KINSHIP, ADVOCACY & RECIPROCAL ENGAGEMENT
Photo by Kendra Becenti, Diné
A key aspect of this work requires a dynamic platform where public health professionals, community leaders, scholars, and students converge to forge and strengthen reciprocal partnerships.
This collaborative space is dedicated to the exploration and implementation of innovative, direct action strategies for decolonizing public health and advocating for systemic changes that are inclusive, just, and reflective of Indigenous values and principles.
Kinship-building aligned with self-determination and sovereignty are required to achieve Health Justice.
Through this framework, we hope to bring community and institutions together to achieve reciprocity-driven solutions, such as:
Policies and frameworks that name and address settler colonialism a determinant of health inequity.
Mandatory workforce development training to unlearn and combat anti-Indigenous/anti-Black racism to activate decolonial allyship.
Create, evaluate, and integrate best practices for decolonial equity and data handling.
Integrate decolonizing into ongoing state-level equity and anti-racism work and declarations.
Oregon State Legislature House Bill 4052: Racism a Public Health Crisis
In 2020, IHEI’s Executive Director and Founder, Dr. Kelly Gonzales, advocated in collaboration with the Future Generations Collaborative, the Health Equity Task Force and other community organizations to declare racism a public health crisis in the state of Oregon. This work resulted in House Bill 4052 (HB4052) and a set of recommendations that was reported to the Oregon State legislature.
“To be effective in this work, Multnomah County believes it is critical to acknowledge that, similar to the U.S. nation state, the state of Oregon was founded by colonial white settlers on occupied Indigenous lands through many tools of colonial violence, including racism, that have become institutionalized and thus legitimized in an ongoing cycle that results in historical, intergenerational and contemporary damage to the health, wellness, and futures of Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color (“BIPOC”), including Latinx, Pacific Islanders, and Asians, as well as immigrants and refugees of color.”
IHEI created the Indigenous Health Equity Action Council.
In response to HB4052, IHEI gathered a statewide collaborative of Indigenous peoples representing Indigenous communities across Oregon and beyond. The Action Council convened to develop a set of policy recommendations to uplift HB 4052 that advocated for decolonization and building stronger self determination.
In collaboration with the Health Equity Advisory Leaders and the Oregon Advocacy Commissions Office, the Indigenous Health Equity Action Council presented to the Oregon Legislative Assembly highlighted limitations of HB4052 in supporting Native Nations.
Click the image to view this report.
Statewide Implementation of a Decolonized Health Justice Framework
IHEI envisions implementing a framework to infuse decolonizing practices into state public health institutions. In collaboration with community partners, we aim to integrate these practices into state-level equity and anti-racism efforts, creating a comprehensive approach to health justice across Oregon and beyond.
Photo by Kendra Becenti, Diné