ORA Newsletter: The Power of Community Organizing
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What an election week. What a year. The challenges have been many. And in the midst of these challenges or perhaps because of them - I have become even more convinced in the power of community organizing, the important role ORA offers in rural eastern Oregon and our mission - to promote social justice, agricultural and economic sustainability, and stewardship of the region’s land, air, and water.
In Rural Oregon Rising, ORA’s 5-Year Plan (2018 - 2022), we committed to “focus on building a permanent, multi-issue, diverse and inclusive membership-based organization.” We affirmed our history and accomplishments, ORA’s unique role, and the importance of rural community organizing.
Community Organizing “enables people to turn the resources they have into the power they need to make the change they want” (Marshall Ganz)
There is power and leadership in community organizing. I don’t fully understand this power - but we’ve seen it in action this year. Even with the additional challenge of working virtually - we had one-on-one conversations, engaged new networks and built new relationships and resources, and elected 5 new Board members from Union, Umatilla and Morrow. We’ve made progress toward our goal - strengthening our organizational capacity to support and sustain people organizing locally.
In the midst of a pandemic that’s exacerbating long-term inequities we’re seeing new organizing opportunities. To engage in addressing racial and public health inequities as well as food security, and energy and jobs, stay updated, and join us in advancing our mission in 2021.
In partnership,
Kristin Ostrom, Executive Director
Qué semana de elecciones. Qué año. Los desafíos han sido muchos. Y en medio de estos desafíos o quizás debido a ellos, me he convencido aún más del poder de la organización comunitaria, el importante papel que ofrece ORA en las zonas rurales del este de Oregon y nuestra misión: promover la justicia social, la agricultura y la sostenibilidad económica administración de la tierra, el aire y el agua de la región.
En Rural Oregon Rising, el plan quinquenal de ORA (2018 - 2022), nos comprometimos a "centrarnos en la construcción de una organización basada en membresía permanente, de múltiples temas, diversa e inclusiva". Afirmamos nuestra historia y logros, el papel único de ORA y la importancia de la organización de la comunidad rural.
La organización comunitaria “permite a las personas convertir los recursos que tienen en poder necesitan hacer el cambio que quieren ”(Marshall Ganz)
Hay poder y liderazgo en la organización comunitaria. No entiendo completamente este poder, pero lo hemos visto en acción este año. Incluso con el desafío adicional de trabajar virtualmente, tuvimos conversaciones personales, entablamos nuevas redes y construimos nuevas relaciones y recursos, y elegimos a 5 nuevos miembros de la Junta de Unión, Umatilla y Morrow. Hemos avanzado hacia nuestro objetivo: fortalecer nuestra capacidad organizativa para apoyar y sostener a las personas que se organizan a nivel local.
En medio de una pandemia que está agravando las desigualdades a largo plazo, estamos viendo nuevas oportunidades de organización. Para participar en abordar las desigualdades raciales y de salud pública, así como la seguridad alimentaria, la energía y el empleo, manténgase actualizado y únase a nosotros para avanzar en nuestra misión en 2021.
En asociación,
Kristin Ostrom, directora ejecutiva
Obdulia “Abby” Muñoz joined the ORA Board of Directors in April 2019. She is currently the Migrant Education/Parent Involvement Specialist for the InterMountain Education Service District in Umatilla. Abby’s direct service experience and work with over 500 families have been invaluable to ORA’s campaign to amplify crucial COVID-19 related information to Spanish and indigenous language speaking families in Umatilla and Morrow counties.
Read Abby’s full interview here.
Obdulia “Abby” Muñoz se unió a la Junta Directiva de ORA en abril del 2019. Actualmente , ella es Especialista en la Educación Migrante / Participación de Padres para el Distrito de Servicios Educativos InterMountain en Umatilla. La experiencia del servicio directo de Abby y el trabajo con más de 500 familias han sido invaluables para la campaña de ORA y para ampliar la información crucial relacionada con el COVID-19 para las familias de habla hispana y de lenguas indígenas en los condados de Umatilla y Morrow.
Lea la entrevista completa de Abby aquí.
Upcoming Events
HOPE, HEALTH and OUR PLANET
Stream On Your Time (Nov 27th - 29th); Join the Conversation (Nov 30th)
Watch it and discover a movement to build healthy soils and practice regenerative agriculture (a climate change solution right under our feet). Stream an inspiring new film Kiss the Ground and then Join ORA’s national network of affiliates - the Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) - for a hopeful conversation about organizing for healthy food and our planet.
The full-length film is now streaming on Netflix, also available for free November 27, 28, 29 for those without a Netflix subscription. For more information and to register follow this link: "KISS THE GROUND” VIRTUAL SCREENING AND SOIL HEALTH PANEL DISCUSSION
Life Story Legacy Retreat
November 14th, 10 am- 3 pm / Online
Stories are powerful organizing tools. Story of self, story of now, and the story of us. Local pastor and storyteller Laura Elly Hudson is holding a retreat to learn about telling your story of self, in order to forge deeper connections with yourself and others. Marshall Ganz, teaches that, “Stories are how we learn to make choices. Stories are how we learn to access the moral and emotional resources we need to face the uncertain, the unknown, and the unexpected mindfully. Because stories speak the language of emotion, the language of the heart, they teach us not only how we “ought to” act, but can inspire us with the “courage to” act.”
Register here: https://form.jotform.com/202668509047157
Oregon Community Food Systems Network Annual Convening
Tuesday, November 17th, 1-5pm (optional welcome and intro session from 12 -1pm) Wednesday, November 18th, 9am-1pm
A Food System includes all of the steps, inputs and relationships that take place between food production and consumption. It is how people, policies, culture, and natural resources come together for human nourishment. OCFSN will be hosting Oregon Food Charter Presentations that center Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Immigrant and Refugee communities. They will share their vision and priorities for a more just and resilient food system. Please join OCFSN in re-shaping the narrative of a monolithic white rural agricultural landscape.
You can find the agenda here. Tuesday: Register Here Wednesday:Register Here