The Urban league of Portland has released its 2015 State of Black Oregon report! I urge you to read through it to better understand the challenges and the often times overlooked successes within Oregon’s Black population. The ongoing trauma being experienced by people of color through indifference, outright racism and entrenched poverty is real. The issue of race and intolerance coupled with power and violence is a real obstacle to a truly free and prosperous future.
In 2015 we are in the midst of considerable change, demographically and philosophically. This change offers both hope, and real difficulties, as we seek to move toward the ideals on which our nation was proposed i.e. freedom, liberty and self-determination. In order to meet the challenge a true sense of unity and purpose is needed. The ongoing and increasingly visible assault on Black lives both in the States (Ferguson, Cleveland)and abroad (Darfur, Nigeria,) is an insult to the philosophy for which our nation was predicated and for which our nation is still recognized in the world; a sense of justice, balance, and purpose.
Together we can move ourselves and our world out of the dark past of racial colonialism and exploitation into a world based on equality and the recognition of the inherent beauty of people everywhere. Please join me in supporting the ongoing mission of the Eugene/Springfield NAACP and others by being a voice of reason and tolerance, volunteering or donating, with purpose and courage we can secure a brighter future for all. The 2015 State of Oregon report can be found by following the link below