The 107ist board would like to thank all who have participated in the discussion on this topic. Through this process we have given special weight to our Asian and Pacific Islander members and the broader API community, locally. While we don’t discount the ranging concerns around this issue, we believe that our use of the sunburst throughout our iconography is very different in meaning from the Rising Sun, yet we do understand and acknowledge the concerns of some of our members in this regard.
As a result, we will be retiring the green and white capo stand flag unless/until significant design changes can be made. Also, we have been talking with the creators/owners of the current BAF and Away Sunshine flag about evolving the flags to incorporate more Portland-centric elements that will make them more divergent to any perceived negative reference. They will be attending our board meeting next week to discuss paths forward. They have been hoping to have alterations to the Away flag ready to travel to KC on the 18th, but it may go into temporary retirement until those changes are completed. Due to the sizable logistics of working on the BAF, any significant changes would need to be an off-season project for them. Therefore, the BAF will be used in its current state throughout the rest of this season.
We also feel that this is a great opportunity to highlight some of the great work being done in our community to productively address hate. The local group Coalition of Communities of Color is working on a hate incident reporting app as a clearing house for incidents that will streamline tracking and response. The Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) is leading the development of a highly detailed rapid response system of protocols that the reporting app will feed into to provide the most effective, unique response for each reported incident. This system is currently in the beta testing phase and is proving out well. The hope is to have it up and running in the coming months.
By continuing our relationships with many of our communities susceptible to hate, we aid in the social change to obtain self-determination, wellness, justice and prosperity for all who call Portland home. Through the strength of efforts like these we can contribute to an even broader impact on these present issues and we welcome you to continue to join us as we look for ways to do so.
