Item C: City Council Priority Issue - Communities of Color Meeting Debrief

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itself. Immigration issues have brought it to the forefront. Help each other to truly live together at ease. Third generation settler in Hawaii. Japanese. Thought of being ashamed of being Japanese and hearing the bombs fall in Pearl Harbor even at 2 years old. Bombs fell st close to his house. 1 grade - remembers his mother being accosted. Eugene used to be KKK stronghold. Confided to him recently that still today that he has others “fix” it so he wouldn’t get work. Still exists today in Eugene. Was confused on how he loses contracts - disappointment, immigration issues, everyone was an immigrant. It is a shared issue. We should stay open to opportunities for all. He likes Eugene better than Hawaii. (Weather, activities, etc.) Motto - You have to budget time to work hard and budget time for play. Part of fun is the cultural thing. Likes to do cultural play and activities for relaxation. Part of personal philosophy. Organization was created for cultural learnings - anyone can attend. Over 30 years ago - wanted to expose the kids to the Asian potlucks to start. Did any stories bring up thoughts? Hoping to create a (multi-cultural center) in the Eugene area. Help by community, friends for care, housing, etc. Invites other ethnic cultures to partner. We don’t do a good job to tell the story of our community. The story that represents all the cultures. We can tell many stories (60’s, Nike, etc.). We don’t do a good job of the cultures. We need a better picture of who we are. People come of a limited picture. The multi-cultural center would be wonderful. Nice to have it located in Eugene. Benefits of learning the history of each culture - learn of the differences. Sympathetic group at table. Sherry Fleming has African American display that is in storage. Wants to get it displayed in a secure space. Bit of history. Other thought - Profoundly amazed at how differently we can view the world from his neighbors. African American 10%. 90% of people in the community have my theology. Fact is macro economics were based on slave immigrant labor. Yet the stories are about the minority white folks. Whites don’t hear those truths in school. We need to get fundamentalist whites, capitalists in this discussion. They are not inclusive in the conversation and mythology of the whites. They work from an illusion. It’s a lot about community perception and ignorance. How do we develop sure things like the multi-cultural center? If celebrations are just viewed as parties, they miss the true people. Break down stereotypes. Latino community is diverse, same as others. Be careful to stop perpetuating stereotypes. Find more opportunities to talk like this. Meeting like today. Relationships and conversation are to fix something. Expand into the community. Include Norwegian/Danish. Redefine. Look at all groups to look at their roots. Communities of Color 41 July 12, 2006