Events & Opportunities
July 8, 2026
Tough Shit with Oregon Humanities
Tough Shit is an onstage conversation about the most challenging questions Portlanders are facing. We’ll bring together four people with very different experiences of and perspectives on the city to talk through some shit with help from the audience and a moderator. The questions will be tough, and this shit will not be resolved in one night; We expect to leave with more questions than answers, plus some renewed hope for the future. And if not, well….
This event is presented in partnership with the Tomorrow Theater. Tickets are available at tomorrowtheater.org.
7:00 p.m., Tomorrow Theater, Portland
July 8, 2026
Conversation Project: Are You Doing Community Wrong?
We all belong to many communities—that is, groups of people with common interests—depending on where we live, the work we do, how we spend our leisure time, political and religious beliefs, and so on. In some communities, finding agreement is easy; in others, especially those that represent many different experiences and points of view, members must work harder to find commonality. It may be easier to find a location for your next book-club meeting than to achieve consensus about a road project at your neighborhood association. In such contexts, are we “doing” community wrong? Are we celebrating diverse points of view and our common effort to find solutions together? If not, why not? What stops us from engaging in more diverse communities?
12:30 p.m., Studio GO: pdx, Portland
August 2, 2026
What Does It Mean to Be American?
This conversation will explore when and how we define ourselves as an “American.” Does knowing the Constitution make us American? Does living on land controlled by the United States of America make us American? Through conversation and nonverbal exploration, we will share what “American” means to us individually and within the communities we belong to or came from, and what perspectives shaped our understanding of American identity and who is included in “We the People.”
2:00 p.m., Oregon Jewish Museum & Center for Holocaust Education, Portland
August 13, 2026
To What Do We Pledge?
While the opening of the Declaration of Independence gets the fanfare and the fireworks—“When in the course of human events” and all that—the closing clause contains a quiet promise: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” When we talk about the founding, we often think of it as a severing from a distant power and a proclamation of individual rights. And yet, buried in that big individualistic origin story, there is a pledge of support, solidarity, and mutual aid. Today, as we witness political violence, hostility, and polarization, this conversation invites us to explore what it means for us to be bound to one another and to ask ourselves: Is there any idea, any value, any dream for the future that we care about enough to tie ourselves to one another to protect or pursue it? What would it mean to “mutually pledge” ourselves to one another today? What would it look like? Feel like? Is it even possible?
Facilitator Wendy Willis is the founding director of Oregon's Kitchen Table, a statewide community engagement program housed at Portland State University. She is also a poet, an essayist, a stitcher, and a self-proclaimed democracy geek. Wendy was raised in Springfield, but now lives with her family in Portland.
6:00 p.m., Cedar Mill Community Library, Portland
October 4, 2026
To What Do We Pledge?
While the opening of the Declaration of Independence gets the fanfare and the fireworks—“When in the course of human events” and all that—the closing clause contains a quiet promise: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” When we talk about the founding, we often think of it as a severing from a distant power and a proclamation of individual rights. And yet, buried in that big individualistic origin story, there is a pledge of support, solidarity, and mutual aid. Today, as we witness political violence, hostility, and polarization, this conversation invites us to explore what it means for us to be bound to one another and to ask ourselves: Is there any idea, any value, any dream for the future that we care about enough to tie ourselves to one another to protect or pursue it? What would it mean to “mutually pledge” ourselves to one another today? What would it look like? Feel like? Is it even possible?
Facilitator Wendy Willis is the founding director of Oregon's Kitchen Table, a statewide community engagement program housed at Portland State University. She is also a poet, an essayist, a stitcher, and a self-proclaimed democracy geek. Wendy was raised in Springfield, but now lives with her family in Portland.
11:30 a.m., Oregon Jewish Museum & Center for Holocaust Education, Portland
October 7, 2026
Otherness as a Gateway to Empowerment and Empathy
Otherness is the state of being different from the members of a group. Whether we are talking about us mammals, us Oregonians, or us bird-watchers, anyone who is not part of us is part of the other. How does otherness shape our sense of identity and our perception of others? In this conversation, we will reflect on our personal experiences of belonging to uncover the universality of otherness and examine how we can use empathy to bridge the divides in isolated communities and foster the acceptance of diverse voices. This exploration of otherness aims to cultivate empathy for both ourselves and others, leading to a more inclusive understanding of our identities and those around us as well as exploring otherness as a form of strength and our own uniqueness.
6:00 p.m., Cedar Mill Community Library, Portland
October 8, 2026
What Does It Mean to Be American?
This conversation will explore when and how we define ourselves as an “American.” Does knowing the Constitution make us American? Does living on land controlled by the United States of America make us American? Through conversation and nonverbal exploration, we will share what “American” means to us individually and within the communities we belong to or came from, and what perspectives shaped our understanding of American identity and who is included in “We the People.”
Facilitator Chisao Hata is a performing artist, educator, and arts integration specialist. She has been called a “community weaver” through facilitation, community engagement and creating artistic collaborations. She has been a protector of imagination and personal discovery and a champion for individual expression. Creating engaged learning is her life’s work. She has had the honor of serving hundreds of Portland’s children, youth, and adults across many communities. Chisao believes we are all inextricably linked, and the power of gathering is a conduit to build and heal our understandings between our communities.
6:30 p.m., Oregon Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Grand Hall, Portland
October 8, 2026
Reflective Conversation Training (in-person)
During this in-person facilitation training, participants will:
- learn about facilitation and reflective conversation
- have an opportunity to practice new skills and techniques
- reflect on and share your own beliefs and assumptions and listen to beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences different than your own
- design and participate in reflective conversations and debriefs that analyze facilitation tools and choices.
This training will take place in the Oregon Humanities office in Portland (610 SW Alder St., Suite 1111) over the following days:
- Day 1: Thursday, October 8, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Day 2: Friday, October 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
To register for the October in-person training, click here.
In-person trainings are limited to the first twelve to sixteen people to sign up. Over the course of two days, we’ll spend our time together talking in large and small groups, in small to mid-sized rooms. We’ll provide coffee and tea and a light lunch on both days.
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Oregon Humanities, Portland