Workshop | Washington County Reimagines - Partnership and Empowerment for Black Lives

The Washington County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted the County’s Equity Resolution on February 25, 2020. Soon thereafter, on May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered while in police custody in Minneapolis. This re-ignited public debate, protests and organizing across the country – including in Washington County – around the topic of how systemic and other forms of racism exist throughout our government systems.

Reimagine Oregon -A group of Black-led organizations, Black individual activists and protest organizers who came together and asked the question, "what demands do we want to make and of whom?" The full description on the Reimagine Oregon web page is
here: https://www.reimagineoregon.org/about

The County’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Action Plan was formally adopted through a unanimous vote of the Board on August 24, 2021. This plan includes equity-related work of the County that includes policy responses to the demands of Reimagine Oregon.

The Board reviewed Reimagine Oregon policy demands and clarified Board direction for how to respond. Ultimately, the Board affirmed the proposed staff workplan, which centers Black employees of Washington County, who will engage with community experts and provide recommendations to the Board for a Washington County response to Reimagine Oregon Project priorities.

This presentation will share Reimagine Oregon's approach along with the impact of centering Black staff voices, engaging Black community experts, and elevating the culturally specific needs of the Black, African and African American community in Washington County.

Latricia Tillman is multi-racial with African American, Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux, and Western European heritage.  She specializes in coaching, consulting, public speaking, public health and health equity policy development and implementation, program design, and equity, diversity and inclusion assessments, interventions, strategies, and implementation support.  

Ms. Tillman has promoted equity, diversity and inclusion in health and human services in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Oregon for nearly 30 years.  Since returning home to Oregon in 2000, she co-founded the African American Outdoor Association, established the Multnomah County Health Equity Initiative and the Office of Equity and Inclusion in the Oregon Health Authority, and served as the first African American Public Health Director in Oregon.  She helped launch Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission and the Equity Manager position for Oregon Housing and Community Services. She currently served since 2000 as Washington County’s inaugural Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer.

Justice Rajee is the Director of the Reimagine Oregon Project. Reimagine Oregon is a collective accountability tool led by Black leaders designed to hold multiple jurisdictions accountable to the goal of beginning the end of systemic racism in Oregon. He is a co-founder of the Beaverton Black Parent Union, secretary of the Williams Russell CDC, and a member of the Black Male Achievement Steering Committee. Justice has served youth and families here in Portland with POIC and SEI, with specific focus on youth impacted by the criminal justice system. In his free time Justice enjoys feeding family and friends, reading, art, and podcasting.

Ty Schwoeffermann is Biracial with both European and Caribbean roots. Ty’s professional and community volunteerism is defined by his deep commitment to building strength and political power for health, housing, criminal justice, and immigrant rights. Past professional experiences could be defined by his advocacy on the state and local level but ultimately he is most at home when organizing grassroots victories that create lasting changes in institutional systems.

Marcus Ford has a passion and excitement for equity work that was alive long before he joined Washington County’s Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement in March of 2020. He is thrilled to be a part of the fantastic growth in his office to prioritize the people and communities that Washington County serves. Marcus has worked to connect people from all different walks of life together in both his personal and professional life. He is a skilled trainer, facilitator, and public speaker who strives to ensure all voices are heard.