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

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Another said that if people can’t do the job, it needs to be addressed. Don’t keep an incompetent person in a job in the name of diversity. Another said this is a fight for power, success, jobs. When you have a group of people and one job opportunity, they invite friends and tell them about it. The job is identified for a man, for example. Other people never hear about the job – only a little group. We need to do more to show people the ways to a job. They can contribute. It’s important to give opportunities to all people. We need to break stereotypes. Another said we need to publicize information. Eugene needs new companies with clean technologies and to put energy into these jobs, like recycling paper. What can Eugene do that’s good for job opportunities? Eugene is not an industrial city. Another said we need to connect children in a broad sense with opportunities as they emerge in the community. The poor in the community are disengaged, but they are the ones who have to deal with the impact of unclean technologies. We need to collaborate with them around these jobs and clean technology; jobs in bamboo floors, for example. Young people should become conversant in new technologies. These are opportunities in the communities of color. I’m tired of talking about race; it’s not useful for me. I live in a serious working class community to become aware of other people. I speak to young people – teenagers even if it’s saying hi to them. Another said that school districts need to implement training on diversity at a younger level. There’s a need for classes about diversity. When she moved here, she had to do research to find schools with people of color. Children can be cruel. She found Edison School. A white person doesn’t think about that – minorities do. Every school should have the same diversity curriculum that starts at an early age. Why is it only the school with money – Edison, Roosevelt, South Eugene? What not all of them? The Latino community is also racist. They too need education. Another said that in Brazil, education books are written for white people. The pictures are of white people. Now, Brazil has new laws. Teachers have to teach about African history. Half the population is of African ancestry, from Angola. These are new opportunities to teach about the black perspective, legends, history and heroes. It’s very important for change. It’s the same for women. All the streets and buildings were named for men. It makes her feel like her mother did nothing. The City Manager said our (city) recreation program is more diverse, but we haven’t taken steps overtly. We have tried to model the values of inclusion and diversity; but feels we haven’t taken the same steps for recreation that we’ve done for employees. He’d like to improve recreation opportunities by partnering with schools. Another said we need to start the conversation early with kids. The City Manager said people do find ways to apply for jobs at the City of Eugene, but we rarely go back and ask unsuccessful candidates for information. What parts of the process didn’t work for them? Recruitment? Selection? Oral interview? It’s one thing to provide an opportunity; it’s another thing to change – to ask and find out where the cultural bias is. Communities of Color 47 July 12, 2006