I grew up in garden Arkansas a small
town with just over 2700 people I had a
happy life until a defining event
occurred during my senior year of high
school
I had the great highest grade point
average in my graduating class so I was
slated to be the valedictorian
the first valedictorian since
integrations of our school but for some
that could not be because a black person
could not be higher than a white person
there was school board members and some
influential community members who had
gotten together over a course of years
to devise a plan so that I wouldn’t be
named but a white student would I found
out about that from one of my oldest
friends in the high school we had been
friends since elementary school and she
told me so what would a child do go home
and tell your parent I went home and
told my mother who happened to be a
teacher in their same district and
instead of telling me it would be okay
she put herself at risk she hired an
attorney and she’s threatened to sue the
school district at the end of it all
after a very emotional school board
meeting where I was made the middle of
the controversy even though I had done
nothing wrong but my work in Excel
I was named valedictorian but it shifted
me I would no longer be the same
although I had never been naive I’d
never had been treated in such a hurtful
in traumatic manner I decided I didn’t
ever want anyone to ever feel that way
because of something that I did so I
wanted to be part of the solution and be
positive change in any community I lived
in as I moved through the world and
became an adult
I kept that with me in 1994 I moved to
Portland to be closer to my family at
that point I had a daughter and my
parents had moved out here and I wanted
her to have that same intergenerational
connection that I had with my parent
grandparents and my great grandmother so
I thought I’d give Portland a try when I
moved here people weren’t honest about
the lack of diversity but no one could
tell me why so I decided I’d educate
myself I’d go to the Oregon Historical
Society I’d read books I talked to
people and I figure out why it was so so
understanding the good and the bad and
even though I felt welcome here I still
wasn’t sure that I wanted to plant roots
here instead of going to a more diverse
and progressive City in 1999
specifically on April 22nd Oregon did
something that most other states have
never done it acknowledged it’s racist
discriminatory history by having a day
of acknowledgement at the State Capitol
I went along with 800 800 other people
to watch this resolution be passed and
signed and become an incredible part of
history during that day of
acknowledgement the resolution removed
language that prevented blacks and other
groups from living in this state it was
interesting because a hundred and fifty
years plus in 1840 the exclusionary Act
of Oregon was passed they prevented
blacks from leaving in the state so I
began to have a multitude of emotions
and I started remembering how I felt
when everything was happening to me and
Gurdon and I said okay things are
getting better but there’s a lot more
work to do so I said let me
part of it I’ve been doing dialogues and
trying to bring people together across
differences ever since I’ve been in
Oregon but I said I’m gonna lean in a
little bit more to that so 20 years
later I’m still doing the work and I see
that while we’ve made some progress
there’s still a lot of work to do all we
have to do is see what’s happening in
the country today with the violent
protests and the mass shootings we can’t
help but feel unsafe I don’t know about
you but I’m feeling sad and I’m weary
people are walking around in their
cocoons
of privilege fear shame de sisse ties
ation and they’re not being connected to
one another we can’t even see each other
I walk past people all the time every
day in and out and I say hello they kind
of jump they’re surprised I saw them
they didn’t necessarily see me I think
that’s a problem we have to see each
other we have to acknowledge that
violence poverty and lack of access to
education housing health more health
care and other systemic barriers are
fracturing in our country and destroying
our shared humanity we have to stand up
to the divisive rhetoric that is coming
out on a regular basis consistently
letting us know that it is okay to
demean and demonize people who don’t
look like you I stand here and say it’s
not okay
[Music]
we all have a responsibility to move to
some collective awareness and start
fighting things that are happening in
our country it’s not enough to have
these conversations internally or maybe
in small groups that oh my gosh did you
see that media attention where on one
station people who are finding food and
shelter during the hurricane are seen as
survivors but gosh if you look at the
footage on another one and then on
another station there are people of
color that calling them looters and
refugees how can you be a refugee in
your own country you can’t so you need
to start questioning your sources of
information how you interact with people
when and why you feel you want to speak
up expand those sources of information
so that you won’t fall into what so many
people fell into doing the recent
political leads in our country the
confirmation bias you have to move and
stand and be bridges of understanding we
need powerful discourse because
discourse is an important thread in the
fabric of our democracy it is important
that we have those conversations we need
to return to a level of civility have
some integrity and then move to a higher
level of listening understanding and
respecting we have to see the links
between the marginalization of people
capitalism and everything in between we
need to understand that inequality is
not merely a problem of individual
actions but is a consequence of
institutions and social structures we
got to stay awake
now I want you to understand that I have
a person of privilege as it was
described as I came out but I can tell
you that my privilege changes depending
on where I am in my day job I have some
power and privilege and influence
depending on who the person is in the
black community same can be true but let
me step out of those courthouse steps
and start going home not so much out of
matter of fact maybe not at all I’m a
black woman with all the stereotypes
attached now that’s maybe what they
think I reject that I am a beautiful
human that has much to give
but I take that understanding and move
in and out of the world I’ve been
stopped by the police and when I was
stopped they were like do you know why
you would stop no I don’t know why I
would stop because I had done anything
wrong but I could tell you a lot of
reasons why I was stopped because I
think this is a pretext but I know that
would be a problem so I learned how to
as so many people have taught me how to
survive the insult to live to fight and
so I’m encouraging you to be awake and I
want you to be awake by doing this
a actively listen for understanding
w-will early engaging in actions which
are open hearts and minds a act in a
respectful way tap into the humanity of
everyone who comes before you k-keep
judgments out of what you do resist that
temptation resist that natural
inclination to step back lean in II
engage in a way where you can create
bonds and develop solutions our world is
dependent upon it put all that together
a w a ke spells awake I want you to stay
awake I want you to stay awake because
our collective conscience is dependent
upon it we have to start being truth
tell us we can’t pick and choose the
part of the truth we like we have to
address all of it the good the bad the
ugly whatever we have to address that
because otherwise we can’t move forward
and without addressing what’s wrong we
can’t be better we can’t build
I don’t want you to keep focusing on the
negative I want you to focus on words
such as include invite invest initiate
innovate inspire because by doing so
you’re making the invisible visible
and you’re creating the world that we
need it to be not just that we want it
to be I am very proud to be American not
because of what other people have told
me but because I believe America belongs
to all of us and not just a select few
and I don’t know about you but I’m not
letting anyone define my America like I
wouldn’t let anybody find define me I
think what we need to do is really start
talking about how we’re going to do this
it’s time to move beyond feelings and
move into action I think we need to have
open hearts clarity of purpose and step
into the uncomfortable I think it is
time for us to believe once we believe
then we lead we must lead so I want to
leave with you this poem that was
written by a local person in Portland
her name is Shamika Owens and she wrote
this for the black women for peace
organization P protect the liberties of
others as well as myself II educate
myself so I can be the best I can be a
actively listen to understand not to
judge see choose grace when I have the
opportunity to take offense
II extend myself to others and expect
nothing in return when you put all of
that together it spells peace because I
can tell you once you stay awake you do
the work now gonna tell you it’s perfect
you’re gonna be tired you’re gonna be
exhausted but you can pick yourself back
up and continue the work because once
you see what is being beautifully
created you get encouraged I believe
that we need to stay awake so that we
can have peace so I say to you peace
blessings and love
[Applause]
you
you
town with just over 2700 people I had a
happy life until a defining event
occurred during my senior year of high
school
I had the great highest grade point
average in my graduating class so I was
slated to be the valedictorian
the first valedictorian since
integrations of our school but for some
that could not be because a black person
could not be higher than a white person
there was school board members and some
influential community members who had
gotten together over a course of years
to devise a plan so that I wouldn’t be
named but a white student would I found
out about that from one of my oldest
friends in the high school we had been
friends since elementary school and she
told me so what would a child do go home
and tell your parent I went home and
told my mother who happened to be a
teacher in their same district and
instead of telling me it would be okay
she put herself at risk she hired an
attorney and she’s threatened to sue the
school district at the end of it all
after a very emotional school board
meeting where I was made the middle of
the controversy even though I had done
nothing wrong but my work in Excel
I was named valedictorian but it shifted
me I would no longer be the same
although I had never been naive I’d
never had been treated in such a hurtful
in traumatic manner I decided I didn’t
ever want anyone to ever feel that way
because of something that I did so I
wanted to be part of the solution and be
positive change in any community I lived
in as I moved through the world and
became an adult
I kept that with me in 1994 I moved to
Portland to be closer to my family at
that point I had a daughter and my
parents had moved out here and I wanted
her to have that same intergenerational
connection that I had with my parent
grandparents and my great grandmother so
I thought I’d give Portland a try when I
moved here people weren’t honest about
the lack of diversity but no one could
tell me why so I decided I’d educate
myself I’d go to the Oregon Historical
Society I’d read books I talked to
people and I figure out why it was so so
understanding the good and the bad and
even though I felt welcome here I still
wasn’t sure that I wanted to plant roots
here instead of going to a more diverse
and progressive City in 1999
specifically on April 22nd Oregon did
something that most other states have
never done it acknowledged it’s racist
discriminatory history by having a day
of acknowledgement at the State Capitol
I went along with 800 800 other people
to watch this resolution be passed and
signed and become an incredible part of
history during that day of
acknowledgement the resolution removed
language that prevented blacks and other
groups from living in this state it was
interesting because a hundred and fifty
years plus in 1840 the exclusionary Act
of Oregon was passed they prevented
blacks from leaving in the state so I
began to have a multitude of emotions
and I started remembering how I felt
when everything was happening to me and
Gurdon and I said okay things are
getting better but there’s a lot more
work to do so I said let me
part of it I’ve been doing dialogues and
trying to bring people together across
differences ever since I’ve been in
Oregon but I said I’m gonna lean in a
little bit more to that so 20 years
later I’m still doing the work and I see
that while we’ve made some progress
there’s still a lot of work to do all we
have to do is see what’s happening in
the country today with the violent
protests and the mass shootings we can’t
help but feel unsafe I don’t know about
you but I’m feeling sad and I’m weary
people are walking around in their
cocoons
of privilege fear shame de sisse ties
ation and they’re not being connected to
one another we can’t even see each other
I walk past people all the time every
day in and out and I say hello they kind
of jump they’re surprised I saw them
they didn’t necessarily see me I think
that’s a problem we have to see each
other we have to acknowledge that
violence poverty and lack of access to
education housing health more health
care and other systemic barriers are
fracturing in our country and destroying
our shared humanity we have to stand up
to the divisive rhetoric that is coming
out on a regular basis consistently
letting us know that it is okay to
demean and demonize people who don’t
look like you I stand here and say it’s
not okay
[Music]
we all have a responsibility to move to
some collective awareness and start
fighting things that are happening in
our country it’s not enough to have
these conversations internally or maybe
in small groups that oh my gosh did you
see that media attention where on one
station people who are finding food and
shelter during the hurricane are seen as
survivors but gosh if you look at the
footage on another one and then on
another station there are people of
color that calling them looters and
refugees how can you be a refugee in
your own country you can’t so you need
to start questioning your sources of
information how you interact with people
when and why you feel you want to speak
up expand those sources of information
so that you won’t fall into what so many
people fell into doing the recent
political leads in our country the
confirmation bias you have to move and
stand and be bridges of understanding we
need powerful discourse because
discourse is an important thread in the
fabric of our democracy it is important
that we have those conversations we need
to return to a level of civility have
some integrity and then move to a higher
level of listening understanding and
respecting we have to see the links
between the marginalization of people
capitalism and everything in between we
need to understand that inequality is
not merely a problem of individual
actions but is a consequence of
institutions and social structures we
got to stay awake
now I want you to understand that I have
a person of privilege as it was
described as I came out but I can tell
you that my privilege changes depending
on where I am in my day job I have some
power and privilege and influence
depending on who the person is in the
black community same can be true but let
me step out of those courthouse steps
and start going home not so much out of
matter of fact maybe not at all I’m a
black woman with all the stereotypes
attached now that’s maybe what they
think I reject that I am a beautiful
human that has much to give
but I take that understanding and move
in and out of the world I’ve been
stopped by the police and when I was
stopped they were like do you know why
you would stop no I don’t know why I
would stop because I had done anything
wrong but I could tell you a lot of
reasons why I was stopped because I
think this is a pretext but I know that
would be a problem so I learned how to
as so many people have taught me how to
survive the insult to live to fight and
so I’m encouraging you to be awake and I
want you to be awake by doing this
a actively listen for understanding
w-will early engaging in actions which
are open hearts and minds a act in a
respectful way tap into the humanity of
everyone who comes before you k-keep
judgments out of what you do resist that
temptation resist that natural
inclination to step back lean in II
engage in a way where you can create
bonds and develop solutions our world is
dependent upon it put all that together
a w a ke spells awake I want you to stay
awake I want you to stay awake because
our collective conscience is dependent
upon it we have to start being truth
tell us we can’t pick and choose the
part of the truth we like we have to
address all of it the good the bad the
ugly whatever we have to address that
because otherwise we can’t move forward
and without addressing what’s wrong we
can’t be better we can’t build
I don’t want you to keep focusing on the
negative I want you to focus on words
such as include invite invest initiate
innovate inspire because by doing so
you’re making the invisible visible
and you’re creating the world that we
need it to be not just that we want it
to be I am very proud to be American not
because of what other people have told
me but because I believe America belongs
to all of us and not just a select few
and I don’t know about you but I’m not
letting anyone define my America like I
wouldn’t let anybody find define me I
think what we need to do is really start
talking about how we’re going to do this
it’s time to move beyond feelings and
move into action I think we need to have
open hearts clarity of purpose and step
into the uncomfortable I think it is
time for us to believe once we believe
then we lead we must lead so I want to
leave with you this poem that was
written by a local person in Portland
her name is Shamika Owens and she wrote
this for the black women for peace
organization P protect the liberties of
others as well as myself II educate
myself so I can be the best I can be a
actively listen to understand not to
judge see choose grace when I have the
opportunity to take offense
II extend myself to others and expect
nothing in return when you put all of
that together it spells peace because I
can tell you once you stay awake you do
the work now gonna tell you it’s perfect
you’re gonna be tired you’re gonna be
exhausted but you can pick yourself back
up and continue the work because once
you see what is being beautifully
created you get encouraged I believe
that we need to stay awake so that we
can have peace so I say to you peace
blessings and love
[Applause]
you
you
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