aggregate. This is the second report, focused on the Native American community, and the first in a series of community-specific reports. Five more reports will follow that profile the Latino, African American, African immigrant and refugee, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Slavic communities. As each report documents the range of racial disparities and inequities that face communities each, accordingly, is subtitled, “An Unsettling Profile.” This report is the result of three years of work of true partnership between the Native American community, the Coalition of Communities of Color and Portland State University. The Portland Indian Leaders’ Roundtable, an alliance of 28 local Native American organizations, tribal organizations and Native focused programs within larger institutions, took a lead role in the implementation of the Native American research. Elders of the community reviewed the work and provided invaluable knowledge and historical context. We recognize that the reader may indeed be unsettled by this work and the depth and breadth of disparities facing the Native American community in Multnomah County. However, we ask that you also see the resiliency and strengths of the community and recognize the opportunity that this report represents for creating a new policy environment that supports the Native American community. We hope that the findings arm the community with accurate data and advocacy methods needed to communicate effectively to change policies, and provide public agencies with the data necessary to reinvent systems in a fair and equitable manner. Our main priority is to advocate for policy decisions that improve outcomes for the Native American community. We hold institutional reform and the formation of a powerful racial equity advocacy coalition as central to improving outcomes. This report builds an important knowledge base from which to advocate and to educate. Educating our community and the community at large about the Native American community is crucial to achieving racial equity. We seek to unite people in collective action for the advancement of racial equity. It is time to act. Sherry Addis Rose High Bear Portland Area Office Supervisor Executive Director Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Wisdom of the Elders Terry Cross Nichole Maher Executive Director Co-Chair, Coalition of Communities of Color National Indian Child Welfare Association Executive Director Native American Youth & Family Center Se-ah-dom Edmo Lai-Lani Ovalles Diversity Outreach Coordinator Coordinator Indigenous Ways of Knowing Portland Indian Leaders’ Roundtable Lewis & Clark College Donita Sue Fry Cornel Pewewardy Organizer Associate Professor Portland Youth & Elders Council Indigenous Nations Studies Portland State University Tom Hampson Executive Director Oregon Native American Business and Entrepreneurial Network Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Introducing the Native American Community of Multnomah County ......................................................... 5 Population Counts ....................................................................................................................................... 13 Community-Verified Population Count ...................................................................................................... 17 Population Demographics ........................................................................................................................... 20 Poverty Levels ............................................................................................................................................. 23 Incomes ....................................................................................................................................................... 28 Occupations and Job Prospects .................................................................................................................. 32 Housing, Homelessness and Housing Affordability .................................................................................... 36 Food Security and Other Basic Needs ......................................................................................................... 41 Education – from Preschool through Post-Secondary ................................................................................ 42 Barriers to Physical & Behavioral Health .................................................................................................... 59 Crime & Adult Corrections .......................................................................................................................... 67 Juvenile Justice ............................................................................................................................................ 71 Child Welfare .............................................................................................................................................. 76 Civic Engagement ........................................................................................................................................ 84 Bright Spots ................................................................................................................................................. 88 Comparison with King County ..................................................................................................................... 88 Recent Changes in Disparities ..................................................................................................................... 91 Policy Recommendations ............................................................................................................................ 93 Appendix #1: Multnomah County’s Philosophy and Implementation of Culturally-Specific Services ....... 98 Appendix #2: Language Definitions .......................................................................................................... 100 References ................................................................................................................................................ 105 The Native American Community in Multnomah County Coalition of Communities of Color & Portland State University 1 | Page Executive Summary Today, the Native American community in Multnomah county1 exists as a testament to resilience and resistance. We are a community that has endured much hardship, and we are determined to build a positive future for all our members. We are the 9th largest urban Indian population in the USA. We are home to 28 Native organizations in the Portland area, run by and staffed with Native people, whose combined resources represent over 50 million dollars in revenue that go to local taxes, businesses and services.2 The legacy of pride and resilience has resulted in the development of a powerful core of advocates in the region. This grit and determination has, ultimately, led to the emergence of a robust and vital Native American presence in Multnomah county. We appeal to the broader community to recognize and commit to solutions that are built in partnership with the Native American community, and to enact commitments that recognize that prosperity and well being for all in Multnomah county depends on the prosperity and well being of the Native American community. We continue to recover from the legacy of colonization, and the practices of various governments that have alternated in approaches to public policy. A brief walk through history reveals the substance of our oppression. Genocidal policies existed in numerous ways: bounties were placed on our lives in several eastern US states (early 18th through 19th centuries), and California’s governor advocated our extermination in 1851.3 Our lands were taken through outright breaches of treaty laws, as the US has broken over 500 treaties with our peoples – a number unmatched with any other array of nations.4 Denial of our citizenship occurred until 1924, but many states, Oregon