A 4-Week Series
Ashland Together, in collaboration with other community partners, is proud to present “Unwelcomed: Understanding Oregon’s History Exclusion.” This 4-week online course is led by Portland State University Professor Kristin Teigen.
Professor Teigen will take us through the deliberate steps taken to construct Oregon, first as a territory and later as a state, to exclude non-white people.
Woven into each week, we will discuss Southern Oregon’s specific history with regard to race.
Beginning with the construct of race, we then embark on a journey through Oregon’s complex and often troubling history. Who was in Oregon before it became a state? What led to its founding? Dive deep into the origins of hate groups like the KKK and investigate discriminatory policies such as the Chinese Exclusion Act. Understand how Oregon’s history is marred by acts of deportation, exclusion, and even genocide.
Moving from the origin of Oregon, we will travel into the early 20th century to examine the creation of segregation and systems of displacement, the arrival of immigrant groups, and we will set the stage for the transformation of World War II.
The third week takes us to a critical period: World War II and its enduring impact on Oregon. Explore the devastating effects of Japanese internment camps, Latinx deportations, the creation of Vanport and more, and the practice of redlining, all of which continue to shape Oregon’s communities today.
The 1950’s, the supposed Golden Age of the U.S. brought dramatic transformations, particularly with Indigenous communities, displacements within Black communities, the aftermath of internment and continued deportations. Moving into modern-day Oregon, we will look at how the past has created the realities of our day-to-day lives and the continuing struggle for justice.
This course emphasizes active participation, open dialogue, and is designed to be a safe space for all attendees.
Please write to ashlandtogether@gmail.com for information regarding full or partial scholarships.
Unwelcomed: Understanding Oregon’s History Exclusion. is sponsored by our partners: Peace House, BASE–Black Alliance and Social Empowerment, and Rogue Valley Unitatian Universalist Fellowship. 50% of all proceeds will be donated to BASE
Instructor: Kristin Teigen, MA, M.Ed. is an educator at Portland State University, where she teaches the history of BIPOC communities in Oregon and issues of women’s homelessness. She’s also an anti-oppression activist, working in feminist, queer, environmental justice and people of color movements, and a trained anti-oppression facilitator
If you have a racial justice event you would like us to share, please contact us at ashlandtogether@gmail.com
