Conversation Project: “Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon”

Although census data show Oregon’s population becoming more racially diverse, the perception persists that we are one of the whitest states in the nation. Many Oregonians value racial diversity and the dimension and depth it adds to our lives, yet we remain largely isolated from one another and have yet to fulfill the vision of a racially integrated society. 
 
Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation on Power, Privilege, and Racial Diversity in Oregon. This free event offers a place to explore some of the causes of continued isolation and the differences of experience between Oregonians of different races—such as institutional racism, white privilege, and unconscious bias. What systems are in place to prevent the racial integration and equity many of us strive for? Knowing what we do, how do we act—as individuals and communities—to embrace the opportunity presented by a more diverse Oregon?
 
Drew is an associate professor of sociology at Willamette University, where she teaches courses on racism, race and ethnicity, urban sociology, mass media, and social change. She earned her doctorate from Loyola University Chicago and has published articles in Critical Studies in Media Communication, Television & New Media, and Tourism & Cultural Change.
 
Through the Conversation Project, Oregon Humanities offers free programs that engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives and our state's future. A series of Conversation Project events will be hosted by the City of Springfield's Committee for Diversity and Inclusion and Springfield Library the third Wednesday of the month January through April 2017. Willamalane Parks and Recreation District is a marketing partner of this program. Funding for the program is generously provided by Springfield Public Library Foundation. Free and open to the community.
 
Oregon Humanities (921 SW Washington, Suite 150; Portland, OR 97205) connects Oregonians to ideas that change lives and transform communities. More information about Oregon Humanities’ programs and publications, which include the Conversation Project, Think & Drink, Humanity in Perspective, Idea Lab, Public Program Grants, and Oregon Humanities magazine, can be found at oregonhumanities.org. Oregon Humanities is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and a partner of the Oregon Cultural Trust.