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About OCBA

Upcoming Commission Meeting April1, 2023 at 9:30 AM via Zoom

The public is invited to attend. To register, follow this link:  CLICK HERE


Please view our OCBA Annual Report


Our Vision:

We serve the people of Oregon to empower and support the African American and Black community through our special roles as policy advisors to Oregon state policy makers and leaders.   The OCBA is a catalyst that empowers partnerships between state government and our community in rural and urban areas to ensure success for all African American and Black Oregonians by addressing longstanding and emerging issues at the policy level.   

Our Mission: 

The mission of the OCBA is to work for the implementation and establishment of economic, social, legal and political equality for Oregon's African American and Black communities.

Our Principles and Values:
  • Equity for Oregon's African American and Black communities in jobs and the economy, education, health, safety, family stability, environment, and civic engagement.
  • Equal treatment and protection against discrimination.
  • Access to helpful information on services and available resources.
  • Working in partnership on research and policy analysis of longstanding issues and barriers to success within the African American and Black communities statewide.
  • Inclusion of viewpoints of the African American and Black communities in policy making at the state level.
  • Celebration of and education about the contributions and achievements of Oregon's African American and Black communities.
Our Statutory Goals and Strategic Priorities
  • Advocate for equitable policies assuring the success of Oregon's African American and Black communities at the state level.
  • Engage community and state partners to promote equity for African American and Black communities statewide.
  • Study and analyze issues affecting the African American and Black communities statewide and recommend policy remedies to state policy makers.
  • Grow and develop leaders in the African American and Black communities at the state level in all branches.
  • Increase the viability and visibility of the contributions and achievements of Oregon's African American and Black communities statewide.

OCBA is actively engaged in its statutory work focused on 7 Strategic Priorities each biennium:

  1. Education
  2. Jobs & the economy
  3. Healthcare
  4. Justice, safety & policing
  5. Stable families and housing
  6. Environmental Justice
  7. Civic engagement

Meet the Commissioners

Eugene

Jessica Price is Associate General Counsel for the University of Oregon. In that capacity her focus areas include research and innovation, research grant review, free speech, diversity, ethics, and supporting international employees. Jessica has been the recipient of the UO Senate’s Shared Governance, Transparency, and Trust Award. Jessica also teaches a class on criminal investigations to undergraduate students. She has delivered local and national presentations on disability rights, free speech, and university governance.

Jessica Price has previously served as interim Title IX Coordinator at UCLA, as the Special Assistant to UCLA’s Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and as the Chair of Student Sexual Misconduct Appeals. Before that, she served as a Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Southern California, and litigated the rights of English learner students, accommodations for inmates with disabilities, religious rights for inmates, unlawful stops by police departments, and the right to privacy. During her time at the ACLU she was recognized as the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year and with the California Legislature N Action Award for her work on behalf of women and children.

Jessica graduated from Yale College with Honors and from Harvard Law School. Upon graduating, she served in two federal clerkships, one with the Eastern District of Louisiana, and the other with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has been a Violence Prevention Specialist with Peace Over Violence. She is the president of her local Rotary club, and is a board member on the Oregon Women Lawyers.​


Eugene

Dr. Silky J. Booker, (H.C.) honorably served fifteen years of meritorious military service, in the United States Air Force. He achieved his Associate of Arts in Business Management and his Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. The United Graduate College and Seminary International (UGCSI) bestowed upon and accredited Dr. Silky J. Booker his Honorary Doctorate of Arts and Worship while teaching his philosophy of 400 years of existence, resistance, persistence, and coexistence; at the same time working to mentor, empower, and educate the community. This career achievement has enabled him to be a powerful, dynamic, and influential voice for People of Color worldwide and create opportunities for those in need. After relocating to Eugene, by way of England in 2017, Dr. Silky J. Booker began broadcasting as King Silky for Kool 99.1. As an On-air Host and Board Operator, he became a voice of inspiration and empowerment within the community; whilst working with multiple non-profit organizations and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid. In May 2020, Dr. Booker established a non-profit organization in the State of Oregon, known as “King Silky’s Blessing Boxes” during the Covid-19 Global Pandemic. The organization provides non-perishable food items and supplies to families in need. The organization’s vision is to continue involving the community by collecting donated food and toiletry items and delivering them to families in need all around Lane County for years to come. From 2014 to present, Dr. Booker partnered with and sits on the Board of Directors alongside Dr. Melida A. Harris-Barrow, Peace Ambassador for Panama, and Founder of the 6th Region Global Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s mission is to support the growth of economic development and trade throughout the Caribbean, the Americas, and Africa with the African Diaspora and the indigenous people worldwide. In May 2021, Dr. Booker founded and was elected Chairman for the Oregon Black Chamber of Commerce (OBCC), which was established to develop financial education programs, economic resources, and an accessible base of information to assist black and minority owned businesses throughout the State of Oregon. November 19, 2021, Dr. Booker was Senate confirmed and Governor appointed as State Commissioner to serve the people of Oregon and the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs​​

Portland

​Djimet Dogo is the Associate Director of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) and Director IRCO/Africa House.  His work to effect true community engagement includes a demonstrated history of over 23 years' experience facilitating collaborative coalition building for refugee and immigrant communities. His many educational qualifications include a Master of Public Administration from PSU and several degrees in Human Rights, Conflict Resolution, Peace building and Leadership from France, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Libya and South Africa.   

Mr. Dogo was pivotal in the creation of the culturally specific community focal point Africa House in 2006—the only culturally and linguistically specific one-stop service center targeting the increasingly diverse and rapidly growing number of African immigrants and refugees living in Oregon.  
Mr. Dogo is a member of the Oregon Commission of Black Affairs, member of City of Portland New Portlanders Policy Council (NPPC), Secretary General of the Coalition of Community of Color (CCC) and the Secretary General for the Nationwide African Economic Development Solutions (AEDS).


Portland
Ben Duncan is the Chief Diversity and Equity Officer for Multnomah County. He has been with the county since 2004 when he began his career in Environmental Health as a community health worker. He has since worked as a health educator, policy analyst and manager of the Health Equity Initiative. In each of these roles, his work has always focused on the relationships between our social, economic, and environmental conditions and racial and ethnic disparities.

Ben Duncan was a founding board member of OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, an organization that organizes people with low incomes and people of color to build power for environmental justice and civil rights in the community.He also serves on the Oregon Commission for Black Affairs, the Oregon Environmental Justice Task Force, and is Chair of Oregon Public Health Institute's Board.

Ben Duncan lives with his better half, Dr. Katherine Rodela and their son Rudolfo, in Southeast Portland.​


Portland

​Liz Fouther-Branch, is a retired educator turned Storyteller, archivist, and Equity Facilitator that has spent more than 40 years working and volunteering for arts and youth development organizations. She has 20 years of experience as a consultant on arts education programming and development, social justice, capacity building, and advocacy. 

She has volunteered or served on several local boards and committees for City Club, Social Venture Partners, Regional Arts, Culture Council, Seeding Justice, Multnomah County, and Oregon Health Authority. She is currently serving as a commissioner on Oregon Commission on Black Affairs (OCBA).

Liz believes that throughout her professional life and lived experiences, she has used her research to center the voices of the displaced, unheard, and erased. In addition, she has been able to share what she's learned with her intergenerational network. 


Portland

​Meet Commissioner Erica Bailey from, MS, RN, NC-BC, from Portland! Erica is a registered nurse, educator, board-certified nurse coach, facilitator, and advocate. She is currently serving as the Clinical Relations Specialist at the University of Portland, School of Nursing and Health Innovations where she has been teaching since 2016in both classroom and clinical environments. She loves sharing her passion for racial and social justice, health equity, and leadership with the next generation of nurses. Erica also serves in a clinical role for the Portland VA Medical Center, where she started her nursing career back in 2011. 

In 2020, Erica founded the Nurses of Color Collective, to create a community of support and collective care for nurses who identify as Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). 


Erica Bailey lives with her teenage daughter, Dylan, two dogs, and a cat in North Portland.


Portland

​Travis Nelson was appointed to the House of Representatives on January 27, 2022 representing House District 44. He was sworn in on the first day of the 2022 Legislative Session. He is proud to join the legislature as the first ever Black LGBTQIA+ member.
The grandson of Louisiana sharecroppers, his parents moved his family to the Pacific Northwest before he entered grade school. He put himself through community college and then Washington State University School of Nursing by working food service, landscaping, and janitorial positions. It is this strong work ethic that has carried him to where he is today.
Throughout his career as a Registered Nurse he saved lives by practicing constant attentiveness along with being a strong advocate. He specialized in Emergency Nursing, Critical Care Nursing, Medical-Surgical Nursing and Rehabilitation Nursing. Serving as a union representative honed his advocacy skills and allowed him to begin tackling the many problems inherent in our healthcare system. He is a member of the Sierra Club, American Nurses Association, Oregon Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the NAACP and a former Vice President of the Oregon Nurses Association. He knows healthcare is intersectional and is entwined with our environment, housing policy, racial justice, and so many other social determinants of health. It is this intersectionality that initially drove him to run for office. ​

Eugene

​James began his professional and community service as a state corrections officer, and later a police officer, railroad special agent and private investigator prior to enlisting into the United States Army 1 April 1983. During his military career a few of his distinguished assignments included Military Diplomat to the Australian and New Zealand Defense Forces, U.S. Army Assistant Inspector General, Garrison Community NCO,  and Chief Administrator Supervisor United States Army Southern Command.

Other distinguished military leadership positions included assignments as Battalion Training Officer/Detachment Sergeant Major for a deployed unit, Postal Supervisor (Military Post Office), and U.S. Army Drill Sergeant (basic combat training). James honorably retired from the United States Army after over 24 years active service. 

Since retiring from the U.S. Army in 2007 James and wife Lawanda (married 38 years) moved to Eugene where he continues to volunteer his time and unique talents serving his community on a number of nonprofits, local, and state boards and commissions.

In the nonprofit area, James served as a Board of Director for Pearl Buck Center Inc., and volunteered as a Loaned Executive for United Way of Lane County (2011 campaign).  Currently, he is appointed to the Bethel School District Budget Committee (Committee Chair 2015) and the Bethel School District Long-Term Facility Planning Committee. He is a Co-founder of a community supported nonprofit foundation that provides scholarships to underrepresented and low income area students.

James was appointed by two Oregon governors to the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs, serving three consecutive terms as Chair. He served six years as a member of the City of Eugene Police Commission chairing the Police Commission Outreach Resources Committee, co-chaired the Gang Awareness Planning Committee, and has been a member of the policy screening committee. He mediated over 300 sessions as a volunteer mediator for Lane County Circuit Courts Small Claims Department and in 2012, James was elected to the Eugene Water and Electric Board.

James was appointed to the Oregon State Senate for Senate District 7 December 12, 2016.  A few of his top priorities are quality education, living wage jobs, and safer neighborhoods and communities for all Oregonians. Veteran's issues are among his top legislative priorities.

Education

Associate of Arts Law Enforcement, Baccalaureate of Arts Criminal Justice Administration, Master of Arts Organizational Leadership, and is now in the dissertation development phase for his Education Doctorate Organizational Leadership with emphasis on Organizational Development. He holds various advanced and professional certificates.


OCBA Bylaws

Read the OCBA Bylaws

OCBA Statute

185.410 Policy
185.420 Commission on Black Affairs; confirmation; term; officers; quorum; compensation and expenses
185.430 Duties

Public Records Requests (PRR)

The Oregon Advocacy Commissions Office (OACO) responds to requests for public records in the general way described in the Oregon Department of Administrative Services' (DAS) Public Records Requests policy (pdf).

The DAS Public Records Requests Fees and Charges policy outlines the fees the department charges for records, and the process the agency uses to fulfill requests.

Please choose one of the following methods to request public records from OACO:
1. Email your request to Albert Lee, Executive Director of the OACO, with "PRR" included in the subject line.

OR

2. Mail a written request to this address:

Oregon Advocacy Commissions Office
421 SW Oak St., Suite 770
Portland, OR 97204


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