The unconscionable killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Charleena Lyles, Manuel Ellis, and so many others have shined a light on current and historic racism perpetrated against Black people in this country. The accumulation of losses due to racial violence, as well as other more covert, yet still damaging forms of racism and inequity, carry an immeasurable toll. For too long, systems of oppression and White privilege have disproportionately and negatively impacted Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in our communities.

Now more than ever, we must have challenging conversations about what our community and industry—which has been and remains predominantly White and male—can do to drive change and create and sustain truly thriving communities. This includes acknowledging that the work of building cities has historically perpetuated, rather than reduced, inequities.

As the preeminent, multi-disciplinary real estate forum in our region, we must use our unique platform to identify and dismantle systemic racism in future land use planning and urban development to aggressively chart a more equitable path forward. If we fail to do this, our mission to provide leadership in the responsible use of land is at stake.

ULI Northwest has taken initial steps to address Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in our District Council, but we know that there is much more to do to make a meaningful impact. Real change must no longer be incremental. It must be sweeping, systemic and long lasting.

Our DEI Initiatives include:

• Offering Diversity Scholarships to BIPOC to join our Center for Leadership program, a leadership development program for mid-career professionals in the industry;
• Initiating fee waivers for BIPOC to join our local Product Councils;
• Starting ULI UrbanPlan program in Portland in partnership with Prosper Portland, centering on issues of anti-racism, equity, and inclusivity;
• Kicking off a DEI Taskforce that will guide ULI Northwest’s overall vision and strategy to ensure accountability around measurable goals.

As we move forward in our efforts, we pledge to:

• Increase our overall focus on and accountability regarding DEI work, including prioritizing the collection and reporting of the race/ethnicity of our members, volunteers, and leaders;
• Educate ourselves and offer robust member-facing resources on racism and the real estate industry;
• Promote diversity at all levels of our organization from senior leadership to local committees;
• Support, learn and partner with our members and their organizations already leading in the DEI space;
• Elevate the voices of our BIPOC members and other community partner organizations;
• Proactively build a pipeline of BIPOC in our industry through partnerships with our academic institutions and high schools.

We know that these initial efforts are just a start, and we are committed to doing more. If you are interested in joining us in this critical work and have feedback on these priorities, please do reach out. We are curious; we are learning; we are growing. We hope that you will join us.

Andrea Newton
Executive Director
ULI Northwest