February is Black History Month, a time to honor the contributions and history of Black Americans. This month also marks the founding of the state of Oregon in 1859. Oregon’s history reflects a legacy of exploration, homesteading and industry as well as a complex past of broken treaties and exclusionary laws. This year, in recognition of Black History Month, RCC is focusing on the stories of Oregon’s earliest Black residents.
Even before Oregon became a state, African American homesteaders took great risks to settle in the region, sometimes forging alliances with Native American tribes who were facing displacement. Historians have discovered that people of African descent lived and worked in Oregon long before the earliest English-speaking settlements in the Americas. However, the popular narrative of Oregon’s history often overlooks the presence and experiences of African Americans before the mid-20th century.
The Diversity Programming Board invites faculty, staff, students and community members to learn from Mariah Rocker of Oregon Black Pioneers (OBP) about Oregon’s Black heritage. This engaging presentation will highlight key individuals and events that characterize the state’s centuries-old Black history, working to correct the historical record. For more than 30 years, OBP has brought to light the seldom-told stories of people of African descent in Oregon through exhibits, public programs, publications and historical research.
This free Zoom event is open to all faculty, staff, students and the public. Faculty members are encouraged to offer extra credit for student attendance at Diversity Programming Board events.
Oregon Black Pioneers: 450 Years in 45 Minutes
Friday, Feb. 21, 2025
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Zoom link
Resources
- Oregon Black Pioneers: The Black Pioneers (online exhibit)
- Oregon Experience: Searching for York (video documentary, 30 minutes)
- Oregon Historical Society: Black Exclusion Laws in Oregon (article)
For more information, contact Lucia Bartscher by phone at 541-956-7124.