A4
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
Founded in 1873
SHANNON ARLINT
Circulation Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
SOUTHERN EXPOSURE
Nonprofi t aids Hispanics during pandemic
S
EASIDE — Consejo Hispano is a
community-based nonprofi t whose
mission is the equitable integration of
Hispanics into the broader social and eco-
nomic fabric of the lower Columbia River
community.
Born and raised in Costa Rica in a
bicultural and bilingual home, Jenny Pool
Radway, the nonprofi t’s executive director,
immigrated to the United States as a teen-
ager. She attended Ripon College in Wis-
consin, where she grad-
uated with a b achelor’s
degree in political sci-
ence and Spanish and a
minor in classical stud-
ies. She also holds a mas-
ter’s degree in human
services and a master’s
R.J.
degree in Latin Ameri-
MARX
can economics and poli-
tics from the Universidad
de Salamanca.
Prior to joining Consejo Hispano, Pool
Radway lived in Denver, Colorado, and
Salamanca, Spain.
We spoke with Pool Radway in late
July about eff orts to reach the Hispanic
community in Clatsop County, the pan-
demic, immigration and what’s next for the
nonprofi t .
Q: How do you reach out to the com-
munity, especially the southern part of
Clatsop County?
A: We cover Clatsop, Columbia and
Tillamook counties in Oregon and Pacifi c
County in Washington. That’s because we
don’t have a lot of culturally specifi c and
culturally responsive organizations, other
than us in those areas. And so people know
us and call us for any number of things.
And just know that if we don’t have the
answer, we’ll help them get in touch with
the resources or the answers that they need.
We have our Facebook page, of course,
and we have several WhatsApp groups,
but primarily, it’s still word of mouth, of
people saying I need help. I’m a Span-
ish speaker. It doesn’t matter if they’re in
south Clatsop County or in Nehalem or
where we’re at. They’ll call our offi ce and
get assistance from us.
Q: What are the major issues in the
county?
A: Recently, with the high heat, we
received calls around worker rights and
how people can advocate for themselves at
work when it’s super hot. Things that are
always ongoing are helping children regis-
ter for school or translation services.
The last two weeks, for example, we’ve
been in Cannon Beach, doing surveys so
that the county has information on how to
help the Latinx community with the ARPA
(American Rescue Plan Act) funding that
they’re receiving. So we’ve been doing
surveys with community members when
they’re at the soccer fi eld.
We also had a COVID vaccination
clinic last month on June 30 at the Cannon
Beach Chamber of Commerce, and we’re
going to have the follow-up next week.
Q: What kind of turnout did you get
for that?
A: We had about 80 adults come. They
didn’t all get vaccinated, but they showed
up to learn about them. We thought that
was a pretty good turnout for a Wednesday
evening.
Q: So in a way you represent an
opportunity to reach out to a neglected
or underserved audience?
Attendees at a Consejo Hispano event.
‘I THINK WE HAVE A GREAT STAFF. WE’RE A
GROWING TEAM. AND WE’RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
OF OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS RIGHT
NOW. BUT I THINK THAT, YEAH, WE HAVE GREAT
THINGS HAPPENING IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.’
Jenny Pool Radway | executive director at Consejo Hispano
A: Absolutely. We are a trusted resource
for the community members.
Q: During the COVID-19 pandemic
last year, I know that there was a lot of
concern about the worker conditions in
Astoria and elsewhere. Did you share
those concerns?
A: We did and we still do. There are
still a lot of issues, not just at the canneries,
but for farmworkers in general. And for
people who work in the tourism industry
and the restaurant industry as well.
Q: What are the kinds of worker
issues you might see, specifi cally in the
tourism and restaurant industry?
A: Not enough protection, in terms of
getting hand sanitizer, face masks, enough
PPE (personal protective equipment) sup-
plies that they need. In diff erent parts of the
county, we have people, someone will call
their employer and say, ‘ I’m asymptom-
atic, but I’ve tested positive for COVID’
and the employer will still let them come
to work.
And while our community members
recognize that that is not what should be
happening, they also don’t have a choice
because they need to feed their families
and keep a roof over their head. They don’t
want to lose their employment.
Q: Is there still an issue with immi-
gration status and fears of deportation?
A: Absolutely. A lot of community
members didn’t want to get vaccinated at
fi rst because of concerns of what questions
were asked when you got your vaccine.
Q: So they were reluctant to do so?
A: Absolutely. Until we explained that
that was not something that would get
them into any trouble. That still plays a big
role in our community.
Q: Did the same thing happen last
year with the census? Did you fi nd that
people overcame their concerns about
possibly the information being used
in a way to harm themselves or their
families?
A: I don’t think we overcame the issue
then. Mostly because we were still under a
Trump presidency and people didn’t know
what the election results would be. A lot of
people did not participate, and we’re defi -
nitely undercounted.
Q: So our census numbers are going
to be underreported?
A: Absolutely. A lot of people are not
technologically savvy, because they don’t
have a lot of experience or technology at
home, like a laptop to use. They don’t want
to use their phone, because they’re afraid
that it might be tracked, even though it’s
not.
It’s hard to reassure people when there’s
a doubt. And we were in the middle of a
pandemic, so we couldn’t really bring lap-
tops to them to complete it.
Q: Did you fi nd Latinx people, espe-
cially under the Trump administration,
returning to their home countries?
A: No. People hold out hope. They
think if I go back, and then somebody else
gets elected who sees things more favor-
ably, it will be much harder for me to come
back. It’s a hard journey.
Q: Do you see more people com-
ing into the U.S. now that Joe Biden is
president?
A: No.
Q: So the the fear of a quote unquote
“immigrant tide” is not happening
here?
A: I don’t think the Oregon numbers
have changed. I couldn’t speak to other
places in the country.
Q: A federal judge ruled that
Deferred Action for Childhood Arriv-
als, a program that allows certain immi-
grants to temporarily avoid deportation
and receive renewable work permits, is
illegal and ordered the Biden adminis-
tration to stop giving permits. Is that of
concern?
A: Absolutely. There’s about 60,000
people who are, not locally, but 60,000
people who are stuck in, you know, limbo
because their applications were being pro-
cessed and we don’t know if they’re going
to continue to be processed or what’s hap-
pening there.
We did see an increase locally once
there was an administrative change in the
White House that we had a lot more peo-
ple applying for DACA.
Q: Do you have any initiatives going
on right now that you’d like to talk
about?
A: We have been working with the Ore-
gon Worker Relief Fund for over a year
now. It’s an organization that was created
because of the pandemic. And we’ve been
able to bring in over $1 million in the Clat-
sop County (area) in assistance. The num-
bers are pretty good. And we’re really
proud of that work.
Q: Do you have any wish list of
things you’d like to see in the county or
locally for the population?
A: I think I’d like there to be more
access, more language access, and cer-
tainly more economic access. That’s very
broad, but it’s because there’s so much that
falls under that.
Q: Do you think Clatsop County has
got a ways to go in terms of improving
their outreach?
A: Yes, but I think that they’re will-
ing to do it. And that’s a huge piece of the
puzzle.
Q: Do you feel optimistic about
where you’re headed? Or do you feel
that you’ve got severe challenges?
What’s your outlook?
A: I’m very optimistic. I think we have
a great staff . We’re a growing team. And
we’re right in the middle of our strategic
planning process right now. But I think
that, yeah, we have great things happening
in the next few years.
R.J. Marx is the South County reporter
for The Astorian and editor of the Seaside
Signal.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Political manipulation
I
n 1992, the sitting president of the Afri-
can state of Kenya was facing a new
election. In order to secure his reelection,
he managed to eff ect several changes to
the state’s election laws.
They included shortening the period
allowed for voter registration, and delay-
ing the issuing of IDs to young voters to
vote for the fi rst time.
It worked. I wonder how eff ective that
kind of political manipulation of state vot-
ing laws will work here, in our country’s
upcoming elections.
JULIA SNYDER
Astoria
Immensely proud
s a lover and protector of the Colum-
bia River, I am immensely proud
of my community for taking down the
fracked gas monstrosity known as the
Northwest Innovation Works methanol
refi nery.
Every year, we suff er devastat-
ing eff ects of climate change. Changing
weather patterns, rising temperatures and
more frequent tropical storms aff ect mar-
kets and trade. The idea that fossil fuel
usage benefi ts our economy ignores the
correlation between climate change and
long-term economic downfall. This project
A
would have eroded Kalama, Washington’s
health, wealth and ecology.
Thankfully, we no longer have to worry
about the eff ects of the proposed metha-
nol refi nery, because it has joined the slew
of other dirty projects recently rejected by
our community as we transition towards
net-zero emissions!
I hope for continued climate leader-
ship from our elected offi cials, and a tran-
sition toward sustainable energy. Thank
you to the Washington State Department
of Ecology, Gov. Jay Inslee and the activ-
ists and organizations who spent thou-
sands of hours serving and protecting our
community.
This is one more huge step toward a
greener future!
LINDA LEONARD
Kalama, Washington
Deeply disappointed
I
can’t put into words how deeply disap-
pointed I am with what has shaped up
since President Barack Obama began his
two-term residency at the White House.
Racism was almost a syndrome of the
past; now it is a major political ploy for
the Democrat leadership.
It is a divide-and-conquer eff ort, being
fi nanced in large by the ridiculously rich
oligarchs here, and in Europe, to change
the shape of life as we know it — the life
our generation grew up loving.
The pandemic furthered their cause to
control the populations of the West and in
Europe. They truly do not want the pan-
demic to go away! Now President Joe
Biden is describing our compliance as a
“patriotic duty,” bouncing the rules around
like a tennis ball.
However, my primary complaint is
against our feckless Republican Party.
They simply do not know how to take a
stand for our Constitution and represent
the people who pay them. The Democrat
Party and the oligarchs have enriched them
to the point where they don’t want to give
it up.
There are some hardworking Repub-
licans who are trying to preserve our lib-
erties, but I do declare, a good half of our
representatives are no more than dead
weight.
President Donald Trump was a bull in
a china shop, but he inspired millions of
Americans to vote for our right to liberty
and the pursuit of happiness, the freedoms
granted to us by our creator.
Yes! The U.S. is in serious trouble. We
need leadership capable of guiding us.
WILLIAM SUTTON
Astoria