Black in Portland: An Act of Social Justice, Wrestlemania Weekend Edition By Kokayi Nosakhere Wrestlemania weekend is sacred to me. It happens in the Spring, hovering somewhere between Easter and my birthday. …

Florida and the Demand of 2022 by Kokayi Nosakhere, anti-racism instructor living in Oregon In January 2022, race is such an emotionally charged subject among my white friends and family that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is making news supporting a state-sponsored bill PROTECTING white-bodied persons from feeling any psychological discomfort…

The Meaning of Kwanzaa, an African American cultural observance From what the living books called our Elders tell us, the Civil Rights Movement represents something intangible, just outside the intellectual grasp. It is more than dates and events and personalities. "It" wasn’t the speeches or the marches. "It" was what…

The Lesson of Lauren Pefferle Even after three years of direct experience with it, I struggle to clearly communicate what I mean by white racial innocence. …

A New Mascot for Gold Hill, Please When you choose to walk a neighborhood, because you are on foot, you see a lot of details missed while driving through said neighborhood. Being a community organizer, I walk lots of neighborhoods, on purpose. On the morning of Saturday, July 3, I…

Understanding a White Hostile Environment She gets it. And, in getting it, I can make myself hopeful. I can see progress. I can see the fruit of social justice in Southern Oregon. A cure for white racial innocence does exist. Being an activist, I savor these moments. I know they…

General Milley, Your White Racial Innocence is Very Confusing Something is bothering me. It just don’t sit right with me. I mean, I think you will get what I am saying after I explain myself. Before I go any further, please let me issue a warning. I have a lot…

The Ordinary Bravery of a Small Town Solution There is a certain serenity which exists in Ashland, Oregon. It resonates off the Siskiyou mountains; it bubbles along the currents of Lithia Park and it shines from the smiles and warm laughter of the 22,000 residents. A level of positive consciousness…

Dear White America, Here is a Solution to White Supremacy (Warning: The following is written in a stream of Black consciousness and will not reflect white cultural thought norms.) It is Black History Month. That means, for 28 days, you permit yourself to think about yourself in racial terms. I…