1.1 Research

The current political and social justice climate in Eugene has seen massive unrest in the past few months after the countless shootings and killings of unarmed black civilians. As protests continue and civil unrest heightens many in Eugene, Or are looking towards local issues in order to create a safer and more righteous community. Small businesses have seen a lot of this tension, specifically businesses such as Sundance Natural Foods and New Frontier. Sundance has been a local staple in the Eugene community, advocating for their organic and locally sourced products. This past summer though they have been under fire, specifically for job loss which many believed were unfairly targeted towards members of the black community. Racial discrimination can be broken down into three ways: overt bias or prejudice, stereotyping, and subtle forms of racial discrimination. Wrongful termination of minorities in a predominantly white-owned store is becoming a serious issue in Eugene. The unemployment rate in Eugene has spiked dramatically due to COVID and disenfranchised groups are being hit the hardest. African and Asian Americans report 76% have dealt with discrimination in their workplace. Protestors advocated that stores such as Sundance and New Frontier that market themselves as inclusive and welcoming need to be held equally responsible for their actions. Many protestors and people in the Eugene community are finding that just because a store or business has a particular image does not mean its actions are always reflective of that. Protesters at Sundance stated that “hippie” stores such as Sundance need to be held accountable and put to the same standards as every other business. This instance has brought to light how a lot of small businesses in Eugene need to rethink their business models and be looked at with a more scrutinous lense. Larger organizations are constantly forced to tackle and respond to these issues while smaller businesses often slip under the wire. By holding everyone accountable we can begin to see real, and impactful change for minorities in the Eugene job market. 

sources:

https://dgmslaw.com/race-discrimination-in-the-workplace-examples-statistics/

https://www.klcc.org/post/protest-groups-target-businesses-eugene-alleged-racist-practices