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Hello Oregon Democrats, members of the Black Caucus, and our wider caucus community!
I am Miles Rowe Pendleton. It is an honor to serve as your Black Caucus Chair, a position I assumed on January 1st after serving as Vice-Chair for a year and a half under the leadership of the recently elected Portland City Councilor Loretta Smith. While I take great pride in stepping into this vital role at such a critical time and continuing the legacy of a groundbreaking public servant like Councilor Smith, the purpose of this message today is to unite us in spirit and focus toward another important matter for our Caucus: honoring Black History Month 2025.
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At the outset of this message, it’s essential to acknowledge the pressing issues we face this February, marked by a pervasive cloud of fear, bigotry, and the political exploitation of both, resulting in systemic harm and persecution. While many refer to our current situation as “uncertain times,” we must be clear that there is no uncertainty about the harsh realities, significant threats, and widespread devastation affecting our communities and their connections. Across the country, Black people and other historically or currently marginalized groups are enduring conditions resulting in shock, trauma, and hardship for our most vulnerable neighbors. We witness modern politics resembling the terrors we have either experienced or learned from generations of freedom fighters who fought to ensure such practices remained relegated to history and its collective memory.
As we enter the early weeks of the Trump administration, we are faced with alarming reports of federal memos, executive orders, congressional proposals, and various actions - at both national and state levels - that indicate potential policies aimed at eradicating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; institutionalizing practices reminiscent of Neo-Jim Crow laws; and the revival of modern internment camps targeting migrant communities. Indeed, America is undergoing a deliberate and existential assault on the fundamental integrity of its multicultural democracy and the foundational commitments that define it.
These sobering assessments of the current state of our republic’s institutional integrity contrast sharply with the emotions that typically surround this annual celebration's beginning. However, if my conversations with Black Oregonians across this state since 2020 reflect a prevailing sentiment, it is that for many, what we feel now is neither isolated nor necessarily new. Over years of emotional erosion, it has become increasingly difficult for many Black Oregonians to either inspire or identify sources for those feelings that have continuously enriched our lives and work with a contrasting force of purpose, progress, and goodness amidst the undue burdens tied to being Black in America, Oregon, and the modern world. Furthermore, while recent years seem to have introduced new opportunities for radical change to the current status quo, many are still questioning the reliability of this new social and political infrastructure, as well as the ongoing sustainability of this work, the coalitions that support it, and what constitutional protections remain in the wake of recent judicial reinterpretations of previously settled law. In many ways, having been raised by the civil rights and social justice titans of America’s greatest generations, we are left with the crushing feeling that those safeguards our ancestors fought to secure have now either been repealed or revealed as anything but.
Feeling this uncertainty in the foundation beneath our feet and the corresponding certainty of these threats we face can naturally lead to a sense of apathy. The burden of this unsolicited challenge can be profoundly overwhelming as we grapple with the existential questions of our generation. But, to all those in this fight, attempting to navigate these challenging times by sowing together the strands of society that inspire you and your village, please know that I stand with you, that our caucus supports you, and that you will always have a home with us. Together, we will continue to cultivate and adapt this space as we opt to embrace our agency and reclaim the pace by which we pursue the promise(s) defining this great American experiment.
In closing, I’d like to share a quote that keeps me grounded during a time when many things feel unprecedented. While we recently honored the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we must also celebrate the equally profound impact of Coretta Scott King. Reflecting on progress’s indirect path, Mrs. King said, “Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won; you earn it and win it in every generation.” The duality of our moment lies in the vast capacity for both good and harm to exist in equal measure. While too many of our American electorate have set us on our current course by choosing an option steeped in toxic rhetoric and misinformation that was ideologically convenient or comfortable for many, our work is far from lost. Before our current generation lies the elusive opportunity to choose our cause and take on the work that will define this century. While it seems a daunting, if even a seemingly insurmountable challenge when viewed in its entirety, it is only because of our past successes that we now face such tremendous hurdles. I believe in our caucus, I believe in our party, and I still believe in Oregon, too. Most importantly, I trust that altruism still has a place in America.
If you do as well, I commit that our caucus will be here to work hand in hand until this trust becomes a tangible reality. Additionally, we invite you to our Black Caucus’ upcoming Black History Month programming, the information for which is included below. In this spirit and with this commitment, I wish you, our party, state, and nation an excellent start to Black History Month 2025! May we live up to its high honor and responsibility.
Democratic Party of Oregon Black Caucus Upcoming Events
2025 Black History Month Caucus Kick-Off Event
Saturday, February 8th, 9 AM-11 AM, Le Bontemps Café and Catering
2716 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97212
Black History Month 2025 Listening Session
Co-Hosted by the Democratic Party of Oregon’s Black Caucus and Chair, Dr. Rosa Colquitt: Thursday, February 13th, 6 PM-7:15 PM, Virtual Event
“A Time for Reflection Program Series, Part 1”
Featuring Former US Assistant United States Attorney for the
U.S. Department of Justice, Ron Silvers
Monday, February 17th, 6 PM- 7:15 PM, Virtual Event
“A Time for Reflection Program Series, Part 2”
Featuring Democratic Party of Oregon Chair, Dr. Rosa Colquitt
Thursday, February 20th, 6 PM- 7:15 PM, Virtual Event
Democratic Party of Oregon Black Caucus Meeting
Friday, February 28th, 6 PM, Virtual Event
Miles Pendleton
Chair, DPO Black Caucus
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