Black History Month is an opportunity for all of us to reexamine the history of black people in Oregon. Making an effort to understand the history of the place you call home is, in and of itself, an act of love as it honors those who came before you.
Educating yourself about the past of your community is also a way of imagining yourself into the lives of people who have lived different experiences than you. If we hope for a just society, we must begin by understanding one another and understanding how we got to where we are today as a community.
Here are a couple wonderful resources, made right here in Oregon, to help you explore Oregon's black history and understand it within the context of the history of the United States:
Learn about Civil Rights in Oregon from OPB's documentary Lift Ev'ry Voice>>