Respond to Racism

On Nov. 25, 2019, Respond to Racism hosted a student panel for the Lake Oswego School District's Professional Development Day featuring a diverse group of students from Lakeridge and Lake Oswego High School. During the event, the students discussed the pervasiveness of racism in the school district, how teachers and staff tend to respond, daily microaggressions, and more. It should be noted, that while these panels can be enlightening, the ultimate goal is for community membe

Last fall, I sat down with some of the original members of the Lakeridge High School Equity Council to discuss their origins, the state of racism in LO schools, and their vision for helping move the community forward. The full video below, in addition to being available on YouTube, will also be airing on Open Signal, the local public access network. To find out when it will be airing, go to opensignalpdx.org. Check out shortened clips from the interview below: #lhsequitycounc

On April 28, 2019, members of the Lakeridge High School Equity Council visited LHS alum Troy Douglass at his award-winning business Cultural Blends to discuss ways in which the racial climate has changed and stayed the same, advice he'd give to current students, and how growing up in LO influenced his business. Check out the interview in the playlist below: #troydouglass #culturalblends #lakeoswego #losd #lakeridgehighschool #lhsequitycouncil #education #respondtoracism #port

The Feb. 18 Respond to Racism student panel was full of powerful, poignant, and at times, heartbreaking moments. Recently, we released the first batch of videos so those who missed it or would just like relive the event could watch it in full or broken up into two parts. Now, for those looking for more bite-sized clips, we've heard your requests and those videos are now available. Check them out below. #rtrstudentpanel #respondtoracism #lakeoswegohighschool #lakeridgehighscho

On Feb. 18, 2019, Respond to Racism hosted a student panel on experiences with race and racism in Lake Oswego. The panel featured students from Lake Oswego and Lakeridge High School who are heavily involved with equity work in their schools and communities. These panelists included Lake Oswego High School students Anushka Nair, Penelope Spurr, and Janelle Pranger, and Lakeridge High School students Anna-Marie Guenther, Evan Melendez, Mya Gordon, and Maximus Herrera. Below is

Are you an equity-minded person looking to enact change in the LO community? The Lake Oswego School Board is holding elections for two open seats this May. If this sounds like a leadership role you would be interested in, the deadline for filing the required paperwork is between Feb. 9 and Mar. 21. The fact is, one of the most important levers of power in any city or town is the school board. The decisions we make on behalf of our students will shape our community for decades

An artist whose name will not be mentioned once said the prophetic words, “Listen to the kids bro.” For our Feb. 4 Respond to Racism meeting, we will be doing just that. This special community meeting will feature a packed panel of students from both Lake Oswego and Lakeridge High School who are heavily involved in equity work in their respective schools and communities. The fact is, too often we find ourselves talking about young people but not talking to them, and perhaps m