Home | Menu | Sign Up | Donate

How we support the next generation of leaders:

Earlier this week, something truly remarkable happened in East Multnomah County - voters elected a new slate of people to help manage their local school districts and community colleges.

This is another election where we have seen a dedicated group of grassroots activists step up and say: "We need a voice and a seat at the table." The diversity that we saw in the candidates who were elected was nothing short of remarkable.

These leaders are smart, passionate, and are going to lead their districts into a bright future!

This election and the one proceeding it did not happen by chance - they were the result of strong organizing, a clear vision, and an impeccable plan to implement that vision.

Working with East County Rising has been one of the bright spots in a very challenging recent few years. Watching the leadership of (now) Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales as he put together a board and staff to make change happen has been inspiring.

I am supporting the next generation of leaders - the progressive slate of candidates - for local, state, and national offices that I believe are inspiring, have a vision, and will lead us into the future.

Winning elections is not easy. The key to success lies in people power and the ability to engage the community in a way that they have not been engaged before. But it also takes money. This is yet another election where I'm proud that we had the ability to fund some of the advertising to advocate for these candidates and to be able to assist with some of the infrastructure of the grassroots campaign.

For too long, people have only focused on the top political offices. While that's important, we know that the day-to-day decisions made on school boards, city councils, and county commissions make a huge impact on our everyday lives and our communities.

We are just getting started! And I am hoping that you will help us help others and be part of our team.

I look forward to continuing to share with you highlights of the work we are doing over the course of the next year and a half.

Onward,

Earl

P.S. Huge CONGRATULATIONS to Amanda Orozco-Beach (Gresham-Barlow), LaVerne Lewis (MHCC Board), and Ana Gonzalez-Muñoz (Reynolds) for winning their elections on Tuesday! It was such an honor to partner with East County Rising to support these progressive school board candidates who are willing to fight to make the right investments for our next generation.

Posted on May 23, 2019.