Agenda Packet 9-12-18 Work Session

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31 Housing • South Eugene seems like a safe environment in which to live. • 40 years ago, could not get a house if you were Indian, Asian American, Latino. • It is a good place to live. Jobs • I was asked at work (Lane County) if I can translate for Korean or Japanese. K-12 Education • 4J has not changed in years. The staff is not necessarily safe. It is still necessary for POC to try to educate people there that they work with. Cultural competency is lacking. • It should not be the responsibility of POC to educate whites. Higher Education • We need to find space for people in the community and at U of O to meet that is off campus; many people don’t feel comfortable coming to campus. • Will be happy to graduate and to get out of Eugene. • International students are very vulnerable to racial abuse. There have been unreported sexual assaults of Asian women. We should have a focus group to hear from international students. • Students avoid coming downtown, don’t feel safe or welcome. Social Services Hostile Political Environment • It’s not safe to be political here, as an Asian American woman. Whites see you as a threat. • There can be backlashes to speaking up—you can get fired. Micro-aggressions • There is a lack of cultural competency in Eugene. • Consistent micro-aggressions every day—without connections, could not survive. • It is necessary to behave as expected at work, to fit in and “act white.” • We have a duty not to respond to expressions of racism with anger, but instead should respond in a way that educates. • Anselmo Villanueva’s “Exit Files” show many professional POC coming to Eugene and then leaving for reasons discussed—no cultural center, too few events, food, lack of cultural competency, sense of isolation, etc. Isolation and Need for Safe Space • There are times you feel you don’t belong. • Have always felt unsafe in Eugene, felt like the “other.” Is important to find other POC. • I keep my mouth shut a lot. • If you are not black, brown, or white, you are invisible in Eugene. • It is not safe to be invisible—the majority assumes you are doing well even when you are not. • People need to network with other groups to survive here. • Don’t feel like I belong, am thinking of leaving. • Retention is a big problem. • The Asian American population is small, which contributes to its invisibility. • Many people do not interact with the community or engage in political or civic activities, but stepped up in response to the tazing of the Chinese students. • There is no place for youth to gather. September 12, 2018, Work Session - Item 1