Events & Opportunities
July 29, 2026
Pleading the Fifth: A Conversation About Self and Liberty
The Fifth Amendment has long been hailed as the ultimate safeguard of individual civil liberty against the authoritarian power of the state. It gives us the right to “due process of law” when charged with a crime. It protects us from “double jeopardy" or being prosecuted twice for the same crime. And it says we cannot be forced to incriminate ourselves, giving us the right not to answer questions that would suggest we have committed a crime. Do we still value the guarantees of the Fifth Amendment today? It is supposed to protect us from being forced to bear witness against ourselves. Can a person be truly safe from themselves in this place and time?
6:00 p.m., Bethany Library Annex, Portland
July 29, 2026
To What Do We Pledge?
While the opening of the Declaration of Independence gets the fanfare and the fireworks—“When in the course of human events” and all that—the closing clause contains a quiet promise: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” When we talk about the founding, we often think of it as a severing from a distant power and a proclamation of individual rights. And yet, buried in that big individualistic origin story, there is a pledge of support, solidarity, and mutual aid. Today, as we witness political violence, hostility, and polarization, this conversation invites us to explore what it means for us to be bound to one another and to ask ourselves: Is there any idea, any value, any dream for the future that we care about enough to tie ourselves to one another to protect or pursue it? What would it mean to “mutually pledge” ourselves to one another today? What would it look like? Feel like? Is it even possible?
Facilitator Wendy Willis is the founding director of Oregon's Kitchen Table, a statewide community engagement program housed at Portland State University. She is also a poet, an essayist, a stitcher, and a self-proclaimed democracy geek. Wendy was raised in Springfield, but now lives with her family in Portland.
6:00 p.m., Central Library at Stevens Ranch, Bend
July 30, 2026
Investigating the Consent of the Governed
The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence states that governments are instituted among people and that governments “derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.” What does any of this mean today? In this conversation, we will explore what it means to grant consent to the government and what it might mean to take it away.
This event will take place in the Grace Scatterday Room.
6:30 p.m., Dallas Public Library, Dallas
August 2, 2026
What Does It Mean to Be American?
This conversation will explore when and how we define ourselves as an “American.” Does knowing the Constitution make us American? Does living on land controlled by the United States of America make us American? Through conversation and nonverbal exploration, we will share what “American” means to us individually and within the communities we belong to or came from, and what perspectives shaped our understanding of American identity and who is included in “We the People.”
2:00 p.m., Oregon Jewish Museum & Center for Holocaust Education, Portland
August 6, 2026
Monuments and Memorials: Who, What, Where, When, and Why?
As long as humans have sought to honor the present and remember times past, we have built monuments and memorials. Our traditions around monuments and memorials have changed over time. Today, each monument prompts many questions: What should be remembered, and why? How should it be remembered? Where should a monument or memorial be built, and when? And who gets to decide? Most of us rarely get a say in how people and events are memorialized. What monuments or memorials would you like to see in your personal life, home, or local community? How can communities celebrate the ideas and values that are important to them together?
2:30 p.m., Lake Oswego Adult Community Center, Lake Oswego
August 13, 2026
To What Do We Pledge?
While the opening of the Declaration of Independence gets the fanfare and the fireworks—“When in the course of human events” and all that—the closing clause contains a quiet promise: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” When we talk about the founding, we often think of it as a severing from a distant power and a proclamation of individual rights. And yet, buried in that big individualistic origin story, there is a pledge of support, solidarity, and mutual aid. Today, as we witness political violence, hostility, and polarization, this conversation invites us to explore what it means for us to be bound to one another and to ask ourselves: Is there any idea, any value, any dream for the future that we care about enough to tie ourselves to one another to protect or pursue it? What would it mean to “mutually pledge” ourselves to one another today? What would it look like? Feel like? Is it even possible?
Facilitator Wendy Willis is the founding director of Oregon's Kitchen Table, a statewide community engagement program housed at Portland State University. She is also a poet, an essayist, a stitcher, and a self-proclaimed democracy geek. Wendy was raised in Springfield, but now lives with her family in Portland.
6:00 p.m., Cedar Mill Community Library, Portland
September 10, 2026
Migration: Changes and Transformation—What Changes and What Stays
Change is a natural part of life, but changes brought about by migration are particularly deep and complex. People who leave behind their country, their people, and part of their history have their lives radically transformed. This conversation is for immigrants. We want to offer a space where we can share our experiences and reflect together about the changes we have made since we left our native homes, what brought us to the place we live now, and the transformation we went through over this process. We will reflect on what happens to our roots, customs, and culture once we migrate and share our thoughts and needs.
Cristina was born in Barcelona, Spain. Her parents migrated from the south to the northeast of the country. She grew up speaking two languages and learned how to love both cultures. She became an acupuncturist and Shiatsu specialist and taught Shiatsu and Chinese Medicine for ten years. She also joined many musical groups and performed in weddings and bars for twelve years. She met her husband during a sabbatical year in South America and moved to the US soon after. She worked as a Latino Family Liaison for three years, and she and her husband co-founded PIE (Purpose in Expenses), a new way to give back to our global community. Cristina founded BENDitas, a collective that promotes culture in Spanish in her beloved Bend community. She has had to change many things since she moved to the United States in 2011, but her pride in being Spanish has never changed.
5:30 p.m., Latino Community Association Bend Office, Bend
September 17, 2026
Past and Future Cultural Lifeways of Western Oregon Tribes
The Willamette Valley is rich with history that has been largely unrecorded—its riverbanks, forests, and mountains have been home to the tribes of Kalapuya, Chinook, Molalla, and more for thousands of years. Please join us for a presentation by OSU Professor and Indigenous scholar David Lewis, who will highlight Native perspectives on the history of the region and take us through a journey from then to now. Dr. Lewis is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and author of the book Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley.
7:00 p.m., Beaverton City Library, Beaverton
September 19, 2026
Civicus: What Does It Mean to Be a Citizen?
In the United States, most people would say they believe in democracy. But do we all understand the word in the same way? Where does the concept of democracy come from, and what makes “the rule of the people” work? This conversation will dig into the history, philosophy, and practical workings of democracy. We’ll look at the words of important political thinkers from the past, the US Constitution, and research on challenges to democracy in the present day. We’ll leave with a better sense of what we mean when we say democracy and how to participate in the democratic process locally and nationally.
11:00 a.m., Grants Pass Library, Grants Pass
September 23, 2026
To What Do We Pledge?
While the opening of the Declaration of Independence gets the fanfare and the fireworks—“When in the course of human events” and all that—the closing clause contains a quiet promise: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” When we talk about the founding, we often think of it as a severing from a distant power and a proclamation of individual rights. And yet, buried in that big individualistic origin story, there is a pledge of support, solidarity, and mutual aid. Today, as we witness political violence, hostility, and polarization, this conversation invites us to explore what it means for us to be bound to one another and to ask ourselves: Is there any idea, any value, any dream for the future that we care about enough to tie ourselves to one another to protect or pursue it? What would it mean to “mutually pledge” ourselves to one another today? What would it look like? Feel like? Is it even possible?
Facilitator Wendy Willis is the founding director of Oregon's Kitchen Table, a statewide community engagement program housed at Portland State University. She is also a poet, an essayist, a stitcher, and a self-proclaimed democracy geek. Wendy was raised in Springfield, but now lives with her family in Portland.
6:00 p.m., Eugene Public Library, Eugene