Why Aren’t There More Black People in Oregon? A Hidden History

Oregon has a history not only of Black exclusion and discrimination but also of a vibrant Black culture that helped sustain many communities throughout the state — a history that is not taught in schools. Author and educator Walidah Imarisha leads participants through an interactive timeline of Black history in Oregon that speaks to the history of race, identity, and power in this state and the nation.

The West Linn Alliance for Inclusive Community is partnering with Respond to Racism LO, and Mary’s Woods Diversity Task Force to bring Walidah Imarisha to the community on July 23, 2019. The event will be held at the Mary's Woods Campus, Dunn Community Center (Cascadia Hall) from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and is targeted towards the communities of West Linn, Lake Oswego, Wilsonville, and Oregon City. Admission is free, and the public is welcome.

About:

Walidah Imarisha is an educator, writer, public scholar and poet. She is the co-editor of two anthologies including Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories From Social Justice Movements. Imarisha is also the author of Angels with Dirty Faces: Three Stories of Crime, Prison and Redemption, which won a 2017 Oregon Book Award,and the poetry collection Scars/Stars. She spent 6 years with Oregon Humanities’ Conversation Project as a public scholar facilitating programs across the state about Oregon Black history, alternatives to incarceration, and the history of hip hop. She was one of the founders and first editor of the political hip hop magazine AWOL. Imarisha has taught in Stanford University’s Program of Writing and Rhetoric, Pacific Northwest College of the Arts’ Masters in Critical Studies, Portland State University’s Black Studies Department, and Oregon State University’s Women Gender Sexuality Studies Department.

The West Linn Alliance for Inclusive Community (WLAIC) brings together a diverse, non-partisan group of West Linn neighbors working to ensure that all members of our community have equal opportunities to participate in the quality of life that our town offers; that all of our neighbors are safe from hate crimes, abuse or harassment; and that no person or group is subjected to discrimination, bigotry, or prejudice.

Respond to Racism (RtR) is a neighborhood effort to interrupt racism in Lake Oswego, Oregon. RtR seeks to educate and empower Lake Oswego residents and institutions with the tools to end racism in all its forms and make LO — and Oregon — a better place to live for residents of all races and ethnicities.

Mary’s Woods Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) is a thriving community of talented artists, writers, educators, professionals and family folks from across the Northwest and around the nation.