Civic Health Spotlight on Washington County Ignite
Throughout this calendar year, NWHF will be highlighting our Civic Health Cohort, also known as the C4 Power Program.
“Democracy only works when we work for it, when we fight for it, when we demand it” - Stacey Abrams
Election night 2020 was a big one for Washington County Ignite. They set up a Zoom with their endorsed candidates to watch the results roll in, and celebration erupted at 8 pm. ALL the candidates they had endorsed won. They helped elect the first two Muslim women in elected office in Oregon, the first female mayor of Beaverton and the youngest legislator ever to Salem. A year prior, they didn’t even have a name.
The story of Washington County Ignite is the story of two young, Black, high-energy Washington County residents looking to start the first 501(c)(4) focused on Washington County. Most know Washington County as home to Intel and Nike, but it is also home to significant income inequality and the largest number of students facing homelessness in Oregon. It is the most diverse county in the state with large Latinx and foreign-born populations. Finally, it is the second most populous county in the state but often gets lumped in with Multnomah County or the tri-county, despite being quite different from its neighboring counties.
Let’s meet Imani and Lamar, Co-Founders of Wash Co Ignite:
Imani Dorsey is a queer Black woman, organizer, student of Black feminism, sister, daughter, partner and dog mom. She is from Sacramento, California and has resided in the Beaverton, Oregon area since 2012. Imani has a Bachelor of Science in Ethnic Studies from the University of Oregon and is currently in the process of earning a Master's degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Brandeis University. In her (limited) free time, Imani likes to spend quality time with loved ones and her dogs, listen to music, go secondhand shopping and try out new restaurants.
Lamar Wise attended the University of Oregon and started working for the Oregon Student Association in 2015, eventually serving as the Executive Director. In 2019, Lamar began work at AFSCME Council 75 as their Political Coordinator. Lamar serves on various boards, including ACLU of Oregon, Safety and Justice PAC, Community Alliance of Tenants Action Fund, and Our Oregon, and is Co-Chair of the Racial Justice Council's Committee on Public Safety.
While working as an Organizer-in-Training at AFSCME Council 75 during the summer after graduation, Imani and her supervisor, Lamar, decided to form an organization dedicated to building political power for BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and young people in their home of Washington County. In January 2020, they officially launched the Washington County Ignite PAC. As staff during the 2020 election cycle, Imani helped organize and execute a large voter-outreach effort in the county to successfully elect a slate of eight progressive champions. Wash Co Ignite used phone and text banking to target low-propensity voters, as well as social media.
Since this organization jumped right into electoral work and campaigns as soon as they were established, in 2021 they have the opportunity to fully flesh out board roles, establish their 501(c)(4), and conduct membership outreach. Going forward, their goal is “to establish a more solid foundation in order to sustain our growth and expand our capacity to deepen engagement with the Washington County community and advance the issues needed for our BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and young populations to thrive.”
Through participating in the C4 Power Program convenings, they hope to learn more about what their peers are engaging in, how to better coordinate in coalition and build relationships. With 2021 being such a unique year, they also hope to build a grassroots organizing model for the times.
The first C4PP convening was very exciting for Washington County Ignite to attend! They were appreciative of the supportive culture, collaborative energy, and practical knowledge shared. “Through working with our coach, we hope to learn from his expertise about how to determine a focused set of priorities and ways we can cultivate a strong base with the geographic and demographic conditions of our region.”
NWHF is thrilled to have Washington County Ignite as part of the C4PP!