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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Lawsuit seeks to overturn Jackson County's GMO ban or net $4.2 million for farms Drunk driver sentenced to 15 years Sewing guild donates to ACCESS ACCESS Senior Shoebox Project needs donations Chinese cultural association gets grant to teach traditional dance Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Drunk driver sentenced to 15 years Mexican man pleads guilty to growing pot in forest near Ashland Emergency Services Medford police shoot bear near Jefferson Elementary Police shoot robbery suspect in Klamath Falls Politics and Elections Buckley again named Ways and Means Committee co-chairman Latest count shows Measure 92 supporters narrowing deficit Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Ballot measures played little role in mobilizing voters in state Senate race 'Euphoria' over pot initiative Education Good news for SOU: Enrollment's up Mom gives school lobby a makeover Crater students present play about Thoreau's night in jail Half of Oregon's community college enrollees need remedial classes Marketta Gregory: Stretch yourself for God Environment Birders sought for bird counts Grow 'em before you plant 'em Since You Asked: Biomass One makes steam-generated power Organic squash creates a bountiful harvest for ACCESS Prospect-area cow death likely not a wolf kill State News Police shoot robbery suspect in Klamath Falls Nation - World Obituaries Cletta Marie Yocham Robert Morris Anderson Ethel Margaret (Slagle) Knips Death Notices In Loving Memory of Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Ashland High students aim for film festival Young scores 22 to help Oregon top Detroit No. 1 UConn women stunned by No. 6 Stanford, 88-86 Trail Blazers rally past Pels Wild shot enables 'Canes to upset Gators Varsity 541 College Sports Young scores 22 to help Oregon top Detroit No. 1 UConn women stunned by No. 6 Stanford, 88-86 Wild shot enables 'Canes to upset Gators Woman gets OSU apology in 1998 probe Playoff twin bill set for SOU Saturday Pro Sports Trail Blazers rally past Pels Nuggets snap Cavaliers' winning streak Steelers rally to defeat Titans, 27-24 Painkillers probe in NFL long way from over For 2014 Seahawks, the margin of error is gone Community Sports Results / Standings Business Latest Stories Lawsuit seeks to overturn Jackson County's GMO ban or net $4.2 million for farms Medford Center up for a makeover by new buyer Demand from LNG terminals would likely boost natural gas prices People in Business, Nov. 18 Greg Zyla: Growing up in the fabulous ’50s Real Estate News Financial webinars offered for veterans and their families Home prices rise across Jackson County New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food People In Business People in Business, Nov. 18 People in Business, Nov. 8 Transportation Medford airport passenger counts sky high in October Erickson reports third quarter profit Lithia reports $34.5 million third-quarter profit Agriculture Lawsuit seeks to overturn Jackson County's GMO ban or net $4.2 million for farms Latest count shows Measure 92 supporters narrowing deficit Revenue rises for Harry & David's parent company Where do all those leaves go? Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Adrian Peterson suspended Guest Opinion: County voters rebuffed judicial appointment process Our View: Kicking the can down the road Letters to the Editor, Nov. 18 Fix health care reform, don't scrap it Editorials Our View: Kicking the can down the road Our View: Wyden's O&C bill may be the answer, or not Other Views: A chastened Kitzhaber must tend to business Our View: Cheers and Jeers Our view: Saigo brings an energy to SOU campus Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Nov. 18 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 17 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 16 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 14 Letters to the editor Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: County voters rebuffed judicial appointment process Fix health care reform, don't scrap it Reflections on the election in Oregon and beyond Measure 89 provides equality for women Eagle Point needs public transportation Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog: Bourbon-bacon pie crust perfect with pumpkin Dr. Elaine Heffner: Put yourself in your child’s shoes Shayne Looper: Breathe the fresh air of eternity Home Help: Spruce up your home with quick DIY painting projects Food for Thought: Embark on a culinary trip around the world Food Community blog: Bourbon-bacon pie crust perfect with pumpkin Food for Thought: Embark on a culinary trip around the world Book Notes: In Mark Bittman’s new cookbook, faster is better Community blog: Pumpkin, salted caramel pair tradition, trendiness Joanna McQuillan Weeks: Jessica Fisher creates frugal, fabulous recipes Home and Garden Home Help: Spruce up your home with quick DIY painting projects Beyond curb appeal: When it pays to stand out Use the hidden meaning of color to enhance your home 17 things you never knew about turkeys Dear Monty: 10 tips toward a quality offer on a home Health Community blog: Lazy Able-Bodied People Could Live Here Here's a hand up you can use Community blog: Happy Holidays? Surviving and Even Thriving in the Dark Times Dr. Murray Feingold: ‘Grief is the price we pay for love’ Health Watch: Tips for post-workout recovery Hiking Biking Faith Religion news: Seattle-based mega-church dissolves Religion Briefs 'Walk the talk' Religion briefs Christ Unity Church shows 'Gen Silent' Milestones and Achievements Local farmers need more products in grocery stores Ashland honey festival draws swarm of visitors Fundraiser to benefit Medford Senior Center New Arrivals The meaning behind Veterans Day Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Thanksgiving comes early at Taprock Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon to perform two shows 'Alice in Wonderland' opens at Theatre Convivio 'Red Noses' a romp through slapstick and pathos Hawaiian slack-key guitarist Makana plays the Unitarian Theater 'Red Noses' a romp through slapstick and pathos SOU presents 'The Drunken City' The power of human spirit Music Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon to perform two shows The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Hawaiian slack-key guitarist Makana plays the Unitarian Rogue World Ensemble presents 'Gather 'Round' Focus on Tanya Gabrielian as Rogue Valley Symphony evokes the Baroque Community Events Review: Randall Theatre's 'Secret Garden' still enchanting Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Spookadelic Halloween Funktacular promises a lively dance party Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Dining Thanksgiving comes early at Taprock Word of Mouth: Brunch at Brothers' Restaurant Blue Toba is a cultural experience Back Porch Bar & Grill Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Lawsuit seeks to overturn Jackson County's GMO ban or net $4.2 million for farms ... Medford Center up for a makeover by new buyer ... Drunk driver sentenced to 15 years ... Lawsuit seeks to overturn Jackson County's GMO ban or net $4.2 million for farms ... Medford Center up for a makeover by new buyer ... Drunk driver sentenced to 15 years ... Oregon's racial history, diversity explored Oregon may have a reputation among some as a liberal blue state, but a lecturer who will speak here Monday says it has a racist past that affects the makeup of the state today. By JOHN DARLING MailTribune.com By JOHN DARLING Posted Oct. 20, 2013 @ 12:01 am Updated Oct 20, 2013 at 2:15 AM By JOHN DARLING Posted Oct. 20, 2013 @ 12:01 am Updated Oct 20, 2013 at 2:15 AM If you go --> What: "A Hidden History: Why Aren't There More Black People in Oregon?" When: 9:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 21 Where: Medford library, 205 S. Central Ave. Details: A free presentation and discuss... » Read more X If you go What: "A Hidden History: Why Aren't There More Black People in Oregon?" When: 9:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 21 Where: Medford library, 205 S. Central Ave. Details: A free presentation and discussion by Walidah Imarisha, an adjunct professor of history. She will also speak Monday afternoon in Grants Pass. » Social News Oregon may have a reputation among some as a liberal blue state, but a lecturer who will speak here Monday says it has a racist past that affects the makeup of the state today. In 1844, Oregon, not yet a territory, was founded as a "white homeland" that banned slavery and excluded blacks — a tenet that transferred to the state constitution and allowed punishment of African-Americans who refused to leave, said Walidah Imarisha, an adjunct professor of history at Portland State University and Oregon State University. She will present "A Hidden History: Why Aren't There More Black People in Oregon?" at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Medford library, 205 S. Central Ave. The talk is free and open to the public. In the 19th century, blacks stayed in Oregon at their own peril. "The law stated that governments could whip such immigrants every six months or, later in history, press them into forced labor," Imarisha says. Such laws were struck down with amendments to the U.S. Constitution after the Civil War, she adds, but while they existed, made blacks in Oregon "the first illegal aliens." At statehood in 1859, Oregon's Constitution banned blacks from living or working in the state, owning property or voting. It banned blacks from juries, levied black poll taxes and banned them from marrying whites, according to "The State of Black Oregon," an Urban League of Portland study cited by Imarisha. Such laws were upheld by courts until overturned by civil rights legislation in the 1950s. An Oregon law in 1862 required all blacks, Chinese, Hawaiians and mulattos to pay a $5 annual tax or be pressed into road work at 50 cents a day, she notes. The Ku Klux Klan blossomed in Oregon in the 1920s in greater numbers, per capita, than anywhere in the nation, says Imarisha and would march prominently in main street parades in most towns, Imarisha says, including now-liberal Ashland. "The governor who took office in 1923, Walter Pierce, was a card-carrying member of the KKK and supported the policy changes sought by the Klan, including universal compulsory public education, so the Klan could indoctrinate all children with their racist views," she says. "It was aimed at circumventing Catholic schools and passed in Oregon, but was deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court." Oregon was noted for its "sundown laws," allowing blacks to pass through towns but requiring them to leave by sundown, but Imarisha says the laws were never on the books; they were simply communicated to black travelers. Imarisha cites the study, "Sundown Towns," by James Loewen, which lists such towns, including Medford and Ashland, but relies mainly on oral histories, not documents. "About Medford, it says it was a confirmed sundown town with a sign up (telling blacks to be out of town by dark)," she notes. Seventy years ago, Oregon's black population was tiny, limited to railroad workers and domestic help, until Portland shipyards welcomed them in World War II. Today, says the Urban League, blacks face new uncertainty as neo-Nazis and skinheads push their own racist beliefs. At least partly due to such prejudice and exclusion, blacks are only about 2 percent of the Oregon population, compared with 13 percent nationwide, she says. Citing the Urban League study, she notes 80 percent of the state's blacks live in the Portland metro area. Imarisha will also speak on the topic at 1:30 p.m. Monday in the Student Center of Rogue Community College's Redwood Campus, 3345 Redwood Highway, Grants Pass. John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. By JOHN DARLING MailTribune.com By JOHN DARLING Posted Oct. 20, 2013 @ 12:01 am Updated Oct 20, 2013 at 2:15 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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