Ashland Sunrise Project is a truth and reconciliation coalition addressing our community’s history as a Sundown Town.
What is a Sundown Town?
Sundown towns were communities that purposefully excluded African Americans and other racial minorities from living in, or simply passing through, their community through a culture of fear, violence, and intimidation.
Sundown towns denied African Americans the freedom to settle in many parts of the country and have contributed to our disbursement of racial demographics today.
What is the Sunrise Project?
The Sunrise Project aims to help former sundown towns develop new identities as “sunrise communities,” the opposite to a sundown town. Sunrise communities are places in which everyone can feel safe, respected, and like they can call this space their home.
The 3 R’s of Reconciliation
Remembrance: Understanding the harm that was caused.
Repair: Putting an end to harm as it continues today.
Redemption: Creating good from a story of harm.
Make a contributions to support Ashland Sunrise Project through the Oregon Remembrance Project.
Ashland Together is partnering with the Oregon Remembrance Project, a Portland based organization dedicated to helping communities with truth and reconciliation projects.
Ashland Together’s intention is to create a new ending to the story of a sundown town by creating an ending where a formally exclusionary community becomes known as one of the communities most intentionally committed to inclusivity because of its history.
Check our Events Calendar for upcoming Community Gatherings
Place: Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Carpenter Hall on Pioneer Street, next to the OSF box office.
Click below to download A Brief History of Racism in the State of Oregon and the Town of Ashland
Click below to download
End Notes and Resources Companion to booklet
Click below to make a one time or recurring donation to support Ashland Sunrise Project. Donations are made via Oregon Remembrance Project.