Growing up in Oklahoma in the late fifties, Linda Banks experienced racism firsthand. She was called ugly names and barred from white restaurants, churches and schools. But her parents were activists who worked for integration and equality — and that’s what stuck with her.
They attempted to enroll their children in an all-white school with up-to-date educational materials and better opportunities, but to no avail.
“They would also take us periodically to churches where we were the only black family,” she remembers. “There was fear in doing that, but my parents were very courageous. They instilled in us a love for our country and for building equality where we can.”
Banks has spent her adult life demonstrating how ingrained that ethic is.
A specialist in human resources at PGE, she creates and organizes many of the company’s diversity programs, including Diversity Summit 2011, a regional training event that featured Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Marlee Maitlin.
She’s the first point of contact for any employee who may have an Equal Employment Opportunity concern. “Thankfully,” she says, “I don’t get those often.”
Banks also tracks company performance against affirmative action goals. And she’s a key player on the PGE committee that promotes diversity through efforts like employee education, minority recruiting outreach and community events.
And that’s just her professional life.
A life of service
In her spare time, Banks has developed a support group for single parents, feeds homeless families at her church, participated in a month-long peace conference in Switzerland, and volunteers with the World English Institute to help Asian and African students learn English, tutoring them via the Internet.
She’s been active with Oregon Uniting and Uniting to Understand Racism since 2000 and as a volunteer for the Multicultural Resource Center for the World Affairs Council. This work has won her awards within PGE and the community at large (see sidebar), but that’s not why she does it.
“Our parents taught all of their children to do our part to promote unity, peace and love in whatever our realm is,” she explains. “These are the ways I feel I can do that.”
Passing the baton
That legacy continues in Banks’ three grown children, who help in their own ways to spread understanding and tolerance. “As Martin Luther King, Jr. passed the baton to all of us,” she says, “my parents passed it to me, and I’ve passed it on to my children.”