Caucus registration is live!

Registration is officially open for this year’s Rural Caucus & Strategy Session on Saturday, May 19th in The Dalles! Register before April 15th for early bird discounts for the whole weekend of actions, strategy sessions, and assemblies by and for rural Oregonians organizing for human dignity and justice! Check out the weekend of events that will reflect on the last year’s work and plan for the year to come from Friday, May 18th through Sunday, May 20th:

• Friday, May 18th: Statewide Solidarity with Incarcerated Hunger Strikers!: Rally in solidarity with immigrants and refugees detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and held at NORCOR, the regional public jail. Several hunger strikes inside the jail have led to more humane conditions, but one demand has not been met yet: to end the ICE contract with NORCOR. Join us for the action and a community dinner where we will share strategies to defend our rural communities against detentions and deportations.
• Saturday, May 19th: Rural Caucus and Strategy Session (the main event!): Every year over 100 rural leaders come together from across Oregon at the Caucus to break isolation, share stories of our local work, strategize and learn from each other, and shape ROP’s work for the next year. This year’s Caucus will include skill building workshops, issue-based strategy sessions, and multiple opportunities to learn from work in another part of the state! We will kick up our heels to some great music at the end of the day!
• Sunday, May 20th: Rural People’s Movement Assembly on Community Rapid Response: Join groups from across the state that are rapidly responding to crises in their communities–from vigilante and state violence to climate disasters– to share strategies, tactics, and structures. Click here to learn more about the first People’s Movement Assembly on Rural Rapid Response!

Early bird registration discounts end April 15th, so register online here! Registration fees are kept low on purpose, because we want the Caucus to be as accessible for rural organizers and leaders as possible. We also have scholarships available for registration and travel. We are offering childcare, interpretation, community housing options, and carpool coordination. Questions? Want to problem solve getting to the Caucus? Reach out to ROP by emailing hannah@rop.org

While White House controversies and tweets rolled out and vigilante and state violence spiked, how did rural Oregon respond? With a full year of powerful resistance and visionary organizing! Small town and rural Oregonians held the largest marches their communities have ever seen, formed groups that brought people together in meaningful action for justice, and welcomed their newly politicized neighbors into the movement for human dignity. Together we are growing the movement for a better future for our communities, from young people organizing to demand true safety in their schools, DACAistas traveling to DC and rallying with neighbors in Oregon to stay in the home communities they are a part of, communities coming together to keep each other safe when ICE comes to town, and entire communities connecting the dots between issues and this moment in history through exhibits, conversations, and events.

Join us to celebrate the powerful movement that rural Oregonians are building. Hone your skills, learn from other communities doing similar work, build relationships with leaders who are hungry to connect over distance, and help ROP shape our next year’s work of kickass organizing and collective action! Who from your local group can join the road trip to represent your rural community at the Caucus? We can’t wait to see you there!