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http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/05/needed_a_way_to_keep_score_on_1.html

We now know the score, and it's deeply disturbing:

Whites winning. Everyone else in Multnomah County losing.

Of course, it's not that simple. It's fair to say that few Oregonians are doing brilliantly in this economic climate. Nevertheless, many are not and minorities are doing worse, far worse, than their white counterparts. According to a recent report, "Communities of Color in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile," minority communities earn half the income of whites, or $16,636 vs. $33,095 per year.

Since the county is about 74 percent white -- it's the fifth-whitest urban center in the country -- it may take some time for our community to fully digest the profound implications of this report, prepared by Portland State University's graduate school of social work and the Coalition of Communities of Color.

Definitions of the county's minority population vary, but the report pegs it at roughly 26 percent of us. That includes 85,450 Latinos, 55,723 Asian/Pacific Islanders, 48,776 African Americans, 37,745 Native Americans, 29,466 Slavic immigrants and 7,683 African immigrants and refugees. On almost every conceivable economic indicator, this population persistently lags behind the county's white majority.

There are so many ways to fall behind, it seems. And once behind, individuals in communities of color are often trapped there.

Minority children are more likely to be placed in foster care; more likely to be disciplined or expelled from school; more likely to drop out of high school; more likely to be detained by juvenile authorities (rather than released from custody); less likely to graduate from college; less likely to find a high-paying job; less likely to own a home; and 37.5 percent more likely to be unemployed.

It's not acceptable that 12.5 percent of our county's white children live in poverty. But the fact that one in three minority children live in poverty in the county is staggering. "I thought it was a devastating report," Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen said Monday. "It's a tremendous indictment of our community."

And a call to action for Cogen, the county commissioners, Mayor Sam Adams, the Portland City Council and the entire community.

In an unprecedented turn of events, November's general election will pit two African American women, Loretta Smith and Karol Collymore, against each other for a seat on the county board. This race, in and of itself, is almost certain to focus new attention on how communities of color are faring, and on what we need to do to close the gap. But it would be a mistake to think of it, in and of itself, as anything other than a small forward step.

So here's a start. In some cases, it was very difficult for the PSU researchers who wrote this report even to extract from local officials the information they needed to document the disparity. That needs to change. To track (and disclose) the gap goes partway toward recognizing that we have an unyielding problem. In response to this report, the county auditor should take the lead in developing a continuing scorecard, so that, like it or not, we know how we're faring.

It will be hard for many Portlanders to accept that this disparity is real, unless they've measured it by "living" it in their own lives -- or until they're face to face with the score.