May 16, 2026

Science, Religion, and Public Policy

This conversation will look at issues where scientific findings, religious beliefs, and policy decisions meet and sometimes conflict, such as climate change, medical ethics, and public health. In small groups, we will talk about how our beliefs affect the way we think about these issues, sharing our perspectives and listening to one another.

Facilitator Prakash Chenjeri is a professor and chair of the philosophy program at Southern Oregon University. He was educated both in India and the US. His research and teaching focus on understanding the concept of citizenship, the role of scientific literacy in modern democracy, and debates over science and religion. His expertise spans both the classroom and the global stage: he has developed and led courses in science and religion and shared insights on the subject at international and domestic conferences. He co-directs the Democracy Project, a comprehensive examination of democracy around the world in the twenty-first century. He has lived in Oregon for more than three decades.

2:00 pm., Klamath County Library Service District, Klamath Falls

May 16, 2026

Migración: cambios y tansformación—lo que cambia y lo que permanece

Los cambios son parte natural de la vida, pero si además añadimos un estado migratorio, los cambios pueden ser más profundos y complejos y acarrear matices que transformarán de manera más radical la vida del que deja atrás su país, su gente y parte de su historia.

Esta conversación es para inmigrantes que quieran explorar los efectos que la migración ha traído a sus vidas. Queremos ofrecer un espacio en donde podamos compartir nuestras experiencias y reflexionar juntos acerca de los cambios que hemos tenido desde que dejamos nuestro pueblo o ciudad natal, qué nos trajo al lugar que habitamos y cuáles con las transformaciones por las que hemos pasado en el proceso migratorio.

¿Qué sucede con nuestras raíces, costumbres y cultura una vez migramos? Hablemos de ello y compartamos nuestros pensamientos y necesidades.

Cristina nació en Barcelona, España. Sus padres emigraron del sur al noreste de España. Creció hablando dos lenguas y aprendió a amar ambas culturas. Se formó como especialista de Shiatsu y acupuntura y ejerció como instructora de esas disciplinas durante diez años. También formó parte de diferentes bandas de música y actuó en bodas y bares durante doce años. Durante su año sabático en Suramérica conoció a su pareja y poco después se mudó a Estados Unidos. Ha trabajado como enlace para familias Latinas durante tres años, y es cofundadora de PIE, “purpose in expenses”, una nueva manera de aumentar los recursos económicos para el bien de nuestra comunidad global, junto con su esposo. Cristina ha creado BENDitas, un colectivo para promover la cultura en español en su querida comunidad de Bend. Ha tenido que cambiar muchas cosas desde que se mudó a los Estados Unidos en Marzo del 2011 pero su orgullo de sentirse española nunca ha cambiado.

5:00 p.m., Parkdale Library, Parkdale

May 23, 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?

Register for this free event.

3:00 p.m., Oregon City Public Library, Oregon City

May 28, 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.

Register for this free online event.

1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Pacific, Virtual Event, statewide

May 30, 2026

What Does Freedom Depend On?

The United States is often referred to as “the land of the free.” Our freedoms are rooted in the Bill of Rights and later amendments to the Constitution. What do these freedoms depend on? How does my freedom intersect with the freedoms of others? This conversation will take us through an exploration of these questions and more as we consider our freedoms and if and when they might be changed.

Facilitator Jennifer Alkezweeny has been Oregon Humanities' program director since 2020. She supports the team of folks making Oregon Humanities programs happen, provides leadership for the organization's vision, and connects with organizations and communities to explore new initiatives. She is focused on connecting people to their communities and pursuing their goals while centering social justice. She has created learning spaces around the country and globe and loves that moment when the people in a room begin to harmonize. Jennifer is a deep believer in experiential learning, harnessing the knowledge in a room, finding your learning edge, and the power of silence. She's a longtime volunteer facilitator with the Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families. In her free time she can be found experimenting in the kitchen, looking at the world from behind a macro lens, or floating around in her kayak.

2:00 p.m., Jacksonville Branch Library, Jacksonville

June 1, 2026

Softening Sharp Teeth: Getting Curious about Conflict

Interpersonal conflict and disagreement are part of being in relationship with others, but many of us fear conflict. Motivated by many factors, including cultural norms, concern for social consequences, and personal safety, many of us avoid it. What might we learn and how might we grow by making more room for conflict? What skills do we need to responsibly engage in conflict? How can shifting our relationship to conflict offer us new perspectives about ourselves and the groups we belong to? This community conversation is an opportunity to reflect on our relationships to interpersonal conflict outside of where we might most often encounter it, like the heated context of an argument at the dinner table or online. Facilitator Emily Squires will lead a judgement- and jargon-free discussion of what we mean when we say conflict, considering how interpersonal conflict shapes our lives and tools to use when experiencing it.

5:30 p.m., The Dalles-Wasco County Library, The Dalles

June 6, 2026

Talking About Values Across Political Divides

“How can I be me without making it difficult for you to be you?” This question gets at the fundamental challenge of being in society together. We live in a contentious political world, and it’s difficult to talk about our deepest values and beliefs in safe, civil, and respectful ways. In 2021, the Pew Research Center found that nearly six in ten Americans felt that political conversations with those you disagree with are generally stressful and frustrating, as opposed to being interesting and informative. If we avoid such conversations, we lose opportunities to form a community with others that reflects our best selves. How can we learn to share our values in ways that bring us together rather than push us further apart?

Facilitator Lowell Greathouse is a retired United Methodist minister who served congregations in rural, suburban, and urban settings in Oregon, Idaho, and England from 1986 to 2019. In addition, he worked with community-based programs at Catholic Social Services in San Francisco, Community Action in Washington County, and United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. Lowell was born in Oregon and has family roots in the state that date back to the 1890s. He has been engaged in a variety of cross-cultural settings, including at the Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialogue on Development (CCIDD) in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and is the author of the book Rediscovering the Spirit: From Political Brokenness to Spiritual Wholeness (Wipf and Stock, 2020).

2:00 p.m., Ruch Library, Jacksonville

June 6, 2026

Talking About Values Across Political Divides

“How can I be me without making it difficult for you to be you?” This question gets at the fundamental challenge of being in society together. We live in a contentious political world, and it’s difficult to talk about our deepest values and beliefs in safe, civil, and respectful ways. In 2021, the Pew Research Center found that nearly six in ten Americans felt that political conversations with those you disagree with are generally stressful and frustrating, as opposed to being interesting and informative. If we avoid such conversations, we lose opportunities to form a community with others that reflects our best selves. How can we learn to share our values in ways that bring us together rather than push us further apart?

10:00 a.m., Klamath County Library Service District, Klamath Falls

June 7, 2026

What Does Freedom Depend On?

The United States is often referred to as “the land of the free.” Our freedoms are rooted in the Bill of Rights and later amendments to the Constitution. What do these freedoms depend on? How does my freedom intersect with the freedoms of others? This conversation will take us through an exploration of these questions and more as we consider our freedoms and if and when they might be changed.

11:00 a.m., Lake Oswego Adult Community Center, Lake Oswego

June 13, 2026

What Does Freedom Depend On?

The United States is often referred to as “the land of the free.” Our freedoms are rooted in the Bill of Rights and later amendments to the Constitution. What do these freedoms depend on? How does my freedom intersect with the freedoms of others? This conversation will take us through an exploration of these questions and more as we consider our freedoms and if and when they might be changed.

Facilitator Jennifer Alkezweeny has been Oregon Humanities' program director since 2020. She supports the team of folks making Oregon Humanities programs happen, provides leadership for the organization's vision, and connects with organizations and communities to explore new initiatives. She is focused on connecting people to their communities and pursuing their goals while centering social justice. She has created learning spaces around the country and globe and loves that moment when the people in a room begin to harmonize. Jennifer is a deep believer in experiential learning, harnessing the knowledge in a room, finding your learning edge, and the power of silence. She's a longtime volunteer facilitator with the Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families. In her free time she can be found experimenting in the kitchen, looking at the world from behind a macro lens, or floating around in her kayak.

1:00 p.m., Siuslaw Public Library, Florence