Background on Latinos in Oregon

With original settlers arriving in Oregon in the mid 1800's, Latinos are now the largest, fastest growing, and most ethnically and racially diverse community in Oregon. While we reside in all parts of the state including the Portland Metropolitan area, Eastern, Central, Southern and Coastal Oregon, comprehensive information about the critical social, political, cultural, and economic issues faced by Latinos in Oregon has yet to be collated. There is no one ongoing research source where policymakers, educators, human service agencies, and businesses can go to access information for crafting public policy, proposing new legislation, or identifying needs, contributions, and resources. As the population has increased, especially in the last 25 years, Latino Oregonians from various government and civil sectors have frequently discussed but never succeeded in coming together with a single, unified voice to articulate their perspectives, concerns, challenges, and solutions - until now.

OLAA's formation

The impetus for OLAA came from the echoes of those discussions and three gatherings (Salons) convened by Oregon Consensus of Portland State University with key Latino leadership in 2009 and 2010. From these gatherings and a series of committee meetings emerged the Oregon Latino Agenda for Action (OLAA). OLAA is governed by an executive committee and is staffed in large part by volunteers and a facilitation team. Initial funding for the effort was provided by the Oregon Consensus Program and Northwest Health Foundation. The Latino Network is currently serving as the fiscal agent for OLAA.