Confronting Hate: Uncovering The Hidden History of Anti-Black Racism in Oregon

This talk was sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. Panelists include Bob Horenstein, Director of Community Relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, Pastor E.D. Mondaine, former President of the NAACP, Pastor and Poet Emmett Wheatfall, and Walidha Imarisha, Director for the Center for Black Studies at Portland State University. In this time of national and local reckoning with our country and city’s grim legacy of discrimination and hate, the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland (JFGP) has partnered with friends and allies to create a series of public programs to confront hate. We have been reminded almost daily that our communities of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ persons, as well as many of our neighbors of various religious faiths, are frequent targets of vicious hatred. Nevertheless, we have also seen seeds of hope. We have witnessed an upsurge of people ready to stand in solidarity with those who are targets of discrimination and hate—people who are eager to listen, to learn, and to take action to make Portland a place that truly protects the lives, well-being, and dignity of all who live here. Through our own bitter experiences of antisemitic hatred, we in the Jewish community have learned the inestimable importance of solidarity with others who are willing to make common cause in the fight against hate and prejudice in all its forms. These webinars will begin in October 2020 and continue through March/April 2021 and will feature speakers who will educate on The History of Hate in Oregon. In partnership with organizations in the greater community representing people who have historically—and continually—been the targets of discrimination and hatred in Oregon. The webinars will culminate with a community-wide Summit on Confronting Hate in Spring 2021. This event will be a collaborative effort by all the organizations that previously presented the webinars on the history of hate in Oregon. What will differentiate the Summit from the earlier programs is that it will focus on the present and the future. Keynote speakers and breakout session leaders will share their expertise, skills, resources, and tools to help people translate their commitments to social justice and equity into effective social action