Most candidates and electeds will now start posting scheduled comments on how important this month is and how we should all quietly contemplate the contributions of Black Americans.
Well fuck that. Screed attached.
#Black History Month
The history of Oregon is unusually anti-Black among settler states. The original intent of the territory-turned-state in banning slavery was to create a "white utopia". This meant violent exclusion of Black folks from its inception. Our constitution was the only with an explicit exclusion of Black folks written into it. While the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution made it null, Black Exclusion wasn't fully repealed until 2002.
In 1844, the provisional government for the territory created The Lash Law. Any Black folks who refused to leave were publicly flogged every six months until they did. If they survived.
When land was opened to white settlers, they got anywhere from 320-640 acres. This created a giant head start for white folks for generations.
After the first Civil War, Oregon tried to rescind its ratification of the 14th Amendment (citizenship for all) and delayed ratifying the 15th Amendment (allowed Black men to vote) until 1959.
Like many other states, Oregon engaged in redlining, a practice where the banks drew red lines around where Black people were allowed to buy property. In Oregon, this was mostly the Albina neighborhood in Portland.
Vanport, OR was created by necessity of the world wars and quickly became Oregon's second largest city. It was largely Black. In 1948, a flood destroyed the city after Black residents were promised earlier that day, "Remember, Dikes are safe at present". Minutes later, the dikes collapsed.
The 60s and 70s brought gentrification and segregation via the I-5 route and construction. Large facilities were built which displaced Black residents and businesses without fair compensation.
We still feel the lingering effects of this violence of brute force or policy. Today, Black Oregonians have an average household income of around $52K/year. White Oregonians are around $76K/year. Roughly 66% of white folks own homes in Oregon. Only about 35% of Black Oregonians do. About 10% of white households are in poverty. But about 33% of Black households are as well.
While these problems can't be solved overnight, they will never be solved by platitudes and statements. What we need is a plan of action.
That's why part of my platform is Reparations for Black families harmed by Oregon's past. The details will be established by Black Oregonians, not me. What I can do is tell you how we pay for it. Like everything else, we do that by fixing our incredibly broken tax system.
If we are bold enough to make the wealthiest among us pay their fair share, there are few limits to what we can accomplish.
We can have healthcare, tuition-free education, statewide transportation, and end homelessness. And we can address the violence of the past to move into a brighter future.
We do not need to choose one thing over the other. We can walk and chew gum.
