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Oregon's Day of Acknowledgement
22 April 1999
In what is thought to be the first such action in the nation by a state government, Oregon formally acknowledged its racial history on April 22, 1999. Nearly 800 people took part in a Day of Acknowledgment which was co-chaired at the State Capitol in Salem by former senator Mark Hatfield and former NAACP chair Myrlie Evers-Williams. The day was organized by Oregon Uniting, a grassroots coalition, which emerged from a 1997 conference convened by Hope in the Cities.
The event featured the governor, the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives signing a resolution passed earlier in the day by both Houses. It stated that Oregon’s history had been “marred by racial discrimination, exclusion, bigotry, and great injustice towards people of color, including Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans and Pacific Islanders.” In particular, the resolution noted the 150th anniversary of legislation enacted in 1849 by the Territorial Legislature banning “Negroes and mulattos” from living in Oregon, for fear that by intermingling with the Native Americans population they might instill “feelings of hostility against the white race.” The legislation was repealed in 1926. Although never fully enforced, it promotes a spirit of exclusion which, according to many minority groups, continues to this day.
Oregon Secretary of State, Phil Keisling said that it might be the best thing to happen in the legislature that year. Native American spiritual leader Bernie Cliff described it as an answer to prayer.
As a follow up to this event, Oregon Uniting
•Launched a state wide program of dialogue.
•Institutionalized dialogues in middle and higher education curricula.
•Partnered with the Oregon Historical Society in an oral history project.
For more go to: www.oregonuniting.org
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