From the Field: Ontario Diversity Advisory Committee

By Eddie Melendrez, Oregon Food Bank Community Organizer, Ontario

Across the nation, we are seeing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts attacked and dismantled by our federal administration. Despite this, Oregon Food Bank remains steadfast in our commitment to equity. The barriers to food security the result of inequities and are not coincidental — they are because of policies, systems and histories that have long excluded specific communities from opportunity. These attacks will not deter us — rather, they highlight that DEI threatens the status quo. And if the status quo is 1 in 8 Oregonians going hungry, this moment only underscores the need for DEI in the work to end hunger.

I live in Ontario, where the city council threatened to disband the Diversity Advisory Committee in response to the federal administration’s executive order.

There is a lot of misinformation out there about what DEI really means and why it matters. But I’ve seen firsthand how systems of oppression work against marginalized community members. I’ve seen my neighbors, family, and friends suffer because of unfair policies. The Diversity Advisory Committee is important to Ontario because we work to build trust with community members and with elected leaders in healthcare, housing, and law enforcement.

Worried about the loss of this vital resource for our community, I attended the city council meeting as a concerned citizen. One committee member told a story from the bible. In the story, a farmer receives everything he wants. But on the condition that his neighbor will receive twice as much. The farmer pauses. He asks to be blind in one eye so his neighbor would go completely blind. This story illustrates how disbanding this committee will hurt everyone. When one of our community members suffers, we all do.

I shared a quote from Cesar Chavez: “History will judge societies and governments and the institutions not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless.” More than just offering my concerns, I want to be part of the solution. So I left my application to join the Diversity Advisory Committee.

The city council tabled the decision to look into the possibility of losing funding or being sued by the federal administration. With advice from their legal team, another council meeting was scheduled.

The day of the meeting, I was nervous. I’m a boxing trainer and one of my fighters had his first boxing match this Saturday. I kept missing the rhythm I was instructing him to throw. I apologized and told him, “I’m not focused because I’m nervous to attend the council meeting. But it’s like your fight this weekend. We gotta show up and perform!”

Right before the meeting, another fighter, Lindsay, messaged me with some language that could support my public comment. I rushed to the meeting knowing they had my back.

I spoke about why we need the committee, and the importance of DEI. I closed my public comment with this: “The current resistance to equity is data-less. It is fueled by a refusal to engage with the realities of systemic oppression because doing so feels uncomfortable."

The pressure on the city council worked — the Diversity Advisory Committee is still here. But the fight continues. I have high hopes this is the catalyst for positive change and inclusion in Ontario.

Learn more: Merkley urges civic involvement at Ontario town hall.

Sign up for an Oregon Food Bank equity training here.