Page 6
July 8, 2020
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
Photo by a ndie P etkus courtesy o regon h istorical s ociety
The Experience Oregon exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society, downtown, confronts many of the hardships and successes for diverse populations who have called the
state their home, including American Americans, Japanese Americans and Indigenous peoples. The museum is re-opening on Saturday under new safety protocols to
protect for the health of staff and visitors during the coronavirus pandemic.
Experience Oregon Reopens Saturday
Museum adapts
with new health
and safety
protocols
After nearly four months
closed, the Oregon Historical So-
ciety plans to re-open its down-
town museum to the public on
Saturday under new health and
safety protocols to protect the
health of staff and visitors during
the coronavirus pandemic. Admis-
sion is always free to Multnomah
County residents.
When the museum closed on
March 14, the Oregon Historical
Society was about to debut a new
original exhibition, Nevertheless,
They Persisted: Women’s Voting
Rights and the 19th Amendment,
which chronicles the complicated
history of woman suffrage for vot-
ing rights and profiles the brave
activists who fought for change.
Now extended through mid-
2021, visitors to the exhibit will
see how Oregon was closely in-
tertwined in the national history of
woman suffrage and to the com-
plex history of American democ-
racy.
“Nevertheless, They Persisted
will prompt visitors to reflect on
voting rights and the many ways
that activists have fought to uni-
versalize this basic right of citi-
zenship,” said Kerry Tymchuk, the
museum’s executive director. “We
were excited to open this exhibi-
tion in March, and four months
later, the important messages of
the power of activism shared in
Nevertheless, They Persisted feel
even more relevant today.”
Oregon women gained the
right to vote in 1912, the initiative
passing with a 52% majority after
five prior failed attempts spanning
nearly 30 years. It was not until
the ratification of the 19th Amend-
ment in 1920, however, that wom-
en across the country gained the
right to vote in local and national
elections. Even then, these rights
did not extend to all women —
restrictions on citizenship con-
tinued for Native Americans and
first-generation Asian Americans
well into the 20th century, and
frequently used voter-suppression
methods.
Nevertheless, They Persisted,
and the Oregon Historical Soci-
ety’s recently renovated perma-
nent exhibition, Experience Ore-
gon, give visitors an honest, and
often difficult, look at our state’s
history.
In a recent statement on racial
justice and equality, Tymchuk
and OHS Board President Mary
Faulkner wrote, “The Oregon
Historical Society recommits it-
self to being a valuable resource
by documenting, preserving,
and sharing our state’s history,
from all perspectives, and in all
its complexities. We hope that
everyone will continue to help
guide us in providing knowledge
of the past and working to build a
more just and equitable society in
the future.”
Museum visitors will be asked
to adhere to health guidelines by
wearing a face covering and main-
taining a safe six foot distance
between people and groups. For
safety, hand-on interactive fea-
tures in open exhibits are closed
until further notice.