In the past few weeks we have witnessed horrible acts of gun violence including against Black grocery store shoppers in Buffalo, NY; 4th graders and teachers in Uvalde, TX; Taiwanese worshipers in Laguna Woods, CA; and families at both an outdoor festival and a hospital in Tulsa, OK. In the midst of grief, rage, fear, and frustration, people are organizing all across the […]
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8 Reasons Not to Miss the Caucus!
ROP is turning 30 and we are overjoyed to be gathering together in person again! Join us in Redmond for the Rural Caucus & Strategy Session on Saturday, June 25th, and the Rural Organizing Intensive on Sunday, June 26th. The registration deadline to receive the early bird discount has been extended to May 25th, so check […]
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Big Victories in the Legislature!
Did you hear? Rural Oregon won some big victories this year in the legislative session, including overtime pay for farmworkers; helping close the wealth gap for Oregon’s Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities; making sure every Oregonian in immigration court has access to a lawyer; and reducing the number of people stopped by law enforcement, just to […]
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The Town That QAnon Nearly Swallowed
We’re collecting Valentines to Rural Organizers to create a record of the creativity and care that flows through this web of organizers! How does it work? The ROP Staff team will gather notes, poems, recordings, or artwork from you and then share them back out over ROPnet. Share your words of encouragement with fellow organizers […]
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Safe and Welcoming Communities
In 2020 as part of creating the Roadmap to a Thriving Rural Oregon, the ROP network of more than 80 autonomous human dignity groups, agreed that in order to thrive, rural communities must be safe and welcoming to all people, regardless of their background. This past year, human dignity groups have continued to organize that goal […]
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Racial Justice from Kenosha to Rural Oregon
We are frustrated and angry at the news of Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal. In August 2020, Rittenhouse, a teenager from Illinois crossed state lines into Kenosha, Wisconsin with an AR-15, and shot three Black Lives Matter activists who were protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man. Two of those people died. Both the Kenosha […]
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Newberg Fights for Equity
Human dignity groups have held weekly rallies and flag waves in support of the Movement for Black Lives at Newberg’s city flagpole since the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020. These weekly gatherings took on renewed urgency though this past August when the Newberg School Board enacted a ban on wearing or displaying Black […]
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Justice for Barry Washington Jr.
On Saturday, September 18th, Barry Washington Jr., a young Black man, was murdered in downtown Bend. The murderer, Ian Cranston, was initially charged with manslaughter, meaning he was accused of killing someone unintentionally and was released on bond a couple of hours later. Cranston’s Facebook is covered in casual uses of the n-word, but the […]
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Taking to the Streets for Reproductive Justice
This Saturday, groups across the network will be rallying for reproductive rights. Check out the list below for information on what’s happening in your area. Mobilizing for reproductive rights is not new to the ROP network. In 2018, Ballot Measure 106 tried to amend the Oregon constitution to prevented public employees and working-class people, including […]
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Borders, Blackness, and Empire
The brutal treatment of Haitian migrants at the US-Mexico Border this past week has been horrifying, to say the least. Groups across the state and the country are participating in a national day of action on Wednesday calling on the Biden administration to end anti-Black and anti-immigrant policies and practices as well as ensure that […]
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