Opinion
4A
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
The Common Good
Structural
racism hides
in plain sight
ne summer day in 1966 George Harris, a Black former
classmate from the Atlanta University School of
Social Work, and I were driving an old school bus full
of campers — Black and white, poor and middle class, girls
and boys — from South Side Settlement in Columbus, Ohio,
to Triple-S Camp in southern Ohio. Driving slowly down a
narrow gravel rural road, George jammed on the brakes, leapt
from the driver’s seat, ran up to the porch of a ramshackle
house and asked the elderly couple sitting there, “How much
do you want for that? I want to buy it.”
The “that” was a crockery caricature of a grinning Black
youth eating a very large slice of watermelon. The sale was
made. George returned and placed the pottery in front the bus
— and drove over it, smashing the caricature into bits. This
led to some interesting discussions with the campers on the
bus.
I was involved in the civil rights movement during the
previous several years, picketing to challenge segregated
lunch counters and
testing housing dis-
THE COMMON GOOD
crimination with
the Congress on
BILL
Racial Equality
in Columbus, and
WHITAKER
demonstrating, pick-
LA GRANDE
eting, registering
voters, testing public
accommodations in theoretically desegregated Atlanta as one
of three white students in my MSW cohort at the Atlanta Uni-
versity School of Social Work. For the fi rst time in my life I
had close Black friends. But until George acted that day I was
not really conscious of how racism often hid in plain sight and
subtly infl uenced my perceptions of Black people.
I began to think about how I had been affected by my
beloved grandmother’s Aunt Jemima cookie jar, by stereo-
types promoted usually without intention by family and
friends, by the commonplace blackface red-suited jockey
hitching posts and other negative racial memorabilia that were
simply part of how things were. I wonder if you have had sim-
ilar experiences?
Across the country and here in Union and Wallowa coun-
ties, people have been demonstrating against systemic racism
following the brutal murder by police of George Floyd and
so many other people of color. One act of protestors in many
locations has been to destroy statues of Confederate leaders
from the Civil War and also especially statues of Christopher
Columbus. Such statues together with Confederate fl ags rep-
resent structural racism too often simply taken for granted by
many whites.
Columbus is commonly credited with beginning the Euro-
pean colonization of the Americas. He is less commonly
credited with the two founding crimes of the United States
— genocide of the Indigenous peoples and enslavement of
Africans — crimes impacting tens of millions of people and
generating never-ending racism against both populations.
It should be no surprise that Oregon is one of the least
diverse states in the nation. As educator Walidah Imarishais
makes clear, Oregon has roots deep in racism. Oregon’s Black
exclusionary laws demonstrate how Oregon was founded as a
racist white Utopia “where white folks could come and build
the perfect white society.” In 1844 Black people could live in
the Oregon territory no more than three years. Black people
who stayed longer could receive 39 lashes every six months
until they left. Five years later Black people not already resi-
dent were prevented from entering or residing in the territory.
When Oregon became a state in 1855, the Oregon Consti-
tution continued these exclusions and prohibited Black people
from owning property or making contracts. These laws
were repealed nearly 100 years ago, but the racist language
remained in the state’s constitution until removed by ballot
initiative in 2002. Eighteen years ago, 30% voted to keep the
racist language in the constitution.
Structural racism results in people of color and Indigenous
people being poorer, sicker, less likely to be employed, less
likely to be able to purchase homes or afford to rent apart-
ments, having less savings to fall back on and having shorter
life spans than their white counterparts. These workers are
less likely to have health insurance and more likely to work in
jobs defi ned as essential that are highly exposed to COVID-19
infections. Consequently, the pandemic has been especially
devastating to these households.
It’s time to address structural racism and the racial dis-
parities it generates by creating a just Oregon that works for
everyone.
O
About the Author
Bill Whitaker lives in La Grande. He is professor emer-
itus of social welfare at Boise State University. He taught
community organizing, social policy and planning for 40
years while serving on national social work education
boards and state legislative task forces.
Letters
Great American Outdoors Act is
important for conservation and public
access
My name is Chelsea Cassens, and I am an Artemis
ambassador for Eastern Oregon. Artemis is a commu-
nity of sportswomen from across the country coming
together to build relationships between hunters and
anglers, support each other in the fi eld and on the water,
and learn more about conservation issues impacting our
public lands, waters and wildlife.
Advocating for conservation and public access is
a deep-rooted part of who I am and how I was raised
— and how I am raising my kids. After becoming a
mother, I realized the importance of protecting wild
spaces for future generations. The next generation will
not enjoy the privilege of our irreplaceable lands, waters
and wildlife without our explicit engagement in all
facets of the sporting conservation life.
Oregon U.S. Rep. Greg Walden has a chance July 22
to cast a vote on a bill that will expand hiking, hunting,
fi shing, camping and many other outdoor recreation
activities in Oregon. The Great American Outdoors
Act can play a giant role in helping our state recover
physically, emotionally and economically from the
COVID-19 pandemic.
In recent months our parks, hiking and biking trails
and other public lands have been crowded with people
seeking exercise and relief from the stresses of the pan-
demic. This bill will make sure those recreation oppor-
tunities are expanded since it will permanently fund the
Land and Water Conservation Fund. That popular pro-
gram has provided Oregon with more than $335.6 mil-
lion to support such places as the Hells Canyon National
Recreation Area, the Hart Mountain Antelope Range
and the John Day Fossil Beds. As someone who loves
to hunt, fi sh and explore these public lands, I’m particu-
larly grateful the bill ensures these opportunities will be
available for future generations.
This legislation also will help economic recovery by
creating jobs and boosting outdoor recreation. Outdoor
recreation generates $16.4 billion annually in consumer
spending and supports more than 172,000 jobs across
the state.
The Great American Outdoors Act has broad bipar-
tisan support and is the right thing to do for our state
and our country. I urge Rep. Walden to burnish his con-
servation legacy by voting for this very important bill.
Chelsea R. Cassens
Imbler
Croghan response to Herrmann column a
‘confusing stew’
I’m a retired professor, taught at Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity for more than 30 years, and am a conservative.
As such, I was in a distinct minority at the workplace
and received a lot of good-natured political hassling
from colleagues. As you might imagine, most were of
a distinctly more liberal persuasion than was l. But we
treated each other with respect.
Stuart Croghan (Observer, July 14, 2020, letter to
editor) says he knew Ralph Badgley, Paul Stephas and
David Gilbert. Okay, I knew them too. All three. And
I taught for years with the latter two. They were my
friends and fi ne colleagues. Unlike Mr. Croghan, I also
taught with and know Dr. Tom Herrmann, now a retired
physics professor.
I know my friend Tom Herrmann as a principled
man of high ethical standards. Whereas I may or may
not agree with him on all topics, I can respect his point
of view, his careful, reasoned arguments (Observer, July
9, 2020, My Voice column). It’s just like Tom to present
the case for not rushing to a group think conclusion, to
look at a broader context and to bolster his opinion with
reference to an article in a preeminent scientifi c journal.
Unlike my friend Tom Herrmann, Mr. Croghan
dumps a batch of stuff in his verbal vat — a palpable
disdain for President Donald Trump, a helping of
hydroxychloroquine hysteria and a judgmental simplifi -
cation of modern Republican Party members — and his
mental concoction ends up a confusing stew in which
his assessment of others’ ethics bubbles to the top in a
layer of toxic intolerance.
I’ve got a year on Mr. Croghan — I’m 78. I can only
hope that he, in the coming months, will mature and
that some clarity will ensue. Perhaps a kinder, gentler
man, albeit with two degrees, may evolve.
Lyle Schwarz
La Grande
Contact your public offi cials
U.S. PRESIDENT
GOVERNOR
Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
U.S. SENATORS
REPRESENTATIVES
SENATOR
Greg Barreto, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-38
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande offi ce: 541-962-7691
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton offi ce: 541-278-1129
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
U.S.
REPRESENTATIVE
Greg Walden
185 Rayburn House Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande offi ce: 541-624-2400
Write to us
The Observer welcomes
letters to the editor. Letters
are limited to 400 words and
must be signed and carry the
author’s address and phone
number (for verifi cation
purposes only).
Email your letters to
news@lagrandeobserver.
com or mail them to the
address below.