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Advocating for Access: Community Leader Lisa Reed Guarnero
Lisa Reed Guarnero serves on the board of the Center for Intercultural Organizing and the North/Northeast Business Association. Lisa was among the first Korean adoptees brought to Oregon by Holt International, in response to the humanitarian crisis that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of children during the Korean War.
Lisa has spent her life in Portland, advocating for small business issues, economic development, and immigrant and refugee rights. She has been an ardent supporter of communities of color through her work with local community and business associations.
In her own words, Lisa explores her experiences as a Korean adoptee raised by a Chinese family, and her commitment to advancing the causes of marginalized peoples in Oregon.
I’m an Asian-American first generation immigrant. Born in Korea, I came to America when I was approximately 20 months old when I was adopted by a Chinese family. My brother, also a Korean adoptee and not blood related, was adopted one year before me. I’m very grateful to my adoptive parents, because without them I wouldn’t be here today. I have immense gratitude and respect for the work of Harry and Bertha Holt who saved so many lives of homeless children, and were virtually the pioneers of international adoption.
Growing up in Oregon in the 1960s, I was exposed to a hostile, anti-Asian environment in Portland. I felt very shut-out from society. Because I grew up with a lack of access, it was natural for me to champion the causes of those who are marginalized in society. It became my passion to make sure that I stand up for anyone who is not treated justly - whether it’s someone who is homeless, people of color, or immigrants and refugees. My experiences as a youth really influenced my commitment to help those with a lack of access to power and social justice.
I was forced into single motherhood when my husband died 23 years ago. Our children were very young: 12 months and almost 5 years old. At this time, I made the choice to be a full-time Mom because now I was only parent and I had to make the most of it. This meant, for the most part, my children would grow up in poverty because I chose not to work full-time and miss out on their formative & teen years. Being poor was not the worst thing in the world for my children, especially if it meant they could have a full time parent. Being involved with my children and their schooling was very important to me.
I re-entered the workforce in 2004 as a Customer Relationship Manager for General Motors. From there I entered the financial services field. But after a couple of years, I realized that it didn’t fit with my values and principles. So I resigned so I could figure out what I really wanted to do “when I grow up.” I finally realized that I needed to return to my core values and original aspirations of making a difference in the world.
I really enjoy having the opportunity to work closely with people of color from all walks of life – to make a difference and a real impact on people’s lives. I'm proud of my involvement with North/Northeast Business Association (NNEBA). This is an excellent organization that is working on economic development and revitalization. It’s important that small and micro-businesses thrive during the economic downturn. If we keep profits in our local communities, we all win. As an Oregon Transforming Main Street participant, NNEBA will be a key partner in the city-wide effort to survive this economic challenge.
I was very fortunate to be a Center for Intercultural Organizing PILOT participant (Pan-Immigrant Leadership and Organizing Training). This leadership development program helped me realize that I was a leader for most of my life. Before, I just viewed myself as a good problem solver who tackled things that needed to be done. For instance, back in 1987, I organized the neighbors to fight a gang and drug house that grew into a large network. We won the fight and shut down the network. I never perceived what I did as “leadership.” To me, something needed fixing and nobody else was taking care of it, so I did it.
After PILOT, I was invited to be the Civic Engagement Director for Center for Intercultural Organizing (CIO). This was such a great opportunity for me to really step into my new identity as a “leader.” Since leaving my position at CIO, I am now a board member for this powerful & unique organization that is building a multi-racial, multi-cultural movement for immigrant and refugee rights. They are achieving this systemic change through four program areas: education, civic engagement, community organizing and mobilization, and intergenerational leadership development.
I’m honored to be an emeritus member of the Vision Into Action (VIA) Steering Committee. To be involved with a group that is helping raise the voices of 17,000+ Portland residents and 70 organizations (and counting) is a powerful experience. It’s exciting that our work is driven by volunteer community members who are concerned about community connectedness & distinctiveness, equity & accessibility, inclusion & diversity, and sustainability in all the work we do. For the first time, people who usually aren’t invited to the decision-making table got to have a voice. I was really impressed with visionPDX’s approach to creating a vision for Portland through some very creative & extraordinary community outreach. The Vision Into Action Coalition holds the keys to the City of Portland and we are the bridge from our communities to City Hall. If room isn’t made for Portland’s residents, we will have a closed-door city council.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the value of access. Part of that access is replacement of power. It’s really important to put our people into power, to make sure that people are represented. If we had people in office who understood the plight of immigrants and refugees, the fight of people of color and poor people, then we would have champions for all people in Portland. Then our city would have an additional feather in its cap for national recognition.
Marginalized people – no matter who they are – inspire me. I’ve always been one to root and fight for the underdog, because for the longest time, I was the underdog. It is so imperative that people wake up and realize that we’re ALL human beings. Nobody deserves to be treated in an unjust and cruel way.
Much of the violence and poverty we experience are all symptoms of something that’s really wrong in our society. As young as they are, kids know that bullying is wrong. People know when they’re treating others badly, but they do it anyway. If we took the time to treat each other with kindness, respect and compassion, a lot of the problems that we’re experiencing in the world today would clear up. A society is only as strong as our weakest link. If our values and principles reflect the core of all humanity, we can and will survive any crisis.
Spring 2009 Colors of Influence
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