By: Dr. Dave Cornelius
You are the co-creator of Agile Retrospective with Esther Derby and now co-founder of the Agile Fluency Model, what are a few fun-facts that you would like to share about yourself?
Fun Facts? Perhaps some folks don’t know that I call myself @DianaOfPortland on Twitter for a few reasons. Though I grew up in Indiana and spent a few of my young adult years on the east coast and in California, I have always been drawn to Portland Oregon. After several false starts and visits as a teen and young adult, I finally moved to my “hometown” in the mid-1980’s and have lived here ever since. It feels like where I belong.
 
Q1: How are you feeling about the social unrest taking place in Portland and the you United States?
It is such a mix of emotions. I feel chagrin that my privilege has supported my inattention to the reasons for the unrest for years. Though my intentions have been to support fully equality, equity, and inclusion, the impact of my actions has been focused elsewhere and inadequate. I feel anxious for the young people who are in the forefront of the protests and for the future of the city and our communities. I feel proud of the young Black leaders of this movement and of their persistence. They represent the spirit of Portland well…though historically and up until the present they have not been full recipients of its bounty. I feel unfocused, frustrated anger that our systems have been created such that they leave so many of our community behind and give others a jump off the starting line. I feel hope for a better future.
 
Q2: According to historical reports, Oregon was founded on principles of white supremacy, it banned blacks from entering, living, or owning property in the state of Oregon.  How do you explain the support for the Black Lives Movement in Portland?
I can’t explain it. I’m not a sociologist.
The TV show Portlandia may have hinted at one answer. When the character says, “Portland is where young people come to retire,” he was only half right. Young white Millenials and GenZ’s have been drawn here. Decades ago, older activist hippie/yuppie-minded folks from the Boomer & X generations were drawn here. Perhaps for the natural beauty. Perhaps for the “Keep Portland Weird” slogan. People forget that Oregon has bucked the trends before. It was the only state where Eugene McCarthy (the anti-Vietnam War presidential candidate in 1969) won the Democratic primary by a landslide. Oregon is a state where people have stood up for their beliefs. For LGBTQA++ equality as well.
Those younger generation folks who have grown up with different, more inclusive media and community influences are finding their voices. Our Black young adult citizens have developed the skills and willingness to take leadership roles building on the role models of the Black Panther community leaders here in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Also, protests are not new in Portland. We have them as a regular response to what different groups see as events heading in the wrong direction. Wars. Economic conditions. Injustice of all kinds.
Those are some of my guesses. It’s highly complex, and it’s wonderful to see.
 
Q3: Have you ever had a conversation with a black person living in Portland about their experiences and agile community participation and engagement?
Yes, a few. Though not with as many as I’d like and not often enough. Because my work has largely focused outside of Oregon, most of my conversations with Black colleagues about agile have focused more broadly on agile practice and practitioners across geographies.
 
Q4: Imagine that we could use the five (5) stages of Agile Retrospective practices to understand the social injustice in Portland and Oregon as a whole,...