Biographical Note
Annabelle Jaramillo earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from
Portland State University and worked as a research botanist for the USDA
Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station at the Forestry Sciences
Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, from 1974 until 1987. Jaramillo served as
President of National Image Inc., a national Hispanic civil rights
organization, as well as the Executive Director of the Oregon Commission on
Hispanic Affairs. From 1995 to 2000, she served as Oregon Governor John
Kitzhaber's Citizen's Representative. Her office responded to citizen concerns
and she was part of the Governor's senior staff. In 1997, Kitzhaber named
Jaramillo to the National Environmental Justice Advisory Board (NEJAC), an EPA
body that assists federal agencies in the development of environmental justice
strategies. Jaramillo's service with NEJAC ended in 2001.
Jaramillo was elected as a Benton County (Oregon) Commissioner in 2000
and 2004.
Content Description
The Annabelle E. Jaramillo Papers document Jaramillo's undergraduate and
graduate education at Portland State University; her work as a research
botanist with the US Forest Service; her membership on the Oregon Commission on
Hispanic Affairs and presidency of the National Image, Inc., an Hispanic
advocacy organization; and her membership on the National Environmental Justice
Advisory Council (NEJAC).
The NEJAC materials represent about a third of the collection and
include correspondence, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, notes,
publications, and reports. Consisting primarily of informational materials
generated by and distributed to NEJAC members, the records document the impact
of industrial pollution on minority communities and legal tools and strategies
designed to prevent future environmental problems in residential areas from
chemical and waste plants. Some of the these records originate from Jaramillo's
participation in the NEJAC Air and Water Subcommittee. Materials pertaining to
Jaramillo's service with the Oregon Governor's Environmental Justice Advisory
Board and clippings about political and environmental issues in Oregon are also
included.
The remainder of the Jaramillo Papers consist of reference materials
assembled by Jaramillo and records of her graduate thesis research. The
reference files include US Forest Service publications, article reprints,
correspondence, grant proposals, and maps; political campaign records; and
publications and reports pertaining to women and minorities in science and
business, the OSU Minority Action Plan, and Hispanic advocacy.
Materials related to Jaramillo's graduate thesis research on mistletoe
include her research notes, thesis drafts, biological specimens,
correspondence, an article reprint, and photographs (130 prints, 119 negatives,
and 47 slides).