Recently, I sat on a plane headed back from the east coast to Portland and spent some time reflecting on my passion for Oregon. As my flight made its journey, I thought about why I’ve returned again and again, excited and renewed in my commitment to work for social justice in this place we call home.
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I celebrate the wealth of opportunities and events during Black History month, but I know we can do more to gain the full benefit of working together for racial justice.
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Yes, it’s definitely election season. As besieged as I’ve felt with all of the information about what choices I should make on this year’s ballot, I look at the many emails, letters, and postcards I’ve received from organizations and candidates and I find myself inspired. I’ve been reminded by the passion, the energy and the […]
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Those of us who work for social justice have certain moments— ones where we ask ourselves, “Is this conversation really happening? What year is this? Haven’t we moved a bit closer to our vision of justice than this?” We have moments where we confront entrenched bigotry, hatred, and injustice in a way that leaves us […]
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Traveling around Oregon is one of the lost treasures for me; done too infrequently now that I’m back into doing a job that combines multitasking and administration, project management and lots of outreach; listening to, learning from and teaching social justice work within diverse communities. I also push the pen around the page and burn […]
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At a young age, I was developing a powerful sense of where I could be in the world, even though it seemed to conflict with the small, invisible places that others predetermined for me. As an individual, I wanted to make my vision larger and freer than the stereotypes and marginalization that others were comfortable […]
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On Thursday, June 14th, I tried going to bed at a reasonable time but I was too energized – and filled with renewed hope – to sleep. Earlier in the evening, I attended a preview screening of 14: From Dred Scott to Vanessa Lopez, a documentary to be released by Graham Street Productions, producers of […]
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I’m often approached by acquaintances who ask me, “How in the world can you keep at this all the time? Where do you get the energy, find the hope to slog through the highs and lows of this kind of work?” I’m pretty sure they’re really asking, “Why aren’t you doing something simpler, easier […]
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Last fall, when I was the brand-new Executive Director of MRG, my first road trip took me from Portland to Southern Oregon and I wrote about my experience. I’ve now been on the job nearly one year, which made my second trip down the road so pleasing. Everywhere I ventured, I was struck by the consistent […]
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