Cameron Whitten - May 6, 2020 Portland Conversations
Jason Allen interviews Cameron Whitten who is a candidate for Metro Councilor, District #5 in 2020.
"Cameron believes that everyone deserves to live in a place that gives them a chance to thrive. Cameron gained this belief at an early age. As a child, Cameron lived in an unsafe home environment where he was a target of emotional and physical abuse. These experiences were the driving force in his decision to come to Portland as a homeless youth. Homelessness exposed Cameron to the societal inequities that he and his peers faced, through no fault of their own. Thankfully, through the support of local nonprofits, Cameron was able to secure housing, finish his education, and find employment. During this time he also found his calling: to help others in the same way others helped him.
But, Cameron knew even then that someone’s identity could unfairly determine their future. A zip code could predict the quality of housing, economic opportunities, and health outcomes. He believed that Portlanders deserved elected leaders who understood these challenges — because they had lived them too. At the age of 20, Cameron ran his first campaign as Mayor of Portland. His age and campaign stood out from the rest. For example, he walked the streets of downtown Portland wearing a colorful cardboard box that read “Vote Cameron for Mayor.” He did not win that election, but that experience planted the seeds for him to grow up in Portland’s civic and political culture.
For the past decade, Cameron has received the mentorship of trusted leaders, built deep connections to the community, honed skills as a policymaker, and been an outspoken leader when action was needed."
