Respond to Racism

It has been less than a week and a half since our initial Zoom meeting to discuss and strategize how we could respond as a community to the COVID-19 pandemic and the systemic inequities that are resulting from it. Infections have grown exponentially and the government recently passed a controversial (to say the least) bailout package. That said, in our last discussion, we came up with a number of ideas and connected each other with a variety of resources we could support in real time (which you can view here). This Thursday, we will be checking in with another discussion hosted by Molli Mitchell and yours truly. Full details below: Topic: Resisting Disaster Capitalism - follow up call Time:

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is as good a time as ever to discuss the prospect of the Shock Doctrine, which author Naomi Klein describes as "the political strategy of using large-scale crises to push through policies that systematically deepen inequality, enrich elites, and undercut everyone else." Klein, the author of "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism," recently spoke with Vice News about how COVID-19 is the "perfect disaster" for this type of behavior. Rather than simply watching and hoping for the best, let's talk and get organized for this moment. We hope you'll join me and co-host Molli Mitchell for this Zoom discussion on Thursday, Mar. 19 at 5:30 pm. Me

Dear Respond to Racism LO community, In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be suspending all public RtR events until further notice. This includes our upcoming Apr. 6 community meeting and the remaining dates for the BIPOC Speaker Series we were set to co-host with the West Linn Alliance for Inclusive Community and Mary's Woods. While we will not be hosting public events, we will be continuing the conversation online, both on our website and on our respective social media platforms. We will also be exploring virtual discussion options, such as Zoom conversations on how to press for police reform in our community and chats about relevant videos and films like the upcoming Madame CJ Walke

Update: The Spring BIPOC Speaker Series has been cancelled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic until further notice. Respond to Racism LO is thrilled to once again partner with Mary's Woods Diversity Task Force and the West Linn Alliance for Inclusive Community to host our Spring BIPOC Speaker Series. The series will feature discussions with Walidah Imarisha, Dr. Markisha Smith, and Jacqueline Keeler and will be held at Mary's Woods Dunn Community Center in Cascadia Hall. For more information on times and specific discussion topics, check out the flyer below: #maryswoods #wlaic #respondtoracism #lakeoswego #bipoc #walidahimarisha #markishasmith #jacquelinekeeler #critical