May 2022
Review: Counting Descent, by Clint Smith
Moving poems about the richness of the Black experience in America.
April 2022
Article: Oregon reckons with racial inequalities in revising cash assistance program
Welfare in America, and in Oregon, is inseparable from our history of racism.
February 2022
Article: February is Black History Month
The idea of an official celebration of Black History originated with Harvard-educated historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson and his Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.
Review: The Home Place (2016), by J. Drew Lanham
An uplifting, illuminating, and entertaining memoir of growing up in rural South Carolina, to become a noted ornithologist.
January 2022
Review: BOLD: Conversations About Race – Dean Spade on Mutual Aid
In this well facilitated discussion, Spade calls us to consider if true safety is better rooted in accessible housing for people in crisis, a commitment to look out for our vulnerable neighbors, and easy access to food and monetary support for families and individuals in need?
December 2021
Article: Honoring Human Rights (in December and always)
One of the first acts of the newly established United Nations, in 1948, was the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which still serves as a standard as well as an inspiration.
Review: Leveraging the Truth: Transforming Racial Hysteria Through Honest Storytelling, a report on a workshop led by Dr. David Campt on December 3, 2021
Dr. Campt uses a clear and successful technique for having real conversations with people he terms “White privilege skeptics.”
Review: What did we learn? A recap of the November 13 workshop “How To Learn From Our White Antiracist Ancestors: Lessons From the Life of Anne Braden”
As Anne Braden became committed to antiracist work, she understood that it was crucial to mobilize the White community to join the fight against racism.
October 2021
Article: October 11 is Indigenous Peoples’ Day
The creation of this official holiday has a long history.
The hosts, journalists of color, approach conversations even about heavy topics with humor and empathy, making the podcast feel more like a meaningful discussion with friends.
Review: Such a Fun Age, by Kiley Reid
This novel of two Philadelphia women, one White and one Black, is a complex and layered story, and also a funny, poignant, timely thought-provoking, sophisticated and thrilling read.
June 2021
Review: Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, by Reni Eddo-Lodge
This book commits us to solving race issues, starting with changing ourselves, then teaching our families, and then getting involved in any racial justice work we can get my hands on.
May 2021
Review: A Talk to Teachers (1963), by James Baldwin
Baldwin’s speech is a call to action, not just to the teachers he addresses in this specific piece, but also to white people in general, each of whom have the capacity to dismantle the system of white supremacy culture by first acknowledging what it is.
March 2021
Review: The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin
A riveting fantasy novel sparks a fresh reexamination of own assumptions and prejudices in our real world.
Review: The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett
An intriguing exploration of race, identity, and family love.
February 2021
Review: So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo
Where our privilege intersects with somebody else’s oppression, we’ll find our opportunities to make real change.
SURJ condemns the insurrection against a multiracial democracy
January 2021
Healing from race-related trauma.
Corvallis SURJ 