An Open Letter to the Community:

We, the signers of this letter, have had the privilege to participate in a movement and in
organizations that are deeply dedicated to genuine security and dignity for all, including women.
Together, we strive to foster within our movement the justice and liberation that we seek to manifest
in the world around us. As such, we believe we have a collective responsibility for the wellbeing for
our colleagues and community.

It is in this spirit and with this motivation that we publicly share that we, Andrea Miller, Amanda
Aguilar Shank, Meg Heaton, and Robin Wright have been victims of unwanted sexual advances or of
physical or verbal sexual harassment from Francisco Lopez, former director of Causa Oregon. We
each experienced one or more forms of sexual harassment including but not limited to the following
behaviors: kissing and attempting to kiss, harassment of supervised employees and student interns,
offering permanent employment and a larger salary during the period in which harassment was
occurring, and pressuring to share a bed and/or hotel room while on professional travel. These
unwanted advances occurred between 2008 and 2013. It is our understanding that Francisco left that
post in April 2013 as a direct result of that behavior. We are thankful to Causa for handling the
situation in a professional and decisive manner.

We have recently learned that Francisco is re-emerging into a potentially prominent role in our
community, one that implicitly creates the impression that he is a trusted figure. We are deeply
concerned that such a role will place other women at risk of the behavior we experienced. We
therefore feel compelled to speak out publicly and encourage the community to take actions to
ensure the health and safety of all community members.

Speaking publicly in this manner is something that we hoped not to have to do, but we are resolved
about taking this extraordinary action nonetheless. We make this statement in our personal
capacities and not as representatives of any organization. We do this not to tear down any individual
but to lift up women within our movement. We hope that our example encourages other people to
speak out against sexual harassment whenever it occurs, and to know they will find support like we
have.

As leaders in the community, we believe that sexual harassment undermines womens leadership
and ability to excel in the workplace. Our action of coming out publicly is a step towards building a
more equitable world that allows womens leadership to thrive, and that fosters a movement where
our leadership is treated with equality and respect and when it is violated that it is dealt with fairly.
There is simply no place for such behavior in our workplace, in our community, or in our society.

We appreciate the respect and support offered by many colleagues as we stand together to build
safety, dignity, and justice for women and all members of our community.

With respect,

Andrea Miller, andrea.lei.miller@gmail.com

Amanda Aguilar Shank, amasha00@gmail.com
Meg Heaton
Robin Wright