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Philomath inclusivity committee refines AAPI Heritage Month proclamation and will forward edits to city council
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Summary
The City of Philomath Inclusivity Committee reviewed a draft Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month proclamation on April 20, 2026, recommended wording changes (pluralizing group names, adding 'racism', tightening phrasing for oral reading) and asked staff to forward the revised draft to City Council for a May agenda placement.
On April 20, 2026, the City of Philomath Inclusivity Committee reviewed and revised a draft proclamation for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month and agreed to send the edited draft to City Council for placement on an upcoming May agenda.
The committee spent substantial time on wording to improve clarity when the proclamation is read aloud. Members recommended pluralizing the group names — "Asian Americans" and "Pacific Islanders" — and removing the word "individuals" where it made the sentence awkward. They also recommended deleting the word "help" in one clause and instead using phrasing such as "who contribute" so the sentence reads smoothly during public readings.
A texted set of suggestions from committee member Jessica Andrade, read into the record, prompted the group to add the term "racism" to a list that previously included "discrimination" and "xenophobia," to acknowledge both ideology and action. Committee members debated phrasing for a clause about acknowledging the community’s past, and coalesced around language that would "acknowledge and learn from our nation's and our city's history of racism and exclusion, and work to do better," while revising punctuation for readability.
Committee members also discussed whether to include more historical context in this year's proclamation. Several suggested adding local historical references (for example, the role of Chinese labor in railroad construction) in future iterations rather than expanding the current draft. Members debated whether the descriptor "dark history" was appropriate in a ceremonial proclamation and generally favored more neutral wording.
"I like the overall sentiment of the proclamation, and I think most of it's very solid," a committee member said during the debate, emphasizing the group’s desire to retain the proclamation's positive tone while improving precision.
After agreeing on a set of edits, the committee asked staff to integrate the revisions and forward the updated document to City Council so it can be scheduled for consideration in May. The committee said it will revisit any further changes after receiving legal guidance if needed.
Next step: staff will prepare the revised proclamation for City Council and update the inclusivity committee at the next monthly meeting.
