Dear ROPnet,
Across the state, rural organizers centered joy and community building in their organizing this summer. Communities gathered together in parks, community centers, church basements, and living rooms to build relationships, break bread, strategize, and have some good ‘ol-fashioned fun! We were reminded of the importance of sharing these stories and images in a strategy session at the Rural Caucus and Strategy Session in April called “Gatherings and Community Hubs: Building Our Power.” In that Caucus session, folks reflected on how having fun in community is deeply strategic in this moment we find ourselves in.
Why gather in community?
- Celebratory, value-based, positive action brings folks in and keeps them involved when the to-do list gets long and our opposition gets daunting. In other words, fun keeps us in this movement for justice for the long haul!
- Decades of rural organizing have taught us that there is safety in numbers. The more we know our neighbors on a personal level, the better we can keep temperatures low and build trust to keep our communities safe and welcoming.
- Community events including Pride and Juneteenth are easy ways for folks to dip their toes into movements for justice. People can come, learn, and get signed up for whatever level of involvement they are ready for!
- Coming together year after year allows for new connections and reconnection. Annual events especially can build momentum, growing year after year into something way more powerful than you could have imagined in the beginning!
- Events can help reground us in what our long-term goals are, create safe spaces for a particular group, create an excuse to reach out beyond our bubble, brew ideas without a set agenda, and start building the world we want to see!
- What did we miss? Let us know your biggest reason for making sure we center joy in our organizing!
Below is the beginning of a list of summer events from across rural Oregon. Don’t see your community represented? Let us know what you got up to this summer and what you’re planning for the fall so we can add you to the round-up!
Warmly,
Emma, Sidra, and the ROP team
Summer of Joy and Justice: Action Round-Up
Baker County
On May 6th, Baker County human dignity leaders gathered with their ROP county organizer for two defend democracy Living Room Conversations, first in the town of Halfway and then in Baker City. A recap of all the defend democracy Living Room Conversations we’ve hosted so far will be coming soon to your airwaves and inboxes! To organize one in your community, reach out to your ROP organizer or office@rop.org.
Benton County
Philomath’s third annual Pride event was held on Saturday, June 15th from 12-4pm at Philomath City Park. “This family-friendly event honored and celebrated the LGBTQIA2S+ community and aims to foster an inclusive space for all. What started as a grassroots, community-led effort is transforming and growing year after year.” – City of Philomath
Mid-Valley Solidarity Coalition Solidarity summer potluck was held at Townsend Shelter in Corvallis’ Avery Park on Sunday, July 21st.
Clackamas County
Gladstone Juneteenth Celebration took place on Saturday, June 15th in Max Patterson Park.
Indivisible Clackamas held a Reproductive Justice rally from 12 – 1 pm on Saturday, June 22nd at Milwaukie Bay Park to commemorate the second anniversary of the demise of Roe vs Wade.
The Rural Queer Open Mic Tour, a traveling open mic by and for rural queers with music, comedy, and more, stopped in Welches on July 25th. Read more about the tour here!
Clatsop County
On June 25, Clatsop County human dignity leaders gathered with their ROP county organizer for a defend democracy Living Room Conversation in Astoria. A recap of all the defend democracy Living Room Conversations we’ve hosted so far will be coming soon to your airwaves and inboxes! To organize one in your community, reach out to your ROP organizer or office@rop.org.
The Rural Queer Open Mic Tour, a traveling open mic by and for rural queers with music, comedy, and more, stopped in Astoria on July 24th. Read more about the tour here!
Coos County
Southern Oregon Coast Pride held Pride in the Park at Boynton Park in North Bend on August 3rd including queer kickball, letter-writing to Trans youth in the South, water balloon games, a lip sync contest, a sensory tent that included “furry friends,” line dancing and a raffle!
Crook County
Prideville hosted Pride in Prineville’s Pioneer Park on June 30th with live music, local performers, vendors, community partners, and more.
On August 9th, Central Oregon human dignity leaders from Warm Springs and Deschutes and Crook counties gathered with their ROP county organizer for a defend democracy Living Room Conversation in Bend. A recap of all the defend democracy Living Room Conversations we’ve hosted so far will be coming soon to your airwaves and inboxes! To organize one in your community, reach out to your ROP organizer or office@rop.org.
Curry County
Southern Oregon Coast Pride hosted Pride in Azalea Park in Brookings on June 1st! Festivities included a book launch, face painting, award presentations, a musical performance, a low-sensory space, and silent auction!
Indivisible North Curry County hosted a rally for reproductive and fundamental rights in Port Orford on Monday, June 24th, the second anniversary of the Dobbs decision. This rally was in support of the national Women’s Strike, the Indivisible Weekend of Action: Majority over MAGA, and dedicated to Casey Folden, in honor of her life.
Bandon Inclusivity Group hosted their Kids Summer Book event on June 8th where they highlighted books with disabled characters during a library storytime and distributed free books to kids throughout the community!
Juneteenth The Family Reunion, cosponsored by many local organizations hosted events across Coos and Curry Counties on and around June 19th. Festivities included a presentation by Oregon Remembrance Project’s Taylor Stuart in Coos Bay, Black Panther film screening in Brookings and African drumming and poetry with Gansango Music and Dance Company in Bandon, Brookings and Coos Bay. Read more in Bandon Inclusivity Group’s newsletter here.
The Rural Queer Open Mic Tour, a traveling open mic by and for rural queers with music, comedy, and more, stopped in Brookings on July 15th. Read more about the tour here!
Deschutes County
Central Oregon for Free Palestine has continued rallying for ceasefire weekly on peace corner in Bend. Their partners in Bend’s new Jewish Voice for Peace chapter also hosted a film screening and panel discussion of the documentary Israelism on May 29th.
The Vocal Seniority hosted a rally for reproductive rights alongside the ReSistas, and Indivisible Sisters in Bend on June 24th, the 2nd anniversary of the Supreme Court striking down the federal right to an abortion. And they got covered by the local paper!
On August 9th, Central Oregon human dignity leaders from Warm Springs and Deschutes and Crook counties gathered with their ROP county organizer for a defend democracy Living Room Conversation in Bend. A recap of all the defend democracy Living Room Conversations we’ve hosted so far will be coming soon to your airwaves and inboxes! To organize one in your community, reach out to your ROP organizer or office@rop.org.
Douglas County
Umpqua Valley Rainbow Coalition hosted Pride on June 22nd in Roseburg, and is hosting a Pride Festival at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on October 6th! The festival will last from 11 in the morning to 5 at night and will feature a myriad of queer- and ally-owned businesses. Stop by for performances and dancing, find local businesses to support, and to make friends!
Hood River County
Hood River Latino Network and Rural Organizing Project celebrated the Hood River Immigrant Help Center Grand Opening on June 15th with music, food, face painting, and tours of the new space!
Riverside church in Hood River hosted Community Action for Gaza on Friday, July 12th at 5 pm. Despite the sweltering 100 + degree heat, 12 people participated, including three coming for the first time!
Riverside Church writes: “We’ve had a steady, interfaith presence of 10-60 people every Friday since December 22nd. It is an inspiring group of people who are committed to stand with our siblings in Gaza, even when it is hard and uncomfortable. We will not turn away from the suffering being perpetrated in our names with the support of our tax dollars. Newcomers are welcome.”
Hood River Latino Network hosted the annual Festival Latino to celebrate the latina community in the Gorge and share an afternoon with music, food and lots of information for the people. Los Canarios de Michoacan and local artists played throughout the afternoon and evening!
The Rural Queer Open Mic Tour, a traveling open mic by and for rural queers with music, comedy, and more, stopped in Hood River on July 27th. Read more about the tour here!
Jackson County
Black Alliance for Social Empowerment (BASE) hosted their annual Juneteenth Festival to celebrate Freedom, Resilience, and Community on June 15th in Medford’s Pear Blossom Park Blocks
Ashland Sunrise Project hosted two speakers on July 8th in an event they called “Uncovering Difficult Truths.” The event was organized as a conversation with Oregon author Sarah L. Sanderson, Taylor Stewart, founder of the Oregon Remembrance Project, and host Tara Houston of Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Sarah Sanderson, author of The Place We Make: Breaking the Legacy of Legalized Hate, shared her own story of discovering that her ancestors participated in exiling Jacob Vanderpool from Oregon City in 1851 under the exclusion laws that prevented Black people from residing in Oregon. Taylor and Sarah explored what we gain from uncovering difficult truths and how we can transform those challenges into opportunities for a new kind of future.
Warm Springs
On August 9th, Central Oregon human dignity leaders from Warm Springs and Deschutes and Crook counties gathered with their ROP county organizer for a defend democracy Living Room Conversation in Bend. A recap of all the defend democracy Living Room Conversations we’ve hosted so far will be coming soon to your airwaves and inboxes! To organize one in your community, reach out to your ROP organizer or office@rop.org.
Josephine County
Grants Pass Remembrance Coalition walked in the community Boatnik Parade on May 25th to celebrate Juneteenth like last year (see photos from our 2023 round up). Their group makes sure to have a presence in the Boatnik parade because, “The KKK marched for decades in the parade that eventually became the Boatnik parade.
We walk as a part of establishing our new legacy as a Sunrise Community – a place where all our neighbors can feel safe, respected and at home. Our hope is to have more people participating for our Sunrise Community than those that did with the KKK!”
The Rural Queer Open Mic Tour, a traveling open mic by and for rural queers with music, comedy, and more, stopped in Cave Junction on July 16th. Read more about the tour here!
Josephine County Democrats hosted a Bodily Autonomy Freedom Rally on August 15th!
Klamath County
On May 30th, Oregon Institute of Technology’s Students for Justice in Palestine group rallied on and off campus for ceasefire in Israel/Palestine and for their university to stop investing in Boeing, due to Boeing’s contracts with the Israeli military.
On July 27, Klamath County human dignity leaders gathered with their ROP county organizer for a defend democracy Living Room Conversation in Klamath Falls. A recap of all the defend democracy Living Room Conversations we’ve hosted so far will be coming soon to your airwaves and inboxes! To organize one in your community, reach out to your ROP organizer or office@rop.org.
Lane County
On July 4th, a visitor from Corvallis became the 2,000th signatory to the climate petition, Florence Climate Strike has been circulating.
She was in Florence with her husband and two young girls to enjoy the Independence Day festivities and get away from the heat. Members of the Florence Area Democratic Club who were tabling in Old Town witnessed the event and clapped and cheered.
Lincoln County
The Rural Queer Open Mic Tour, a traveling open mic by and for rural queers with music, comedy, and more, stopped in Newport on July 19th and Lincoln City on July 20th. Read more about the tour here!
Linn County
Greater Albany Education Association (GAEA) rallied on June 10th during union contract negotiations. Bob Rossi writes, “Several hundred teachers and their supporters gathered to support one another and build unity behind a set of commonsense and flexible demands that can be read here. It was hot and there wasn’t much shade, but the union provided burritos and water and the speakers kept us engaged. At the end of the rally most of those who had gathered to make their collective voice heard went inside the school building for a listening session.”
The Linn Benton Hispanic Advisory Committee hosted Festival Latino in Albany on September 8th after a 4-year hiatus! Over 650 people attended the event in a local park, in addition to the 100 or so volunteers and staff at resource tables and food carts. The free event included cultural performances, children’s activities, food, and a community resource fair that included a legal clinic.
Malheur County
One Community All Spirits organized “Stronger Together Pride and Community Resource Fair” on June 29th in Ontario Lion’s Park.
The Rural Queer Open Mic Tour, a traveling open mic by and for rural queers with music, comedy, and more, stopped in Ontario on July 10th. Read more about the tour here!
Tillamook County
On June 24th, Tillamook County human dignity leaders gathered with their ROP county organizer for a defend democracy Living Room Conversation in Nehalem. A recap of all the defend democracy Living Room Conversations we’ve hosted so far will be coming soon to your airwaves and inboxes! To organize one in your community, reach out to your ROP organizer or office@rop.org.
Umatilla County
United Pendleton Pride hosted a free screening of “Where the Olive Trees Weep”, on Friday June 21st. The newly released documentary Where Olive Trees Weep is about the struggles and the resilience of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. It explores themes of loss, trauma, and the quest for justice and features Dr. Gabor Maté as he offers trauma-healing work to Palestinian women tortured in Israeli prisons. At the screening they also hosted a discussion and raised money for a local student with family in gaza. To donate, click here.
Wallowa County
The Rural Queer Open Mic Tour, a traveling open mic by and for rural queers with music, comedy, and more, stopped in Wallowa County on July 7th. Read more about the tour here!
Wasco County
Protect Our Progress hosted a reproductive freedom rally on June 24th. Their MC guided the event between music from Stardust and guest speakers, including someone from the Gorge Abortion Access Collective and a local elected official. They also had a de-escalation team named “Men in Pink.”
Washington County
Western Washington County for Racial Justice hosted a rally for Sonya Massey in Forest Grove on July 27th. They waved signs and waved as passersby, receiving many more honks and cheers than boos or fingers.
