Events & Opportunities
July 5, 2023
Conversation Project: Why not Change?
From large-scale issues like the climate crisis and social injustice to technological advancements and evolving phases of life, we get handed a lot of reasons to change. What things help or hinder us in making positive changes in our lives? What are the effects of our choices and our ability to change on our local communities and our society as a whole? How can we encourage others to implement change, remove barriers, and spur action? Whether you want to change the world or simply effect change in your own life, we’ll talk about the experience of change, how to get there in our own lives, and how to bring others with us.
To participate in this free, online conversation, please register here.
10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Pacific, Virtual Event, statewide
July 12, 2023
Conspiracy Theories: Truth, Facts, and Tinfoil Hats
The Flat Earth Society. The Illuminati. QAnon. In the past few years, it seems like conspiracy theories have been multiplying exponentially. Why do we gravitate toward conspiracy theories to make sense of the world? What human need do these stories fill? In this program, we’ll explore some conspiracy theories old and new, famous and obscure. What common themes do they share? How do they operate as stories and how do they evolve? What’s the difference between a conspiracy theory and myth, folklore, and “fake news”? We’ll talk about the mechanics of conspiracy theories as we explore how to determine what’s true, what’s false, and whom to trust.
Click here to register for this free online conversation.
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Pacific, Virtual Event, statewide
July 14, 2023
Conversation Project: Talking About Dying
Death is a universal event that transcends many of the differences between us. While we focus most on the quality of our lives and well-being, we rarely talk about the quality of our dying and deaths. Now in its sixth year, Oregon Humanities’ Talking about Dying program offers an opportunity to reflect on the stories and cultural influences that shape our thinking about this theme and to share perspectives and ideas with fellow community members. During the program, participants explore such questions as, How might our family, traditions, rituals, religion, and beliefs shape how we think about death? What would a “good death” look like for us? What do we want—and not want—at the end of our life? What are the essential considerations?
Click here to register for this free online conversation.
10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Pacific, Virtual Event, statewide
July 24, 2023
Working on Our Whiteness: White People Helping Each Other to Understand and Interrupt Racism
Amid today’s social uprisings, many white people have become acutely aware that racism shapes our communities in Oregon and beyond. Many of us have also begun realizing how poorly our experiences have equipped us to make sense of these times, and we have many questions. Join Emily Drew in a conversation that asks, How can we who are white show up as more effective and less damaging participants in struggles to interrupt racism in our community? How can white people engage in efforts to dismantle racism in ways that do not reproduce or place unfair burdens upon people of color to be our teachers? This conversation is for white people to reflect together on what it means to “do our work” as white people, which includes taking responsibility for one another, educating ourselves, and coming to view other white people as our partners—not competition—in developing antiracist identity.
Click here to register for this free online conversation.
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Pacific, Virtual Event, statewide
July 31, 2023
Conversation Project: Relationships for Resilience
In a time of intensifying social and ecological crises, in a cultural context of individualism, the pressure to practice "self-care," build "personal resilience," and "transform oneself" is pervasive. While "doing your own work" is important, we overemphasize the individual to the detriment of our human communities and the rest of the living world. The deep transformations we need will be cocreated, and the deep resilience we must develop will be relational. In this conversation, we will explore the dynamics of our strongest relationships, seeking to name the qualities and practices that underpin resilience. How can we bring our insights more intentionally and broadly to bear in our human relationships and in our relationships with our home—lands, waters, and ecosystems?
To participate in this free, online conversation, please register here.
2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Pacific, Virtual Event, statewide
August 8, 2023
Conversation Project: What Is a Creative Priority?
So the world is ending, want to start a record label? This conversation investigates the relevance of making art during times of personal, communal, or global crisis. How can we justify painting when we don’t know where our food is going to come from? What resources are needed to create meaningful work when resources are limited? What exactly does creativity offer us during this time of obvious uncertainty? What is our collective and personal obligation to creativity during a significant upheaval? Join MOsley WOtta for a conversation about getting creative during the apocalypse.
Click here to register for this free online conversation.
4:00 p.m. Pacific, Virtual Event, statewide
October 25, 2023
Conversation Project: Talking about Dying
Death is a universal event that transcends many of the differences between us. While we focus most on the quality of our lives and well-being, we rarely talk about the quality of our dying and deaths. Now in its sixth year, Oregon Humanities’ Talking about Dying program offers an opportunity to reflect on the stories and cultural influences that shape our thinking about this theme and to share perspectives and ideas with fellow community members. During the program, participants explore such questions as, How might our family, traditions, rituals, religion, and beliefs shape how we think about death? What would a “good death” look like for us? What do we want—and not want—at the end of our life? What are the essential considerations?
Click here to register for this free online conversation.
10:30 a.m. to noon, Cedar Mill Community Library, Portland