Cameron Whitten facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cameron Whitten
Whitten in 2013
Personal details
Born	(1991-04-08) April 8, 1991 (age 34) Secaucus, New Jersey, U.S.
Residences	Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Occupation	Community activist

Cameron Whitten (born April 8, 1991) is an American activist who works to make communities better. He is known for helping people find affordable homes, promoting fairness for all races, and supporting the rights of LGBT people.

Early Life and Learning

Whitten grew up in Sterling, Virginia, which is near Washington, D.C.. In 2009, when he was 18, he moved to Portland, Oregon. For a time, he faced a period when he didn't have a stable home. Later, he enrolled at Portland Community College to continue his education.

Getting Involved in Activism

Cameron Whitten had lived in Portland for three years when he joined the Occupy Portland movement. This happened on October 6, 2011. He stayed in public squares, like Chapman Square, for over a month during the movement.

Whitten helped organize different protest events. For example, he helped plan an event at Jamison Square. He also participated in a rally called "Occupy the Courts" in January 2012.

Whitten first got involved in politics by running for mayor of Portland, Oregon, in 2012. His campaign focused on making sure everyone felt included and respected. Even though he was seen as an interesting political figure, he was not elected mayor. After that, the Oregon Progressive Party nominated him to run for the position of state treasurer.

More Ways He Helps the Community

Also in 2012, Whitten started a hunger strike outside City Hall. He did this to protest the housing problems in Portland and to ask city leaders to act quickly. The strike lasted for almost two months. It ended after the Portland Mayor's Office agreed to some changes. Whitten continued to speak publicly about the issue of homelessness.

In 2013, Whitten was in the news again. He took part in a campaign to make same-sex marriage legal in Oregon. Also that year, after a homeless camp was removed from in front of Portland City Hall, Whitten organized a protest. He handed out free burritos, which led to a food cart in that spot moving elsewhere.

In 2014, Whitten became the executive director of an organization called Know Your City. In this role, he led walking tours about Portland's history. That same year, he wrote several articles about police using too much force, which were published in local magazines. He also served on Portland's Transit Equity Advisory Committee. In 2014, Whitten joined cyclists to protest unsafe city roads after a cyclist was killed.

In 2015, while he was a student at Portland State University, Whitten was involved in another incident. He was arrested after complaining about conditions on a Portland streetcar. In 2016, representing Know Your City, he spoke at a Portland City Council meeting. He talked about how important it is for education to be relevant to different cultures.

In 2017, Whitten joined protests against a government order that limited travel from certain countries to the U.S. During one protest, he filmed a violent event, and his video was used in news reports. Whitten was later interviewed about the travel ban by Fox News.

In 2018, Whitten started a group called Brown Hope, which focuses on racial justice. Later that May, Brown Hope held its first event, called Reparations Happy Hour. This event gained a lot of attention from news outlets around the world. Whitten was later interviewed about the event by Fox News.

Working for LGBT Rights

In July 2018, Whitten became the Interim Executive Director of Q Center. This center helps the LGBTQ+ community in Portland. He was hired to help during a change in leadership. Soon after, he accepted an award for the Q Center's work in supporting Portland's LGBTQ+ community. In February 2019, Whitten helped organize an emergency town hall meeting for the LGBTQ2SIA+ community. This happened after several reports of physical attacks against LGBT people in Portland. In June 2019, Whitten started a fundraising campaign that raised over $100,000 to improve the Q Center.

Running for Metro Council in 2020

On January 21, 2020, Whitten announced he was running for Metro Council. He received support from people like US Representative Elizabeth Furse and several Portland city councilors. He left his job at Q Center to focus completely on his campaign.

Personal Life

Whitten identifies as queer.

Past Election Results

See also

• List of LGBT people from Portland, Oregon