POLITICAL HOME FOR BLACK PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN OREGON

About
SOBLACC

Oregon is a state built on white supremacy with explicit anti-Black racism.  Oregon’s constitution explicitly forbade Black people from living, working, or owning property in the State. Until 1926 it was still illegal for Black people even to move to the state. It is this history that created the lack of diversity Oregon has today. According to the 2010 Census,  86.7% of Oregon residents identify as white only, and  just 2.2% of Oregonians identify as Black or African American. This is significantly less than the national Black population, which is about 13% percent. 

Although Black people in Oregon make up only 2.2% of the population, we continue to experience some of the greatest racial disparities in the country but they are magnified here.  Currently, Oregon is incarcerating Black people at rate of 3,195 people per 100,000 people, which is more than six times (6x) the rate at which white people are incarcerated in Oregon, it is about four times (4x) the rate at which Latinx people are incarcerated in Oregon, and is more than twice (2x) the rate at which Native Americans are incarcerated in Oregon. For the 2018-2019 school year, the High school dropout rate for Black students was reportedly 5.67%, which was double that of white students. Moreover, the graduation rate for Black students in Oregon was 10% lower than the graduation rate for all students, and 11% lower than white students specifically. An ODE report ,  released in May 2019, grading public schools indicates that Black students are disciplined at twice the rate of their white peers.

Southern Oregon Black Leaders, Activists, and Community Coalition (SOBLACC) was born out of the need for the Black people to come together to build community and a political home for folks who have come to live, work, and play here, and for those who will come here in the future.  Many of Southern Oregon’s Black community have chosen this region as our home in spite of it’s deep and long commitment to anti-Blackness and white supremacy. Like other people in our community, we have come here to enjoy the beauty of Oregon’s nature, the spirit of local art, and to help build the economy with our work and contributions. We also come into this space as full and realized people; steeped in Black culture, Black spiritual practices, and Black politics that bring us together with clarity of purpose. SOBLACC is committed to seeding a new Black space in Southern Oregon that nurtures who we are, where we come from, and what we want to see for Black people now and in the future.

SOBLACC is creating a space that embraces Blackness in all its forms and celebrates the culture of being Black, and is holding space for those that do the same,  all while working to address the injustice that Black people are experiencing here in Southern Oregon. Furthermore the weaponization of anti-Blackness has been codified in the laws, policy, and practices of this region and this state.  To ensure that the Black people living here are thriving and sharing our Black genius for solving old and new problems, SOBLACC is committed to building the political power, shared voice, and collective organizing force to change the laws and policies that make it difficult to enjoy living and thriving as Black people in Southern Oregon through advocacy, lobbying and candidate endorsements.