Oregon’s “neutral” playing field was never neutral

• Black exclusion written into law: Voters approved an 1857 constitutional clause banning Black people from living, owning property, or making contracts in Oregon; earlier 1844 law threatened whipping if Black residents didn’t leave. Oregon EncyclopediaWikipedia

• Asian land ownership blocked: Oregon passed Alien Land Laws in 1923 and 1945 aimed at Japanese immigrants, curtailing their ability to own farms or long‑term leases. PDXScholarencyclopedia.densho.org

• Mexican labor welcomed only as cheap, rightless labor: During WWII and after, Oregon farms relied on the Bracero Program—Mexican workers contracted under substandard conditions—then struggled when that labor was cut off. Oregon EncyclopediaThe Washington PostResearch Guides

• Black Oregonians ghettoized, then displaced: Vanport (once Oregon’s most racially diverse city) unofficially segregated Black residents; after the 1948 flood, Portland’s color lines re‑hardened. oregonhistoryproject.orgSmithsonian Magazine

Point: When the law bars you from land, contracts, juries, or stable housing, later “merit” filters (education, wealth, references) will skew white unless intentionally corrected.

2. Sector Snapshots: I/DD, Healthcare, and Education in Oregon

A. Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (I/DD)

• Institutional abuse legacy: Fairview Training Center—once the nation’s largest of its kind—documented “high levels of abuse and neglect” before finally closing in 2000. DROopbGlobal Disability Rights Now

• State now tracking racial disproportionality: ODHS proposed a new Key Performance Measure: “Intellectual/Developmental Disability Disproportionality—percentage of IDD service recipients by race/ethnicity vs. state population,” acknowledging inequity in access. Oyez

• Restraint & seclusion harms children with disabilities: Disability Rights Oregon recently issued policy recommendations to curb restraint/seclusion of disabled students. DRO

DEI application: Equity audits in service eligibility, culturally/linguistically competent case management, and trauma-responsive training for DSPs prevent repeating Fairview’s harms in community settings.

B. Healthcare (OHA / CCO system)

• REALD & SOGI data mandate (ORS 413.161): Oregon requires collection of Race/Ethnicity/Language & Disability data to expose hidden disparities. The state’s goal: eliminate health inequities by 2030. OregonOregon

• Equity baked into metrics: CCO dashboards now let you filter quality outcomes by REALD categories; 2023’s SB 966 restructures incentive metrics to focus upstream on equity. OregonGovDeliveryOregon

• Latino/Indigenous farmworker risk: Studies estimate up to 40% of Oregon’s 174,000 ag workers are Indigenous; pesticide exposure and language barriers create disproportionate health risks for Mexican/Latino families. PubMedfses.oregonstate.eduPDXScholar

DEI application: Collecting granular data, funding interpreters, and redesigning care pathways by community input are not “preferences”—they are how you deliver safe, effective care.

C. Education

• Who Oregon serves: In 2023–24, 41.6% of Oregon’s 547,424 students were students of color; Hispanic/Latino enrollment continues to rise while Black and AI/AN numbers decline—signs of demographic shift and continued attrition. Oregon

• Targeted success plans exist because gaps persist: ODE’s African American/Black Student Success Plan funded 14 grantees serving 10,122 students (2021–2023) to close documented opportunity gaps. Oregon

• Restraint/seclusion & discipline remain issues: State guidance and district reports track these practices because disabled and BIPOC students are disproportionately affected. Oregonnclack.k12.or.usDRO

DEI application: Inclusive curriculum, culturally responsive literacy interventions, and bias‑interruption in discipline are how you let talent actually surface.

3. Rebutting “DEI is anti-white” with Oregon’s evidence

1. DEI fixes processes, not outcomes for one group. Oregon’s REALD law, CCO metrics, and ODDS disproportionality measure are race‑neutral tools to see and fix inequity. Everyone benefits from better data and safer systems. OregonOregonOyez

2. Historic exclusion created today’s “pipeline” gaps. From land bans to internment to forced deportations, communities of color started with fewer assets and access points. “Merit-only” ignores those headwinds. Oregon EncyclopediaPDXScholarOregon EncyclopediaDRO

3. Risk management, compliance, outcomes. Oregon agencies themselves embed equity to prevent harm, meet legal duties, and improve metrics—not to “punish” white people. OregonDRO