Document text
‘Firefighters’ in quest against racism By Kevin Opsahl Updated: Aug 24, 2022 02:50 PM A A Urban League of Portland leader Nkenge Harmon Johnson, from left, Ashland City Councilor Gina DuQuenne and Nataki Garrett, artistic director for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, participate in a panel discussion Thursday at Southern Oregon University. [Kevin Opsahl/Mail Tribune] Urban League of Portland holds discussion on racism at SOU Aidan Ellison, a young Black man in Ashland who was shot to death in 2020, was a topic of conversation when the Urban League of Portland held a panel discussion Tuesday at Southern Oregon University. “The amount of hatred in one’s heart to do such a thing is, well, incomprehensible to me, but this is a story we’ve heard again and again,” said Nkenge Harmon Johnson, president of the Urban League of Portland. “It’s something that could have been nothing at all, could have been a passing moment … turns into a deadly situation. Often it’s for a Black or Brown young person who is not empowered to save their own lives. They are killed at the hands of someone who thinks they have the right to do it — perhaps very much because of the color of their skin and the skin of their victims.” Robert Paul Keegan, a white man, is charged with murder in the Nov. 23, 2020, killing of Ellison at an Ashland hotel. Keegan has pleaded not guilty and is due to stand trial in early 2023. Police have not indicated whether they believe race was a factor in the slaying. Johnson said she knows Ashland was “very hard hit” by the incident, yet she is aware some community members believe there could be more of a discussion about it, which was one of the reasons the Urban League of Portland held Tuesday’s discussion in Ashland. “The initial (reaction) was: ‘It doesn’t happen here,’” said Ashland City Councilor Gina DuQuenne, who appeared on a panel with Johnson and Nataki Garrett, Oregon Shakespeare Festival artistic director. “Well, it did.” DuQuenne added her belief that the community conversation initially centered around the defendant, who became seen as the victim in the hotel encounter, while Ellison was “swept under the carpet.” “Aidan’s name was silenced,” DuQuenne said. “That will happen no more.” During the panel discussion, Johnson addressed for attendees a burning question: What does the Portland Urban League have to do with Ashland? “Urban League of Portland belongs to all of you, despite our name,” said Johnson, noting the League’s 77-year history serving Oregon and southwest Washington. “We are one of the few that are regional, rather than city or locally based. For me, that means we’ve got a big job to do because we’re responsible for a lot of people.” Though the state’s population is small compared with California, Johnson noted, the Beaver State has a lot of land — a dynamic that presents a challenge for all residents. “We have the opportunity to fix the problems we face in our community,” Johnson said. Tuesday’s event was the third in a series sponsored by the Urban League of Portland. The Ashland event and others — in Salem, Hood River and Bend — will help inform the League’s policies when it comes to fighting for the civil rights of Black people and other people of color in Oregon. DuQuenne introduced herself as the first Black and queer woman elected to the City Council, a distinction that garnered applause from Tuesday’s audience. “I am the first, but like our vice president (Kamala Harris) said, ‘I will not be the last,’” DuQuenne said. The women took questions submitted ahead of time from the live audience and virtual attendees. Inquiries ranged from the “joy” in being Black to what others can do to stop racism. When it came to the panelists giving their thoughts on what it takes to be anti-racists, their answers were unified but varied. “Everybody, get on their computers, write up a letter, send it to your local and federal government, and tell them: ‘We are not going to live in a racist community,’” DuQuenne said. “You have to send this same letter every week.” Garrett turned the question to the audience. “I’m laughing under my mask, because my real answer is: ‘You tell me what to do,’” she said. “I am asked over and over, ‘What does it take to change this?’ You actually need to do the work to change. You think as a Black woman I have a manual I can pull out?” Johnson ended the discussion by thanking attendees for working to become anti-racists. She noted that members of her group consider themselves “firefighters” who are, in effect, putting out racism. Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.