Black History Month - 2022

Finding Pictures: African Americans in the Military

Feb 8, 2022 9:00 AM Pacific

Register for this Webinar from Library of Congress here

Materials in our catalogue

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"Portland Civil Rights: Lift Ev'ry Voice explores Portland's African American history with a focus on the turbulent 1960s, '70s and early '80s. At the time, issues surrounding urban renewal, school desegregation and brittle police relations were exploding both nationally and locally."
DVD | Stream 

When they were brought to Oregon in 1844, Missouri slaves Robin and Polly Holmes and their children were promised freedom in exchange for helping develop their owner's Willamette Valley farm. However, Nathaniel Ford, an influential settler and legislator, kept them in bondage until 1850, even then refusing to free their children. Holmes took his former master to court and, in the face of enormous odds, won the case in 1853. In Breaking Chains, R. Gregory Nokes tells the story of the only slavery case adjudicated in Oregon's pre-Civil War courts--Holmes v. Ford. Through the lens of this landmark case, Nokes explores the historical context of racism in Oregon and the West, reminding readers that there actually were slaves in Oregon, though relatively few in number. Drawing on the court record, Nokes offers an intimate account of the relationship between a slave and his master from the slave's point of view. He also explores the experiences of other slaves in early Oregon, examining attitudes toward race and revealing contradictions in the state's history. Oregon was the only free state admitted to the union with a voter-approved constitutional clause banning African Americans and, despite the prohibition of slavery in the state, many in Oregon tolerated it and supported politicians who advocated for slavery, including Oregon's first territorial governor. Breaking Chains sheds light on a somber part of Oregon's history, bringing the story of slavery in Oregon to a broader audience. The book will appeal to readers interested in Pacific Northwest history and in the history of slavery in the United States.

 

Oregon's Black Pioneers

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• For decades, Oregon legally excluded black people from settling in the region. Despite racist laws and attitudes, some came anyway.

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You might be interested in

• BlackHistoryMonth.gov
• Anti-Racism Resources for Your Family
• A Librarian's Guide to Anti-racism Adult
• Anti-Racism Challenge for Teens 
• Anti-Racism Challenge Kids
• The blog post about Martin Luther King Jr. 

Celebrating Juneteenth!

Celebrate by Sandy Public LIbrary

Conversations about race

Black Man Reacts to White Friends Traffic Stop Two friends, one white and one Black, were pulled over for speeding on separate occasions. They compare their experiences with traffic stops in the Minneapolis suburbs.

Anti-Racist Challenge

Challenge Yourself! For a deeper understanding of the disparities in our justice system, watch Just Mercy (based on a true story). Or if you prefer, you can read the book.

Anti-Racist Challenge for the week of February 8, 2021

 

From the Teen section in Beanstack: Systemic Racism Explained

Oregon Black History: Geiling, Natasha. “How Oregon’s Second Largest City Vanished in a Day.” Smithsonian Magazine, February 18, 2015.

Read more about Vanport, Oregon HERE.

Anti-Racist Challenge for week of January 20th

Watch Hidden Figures with your family

Anti-Racist Challenge for week of January 13th

 A city in Oregon has come up with a positive solution. Read about it here:

Cahoots program in Eugene, OR has been working for over 30 years

Anti-Racist Challenge for week of January 6th

 

Read a story on this Black History blog: Black History

Weekly Challenge - AntiRacism

 

Challenge Yourself: A Librarian's Guide to Antiracism Sign up through Beanstack HERE. This week's featured challenge:  Students Learn A Powerful Lesson About Privilege

Librarian's Guide to Anti-Racism

Join our Beanstack challenge

Challenge Yourself! The library has put together lists of material (videos, books, podcasts) in an effort to further the conversation about race and equality. Take a look at our reading lists and other resources HERE

Lets Talk About Race

The Stand Up Movement is hosting a talk on Tuesday, October 20, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Register HERE

Sharice Burnett, LCSW will be joining us to talk about how to have productive conversations about racism.

July AntiRacist Video List

Chris Thomas ABC News  

2:40 min.  (2020) 

Chris Thomas explains what it means to say Black Lives Matter

How to Deconstruct Racism, One Headline at a Time
16:51 min. (2019)
Baratunde Thurston explores the phenomenon of white Americans calling the police on black Americans who have committed the crimes of ... eating, walking or generally "living while black." In this profound, thought-provoking and often hilarious talk, he reveals the power of language to change stories of trauma into stories of healing -- while challenging us all to level up.

13TH | FULL FEATURE | Netflix

Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay's examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country's history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America. This piercing, Oscar-nominated film won Best Documentary at the Emmys, the BAFTAs and the NAACP Image Awards. US Rating: TV-MA For mature audiences. May not be suitable for ages 17 and under. For more information and educational resources, please visit: HERE

Trevor shares his thoughts on the killing of George Floyd, the protests in Minneapolis, the dominos of racial injustice and police brutality, and how the contract between society and black Americans has been broken time and time again. #DailyShow #TrevorNoah #GeorgeFloyd

Why You Shouldn't Say "All Lives Matter" 3:11 min.