Broken Glass, Broken Trust
A sermon by Robert Leo Heilman first read at the Umpqua Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Roseburg in spring 2022
Conversation Project: What Does Democracy Require?
As we begin, however tentatively, to move into a new moment in US political life, calls for unity are often met with skepticism and disdain. But perhaps unity is the wrong measure of democracy anyway. What if we ask instead, Who are our people? Where do we belong? In this moment coming out of the pandemic, let’s think together about expanding the scope of our people and what it means to belong so that we can consider what democracy requires of us and for us in this fraught moment.
Youth Civic Engagement Summit
This Youth Civic Engagement Summit is facilitated by the college and high school students who lead the League of Women Voters of Oregon (LWVOR) Youth Council. The Summit will provide guidance for effectively engaging with their government officials in testimony, partnership and policy change to empower youth supporting democracy through interactive breakout workshops, engaging discussions, and dedicated time to build community connections. This full day summit features interactive breakout workshops, engaging discussion topics, and dedicated time to build community connections.
Portrait of My Mother in Mint Green
She lived most of her life in the United States. Why didn’t she become a citizen?
Conversation Project: Understanding Urban/Rural Divides
We live in a time of increasing polarization that often correlates to divides between urban and rural regions in our state. This polarization is so extreme that it often seems like the two sides may have completely different experiences of the world. Join facilitator Nick Nash in a conversation that asks, How does the urban/rural divide affect the ways we relate to each other as Oregonians? What is the urban/rural divide, and how do we understand it? How does this divide affect our day-to-day lives, our experiences of being governed, and of the COVID-19 pandemic? This conversation is a chance to reflect on the beliefs we have about our urban or rural neighbors with a focus on discovering and abandoning misbeliefs, investigating and learning about the real differences between the urban and the rural, and trying to find things that we all share as Oregonians.
Consider This Reading Group: How to Stay Open and Curious in Hard Conversations
Which do you value more: the truth or your own beliefs? Oregon Humanities invites you to a discussion of Mónica Guzmán's essay "How to Stay Open and Curious in Hard Conversations" (originally published in Greater Good Magazine). Together we'll explore Guzmán strategies for fostering curiosity and understanding across divides, including sharing "snapshot" opinions, acknowledging agreement, and admitting uncertainty. We will also discuss takeaways from our April 18 Consider This conversation with Guzmán at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland. Rozzell Medina will facilitate the reading group discussion.
Consider This: Black Political Power in Oregon
Join us for a conversation on the state of Black political power in Oregon with Joy Alise Davis, executive director at Imagine Black; Keith Jenkins, director of Southern Oregon Black Leaders, Activists, & Community Coalition; and Marcus LeGrand, vice-chair of Bend-La Pine Schools. Journalist Bruce Poinsette will facilitate the conversation.
This program will take place in-person and will be streamed live, for free, on YouTube. Read more about this event.
Making Pre-K Possible
This comic by Sarah Mirk explores how universal preschool went from an idea to the ballot to law in 2020.
“Let’s Give Oregonians a Chance to Shape the Future of the State”
Hanna Merzbach interviews Kevin Frazier, founder of the website The Oregon Way
Putting in the Work
This comic by Jonathan Hill explores how people can stay engaged in politics and advocate for the changes they want to see outside of major election cycles.
Seeking Common Ground: Looking Past the Rural-Urban Divide
National political discourse has amplified a conflict between rural and urban interests, culture, and values that has resulted in a bifurcated reality: two “bubbles” of experience whose paths do not often cross in the media nor in our daily lives. This session will shed light on the potential common interests in these disparate experiences, toward consensus about what the future could be. This program is supported by a Public Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
Charter Review
This comic by Beka Feathers and Aki Ruiz explains Portland's charter review process.
Putting in the Work
This comic by Jonathan Hill explores how people can stay engaged in politics and advocate for the changes they want to see outside of major election cycles.
Who's Being Left Out?
Lucy Bellwood illustrates the history of voting rights in Oregon and efforts to expand who gets a say in our democracy.
Connect in Place: What Does Democracy Require?
Join David Gutterman for a conversation about what democracy requires of us and for us in this fraught moment.
Consider This with Eric K. Ward
Our 2020–21 Consider This conversation series is all about democracy and civic engagement—how it works, who gets to participate, and how it can break down. We're hosting live conversations with journalists and scholars with insight into how our democracy is working and the threats it faces. On April 7, join Eric K. Ward, director of Western States Center, for a conversation on democracy, participation, and justice.
Consider This with Leah Sottile
A conversation with Leah Sottile, an Oregon journalist who has done in-depth reporting on extremist right-wing movements in the western United States. We'll talk about how fringe religious and political movements have grown and gained political power in the western United States.
Clicking
After moving back to Portland, Marbla Reed looks for connection in online event organizing, but finds creating community without the context of preexisting relationships more challenging than anticipated.
The Fire is Upon Us
On February 18, 1965, an overflowing crowd packed the Cambridge Union in Cambridge, England, to witness a historic televised debate between James Baldwin, the leading literary voice of the civil rights movement, and William F. Buckley Jr., a fierce critic of the movement and America’s most influential conservative intellectual. The topic was “the American dream is at the expense of the American Negro,” and no one who has seen the debate can soon forget it. Forest Grove Public Library presents this online program featuring Nicholas Buccola, Elizabeth and Morris Glicksman Chair in Political Science at Linfield University and author of The Fire Is upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America, in conversation with Dr. Paul Snell, Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Pacific University. This event will stream live to the library's Facebook page and YouTube channel starting at 6:30 pm and will include a Q&A session at the end of the evening. This program is made possible with support from Oregon Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Oregon Cultural Trust.
Consider This with David French
Our 2020–21 Consider This conversation series is all about democracy and civic engagement—how it works, who gets to participate, and how it can fail. On February 2, join us for a conversation with David French, author of Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation.
Consider This with Hahrie Han
Our 2020–21 Consider This conversation series is all about democracy and civic engagement—how it works, who gets to participate, and how it can fail. On February 16, join us for a conversation with Hahrie Han, director of the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
Heavy
Pandemic and politics surfaced feelings I couldn't face, or even describe. So I ate them. An essay by Bobbie Willis Soeby
Think & Drink: Why Voting Matters
Jackson County Library Services presents a panel discussion with Jackson County Clerk Christine Walker, Associate Professor of Political Science William Hughes from Southern Oregon University, and Cathy Shaw a successful campaign manager, three-time mayor of Ashland, and President of the Jackson County Library District Board of Directors. This program is sponsored by Oregon Humanities.
Connect in Place: What Just Happened? What Happens Next?
One week after election day, Adam Davis will facilitate an online community conversation about the results of federal, state, and local elections. This statewide conversation will focus less on the numbers than on the significance of these results for ourselves and our communities.
Consider This with Jamelle Bouie
One week before Election Day, New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie will talk with Oregon Humanities about democracy, moments of transition, and the significance of this particularly charged political moment. Bouie has been an observer of political culture and someone whose work has shaped culture—in print, on television, on twitter, and even through his photography—and as we talk about the political moment, we'll also explore the relationship between politics and culture.
Consider This with Anis Mojgani, Demian DinéYazhi', and Sharita Towne
While art is always political, the rancor and unrest of US politics in recent years have moved many artists to engage with politics more directly. In this online conversation, we'll talk with three artists whose work often deals with political themes about the intersections of art and politics: Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani, poet and visual artist Demian DinéYazhi', and multidisciplinary artist and educator Sharita Towne.
Organizing from the Outside
Jyothi Natarajan talks with Oregonians finding connection while protesting oppression in Kashmir from afar.
Dear Stranger
Dear Stranger is a letter-exchange project that connects Oregonians through the mail to share experiences, beliefs, and ideas. Send your letter by June 30 to participate.
Think & Drink with Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Eddy Morales, and Ana del Rocío
Join former Happy Valley Mayor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales, and Ana del Rocío, executive director of Oregon Futures Lab, for a conversation about running for and holding public office.
The State That Timber Built—2012
Tara Rae Miner considers what Oregon owes to the struggling timber communities that helped shape the state’s identity in this essay from the 2012 “Here” issue.
This Place Is Beautiful, This Place Is Gross
Sarah Cook writes about learning to see beauty and perseverance while living in The Dalles.
Think & Drink with Desmond Meade
Join us for an onstage conversation about voting rights and the future of democracy with Desmond Meade, executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame many obstacles to eventually lead the FRRC to a historic victory in 2018 with the successful passage of Amendment 4, a grassroots citizen’s initiative which restored voting rights to over 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. He is also chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy and a graduate of Florida International University College of Law. At this event, Meade will appear in conversation with Adam Davis, executive director of Oregon Humanities. Think & Drink is an onstage conversation series that explores provocative ideas and fresh perspectives. Come prepared to listen, watch, and engage. We invite you to stay after the program for snacks and conversation. Minors are welcome when accompanied by an adult. The Alberta Rose Theatre is accessible by Trimet bus lines 17, 70, and 72. The venue is wheelchair accessible.
Think & Drink with Desmond Meade
The 2019–20 Think & Drink series, Making Democracy, kicks off with the executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.
Think & Drink Portland 2019–20: Making Democracy
Four onstage conversations with activists, writers and civic leaders about how we make decisions together in our communities
Process and Privilege
Cynthia Carmina Gómez writes about how efforts to rename a Portland street for César Chávez faced intense opposition, despite following a process that other petitions were allowed to circumvent.
Think & Drink with Danielle Allen
The 2018–19 Think & Drink series on Journalism and Justice continues with a conversation with political theorist Danielle Allen, professor at Harvard University and author of the memoir Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A.
People, Not Pundits
Catherine Johnson writes about attending a conservative convention in an effort to understand her mother's politics.
Conversation Project: Faith and Politics in Oregon and Beyond
This conversation explores how our religious ideas and political identities mix and what it means for our common life together.
Conversation Project: Faith and Politics in Oregon and Beyond
Join writer, educator, and former minister Russ Pierson in a conversation about how our religious ideas and political identities mix and what it means for our common life together.
Think & Drink on Organizing in Oregon
Join us for a conversation about the challenges and opportunities in community organizing around Oregon at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland.
Field Work: People in Motion
The University of Oregon’s Wayne Morse Center explores borders, migration, and belonging.
Protecting Inequality
Anoop Mirpuri on the economic causes of racist policing
On Bearing Bad News
Robert Leo Heilman writes about trying and failing to save library services in Douglas County.
History in the News: Should Historians Be Pundits?
Recent editorials in the New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post have raised questions about whether and how historians ought to opine on current events and political issues. Are historians supposed to be apolitical? How should historians engage in political debate—if at all? This event is funded in part by a grant from Oregon Humanities.
Conversation Project: Are International Trade Agreements Good for Oregon?
Oregonians have been active and vocal participants in global debates over trade since the creation of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Lawyer and researcher Michael Fakhri will lead participants in a conversation about how we assess the value of international trade agreements.
Conversation Project: A World without Secrets
Privacy and Expectations in the US
Community Forum on Identity and the Use of Race on National Forms
The NAACP Eugene-Springfield Branch hosts a forum about racial identification on government forms. This is an Oregon Humanities grant-funded event.
King Tide
An excerpt from Micah White's book, The End of Protest: A New Playbook for the Revolution
The Longest of Long Shots
A Sanders delegate's brush with national party politics. An essay by Valdez Bravo
Just People Like Us
Writer Guy Maynard on a little-known history of a Southern Oregon community during World War II where prisoners of war were more welcome than US military of color
Whose State Is This?
Journalist Brent Walth on how legal measures targeting Latino Oregonians reflect fears of change.
A Return Passage
Reporter Putsata Reang and photographer Kim Nguyen share their stories of leaving their home countries as refugees, meeting as students at the University of Oregon, and returning to Southeast Asia as journalists. A film produced by Dawn Jones for Oregon Humanities.
Origin Stories
The surprising beginnings of six of Oregons claims to fame
An Anecdotal Glossary of Spectacle
M. Allen Cunningham sorts through our landscape of scandal, show, and distraction
Warp and Weft
Editor Kathleen Holt on conflict in sports and politics
A Century of War
Writer and historian Andrew Bacevich on changing the way Americans think about war
The Good Fight
Can letting our children roughhouse lead to a better democracy? An essay by Sarah Gilbert
Water Wars
Journalist J. David Santen Jr. on how battles, compromises, and resolutions abound in a state flush with water.
The State That Timber Built
Tara Rae Miner on what Oregon owes the struggling timber communities that helped shape the state’s identity
Firing a Friend
It's hard to be a good citizen during an election year. An essay by Jennifer Ruth
Unimaginable Riches
The unfamiliar offers its own rewards. An essay by Joanne Mulcahey
The Working Class
Bette Lynch Husted argues that hard times are good times to rethink our attitudes about the fungibility of workers.
Public Servant
A cab driver whos an elected official by day has his work cut out for him. An essay by David Bragdon