Equity Action TeamThe Equity Action Team formed in the fall of 2017 due to concerns about the increasing number of hate crimes and graffiti incidents in our community.
VisionThe Friendly Area Neighborhood Equity Action Team is committed to the human right of all to be free from discrimination. Discrimination against people on the basis of their national origin, race or ethnicity, religion, immigration status, language of origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or identity, socioeconomic status, housing status, or disability, should simply not be tolerated. The number of hate crimes and bias incidents reported in Eugene has been increasing and no doubt many go unreported.
MissionFAN's Equity Action Team will work with residents and local institutions (schools, churches, businesses) to foster and sustain a neighborhood environment that is diverse, inclusive, safe, and welcoming; encourage the implementation of practices, projects, and events that help prevent such harmful incidents; and, effectively respond to hate crimes and bias incidents when they occur. Get involved in equity action Earthly Reverence Mural Celebration a huge success
It was great to see over 200 people at our Mural Celebration & FAN Summer Social on Aug. 18 to celebrate our new mural, “Earthly Reverence: Every living thing is our relation.” FAN Equity Action Team and FAN Board would like to thank Becky White for guiding us in honoring this space and giving voice to words for respect for the land we live on; Shannin Stutzman and Noly Chounard for uniting us in the Round Dance; Marta Lu Clifford for creating a wonderful story about our mural; Mayor Lucy Vinis for giving the warm Welcome from the City; and Ballet Folklórico Colibrí for providing spectacular entertainment! The mural was created by Mural Mice Universal artists Margaret Dewar and R. E. Wall based on drawings made by 200 children from Adams Elementary and César E. Chávez Elementary Schools., 4J NATIVES Program, Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley and Eugene Arte Latino. We are grateful for support from a City of Eugene Office of Equity & Engagement Neighborhood Matching Grant, Lane County Cultural Coalition/Oregon Cultural Trust grant, and donations from FAN neighbors including Friendly Street Market. The City of Eugene Public Art Program designed and installed the plaque that is below the mural—thank you! A special thank you goes to the organizations that connected with neighbors at outreach tables in our community walkway, and to Friendly Street Church of God for once again providing free root beer floats! It was truly a wonderful celebration of our new mural. Kalapuya Cultural Project and Wetlands Preservation
One area of focus in 2021-2022 was a collaborative project with Beyond Toxics to enhance the wetlands to the east and west of the Dr. Edwin Coleman Jr. Center. These wetlands have significant native plants and are remnants of the large wet prairies that once covered our neighborhood. Learn more about this multi-faceted project here.
Dr. Edwin Coleman Jr. Center Mural Project
One area of focus in 2019-2020 was the creation of a series of murals and an informational signboard at the Dr. Edwin Coleman Jr. Center in Westmoreland Park to honor his life and legacy. Learn more about this exciting project and Dr. Coleman here.
Black Lives MatterAs an institution created to represent our local community and neighborhood, the Friendly Area Neighborhood Association (FAN) stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.
The killing of George Floyd is an affront to the safety of all people in our country. It is an unconscionable act of racism and lack of respect for human life. The unrest in the ensuing weeks in response to the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many other tragic murders of black lives has been a wake up call to the differing levels of safety, decency, and humanity that are given to citizens in our country based on the color of their skin. In 2017, when our community saw a spike in hate speech, we created the FAN Equity Action Team to fight back against racist graffiti being scrawled across our neighborhood. The Equity Action Team charter states that we are: "Committed to the human right of all to be free from discrimination” and that “Discrimination against people on the basis of their national origin, race or ethnicity, religion, immigration status, language of origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or identity, socioeconomic status, housing status, or disability, should simply not be tolerated.” FAN recognizes the need to center the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and of the young black people in our community, across the nation and the world, who have stood up and shared their stories, their pain, and the inequalities that their daily realities entail. We stand in solidarity with their struggle and their wish to create justice, peace, and equity. Neighborhood associations are a first level of government. They are laboratories of democracy, places where residents can have their voices heard and help to put into place the structural changes needed to create better neighborhoods and better cities. The Friendly Area Neighborhood Association will firmly stand in support of the dignity of each human life and commits to taking action. We have come together to state proudly that racism has no place in our community. We as FAN commit to keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open. We commit to keep learning, listening, and fighting for the rights of our black neighbors, our brown neighbors, and in this particular time in history to put the voices of BIPOC central to the struggle to make systematic change. With this in mind we encourage you to take some of the following actions that the local black community has identified: 1) Support Lane County Black Owned Businesses: https://lanecounty.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=16781820.) 2) Contact and contribute to these organizations doing significant work locally and nationally: Eugene Springfield NAACP: https://naacplanecounty.org/ Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/#vision Equal Justice Initiative: https://eji.org/ Legal Defense Fund: https://www.naacpldf.org/about-us/ 3) Sign in support of the Oregon Cares Fund for Black Relief and Resiliency: https://www.theoregoncaresfund.org/ You can help stop hateThere are things we all can do to help stop hate from spreading in our neighborhood.
For more information about the City’s graffiti removal program, please see: eugene-or.gov/320/Graffiti-Removal Yard Sign
Contact usContact the Equity Action Team at [email protected].
FAN EQUITY RESOLUTION The following resolution was approved unanimously by the FAN Board on July 3, 2018, in conjunction with the City of Eugene's mission to support neighborhood associations to create inclusive and safe neighborhoods, and in response to local hate crimes in the vicinity of the Friendly Area Neighborhood. “The Friendly Area Neighborhood Association is committed to the human right of all to be free from discrimination. Discrimination against people on the basis of their national origin, race or ethnicity, religion, immigration status, language of origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or identity, socioeconomic status, housing status, or disability, should simply not be tolerated. The number of hate crimes and bias incidents reported in Eugene has been increasing and no doubt many go unreported. FAN's Equity Action Team will work with residents and local institutions (schools, churches, businesses) to foster and sustain a neighborhood environment that is diverse, inclusive, safe, and welcoming; encourage the implementation of practices, projects, and events that help prevent such harmful incidents; and, effectively respond to hate crimes and bias incidents when they occur.” |
