Respond to Racism

A year or so ago, LO resident Melissa Fireside came to me with an idea about creating an LO Cultural Center. While ambitious, it struck me as the perfect project to help unite the various communities in LO and provide a space for marginalized people in particular to truly feel empowered. Although neither of us has the millions of dollars necessary to bring this idea into fruition immediately, what we can do is bring this conversation to the larger community and show the rest

On Apr. 10, Respond to Racism co-founder Willie Poinsette appeared on OPB's Think Out Loud with Dave Miller. During the interview, Poinsette discussed the changes she's seen in Lake Oswego over the course of her 32 years living in town, the events that led to the creation of RTR, and what inspired her to put the town on notice during her Community Leader of the Year Award speech to the LO Chamber of Commerce. Listen to the full audio below: #respondtoracism #lakeoswego #willi

Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially in areas with deeply ingrained issues like Lake Oswego, requires intentionality. While RTR and other organizations are working to provide community engagement opportunities, the reality is that these efforts can only go so far if we don't integrate the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion into the everyday lives and activities of LO community members. Many would consider our schools ground zero for addressing this n