Workforce Reduction Announcement
We are writing to share an important update about how we are navigating an increasingly hostile political and funding environment to protect our long-term work.
Across the country and here in Oregon, movement organizations rooted in racial and immigrant justice are facing escalating threats. An emboldened fascist government and intensifying political climate has led to attacks on civil rights, the criminalization of our communities, and growing efforts to defund, silence, or destabilize organizations that challenge state violence and white supremacy. These conditions have had real and material impacts on philanthropic giving and public funding streams that many organizations rely on, including Unite Oregon.
In response to these realities, Unite Oregon is implementing a planned workforce reduction as part of a broader strategy to stabilize our organization and ensure we can continue building power for our communities in the long term. These decisions were not made lightly. They are a direct response to political and economic conditions that require us to adapt without compromising our values or our mission.
While our internal structure is changing, our operations and programming will continue. Unite Oregon remains active across the state, organizing communities, advancing policy, and building an intercultural movement for justice.
This restructuring allows us to:
Protect core organizing and base-building work amid political uncertainty
Concentrate limited resources where they are most impactful
Strengthen our ability to withstand ongoing and future attacks on movement infrastructure
In moments like this, sustainability is a political strategy.
Our mission and vision remain steadfast: to build an intercultural movement for justice in Oregon that is led by immigrant, refugee, Black, Indigenous, and communities of color, who are committed to confronting authoritarianism with collective power.
The tactics may shift. The structure may change. But our purpose, our values, and our accountability to our communities remain the same.
Let us be clear: Unite Oregon isn’t going anywhere.
Many of you have asked how to best support our work during times like these. One of the most meaningful ways is by becoming a member.
Unite Oregon has always been strongest when it is powered by its members – people who believe that building an intercultural movement for justice in Oregon requires collective investment and shared responsibility. When political forces attempt to weaken justice organizations, it is our members who anchor our independence and resilience.
Membership at Unite Oregon does not require dues or a financial contribution. Joining means aligning yourself with this movement and stepping into community with others committed to justice across our state. Members can engage at many levels: staying informed through our newsletters and updates; participating in listening sessions or leadership development programs; volunteering, giving testimony, or taking part in direct actions; helping shape our Action Agenda; recruiting others into the movement; or serving in leadership spaces and coalitions.
If you are able and feel moved to do so, you may also choose to contribute financially in any amount. Grassroots contributions help sustain our organizing, advocacy, and leadership development efforts. Being a member at Unite Oregon is a commitment to shared power, shared responsibility, and a shared future.
Whether you are just beginning to plug in or are deeply organizing alongside us, membership means being part of a collective effort to build power and advance justice across Oregon.
We hold deep gratitude for the staff whose labor and leadership have sustained this organization, including those impacted by this transition. Their contributions are part of our legacy and future.
We are grateful for you, our members and supporters, whose continued solidarity makes it possible for us to adapt, resist, and endure in a time when justice work is under direct threat.
This moment calls for clarity, courage, and collective care. Thank you for standing with us as we continue this work together.
In gratitude and solidarity,
Unite Oregon Board of Directors:
Dara Snyder and Melissa Ballard-Batiste - Co-Chairs
Reagan Lê - Secretary
Dave Cutler - Treasurer
Colleen Carroll - Member
Dianne Riley - Member
Manijeh Mehrnoosh - Member
