Listen. Learn. Act.
October 2020
The killing of Black men and women; the history of racism in our country, state, and university; the unkept promises and continued impact of systemic racism; and the current iteration of Black Lives Matter and its awareness by the general public have given rise to new fights and demands in an ages-long struggle.
Sharing the theme “Listen Learn Act” introduced by the UO’s Common Reading Program for the year, the resources here provide opportunities for you to participate, contribute and move towards change. They also highlight and elevate work to help create greater understanding of the full heritage of African Americans and BIPoC communities who endure racial injustice and continue with courage, contributions and creativity. We will continue adding resources and highlighting work throughout the year as we know this is a journey our community and society as a whole must continuously walk.
In response to the Black Lives Matter movement and requests from campus colleagues, the UO Common Reading Program will dedicate this year to Blackness, the Black experience, and dismantling racism under the theme “Listen. Learn. Act.” Fall term is dedicated to listening, focusing on the New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project, based on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in North America. The project creator, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, comes to campus virtually February 19.
Speaking out during this chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center, the UO Black Strategies Group, and the UO Black Academic Excellence Team address the overwhelming bigotry, hatred, and racism that we continually face.
New minors give students the opportunity to explore the history and complexity of Black and Latinx cultures.
Black Studies offers “routes” and “roots” for those who want to understand power, the realities of racism, and the achievements of Black history.
LatinX Studies draws on the expertise and community connections of nearly 40 faculty members across departments to examine the many facets of the Hispanic and Latinx experience.
In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests in 2015, the Black Student Task Force presented a list of 13 demands. Many members of the community came together to address these issues. While significant steps were made, much work was, and is, left to be done.
Almost five years later, trustee Andrew Colas urged the UO board of Trustees to revisit the issue of removing the name of Matthew Deady from the university’s oldest building due to the racist views he held. The board voted to remove the name in June 2020.
Resources
Visit these resources—a small sampling of the many on campus—for ways to listen, learn, and act in the fight for social justice