Name: Oregon's Black History: 450 Years in 45 Minutes
Start: 2024-10-05T11:00:00-07:00
Location: BMCC Pioneer Hall

Oregon's Black History: 450 Years in 45 Minutes

Presented By: Mariah Rocker, Public Programs and Exhibits Manager at Oregon Black Pioneers
People of African descent have lived and worked in Oregon since before the founding of the earliest English-speaking settlements in the Americas. Despite this, the popular narrative of our state's history excludes the experiences of African Americans before the mid-20th century. This erasure is the result of historic legal and social marginalization that contributes to the ignorance of Oregon's Black heritage, as well as influences contemporary disparities in housing access, community investment, and policing.
For this presentation, Oregon Black Pioneers will attempt to correct the record by highlighting key individuals and events that characterize Oregon's unique and centuries-old Black history.
Following this event attendees are invited to travel to the Pendleton Public Library where an exhibit featuring Oregon Black Pioneers will be housed for one month.