Touchy Prineville talk topic: Why aren’t there more blacks in Oregon?

It’s a touchy subject, brought out into the open. Have you ever wondered about the lack of diversity in Central Oregon? One Oregon professor is traveling the state in an effort to answer that very question.

Walidah Imarisha is traveling to rural areas of Oregon that have a small black population. She’s explaining Oregon’s black history and addressing the question of why it still remains a predominately white state.

On Friday, Imarisha held an event in Prineville with the attention-grabbing title: “Why Aren’t There More Black People in Oregon?”

As an African-American living in Portland, Imarisha has experienced a great deal of adversity. She said Portland is the whitest major city in America.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2014 estimates) America’s population is 13 percent black, Oregon’s population is 2 percent percent black and Crook County’s population is .3% black.

America’s population is 77 percent white, Oregon’s population is 88 percent white and Crook County is 95 percent white.

“We’re pretty white. We’re one color on this side of the mountains,” said Prineville resident Kim Kambak. “And the ‘white privilege’ people don’t think it exists, because they don’t know any different.”

Imarisha explained that “Oregon founded itself as a white homeland. The idea was that white people could come and get away from the ills of the day, which meant people of color.”

She’s traveling the state displaying images and a timeline of events recapping black history in Oregon.

“As I go around and look at these pictures, I get the idea that the attitudes were very similar to those maybe in the South,” said Prineville resident Melvin Ewing, an African American who recently moved to Prineville from Atlanta.

Ewing said he was surprised by the lack of black people in Oregon, but has felt welcomed in Prineville.

The six-stop tour has sparked a great deal of controversy. Last week, during their stop in Cottage Grove, some audience members were harassed and even had their lives threatened.

“We’re more committed than ever to shine a light on the threats that are happening, and also to create safe spaces where people can have these important conversations about race and power,” said Morgan Lindsay of the Rural Organizing Project.

Organizers said because of the state’s past, it’s going to take a lot of work to reduce, much less eliminate racism.

“Oregon’s constitution banned black folks from living in Oregon, from holding property or making contracts. That language was not removed from the constitution until 2001,” Imarisha said.

She said that information is not always taught in the classroom, which is why she is traveling the state.

In hopes of educating others, Imarisha started the program five years ago and said she’s had a great turnout at every event, which proves to her that people are hungry to talk about racial injustice. Her goal is to get rid of institutional racism in Oregon for good.

For more information, visit: http://www.walidah.com/