CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. — Last week, Clackamas County decided to close its Equity and Inclusion Office, succumbing to a prevailing sentiment among county commissioners that the office was no longer needed.
County Administrator Gary Schmidt confirmed the change on Jan. 11 in an email to employees, saying that the Equity and Inclusion Office will no longer operate as a stand-alone department, effective Feb. 5.
The two full-time employees in the Equity and Inclusion Office will be transferred to two other departments, he said. Any problems relating to alleged discrimination and harassment will now be reported to county Human Resources instead.
Clackamas County's Equity and Inclusion Office was created back in July 2020. At the height of protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd, many companies and organizations began to take a look at how they were treating people of color, asking, "Was there any racism or inequities? And if so, how can they be addressed?"
Many organizations then decided to dedicate more resources towards diversity, equity and inclusion, even setting up entire departments around that effort.
But three-and-a-half years later, not all of those efforts have held up.
Pushback from county commissioners
The jettison of Clackamas County's Equity and Inclusion Office comes months after county commissioners debated getting rid of it, as well as additional diversity and inclusion programs, with Commissioner Mark Shull emerging as the main proponent for its elimination.
"When it comes to issues regarding the color of skin, race, gender, national origin and religion, we have the Civil Right Act of 1964, which people of color and white people died to bring to the Congress of the United States," Shull said.
In that May 24 meeting, Shull called the proposed $830,000 budget for diversity and inclusion programs an “unnecessary expense” that “only foments friction,” as reported by The Oregonian. Fellow commissioner Ben West agreed with Shull, saying diversity, equity and inclusion efforts create a “victim mentality.”
The board of commissioners and budget committee members then voted to table the discussion until July. Shull remained the lone "no" vote, saying, “I do not support any allocated funds to support equity, inclusion and diversity. I want everybody in this board to know that.”
A controversial figure, Shull had previously equated COVID-19 vaccination requirement and records to Jim Crow laws and the Holocaust. In 2021, he had been called to resign by some lawmakers after a series of racist Facebook posts emerged, including this Islamophobic declaration: "Islam is in total conflict with America, with the Constitution and with the Christian values upon which the USA was founded." Shull also claimed that "BLM is not about black lives mattering or any other life mattering. BLM is a pawn for the rise of neo Marxism [sic]."
Though Shull later claimed the posts were from "years ago," many were made fairly recently, including in 2020.
Former Clackamas County Commissioner Sonya Fischer told The Oregonian that the discussion to eliminate equity and inclusion services is the result of the new power balance on the board, with the commission now under 4-1 Republican control.
At the time, Commissioner Martha Schrader — the board’s only remaining Democratic member — called discontinuing the Equity and Inclusion Office a "mistake."
“An extreme agenda is taking over,” she said. “Commissioners would be wise to lean into the expertise and history of the equity office in Clackamas County to understand the important work of the equity office that addresses the unique needs of our diverse workforce and community.”
Several community groups, including the ACLU of Oregon, as well as county and business leaders, also objected to the proposed cut in an open letter to the board of commissioners.
What will happen to Clackamas County's diversity efforts?
According to Schmidt's memo to employees, a new position of county compliance coordinator will be added to the Office of County Counsel, "focusing on Federal Title II (Americans with Disabilities Act), Title VI (Civil Rights Act), the Equal Employment Opportunity Plan (EEOP), and the 12 federal and state laws related to civil rights and equal employment in the workplace," said Schmidt.
The office will oversee policy and budgetary support for the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council; Queers and Allies; and Employees of Color; and will finalize the Clackamas County Research Justice Study with the Coalition of Communities of Color.
"These changes will help ensure Clackamas County’s compliance with federal and state laws, that Clackamas County is a welcoming place for all employees, and that the public has full and equal access to County services, programs and information," he stated.
"Human Resources will continue to provide oversight of workplace alleged discrimination and harassment matters," Schmidt continued.
Clackamas County Clerk Catherine McMullen fired back. In a letter to county residents, she wrote, "The County's ability to serve all Clackamas County residents will be diminished and our overall efforts to create a better, more inclusive community will be harmed ... To ignore equity and inclusion is to ignore who we are today, and ignore the strengths and richness that makes us who we are.
"... I do not agree with this decision," she said, stressing the importance of voting in local elections.