Thank you to everyone who has signed and supported the petition calling for accountability, transparency, and equity in our union. Your voices continue to matter, and your solidarity is being felt.

Leadership has now issued a written apology to the AFRAM Caucus, Ibrahim, and members regarding the racist image. In their corporate-speak message, they called it “inappropriate,” “harmful", ”unacceptable” and “racially insensitive”— but instead of naming it an act of racism, they framed it as simply a “failure in process.” This minimization continues the harm of the racist incident and avoids true accountability.

Their proposed “solutions” fall far short of our demands for an independent, member-led investigation and public accountability. Leadership has announced that staff will be required to take trainings on cultural sensitivity, microaggressions, and responsible communications — trainings that should already be baseline in a union that calls itself anti-racist. These steps do not meet the demands of the petition, nor do they center or empower the voices of the members most impacted by the extremely racist communication. Instead, they continue to bypass the Accountability and Equity Coalition and pick and choose what they want to do.

What they’ve left out in their communication is just as important:

• They still have not met with the Accountability and Equity Coalition.
• They have spent countless hours contacting petition signers to pressure them into removing their names.
• They’ve tried to dismiss this effort by framing it as either the work of a “small group of disgruntled members” upset about Ibrahim not being elected president or anti-union elements.
• They have used union listservs—paid for with our member dues—to control the narrative instead of addressing the core issues of anti-Blackness, accountability, and equity.

We want to be clear:

• An apology without naming racism is not enough.
• Process fixes and baseline trainings do not equal accountability.
• Attempts to silence and discredit anti-racist members with legitimate criticisms only deepens mistrust.
• Only an independent, member-led investigation and public accountability process will empower members and rebuild trust.

We will continue to hold the line and hold leadership accountable. Solidarity means standing firm until real change happens.

👉 Join us in action:
 On Tuesday, August 19, from 1–5pm at SEIU 503 locations in Portland and Salem, we are coming together to show leadership that what they are doing is not enough.

Bring your voice, your solidarity, and your commitment to a union that truly lives its values. Together, we are stronger.

The Accountability and Equity Coalition

Nannette D. Carter-Jafri, SEIU503 Sub-Local 99 Homecare Steward, President SEIU503 AFRAM Caucus, VP SEIU Western Region African American Caucus (WRAAC) for Oregon

Alice Robinson, Exec. Board Member - Sublocal 294; Secretary - SEIU 503 AFRAM Caucus

Denise Piza, Latinx Caucus Co-Chair, Sublocal 219 Chair and Steward

Hortensia Blanco, Latinx Caucus Co-Chair

Amber Henderson, Vice Chair Sublocal 219

Lisa Finkle, Sublocal 219 Co-Chief Steward

Paulita Peña-Urenda, SEIU International and SEIU 503 Indigenous Peoples Caucus Co-Chair 

Carmen Morales Arnbrister, District 16, Chair & Steward

Gina Esqueda, CHRC Liaison

Sarah Nelson, Co-Coordinator Lavender Caucus, Sublocal 392 Steward And CAT