Writing on the Wall
Enrique Bautista writes about graffiti, belonging, and finding new ways to leave a mark on the world.
Consider This with Dahlia Lithwick
Join us for a conversation about law, justice, and the public interest with Dahlia Lithwick, senior legal correspondent at Slate and host of the Amicus podcast about law and the Supreme Court.
Unpacking Accountability: What Are We Asking For?
Calls for accountability—for our leaders, for people who have caused harm, or for our communities—are common, but what exactly is being sought is often elusive. This one word may mean punishment, and much more. What do you mean when you say “accountability,” and how can we elevate the value of accountability in our communities?
Aron Klein believes in the healing potential of accountability. Through personal relationships, volunteer work, and political advocacy he has accompanied folks on their journeys toward accountability. He is the operations manager at Partnership for Safety & Justice and lives and bicycles throughout Portland.
So Much Together: As Often as the Bold: Fear, Community, Movement, and Change
Fear is central to our human experience, a powerful force that extends beyond our individual lives into political and cultural realms. In an uncertain world, the opportunities for fear to take root and spread are infinite. In this So Much Together workshop, we take a non-judgmental approach to fear, viewing it not as our enemy—but as a catalyst for self-discovery and transformation.
Conversation Project: Music as a Tool for Justice
Liberty and justice for all? In this conversation, we’ll examine what the word “justice” means and examine how it’s applied in Oregon. With the aid of local and national hip hop music videos and lyrics, we will examine the history of our state, legal anti-Blackness, and resistance movements. We will also examine a critical question: Are we closer to or further from justice for all since 2020? Join writer, artist, speaker, and producer Donovan Scribes for an exploration of Oregon as he lets music guide these critical questions and more about the place we live in.
Conversation Project: Music as a Tool for Justice
Liberty and justice for all? In this conversation, we’ll examine what the word “justice” means and examine how it’s applied in Oregon. With the aid of local and national hip hop music videos and lyrics, we will examine the history of our state, legal anti-Blackness, and resistance movements. We will also examine a critical question: Are we closer to or further from justice for all since 2020? Join writer, artist, speaker, and producer Donovan Scribes for an exploration of Oregon as he lets music guide these critical questions and more about the place we live in.
Boarding School Inheritance
Nolan James Briden writes intergenerational trauma and incarceration in this excerpt from Prisons Have a Long Memory: Life Inside Oregon’s Oldest Prison, a collection of writing by prisoners at Oregon State Penitentiary.
Conversation Project: Music as a Tool for Justice
Music is instrumental in shaping a place. It’s one of the most explicitly human things we can experience. COVID-19 has further revealed how key it is in our lives, with every major music festival closing or moving online. In the conversation, we will look at the history of Black musicians in shaping the story of Oregon through the lens of a short documentary and music from a Portland hip hop artist.
Finding a Voice as an Advocate for Others
Sosan Amiri and Rozzell Medina speak about power, justice, education, and community.
Amplify Women
Have you noticed that we don’t hear enough women on the radio in Portland (or nearly anywhere)? For the last 5 years, XRAY has sought to shine a spotlight on these disparities and inequities in the voices we listen to and the perspectives whose media we consume. Since radio is an industry that continues to exclude women and those with intersecting experiences of marginalization, we hold an all-day radio teach-in each year on International Women’s Day.
Consider This: How Do You Reconcile a Lynching?
Join Forest Grove Public Library for a live-streamed Consider This conversation with Taylor Stewart, founder and executive director of the Oregon Remembrance Project. This program will broadcast live on the Forest Grove City Library’s YouTube channel starting at 6:30 p.m.
Conversation Project: Violencia sexual y el significado de la justicia
Las acusaciones de violencia sexual se han vuelto cada vez más públicas en los últimos años, especialmente con el advenimiento del poderoso movimiento #MeToo. La manera en que tratamos las repercusiones de la violencia sexual es muy compleja y continúa siendo debatida acaloradamente. En esta conversación exploraremos los potenciales significados de la justicia, específicamente en instancias de violencia sexual. ¿Quién la define, cómo se logra y cuándo sabemos que la hemos conseguido? Esta conversación se llevará a cabo en español.
Conversation Project: Violencia sexual y el significado de la justicia
Las acusaciones de violencia sexual se han vuelto cada vez más públicas en los últimos años, especialmente con el advenimiento del poderoso movimiento #MeToo. La manera en que tratamos las repercusiones de la violencia sexual es muy compleja y continúa siendo debatida acaloradamente. En esta conversación exploraremos los potenciales significados de la justicia, específicamente en instancias de violencia sexual. ¿Quién la define, cómo se logra y cuándo sabemos que la hemos conseguido?
"Farming Is So Much More than Food"
An interview with Megan Horst of Portland State University on the future of Oregon's food systems. By Dylan Jefferies
Conversation Project: Music as a Tool for Justice
Music is instrumental in shaping a place. It’s one of the most explicitly human things we can experience. COVID-19 has further revealed how key it is in our lives, with every major music festival closing or moving online. In the conversation, we will look at the history of Black musicians in shaping the story of Oregon through the lens of a short documentary and music from a Portland hip hop artist.
People, Places, Things
Tabitha Espina remixes the Oregon Department of Energy’s 2020 statement on climate change and energy in Oregon.
Consider This with David Treuer
On July 15, David Treuer (Ojibwe), author of The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, will join Oregon Humanities for a conversation on land, possession, and justice. The history of the Americas is inextricable from the theft of land from Native people. How should we, in the present, deal with this fact?
I Dream an Oregon
Trying to get Oregonians to invest in antiracism left me frustrated and disillusioned. But I’m still pushing. An essay by Bruce Poinsette
Taking Up Space
Mareshah “MJ” Jackson writes about how the story of Blackness in the outdoors is more than a narrative of tragedy.
Safety, Justice, and Policing
A conversation with Nkenge Harmon Johnson, president and CEO of Urban League of Portland, and activist and data scientist Samuel Sinyangwe, cocreator of Police Scorecard and Mapping Police Violence.
Music as a Tool for Justice
This conversation will dive into the role of music in shaping memories, communities, and justice. Join facilitator Donovan Smith to explore these through an interactive discussion that will include reflections/dissections of an oral history from Portland hip hop legend Cool Nutz.
Sexual Violence and the Meaning of Justice with claire barrera
In this conversation we will explore the potential meanings of justice, specifically in instances of sexual violence. Who defines it, how is it achieved, and when do we know we’ve succeeded?
CANCELED Conversation Project: How Do Our Values Influence Environmental Policy?
Most of us would agree that natural resources and our surrounding environment have value, but what that value is—and how to protect it—are usually up for debate. Given competing interests and visions of the public good, how do we protect our common resources such as land, water, and air? Join philosopher Monica Mueller to explore our environmental values and question how those values are reflected—or not reflected—in current local, national, and global environmental policies.
This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.CANCELED - Conversation Project: It's a Free Country
Ever heard the expression "America: land of the brave and free" or "It's a free country! I can do what I want"? Maybe you think or say these things yourself. But what does it mean to "be free"? Join Ann Su for a conversation that explores the impact of culture on how we define, value, and experience freedom personally and in community. Participants will discuss different questions: Does everyone have access to freedom in the same way? What choices come with freedom and what are the responsibilities that accompany those choices? How does the concept of "freedom" play out in a diverse, democratic society?
This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled.Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Power dynamics influence who benefits from certain cultural experience, and—given the global nature of our world—parts of our individual and cultural identities are shaped by cultures other than our own. How do we make sense of this and what effect does it have on us as individuals and as Oregonians? Facilitator Surabhi Majahan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Beyond Invitation: How Do We Create Inclusive Communities?
Organizations and communities are working to invite broader groups of people to engage in their work as employees, patrons, board members, and donors. Having a statement at the end of a job announcement to encourage communities of color, queer people, and women to apply can be a start, but how do policies, environment, and culture support this invitation? How do they fail to support it? How do you know if a space is inclusive and accessible for all, and is such a goal even possible? What do you do about the tension between people who have different needs to feel included? Join Rachel Bernstein to explore what it takes to make the shift from invitation to inclusion.
It's a Free Country: Exploring the Limitations and Responsibilities of Freedom
Ever heard the expression "America: land of the brave and free" or "It's a free country! I can do what I want"? Maybe you think or say these things yourself. But what does it mean to "be free"? Join Ann Su for a conversation that explores the impact of culture on how we define, value, and experience freedom personally and in community. Participants will discuss different questions: Does everyone have access to freedom in the same way? What choices come with freedom and what are the responsibilities that accompany those choices? How does the concept of "freedom" play out in a diverse, democratic society?
CANCELED - The Space Between Us: Immigrants, Refugees, and Oregon
Global displacement is on the rise, thanks to intractable conflicts, economics, and climate change. Oregonians have and will continue to see the results of international migration in our neighborhoods. In this conversation, Manuel Padilla, who has worked with refugees in Haiti, Chad, and Washington, DC, asks participants to consider questions of uprootedness, hospitality, identity, perception, and integration and how we might build more informed, responsive, resilient, and vibrant communities.
This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled.CANCELED - Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
As individuals and groups, we experience different levels of privilege and power. Recognizing our relationship to oppression can bring feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. How can we hold space for these feelings while also creating conditions for new insights to emerge to deepen our understanding of each other and ourselves? Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives. This conversation will include some hands-on activities. Please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exploring-power-privilege-with-courage-creativity-and-compassion-registration-92806255007
This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled.The Space Between Us: Immigrants, Refugees, and Oregon
Global displacement is on the rise, thanks to intractable conflicts, economics, and climate change. Oregonians have and will continue to see the results of international migration in our neighborhoods. In this conversation, Manuel Padilla, who has worked with refugees in Haiti, Chad, and Washington, DC, asks participants to consider questions of uprootedness, hospitality, identity, perception, and integration and how we might build more informed, responsive, resilient, and vibrant communities. Admission Fee: $5 donation suggested
Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
As individuals and groups, we experience different levels of privilege and power. Recognizing our relationship to oppression can bring feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. How can we hold space for these feelings while also creating conditions for new insights to emerge to deepen our understanding of each other and ourselves? Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives. This conversation will include some hands-on activities.
Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
The Middle Class and Other Stories About Wealth, Status, and Power
Join Oregon Humanities Executive Director Adam Davis for a conversation that explores what we think and how we talk about class in Oregon and the nation. What exactly, for example, is the middle class, who does it include and exclude, and why does it get so much attention? When does talking about class turn into class warfare, or pandering, or simple confusion? To what extent can we talk about class without talking about race, ethnicity, and cultural background? Class is clearly related to wealth and money, but it also involves much more than that, from education to dress to the shows we watch, the words we use, and the clothes we wear. What are the measures and markers that help us recognize class, and to what extent is class useful for seeing our state, our neighbors, and ourselves?
Sentenced for a Season, Punished for Life: How Long Should People Pay for Past Crimes?
Many of us have grown up being told—and believing—that after a person serves their sentence for a crime, their slate is wiped clean. Every possibility exists for them to find a decent job, a decent apartment, a decent car. From there, they can go on to build a decent life. But the truth does not often bear out this scenario. A felony conviction can restrict travel options, licensing options for employment, housing, and financial aid, just to name a few. What does it mean to our society that 8 percent of our overall US population—and 33 percent of African American men—who have felony convictions run into these barriers after they serve time in prison? Join facilitator Pamela Slaughter in a conversation about how this reality affects our communities and what alternatives might look like.
Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Many Oregonians have a vision of a future that includes communities built on values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. At the same time, we live in a society that marginalizes and excludes people of color. Facilitators Traci Price and Anita Yap will lead participants in a conversation that looks at how Oregon’s history of racism influences our present and asks, How can understanding Oregon’s historic and current impacts of racism contribute to our sense of place and vision of the future? How can diversity and inclusion create thriving communities?
Conversation Project: Just a Number
Aging is a life-long experience that is both universal and different for everyone. While most of us agree that people of different generations have wisdom to offer those who are ahead of or behind them in life’s journey, barriers to connection often persist between generations. Many of these barriers are rooted in our ideas about age and aging. Where do these ideas come from, and how do they impede or encourage relationships across generational differences? Independent scholars Jenny Sasser and Simeon Dreyfuss lead an open discussion about how we experience aging in community. How do we acknowledge both the universality of aging and the differences we experience? How do we create meaningful connections with others of different ages and life stages?
CANCELED - Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Power dynamics influence who benefits from certain cultural experience, and—given the global nature of our world—parts of our individual and cultural identities are shaped by cultures other than our own. How do we make sense of this and what effect does it have on us as individuals and as Oregonians? Facilitator Surabhi Majahan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods. This conversation will take place in the program room.
This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled.Conversation Project: It's a Free Country
Ever heard the expression "America: land of the brave and free" or "It's a free country! I can do what I want"? Maybe you think or say these things yourself. But what does it mean to "be free"? Join Ann Su for a conversation that explores the impact of culture on how we define, value, and experience freedom personally and in community. Participants will discuss different questions: Does everyone have access to freedom in the same way? What choices come with freedom and what are the responsibilities that accompany those choices? How does the concept of "freedom" play out in a diverse, democratic society? This event will take place in the program room.
Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
Conversation Project: Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
As individuals and groups, we experience different levels of privilege and power. Recognizing our relationship to oppression can bring feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. How can we hold space for these feelings while also creating conditions for new insights to emerge to deepen our understanding of each other and ourselves? Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives. This conversation will include some hands-on activities. This event will take place at the Multnomah Arts Center in room 30.
Conversation Project: Beyond Invitation
Organizations and communities are working to invite broader groups of people to engage in their work as employees, patrons, board members, and donors. Having a statement at the end of a job announcement to encourage communities of color, queer people, and women to apply can be a start, but how do policies, environment, and culture support this invitation? How do they fail to support it? How do you know if a space is inclusive and accessible for all, and is such a goal even possible? What do you do about the tension between people who have different needs to feel included? Join Rachel Bernstein to explore what it takes to make the shift from invitation to inclusion. This event will take place at the Multnomah Arts Center in room 30.
Conversation Project: Sentenced for a Season, Punished for Life
Many of us have grown up being told—and believing—that after a person serves their sentence for a crime, their slate is wiped clean. Every possibility exists for them to find a decent job, a decent apartment, a decent car. From there, they can go on to build a decent life. But the truth does not often bear out this scenario. A felony conviction can restrict travel options, licensing options for employment, housing, and financial aid, just to name a few. What does it mean to our society that 8 percent of our overall US population—and 33 percent of African American men—who have felony convictions run into these barriers after they serve time in prison? Join facilitator Pamela Slaughter in a conversation about how this reality affects our communities and what alternatives might look like.
Conversation Project: Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
As individuals and groups, we experience different levels of privilege and power. Recognizing our relationship to oppression can bring feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. How can we hold space for these feelings while also creating conditions for new insights to emerge to deepen our understanding of each other and ourselves? Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives. This conversation will include some hands-on activities.
Conversation Project: Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
As individuals and groups, we experience different levels of privilege and power. Recognizing our relationship to oppression can bring feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. How can we hold space for these feelings while also creating conditions for new insights to emerge to deepen our understanding of each other and ourselves? Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives. This conversation will include some hands-on activities. This conversation will take place in the Sellwood Library Meeting Room.
Conversation Project: The Middle Class and Other Stories About Wealth, Status, and Power
Join Oregon Humanities Executive Director Adam Davis for a conversation that explores what we think and how we talk about class in Oregon and the nation. What exactly, for example, is the middle class, who does it include and exclude, and why does it get so much attention? When does talking about class turn into class warfare, or pandering, or simple confusion? To what extent can we talk about class without talking about race, ethnicity, and cultural background? Class is clearly related to wealth and money, but it also involves much more than that, from education to dress to the shows we watch, the words we use, and the clothes we wear. What are the measures and markers that help us recognize class, and to what extent is class useful for seeing our state, our neighbors, and ourselves? This event will take place at PCC Rock Creek Event Center, Section A.
Think & Drink with John Haroldson, Adrienne Nelson, and Shannon Wight
Join us January 22 for an onstage conversation on democracy, justice, and the American court system.
Conversation Project: The Hate We Live In
We live and work among systems that were built on racism. Even people who believe in and work for racial equity are immersed in a culture that silently supports structural oppression, especially anti-Black racism. What does it mean for us as individuals to live and breathe these values from the time we are born? How do we start to see and address our own personal biases? Join facilitator Tyler White for a conversation that will help participants recognize oppression of all kinds and provide tools to combat hate by calling out the injustices present in everyday life. This event will take place at the Riverside Campus in HEC129.
Conversation Project: The Hate We Live In
We live and work among systems that were built on racism. Even people who believe in and work for racial equity are immersed in a culture that silently supports structural oppression, especially anti-Black racism. What does it mean for us as individuals to live and breathe these values from the time we are born? How do we start to see and address our own personal biases? Join facilitator Tyler White for a conversation that will help participants recognize oppression of all kinds and provide tools to combat hate by calling out the injustices present in everyday life. This event will take place at the Redwood Campus Student Center.
Conversation Project: Sentenced for a Season, Punished for Life
Many of us have grown up being told—and believing—that after a person serves their sentence for a crime, their slate is wiped clean. Every possibility exists for them to find a decent job, a decent apartment, a decent car. From there, they can go on to build a decent life. But the truth does not often bear out this scenario. A felony conviction can restrict travel options, licensing options for employment, housing, and financial aid, just to name a few. What does it mean to our society that 8 percent of our overall US population—and 33 percent of African American men—who have felony convictions run into these barriers after they serve time in prison? Join facilitator Pamela Slaughter in a conversation about how this reality affects our communities and what alternatives might look like.
Conversation Project: The Middle Class and Other Stories About Wealth, Status, and Power
Join Oregon Humanities Executive Director Adam Davis for a conversation that explores what we think and how we talk about class in Oregon and the nation. What exactly, for example, is the middle class, who does it include and exclude, and why does it get so much attention? When does talking about class turn into class warfare, or pandering, or simple confusion? To what extent can we talk about class without talking about race, ethnicity, and cultural background? Class is clearly related to wealth and money, but it also involves much more than that, from education to dress to the shows we watch, the words we use, and the clothes we wear. What are the measures and markers that help us recognize class, and to what extent is class useful for seeing our state, our neighbors, and ourselves?
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Many Oregonians have a vision of a future that includes communities built on values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. At the same time, we live in a society that marginalizes and excludes people of color. Facilitators Traci Price and Anita Yap will lead participants in a conversation that looks at how Oregon’s history of racism influences our present and asks, How can understanding Oregon’s historic and current impacts of racism contribute to our sense of place and vision of the future? How can diversity and inclusion create thriving communities?
Saturdays Inside
Madeline Baars Brandt writes about her experience of driving girls to visit their incarcerated mothers.
Think & Drink Portland 2019–20: Making Democracy
Four onstage conversations with activists, writers and civic leaders about how we make decisions together in our communities
Moving Toward a Culture of Consent
Sexual violence is an epidemic that has plagued our communities and gone unaddressed for too long. Within the past year, sexual assault has come to the forefront of the media with the #Metoo movement and political upheaval around the Kavanaugh hearings. The Sexual Assault Resource Center's support line saw an increase in calls of over 166 percent in the week of the Kavanaugh hearings. People need a safe space to discuss sexual violence and move toward its prevention. This program seeks to provide that space with guided discussion around the issues at the root of sexual violence: oppression, gender roles, stigma, and romance. This program is supported by a Public Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
Moving Toward a Culture of Consent
Sexual violence is an epidemic that has plagued our communities and gone unaddressed for too long. Within the past year, sexual assault has come to the forefront of the media with the #Metoo movement and political upheaval around the Kavanaugh hearings. The Sexual Assault Resource Center's support line saw an increase in calls of over 166 percent in the week of the Kavanaugh hearings. People need a safe space to discuss sexual violence and move toward its prevention. This program seeks to provide that space with guided discussion around the issues at the root of sexual violence: oppression, gender roles, stigma, and romance. This program is supported by a Public Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
Moving Toward a Culture of Consent
Sexual violence is an epidemic that has plagued our communities and gone unaddressed for too long. Within the past year, sexual assault has come to the forefront of the media with the #Metoo movement and political upheaval around the Kavanaugh hearings. The Sexual Assault Resource Center's support line saw an increase in calls of over 166 percent in the week of the Kavanaugh hearings. People need a safe space to discuss sexual violence and move toward its prevention. This program seeks to provide that space with guided discussion around the issues at the root of sexual violence: oppression, gender roles, stigma, and romance. This program is supported by a Public Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
Moving Toward a Culture of Consent
Sexual violence is an epidemic that has plagued our communities and gone unaddressed for too long. Within the past year, sexual assault has come to the forefront of the media with the #Metoo movement and political upheaval around the Kavanaugh hearings. The Sexual Assault Resource Center's support line saw an increase in calls of over 166 percent in the week of the Kavanaugh hearings. People need a safe space to discuss sexual violence and move toward its prevention. This program seeks to provide that space with guided discussion around the issues at the root of sexual violence: oppression, gender roles, stigma, and romance. This program is supported by a Public Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
Moving Toward a Culture of Consent
Sexual violence is an epidemic that has plagued our communities and gone unaddressed for too long. Within the past year, sexual assault has come to the forefront of the media with the #Metoo movement and political upheaval around the Kavanaugh hearings. The Sexual Assault Resource Center's support line saw an increase in calls of over 166 percent in the week of the Kavanaugh hearings. People need a safe space to discuss sexual violence and move toward its prevention. This program seeks to provide that space with guided discussion around the issues at the root of sexual violence: oppression, gender roles, stigma, and romance. This program is supported by a Public Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
Conversation Project: It's a Free Country
Ever heard the expression "America: land of the brave and free" or "It's a free country! I can do what I want"? Maybe you think or say these things yourself. But what does it mean to "be free"? Join Ann Su for a conversation that explores the impact of culture on how we define, value, and experience freedom personally and in community. Participants will discuss different questions: Does everyone have access to freedom in the same way? What choices come with freedom and what are the responsibilities that accompany those choices? How does the concept of "freedom" play out in a diverse, democratic society? A $5 donation is encouraged, but not required to attend this event.
Conversation Project: Beyond Invitation
Organizations and communities are working to invite broader groups of people to engage in their work as employees, patrons, board members, and donors. Having a statement at the end of a job announcement to encourage communities of color, queer people, and women to apply can be a start, but how do policies, environment, and culture support this invitation? How do they fail to support it? How do you know if a space is inclusive and accessible for all, and is such a goal even possible? What do you do about the tension between people who have different needs to feel included? Join Rachel Bernstein to explore what it takes to make the shift from invitation to inclusion.
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Global displacement is on the rise, thanks to intractable conflicts, economics, and climate change. Oregonians have and will continue to see the results of international migration in our neighborhoods. In this conversation, Manuel Padilla, who has worked with refugees in Haiti, Chad, and Washington, DC, asks participants to consider questions of uprootedness, hospitality, identity, perception, and integration and how we might build more informed, responsive, resilient, and vibrant communities.
Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
Conversation Project: Why DIY?
Are we as self-sufficient as we can be? As we should be? What are the pleasures and pitfalls of doing it yourself? This conversation investigates why we strive to be makers and doers in a world that provides more conveniences than ever before. How might the “new industrial revolution” of tinkerers and crafters affect American schools and workplaces? How do maker spaces or skills courses foster greater engagement and involvement? What could be left behind when we increase self-sufficiency in a community? All kinds of DIY interests are welcome: we can focus on foraging, permaculture, prepping, woodworking, or hovercraft making—or perhaps all of these at once! Through our shared stories, we will seek to understand more deeply how DIY functions in American life.
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Global displacement is on the rise, thanks to intractable conflicts, economics, and climate change. Oregonians have and will continue to see the results of international migration in our neighborhoods. In this conversation, Manuel Padilla, who has worked with refugees in Haiti, Chad, and Washington, DC, asks participants to consider questions of uprootedness, hospitality, identity, perception, and integration and how we might build more informed, responsive, resilient, and vibrant communities. A $5 donation is suggested. No person will be turned away for lack of funds.
Conversation Project: It's a Free Country
Ever heard the expression "America: land of the brave and free" or "It's a free country! I can do what I want"? Maybe you think or say these things yourself. But what does it mean to "be free"? Join Ann Su for a conversation that explores the impact of culture on how we define, value, and experience freedom personally and in community. Participants will discuss different questions: Does everyone have access to freedom in the same way? What choices come with freedom and what are the responsibilities that accompany those choices? How does the concept of "freedom" play out in a diverse, democratic society?
Conversation Project: The Middle Class and Other Stories About Wealth, Status, and Power
Join Oregon Humanities Executive Director Adam Davis for a conversation that explores what we think and how we talk about class in Oregon and the nation. What exactly, for example, is the middle class, who does it include and exclude, and why does it get so much attention? When does talking about class turn into class warfare, or pandering, or simple confusion? To what extent can we talk about class without talking about race, ethnicity, and cultural background? Class is clearly related to wealth and money, but it also involves much more than that, from education to dress to the shows we watch, the words we use, and the clothes we wear. What are the measures and markers that help us recognize class, and to what extent is class useful for seeing our state, our neighbors, and ourselves?
Conversation Project: Crime and Punishment in Oregon
From prisons and youth correctional facilities to schools and county jails, we’re surrounded by institutions that punish. But why do we punish? Why is punishment sometimes sanctioned by the state? Critics of the “prison industrial complex” argue that our methods and scale of punishment are informed by profit, while tough-on-crime policymakers believe that punishment must be meaningful enough to prevent recidivism and ensure public safety. Are there other ways to punish—such as restorative justice—that may be more effective, reasonable, or desirable? Philosopher and writer Monica Mueller facilitates a conversation around these questions and others regarding our motivation, purpose, and methods of punishment.
Conversation Project: What Does it Mean to Be Good?
Most of us believe we are good people. But if we are all good people, with little room for fallibility, who are the people responsible for supporting structural oppression like racism, sexism, and heterosexism? If we hope to be “good,” what are our moral responsibilities in a society of privilege, power, and oppression? Join facilitator Brittany Wake in a discussion that explores the values associated with how we come to establish ourselves as good people and what that means for our potential complicity in perpetuating marginalization.
Conversation Project: Where Are Queer People Welcome?
A majority of Americans now accept gay and lesbian relationships, but the queer population is made up of a diversity of communities and experiences. Are all queer people accepted, tolerated, and embraced everywhere? Where are we made to feel welcome? Where do we feel unwelcome and unsafe? How do race, language, gender identity, family structure, faith, where we work, and where we live shape how we are seen, welcomed, and accepted? Join facilitator Jill Winsor in a discussion that explores how the complexity of the queer community intersects with the spaces and communities that surround us.
Grant Funded Event: Public Showing of "Circles" Film Followed by Discussion
Resolutions Northwest presents a screening of Circles, a documentary by Cassidy Friedman about the restorative justice work done by Eric Butler, a school counselor in Oakland, California. The screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion that will give parents, educators, and activists who are working toward transformative justice, on small and large scales, an adaptable blueprint to apply in their own lives and in schools. This event is made possible in part by a responsive program grant from Oregon Humanities.
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Global displacement is on the rise, thanks to intractable conflicts, economics, and climate change. Oregonians have and will continue to see the results of international migration in our neighborhoods. In this conversation, Manuel Padilla, who has worked with refugees in Haiti, Chad, and Washington, DC, asks participants to consider questions of uprootedness, hospitality, identity, perception, and integration and how we might build more informed, responsive, resilient, and vibrant communities.
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Global displacement is on the rise, thanks to intractable conflicts, economics, and climate change. Oregonians have and will continue to see the results of international migration in our neighborhoods. In this conversation, Manuel Padilla, who has worked with refugees in Haiti, Chad, and Washington, DC, asks participants to consider questions of uprootedness, hospitality, identity, perception, and integration and how we might build more informed, responsive, resilient, and vibrant communities.
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Global displacement is on the rise, thanks to intractable conflicts, economics, and climate change. Oregonians have and will continue to see the results of international migration in our neighborhoods. In this conversation, Manuel Padilla, who has worked with refugees in Haiti, Chad, and Washington, DC, asks participants to consider questions of uprootedness, hospitality, identity, perception, and integration and how we might build more informed, responsive, resilient, and vibrant communities.
Conversation Project: Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
As individuals and groups, we experience different levels of privilege and power. Recognizing our relationship to oppression can bring feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. How can we hold space for these feelings while also creating conditions for new insights to emerge to deepen our understanding of each other and ourselves? Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives. This conversation will include some hands-on activities.
Conversation Project: Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
As individuals and groups, we experience different levels of privilege and power. Recognizing our relationship to oppression can bring feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. How can we hold space for these feelings while also creating conditions for new insights to emerge to deepen our understanding of each other and ourselves? Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives. This conversation will include some hands-on activities.
Conversation Project: Beyond Invitation
Organizations and communities are working to invite broader groups of people to engage in their work as employees, patrons, board members, and donors. Having a statement at the end of a job announcement to encourage communities of color, queer people, and women to apply can be a start, but how do policies, environment, and culture support this invitation? How do they fail to support it? How do you know if a space is inclusive and accessible for all, and is such a goal even possible? What do you do about the tension between people who have different needs to feel included? Join Rachel Bernstein to explore what it takes to make the shift from invitation to inclusion. This event will take place in Columbia Room 102.
Conversation Project: The Meaning of Climate Change
We live in a time of tremendous transformation as the reality of climate change and its effects on our communities become more apparent with every passing year. While there is still much that can and must be done to mitigate the range of impacts climate change might have, we are confronting the certainty of a crisis that will continue to unfold no matter what we do. What is the meaning of this extraordinary moment in human history? The meanings we construct about climate change affect how we think about it, our feelings about it and our willingness to take action. Portland State University instructor David Osborn leads a discussion exploring different meanings of climate change and how our understanding of meaning relates to action. Admission Fee: $5
Conversation Project: Beyond Invitation
Organizations and communities are working to invite broader groups of people to engage in their work as employees, patrons, board members, and donors. Having a statement at the end of a job announcement to encourage communities of color, queer people, and women to apply can be a start, but how do policies, environment, and culture support this invitation? How do they fail to support it? How do you know if a space is inclusive and accessible for all, and is such a goal even possible? What do you do about the tension between people who have different needs to feel included? Join Rachel Bernstein to explore what it takes to make the shift from invitation to inclusion.
Conversation Project: The Hate We Live In
We live and work among systems that were built on racism. Even people who believe in and work for racial equity are immersed in a culture that silently supports structural oppression, especially anti-Black racism. What does it mean for us as individuals to live and breathe these values from the time we are born? How do we start to see and address our own personal biases? Join facilitator Tyler White for a conversation that will help participants recognize oppression of all kinds and provide tools to combat hate by calling out the injustices present in everyday life.
Conversation Project: What Does it Mean to Be Good?
Most of us believe we are good people. But if we are all good people, with little room for fallibility, who are the people responsible for supporting structural oppression like racism, sexism, and heterosexism? If we hope to be “good,” what are our moral responsibilities in a society of privilege, power, and oppression? Join facilitator Brittany Wake in a discussion that explores the values associated with how we come to establish ourselves as good people and what that means for our potential complicity in perpetuating marginalization.
Conversation Project: It's a Free Country
Ever heard the expression "America: land of the brave and free" or "It's a free country! I can do what I want"? Maybe you think or say these things yourself. But what does it mean to "be free"? Join Ann Su for a conversation that explores the impact of culture on how we define, value, and experience freedom personally and in community. Participants will discuss different questions: Does everyone have access to freedom in the same way? What choices come with freedom and what are the responsibilities that accompany those choices? How does the concept of "freedom" play out in a diverse, democratic society?
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Although Census data show Oregon’s population becoming more racially diverse, the state remains one of the whitest in the nation. Many Oregonians value racial diversity and the dimension and depth it adds to our lives, yet we remain largely isolated from one another and have yet to fulfill the vision of a racially integrated society. Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation about the challenges to creating racially diverse, inclusive communities despite the accomplishments since the civil rights era. What does the racial integration of place require of us, and how might we prepare to create and embrace this opportunity?
Conversation Project: Beyond Invitation
Organizations and communities are working to invite broader groups of people to engage in their work as employees, patrons, board members, and donors. Having a statement at the end of a job announcement to encourage communities of color, queer people, and women to apply can be a start, but how do policies, environment, and culture support this invitation? How do they fail to support it? How do you know if a space is inclusive and accessible for all, and is such a goal even possible? What do you do about the tension between people who have different needs to feel included? Join Rachel Bernstein to explore what it takes to make the shift from invitation to inclusion.
Conversation Project: Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
As individuals and groups, we experience different levels of privilege and power. Recognizing our relationship to oppression can bring feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. How can we hold space for these feelings while also creating conditions for new insights to emerge to deepen our understanding of each other and ourselves? Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives. This conversation will include some hands-on activities.
Conversation Project: Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
As individuals and groups, we experience different levels of privilege and power. Recognizing our relationship to oppression can bring feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. How can we hold space for these feelings while also creating conditions for new insights to emerge to deepen our understanding of each other and ourselves? Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives. This conversation will include some hands-on activities.
Conversation Project: It's a Free Country
Ever heard the expression "America: land of the brave and free" or "It's a free country! I can do what I want"? Maybe you think or say these things yourself. But what does it mean to "be free"? Join Ann Su for a conversation that explores the impact of culture on how we define, value, and experience freedom personally and in community. Participants will discuss different questions: Does everyone have access to freedom in the same way? What choices come with freedom and what are the responsibilities that accompany those choices? How does the concept of "freedom" play out in a diverse, democratic society?
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Although Census data show Oregon’s population becoming more racially diverse, the state remains one of the whitest in the nation. Many Oregonians value racial diversity and the dimension and depth it adds to our lives, yet we remain largely isolated from one another and have yet to fulfill the vision of a racially integrated society. Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation about the challenges to creating racially diverse, inclusive communities despite the accomplishments since the civil rights era. What does the racial integration of place require of us, and how might we prepare to create and embrace this opportunity?
Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
Conversation Project: Beyond Invitation
Organizations and communities are working to invite broader groups of people to engage in their work as employees, patrons, board members, and donors. Having a statement at the end of a job announcement to encourage communities of color, queer people, and women to apply can be a start, but how do policies, environment, and culture support this invitation? How do they fail to support it? How do you know if a space is inclusive and accessible for all, and is such a goal even possible? What do you do about the tension between people who have different needs to feel included? Join Rachel Bernstein to explore what it takes to make the shift from invitation to inclusion. RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSctPXs1pMbZlDuVK5qCaZfYOX1cb2GG9oqXQ3Oe_WWi7wGxhA/viewform
Conversation Project: How Do We Create Equitable Spaces Within Our Public Lands?
The land and waterways of Oregon have always provided for its people and inhabitants, since time immemorial. In the last 200 years, the landscape has changed drastically. What does the past and present mean for the future of our natural lands? And for those who have been removed from these areas? Educator Gabe Sheoships leads a discussion about what a relationship with nature means, how we can provide inclusive and equitable spaces within our public lands and natural areas, and how we can begin to work toward healing relationships with our land. RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-do-we-create-equitable-spaces-within-our-public-lands-tickets-60426434091
Conversation Project: Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
As individuals and groups, we experience different levels of privilege and power. Recognizing our relationship to oppression can bring feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. How can we hold space for these feelings while also creating conditions for new insights to emerge to deepen our understanding of each other and ourselves? Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives. This conversation will include some hands-on activities.
Conversation Project: Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives.
Conversation Project: Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives.
Conversation Project: How Do We Create Equitable Spaces Within Our Public Lands?
The land and waterways of Oregon have always provided for its people and inhabitants, since time immemorial. In the last 200 years, the landscape has changed drastically. What does the past and present mean for the future of our natural lands? And for those who have been removed from these areas? Educator Gabe Sheoships leads a discussion about what a relationship with nature means, how we can provide inclusive and equitable spaces within our public lands and natural areas, and how we can begin to work toward healing relationships with our land.
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Global displacement is on the rise, thanks to intractable conflicts, economics, and climate change. Oregonians have and will continue to see the results of international migration in our neighborhoods. In this conversation, Manuel Padilla, who has worked with refugees in Haiti, Chad, and Washington, DC, asks participants to consider questions of uprootedness, hospitality, identity, perception, and integration and how we might build more informed, responsive, resilient, and vibrant communities.
Conversation Project: Everyone Can Be a Leader
Exploring Nontraditional Community Leadership
Conversation Project: What Does It Mean to Be Good?
Exploring Morality in the Midst of Structural Oppression
Conversation Project: Sentenced for a Season, Punished for Life
How Long Should People Pay for Past Crimes?
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Immigrants, Refugees, and Oregon
Conversation Project: The Hate We Live In
Join facilitator Tyler White for a conversation that will help participants recognize oppression of all kinds and provide tools to combat hate by calling out the injustices present in everyday life.
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
CANCELED: Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Immigrants, Refugees, and Oregon
Conversation Project: What Does It Mean to Be Good?
Exploring Morality in the Midst of Structural Oppression
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Although Census data show Oregon’s population becoming more racially diverse, the state remains one of the whitest in the nation. Many Oregonians value racial diversity and the dimension and depth it adds to our lives, yet we remain largely isolated from one another and have yet to fulfill the vision of a racially integrated society. Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation about the challenges to creating racially diverse, inclusive communities despite the accomplishments since the civil rights era. What does the racial integration of place require of us, and how might we prepare to create and embrace this opportunity?
Conversation Project: Beyond Invitation
Organizations and communities are working to invite broader groups of people to engage in their work as employees, patrons, board members, and donors. Having a statement at the end of a job announcement to encourage communities of color, queer people, and women to apply can be a start, but how do policies, environment, and culture support this invitation? How do they fail to support it? How do you know if a space is inclusive and accessible for all, and is such a goal even possible? What do you do about the tension between people who have different needs to feel included? Join Rachel Bernstein to explore what it takes to make the shift from invitation to inclusion.
Conversation Project: The Middle Class and Other Stories About Wealth, Status, and Power
Join Oregon Humanities Executive Director Adam Davis for a conversation that explores what we think and how we talk about class in Oregon and the nation. What exactly, for example, is the middle class, who does it include and exclude, and why does it get so much attention? When does talking about class turn into class warfare, or pandering, or simple confusion? To what extent can we talk about class without talking about race, ethnicity, and cultural background? Class is clearly related to wealth and money, but it also involves much more than that, from education to dress to the shows we watch, the words we use, and the clothes we wear. What are the measures and markers that help us recognize class, and to what extent is class useful for seeing our state, our neighbors, and ourselves?
Conversation Project: What Does it Mean to Be Good?
Most of us believe we are good people. But if we are all good people, with little room for fallibility, who are the people responsible for supporting structural oppression like racism, sexism, and heterosexism? If we hope to be “good,” what are our moral responsibilities in a society of privilege, power, and oppression? Join facilitator Brittany Wake in a discussion that explores the values associated with how we come to establish ourselves as good people and what that means for our potential complicity in perpetuating marginalization.
Civil Discourse and Civil Resistance
Oregon Humanities’ 2018–19 Think & Drink series examines themes of journalism and justice.
Engagement and Environment
OPAL seeks to bring more voices into conversations about environmental justice.
Peace and Dignity
Mohamed Asem writes about finding community in shared stories of unjust detention in an excerpt from his memoir, Stranger in the Pen.
Bias and Kids: How Do Our Prejudices Affect Our Children?
During our conversation led by Verónika Nuñez and Kyrié Kellett, we will reflect on how our biases—conscious and unconscious—related to gender, race, class, culture, and other traits, shape everything from our subtle interactions with the kids we care for to the way we make political decisions that influence children in our society.
Conversation Project: How Do We Create Equitable Spaces Within Our Public Lands?
Educator Gabe Sheoships leads a discussion about what a relationship with nature means, how we can provide inclusive and equitable spaces within our public lands and natural areas, and how we can begin to work toward healing relationships with our land.
Conversation Project: The Middle Class and Other Stories About Wealth, Status, and Power
Join Oregon Humanities Executive Director Adam Davis for a conversation that explores what we think and how we talk about class in Oregon and the nation. What exactly, for example, is the middle class, who does it include and exclude, and why does it get so much attention? When does talking about class turn into class warfare, or pandering, or simple confusion? To what extent can we talk about class without talking about race, ethnicity, and cultural background? Class is clearly related to wealth and money, but it also involves much more than that, from education to dress to the shows we watch, the words we use, and the clothes we wear. What are the measures and markers that help us recognize class, and to what extent is class useful for seeing our state, our neighbors, and ourselves?
Conversation Project: Bias and Kids
Most people agree that children need healthy, loving, supportive environments to thrive. But, as parents, family members, teachers, neighbors, and voters—how do our biases influence how we interact with the children in our lives and communities? And, how do those biases influence how children perceive themselves and what they will become? During our conversation led by Verónika Nuñez and Kyrié Kellett, we will reflect on how our biases—conscious and unconscious—related to gender, race, class, culture, and other traits, shape everything from our subtle interactions with the kids we care for to the way we make political decisions that influence children in our society.
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Power dynamics influence who benefits from certain cultural experience, and—given the global nature of our world—parts of our individual and cultural identities are shaped by cultures other than our own. How do we make sense of this and what effect does it have on us as individuals and as Oregonians? Facilitator Surabhi Majahan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Conversation Project: How Do We Create Equitable Spaces Within Our Public Lands?
The land and waterways of Oregon have always provided for its people and inhabitants, since time immemorial. In the last 200 years, the landscape has changed drastically. What does the past and present mean for the future of our natural lands? And for those who have been removed from these areas? Educator Gabe Sheoships leads a discussion about what a relationship with nature means, how we can provide inclusive and equitable spaces within our public lands and natural areas, and how we can begin to work toward healing relationships with our land.
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Immigrants, Refugees, and Oregon
Conversation Project: Beyond Invitation
Organizations and communities are working to invite broader groups of people to engage in their work as employees, patrons, board members, and donors. Having a statement at the end of a job announcement to encourage communities of color, queer people, and women to apply can be a start, but how do policies, environment, and culture support this invitation? How do they fail to support it? How do you know if a space is inclusive and accessible for all, and is such a goal even possible? What do you do about the tension between people who have different needs to feel included? Join Rachel Bernstein to explore what it takes to make the shift from invitation to inclusion.
Conversation Project: It's a Free Country
Ever heard the expression "America: land of the brave and free" or "It's a free country! I can do what I want"? Maybe you think or say these things yourself. But what does it mean to "be free"? Join Ann Su for a conversation that explores the impact of culture on how we define, value, and experience freedom personally and in community. Participants will discuss different questions: Does everyone have access to freedom in the same way? What choices come with freedom and what are the responsibilities that accompany those choices? How does the concept of "freedom" play out in a diverse, democratic society?
Conversation Project: White Allyship in Close-knit Communities
What does it mean to be a white ally, especially in close-knit, rural communities? And what does it mean to have the support of white allies? What is needed from white people in our communities to move the conversation about racism—both statewide and nationally—forward in a productive and respectful way? In this conversation led by facilitator Alexis James, participants will have the chance to explore their identities, learn how to acknowledge different lived experiences without alienating friends and neighbors, and move toward action in their own communities. This conversation will set the table for bringing discussions about racism, white culture, and identity to your dining room, living room, and backyard BBQs.
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Immigrants, Refugees, and Oregon
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Acceptance
Shilo Niziolek writes about the impact of Marylhurst University's closure on its students.
Conversation Project: What Does It Mean to Be Good?
Exploring Morality in the Midst of Structural Oppression
Exploring Power and Privilege with Courage, Creativity, and Compassion
Join facilitator Ridhi D’Cruz for a conversation that explores how we face and transform oppression in our everyday lives. This conversation will include some hands-on activities.
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Immigrants, Refugees, and Oregon
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation about the challenges to creating racially diverse, inclusive communities despite the accomplishments since the civil rights era.
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation about the challenges to creating racially diverse, inclusive communities despite the accomplishments since the civil rights era.
Conversation Project: Sentenced for a Season, Punished for Life
What does it mean to our society that 8 percent of our overall US population—and 33 percent of African American men—who have felony convictions run into these barriers after they serve time in prison? Join facilitator Pamela Slaughter in a conversation about how this reality affects our communities and what alternatives might look like.
Conversation Project: Beyond Invitation
How Do We Create Inclusive Communities?
Think & Drink with Danielle Allen
The 2018–19 Think & Drink series on Journalism and Justice continues with a conversation with political theorist Danielle Allen, professor at Harvard University and author of the memoir Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A.
Think & Drink with Omar El Akkad
The 2018–19 Think & Drink series on Journalism and Justice continues with a conversation with reporter and novelist Omar El Akkad, author of American War.
Think & Drink with Les Zaitz, Inara Verzemnieks, and Kimberly A.C. Wilson
An onstage conversation on journalism and justice.
Conversation Project: The Space Between Us
Immigrants, Refugees, and Oregon
Conversation Project: Beyond Invitation
How Do We Create Inclusive Communities?
Conversation Project: How Do Our Values Influence Environmental Policy?
Given competing interests and visions of the public good, how do we protect our common resources such as land, water, and air? Join philosopher Monica Mueller to explore our environmental values and question how those values are reflected—or not reflected—in current local, national, and global environmental policies.
Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
Editor's Note: The Point of the World
Editor Kathleen Holt on children, caution, and turning toward the struggle for justice.
Engaging as Fellow Humans
Tyler White creates conversations for social change.
From the Director: Word Problems
Executive Director Adam Davis on the provocations of language and the search for the right words in a flawed world
Conversation Project: Showing Up
What Does It Mean to Belong to a Community?
Conversation Project: How Do Our Values Influence Environmental Policy?
This conversation explores our environmental values and questions how those values are reflected—or not reflected—in current local, national, and global environmental policies.
Albina Rising
Deonna Anderson writes about how a group in Portland is working to undo the harm of urban renewal and heal the wounds of a community.
Never Paid in Full
April Slabosheski on what Holocaust reparations can teach us about seemingly immeasurable debts
Think & Drink with Rinku Sen
Deschutes Public Library, Oregon Humanities, and OSU-Cascades Diversity Committee present a Think & Drink conversation on racial justice and democracy in the twenty-first century with Rinku Sen, author of Stir It Up: Lessons in Community Organizing and The Accidental American: Immigration and Citizenship in the Age of Globalization..
Conversation Project: Showing Up
Join facilitator Chi Mei Tam in this conversation to explore what it means to be part of a community. What does it looks like when community shows up for you and vice versa? How does it work? To what extent are shared values and identities in our community enough or not enough to help us thrive?
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Facilitator Surabhi Mahajan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Facilitators Anita Yap and Traci Price will lead participants in a conversation that looks at how Oregon’s history of racism influences our present and asks, How can understanding historic and current impacts of racism in Oregon contribute to our sense of place and vision of the future?
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Facilitator Surabhi Mahajan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Conversation Project: Showing Up
Join facilitator Chi Mei Tam in this conversation to explore what it means to be part of a community. What does it looks like when community shows up for you and vice versa? How does it work? To what extent are shared values and identities in our community enough or not enough to help us thrive?
Conversation Project: How Do Our Values Influence Environmental Policy?
This conversation explores our environmental values and question how those values are reflected—or not reflected—in current policies.
Conversation Project: Crime and Punishment in Oregon
This conversation explores why and how we punish and asks, are there other ways that are more effective, reasonable, or desireable?
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Facilitator Surabhi Mahajan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Conversation Project: Keeping Tabs on America
Surveillance and You
Conversation Project: Keeping Tabs on America
Surveillance and You
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Facilitator Surabhi Mahajan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Facilitator Surabhi Mahajan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Many Oregonians value racial diversity and the dimension and depth it adds to our lives, yet we remain largely isolated from one another and have yet to fulfill the vision of a racially integrated society. Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation that explores some of the causes of this continued isolation and the differences of experience between Oregonians of different races.
Film screening: No Man's Land
The High Desert Museum presents a screening of David Byars' documentary about the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, followed by a facilitated discussion. This program is made possible in part by a Responsive Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation that explores the differences of experience between Oregonians of different races, such as institutional racism, white privilege, and unconscious bias.
Whose Land?
The High Desert Museum presents a community conversation about public lands. This program is made possible in part by a Responsive Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
Conversation Project: What Does it Mean to be Good?
Exploring Morality in the Midst of Structural Oppression
Conversation Project: Keeping Tabs on America
Surveillance and You
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Facilitator Surabhi Mahajan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Facilitator Surabhi Mahajan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Malheur Reflections, Two Years Later
A discussion of the Malheur occupuation, restoration, and public lands in Oregon. This program is made possible in part by a Responsive Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
Think & Drink on Criminal Justice Alternatives
Join us for a conversation about alternative systems of justice with two people who have dedicated their careers to reforming the one we have now: Novelist and former criminal investigator Rene Denfeld; David Rogers, executive director of ACLU of Oregon; and Bobbin Singh, executive director of Oregon Justice Resource Center.
Think & Drink with Rinku Sen and Mary Li
The 2017–18 Think & Drink series on race, power, and justice concludes with a conversation with Rinku Sen. Sen is a senior strategist for Race Forward, a national organization that advances racial justice through research, media and practice, and a contributing writer for the organization’s daily news site, Colorlines.
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation that explores some of the causes of this continued isolation and the differences of experience between Oregonians of different races—such as institutional racism, white privilege, and unconscious bias.
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation that explores some of the causes of this continued isolation and the differences of experience between Oregonians of different races—such as institutional racism, white privilege, and unconscious bias.
Conversation Project: What Does It Mean to Be Good?
Exploring Morality in the Midst of Structural Oppression
Conversation Project: What Does It Mean to Be Good?
Exploring Morality in the Midst of Structural Oppression
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation that explores some of the causes of this continued isolation and the differences of experience between Oregonians of different races—such as institutional racism, white privilege, and unconscious bias.
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Editor's Note: Chipping Away
Kathleen Holt on eroding the system of patriarchal oppression as a parent.
Protecting Inequality
Anoop Mirpuri on the economic causes of racist policing
To Heart Mountain
Alice Hardesty travels to see the site of a World War II prison camp that her father designed.
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Facilitator Surabhi Mahajan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Facilitator Surabhi Mahajan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Facilitator Surabhi Mahajan will lead us in a conversation to explore cultural appropriation beyond who’s “allowed” to wear certain clothing or cook particular foods.
Conversation Project: Keeping Tabs on America
Surveillance and You
Conversation Project: Keeping Tabs on America
Surveillance and You
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Conversation Project: How Do Our Values Influence Environmental Policy?
Given competing interests and visions of the public good, how do we protect our common resources such as land, water, and air? Join philosopher Monica Mueller to explore our environmental values and question how those values are reflected—or not reflected—in current local, national, and global environmental policies.
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Conversation Project: What Does it Mean to Be Good?
Exploring Morality in the Midst of Structural Oppression
Conversation Project: Keeping Tabs on America
Surveillance and You
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
What systems are in place to prevent the racial integration and equity many of us strive for? Knowing what we do, how do we act—as individuals and communities—to embrace the opportunity presented by a more diverse Oregon?
Place Justice: Making a Place for Everyone
City Repair presents a conversation with Portland activists and community leaders on reclaiming place in a rapidly developing and segregating city.
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
Finding Home at the Mims
From the 1940s to '60s, the Mims House was a safe place to stay for African Americans traveling through Oregon. Now it’s a gathering place for the Black community in Eugene. Video by Nisha Burton.
My Brother's Keeper: "Homeless in America"
This fall, Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario will present "My Brother's Keeper," a series of eight documentary film screenings exploring the lives of marginalized peoples and issues such as mental health, addiction, and mass incarceration. Each screening will be followed by a presentation and Q&A session by a local nonprofit or government agency.
My Brother's Keeper: "Kicked Out"
This fall, Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario will present "My Brother's Keeper," a series of eight documentary film screenings exploring the lives of marginalized peoples and issues such as mental health, addiction, and mass incarceration. Each screening will be followed by a presentation and Q&A session by a local nonprofit or government agency.
My Brother's Keeper: "Where to Invade Next" and "Maximum Capacity"
This fall, Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario will present "My Brother's Keeper," a series of eight documentary film screenings exploring the lives of marginalized peoples and issues such as mental health, addiction, and mass incarceration. Each screening will be followed by a presentation and Q&A session by a local nonprofit or government agency.
My Brother's Keeper: "The Anonymous People"
This fall, Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario will present "My Brother's Keeper," a series of eight documentary film screenings exploring the lives of marginalized peoples and issues such as mental health, addiction, and mass incarceration. Each screening will be followed by a presentation and Q&A session by a local nonprofit or government agency.
Conversation Project: How Do Our Values Influence Environmental Policy?
Join philosopher Monica Mueller to explore our environmental values and question how those values are reflected—or not reflected—in current local, national, and global environmental policies.
Conversation Project: Crime and Punishment in Oregon
From prisons and youth correctional facilities to schools and county jails, we’re surrounded by institutions that punish. But why do we punish? Why is punishment sometimes sanctioned by the state? Are there other ways to punish—such as restorative justice—that may be more effective, reasonable, or desirable?
Conversation Project: What Is Cultural Appropriation?
Issues of cultural appropriation and identity are complicated. Power dynamics influence who benefits from certain cultural experience, and—given the global nature of our world—parts of our individual and cultural identities are shaped by cultures other than our own. How do we make sense of this and what effect does it have on us as individuals and as Oregonians?
Conversation Project: Race and Place
Racism and Resilience in Oregon's Past and Future
People Aren’t Illegal
Photographer Ezra Marcos Ayala reflects on the making of “To Live More Free”
Think & Drink
A conversation focusing on race, power, and justice
Who is Not at the Table?
Filmmaker Ifanyi Bell reflects on the making of “Future: Portland 2”
Vanport Mosaic Festival
Theater, documentaries, historic exhibits, lectures, and tours will explore will explore the history and legacy of Vanport. Oregon Humanities is a cosponsor of this event.
Conversation Project: Mind the Gaps
How Gender Shapes Our Lives
Conversation Project: Understanding Disability
Family and Community Stories
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation that explores some of the causes of this continued isolation and the differences of experience between Oregonians of different races—such as institutional racism, white privilege, and unconscious bias.
POSTPONED Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation that explores some of the causes of this continued isolation and the differences of experience between Oregonians of different races—such as institutional racism, white privilege, and unconscious bias.
Conversation Project: Are International Trade Agreements Good for Oregon?
Oregonians have been active and vocal participants in global debates over trade since the creation of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Lawyer and researcher Michael Fakhri will lead participants in a conversation about how we assess the value of international trade agreements.
Conversation Project: Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon
Many Oregonians value racial diversity and the dimension and depth it adds to our lives, yet we remain largely isolated from one another and have yet to fulfill the vision of a racially integrated society. Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation that explores some of the causes of this continued isolation and the differences of experience between Oregonians of different races—such as institutional racism, white privilege, and unconscious bias.
Conversation Project: Mind the Gaps
How Gender Shapes Our Lives
Conversation Project: Mind the Gaps
How Gender Shapes our Lives
Conversation Project: Understanding Disability
Family and Community Stories
Conversation Project: Keeping Tabs on America
Surveillance and You
Conversation Project: Keeping Tabs on America
Surveillance and You
Conversation Project: Mind the Gaps
How Gender Shapes our Lives
Conversation Project: Mind the Gaps
How Gender Shapes our Lives
"Mothering Inside" Screening and Panel Discussion
Free screening of the documentary Mothering Inside about the effects of incarceration on families
Conversation Project: The Purpose of Prison
What is Punishment for?
Conversation Project: Mind the Gaps
How Gender Shapes our Lives
Conversation Project: Mind the Gaps
How Gender Shapes our Lives
Within Makeshift Walls
Author Eric Gold on the Portland Expo Center’s era as a prison for Japanese Americans during World War II.
A Tremendous Force of Will
A conversation about the Great Migration's and the civil right movement with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Isabel Wilkerson
Stolen Land and Borrowed Dollars
Creative resistance bloomed in the lead up to the Vancouver Olympics. An excerpt from Power Games: A Political History of the Olympics by Jules Boykoff
Conversation Project: Keeping Tabs on America
Surveillance and You
My North Star
How Mumia Abu-Jamal Led Me to Activism. An essay by Walidah Imarisha
Trademark Offense
Bandleader Simon Tam explains his fight to trademark his band’s name, “The Slants.” Tam recently argued his case before the US Supreme Court. He won.
A Return Passage
Reporter Putsata Reang and photographer Kim Nguyen share their stories of leaving their home countries as refugees, meeting as students at the University of Oregon, and returning to Southeast Asia as journalists. A film produced by Dawn Jones for Oregon Humanities.
Full Circle
Two journalists return to their native countries to help other journalists express dissent.
Magazine Podcast: Quandary
Talking about Ferguson, feminism, and filling out forms with Oregon Humanities magazine contributors
The Late Show
Journalist Nigel Duara on the media becoming part of the story in the 2014 protests in Ferguson, Missouri.
Feel-Good Feminism
Bitch Media cofounder Andi Zeisler wonders if feminism's pop-culture cachet has doomed the movement.
Boxed In
Writer Wendy Willis ponders which race to check and which people to leave behind when asked about her racial and ethnic background.
What It Means to Say Portland
Mitchell S. Jackson on the experience of growing up Black in North and Northeast Portland.
Monstrousness of Empathy
When a private tragedy becomes public property. An essay by Nancy Rommelmann
Food Forward
Robert Paarlberg on the history of the Green Revolution and the future of global food production
Against Custom
The first peace advocates imagined a new story for the United States. An essay by Margot Minardi