2022 EQUITY CHAMPIONS
MEET THE PEOPLE HONORED FOR CREATING CHANGE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY
These honorees were selected through a public nominations process with final selections made by: Tony DeFalco, Se-ah-dom Edmo, Paul Lumley, Juan Martinez, Sharon Gary Smith, Marsha Williams, and Winta Yohannes
JESSE BEASON
INSPIRE
Honors a person, business or organization/initiative whose steady, deliberate and expansive equity work inspires those around them.
“Jesse Beason is a brilliant visionary ahead of his time, working for decades not just to address real-time equity issues, but root causes and systemic equity barriers as well. He is an inspiration to all who know him,” said TASTE Co-founder Kali Thorne Ladd.
As President of the Northwest Health Foundation, Jesse leads its pursuit of health for everyone in Oregon and Southwest Washington. He is the Co-founder and Board Chair of Oregon Futures Lab, an organization that uplifts leaders of color to enter public office and govern effectively. Jesse also serves on the board of directors for Proteus Action League and Oregon Public Broadcasting; and the advisory board of Funders' Committee for Civic Participation. He’s a member emeritus of Imagine Black, Portland Housing Advisory Commission, Regional Arts & Culture Council and Grounded Solutions.
Candace avalos
innovate
A person or business/organization whose equity work is newly at the forefront and driving new changes.
Candace Avalos (she/her) is a first generation American “Blacktina”, daughter of Black Americans from the south and Guatemalan immigrants. Prior to her venture into the nonprofit world as the Executive Director of Verde, an environmental justice non-profit, she worked at Portland State University for 8 years providing civic engagement education and advising support for student leaders.
Tony DeFalco, Executive Director of Latino Network, said, “Candace stepped up in a huge way to take a leadership role in building a big table of diverse stakeholders to tackle one of the thorniest problems we face: Portland governance reform. She did it with grace and poise but also with an eye toward leading Portland where it has yet to go, led by the emerging people of color majority. We can rest easy knowing that Candace is only getting started in driving innovation in equitable governance in Portland.”
coalition for communities of color
INnovation
Honors a person, business or organization/initiative whose equity work has significant impact across sectors and communities while their commitment has long been embedded in their core purpose.
Formed in 2001, the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) is an alliance of culturally-specific community based organizations with representation from multiple communities of color. The CCC supports a collective racial justice effort to improve outcomes for communities of color through policy analysis and advocacy, environmental justice, culturally-appropriate data and research, and leadership development in communities of color.
“The Coalition has become a constant voice for justice and equity,” said NAYA Executive Director, Paul Lumley. “They amplify the voices of the people who have historically not been heard. Their advocacy results in tangible benefits for the communities we serve.”
In its 20 year history, the CCC has produced research justice for mental health for communities of color, advocacy to prevent gun violence, and helped pass and protect the Portland Clean Energy Fund. It recently introduced a groundbreaking report, “Addressing the Racial Wealth Gap,” that documents the persistent racial disparities in economic stability and wealth in our community.