We are so excited to partner with Race Talks for this February forum to discuss the legacy of white supremacy and its impact on Black Americans in Oregon.

Each panelist brings a unique element to our American Black History conversation. To be clear, Black History is American history and it occurs 365 days a week. Most people are not aware of the origins of Black History Month, nor who is Carter G. Woodson, so please do a google search on both of these subjects prior to attending our forum.

Our panel will begin with Dr. Carmen Thompson, who is a scholar, historian, and author of the book, The Making of American Whiteness: The Formation of Race in Seventeenth- Century Virginia;  she he was recently cited by the Oregon Supreme Court (follow this link and find her citation on page 642 in the footnotes.) Given the Black exclusionary laws and whites-only origins of Oregon, this will be a sobering reminder for anyone who believes or is unaware of Oregon's violent, racist history.

Next, Intisar Abioto, a celebrated Black artist and archivist, will share her research about Beatrice Morrow Cannady, the first Black woman to graduate from an Oregon Law School (Northwestern Law now called Lewis and Clark Law). Ms Cannady was also an NAACP President and founding editor of the Black owned paper, The Advocate. Many of the issues she was covering in the early 1900s in Oregon remain at issue for Black people today. Bringing this story into present day, Ms. Abioto will share how she and her family were unsuccessful in their attempt to purchase and preserve the Cannady house; which ties to the long history of eminent domain and white supremacy in the form of bank loans as the main contributor to the severing and loss of culture and generational wealth in the Black community.

Finally, Kolby Ross, a Portland native who was a recent victim of targeted white supremacist violence will share his story and the challenges he has faced in getting our local District Attorney to file charges against a known affiliated white supremacist, who still remains free. His story brings Oregon's violent and racist history into the present day, along with the acknowledgement that the recent ballot initiative to remove slavery from our state constitution was barely accomplished, Black people in Oregon continue to struggle and fight against white supremacy.

About Race Talks

The rumblings for RACE TALKS started in 2005 when Portland Public Schools introduced the book Courageous Conversations About Race, which helped produce amazingly open conversations about race, class, and white privilege. When RACE TALKS' Founder and Executive Director, Donna Maxey heard "by the year 2040 there will be more people of color (POC) in the USA than whites," she knew all communities, and especially those in Oregon, urgently needed a format to discuss and engage in conversation about issues of systemic oppression, inequity, privilege, and violence in order to bridge growing divisions. With the help of McMenamins Historian, Tim Hills, and Uniting to Understand Racism founder, Maceo Pettis, RACE TALKS hosted its first community forum in February 2011.

Donna Maxey is a Black Portland-native, whose parents fled Jim Crow laws in East Texas in the early 1940's. The Maxey family remained in Oregon and their name is synonymous with social community activism in Portland, especially in the Black community. Donna's parents didn't realize that no Jim Crow in Oregon was due to Oregon being a white's only state that had exclusionary laws against Blacks that was memorialized into the state's constitution and not removed until 2002; 28% of Oregon voters voted against the removal. As of 2021, Black Oregon residents comprise 2% of the state's population. Portland, Oregon remains one of the whitest cities in one of the whitest states, with the highest rising white supremacist presence in the country.

RACE TALKS has been a resounding success engaging over 30,000 participants in over 2000 facilitated conversations and providing a platform to over 500 Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) panelists to highlight their work and make an ask to attendees to get involved. We are excited to begin our 13th year of partnership with McMenamins.

Qualifies for “Attend a McMenamins History-Sponsored Event” Experience Stamp.