A History of Exclusion: The Black Eugene Experience and the Black Cultural Initiative
Time: Noon to 1:15 pm
Venue: WOW Hall
291 West 8th
Eugene, Oregon
97401
- Join the Livestream
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We will meet at the WOW Hall, 291 W 8th. Learn more: https://wowhall.org/about-us/. Walk, ride a bike or take the bus. You may park on the street or in the parking lot of FOOD for Lane County's Dining Room, across 8th from the WOW Hall. A freewill donation acknowledging the Dining Room's generosity may be made at the meeting.
Lunch will be available for $15.
Topic:
Oregon was considered a white utopia for American settlers. As a result, Oregon has a deep history of discrimination which includes but is not limited to:
* Three Black Exclusion Laws, 1844-1857, that made it illegal for Black people to settle in Oregon;
* A statute in the Oregon Bill of Rights that made it illegal for Black people to own land;
* The highest per capita U.S. membership in the Ku Klux Klan;
* Eugene Klan chapter with the highest membership in the United States;
* Black people were not allowed to buy property nor, until 1965, could they legally move to Oregon unless sponsored by a Caucasian person or a job;
* Eugene was considered a “sundown town” where Black people were required to leave the city limits at sundown or otherwise face harassment, or worse;
* The demolition of Ferry Street Village or “Across the Bridge” in 1949 is a prime example of eminent domain used to disperse Black residents in Eugene;
* An unchanging low percentage of Black people living in Oregon, and specifically Eugene, at 1.8 %.
Recently, the Black Cultural Initiative (BCI) has spearheaded the “Across the Bridge” monument project that honors the Across the Bridge residents and their descendants, and highlights a little-known historical occurrence in Eugene.
BCI was founded in 2023 by Talicia Brown-Crowell following the George Floyd murder/Black Lives Matter Movement. It is Lane County’s first Black-led community center, cultural hub, and business incubator created by and for the Black community. BCI’s mission is to cultivate a thriving and interconnected Black community in Lane County.
How has the history of Black exclusion in Eugene, and Oregon in general, impacted our community? Join City Club of Eugene as we engage in a conversation with Talicia Brown-Crowell that explores the history, the current situation and future goals of the Black experience in Eugene and in the state of Oregon.
Speakers
Title: Executive Director
Organization: Black Cultural Initiative
Website:
Biography:
Biography is provided by the speaker and edited for length/proofreading
Talicia Brown-Crowell is founder and executive director of the Black Cultural Initiative (BCI), founder and producer of the Black Cultural Festival, and owner of Harmony Massage. Founded in 2023, BCI’s community center, or the People’s Collective, is Lane County’s first Black-owned, Black-led community center, business incubator, and cultural hub. It offers year-round programs for youth and families, educational classes, food distribution, gardening projects, workforce development, and community health clinic. BCI has invested over $720,000 in the local Black community. BCI is leading a regional monument project honoring the first Black families who helped shape the area’s history. Talicia serves on the City of Eugene’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund Committee, Lane Small Business Development Center Advisory Panel, and Board of the Lane County Cultural Coalition. She has served on the City of Eugene’s Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Economic Development. Originally from San Jose, California, she came to Oregon for college in 2000, and never left.
