On February 23, 2022, Teela Foxworth joined SMPS Oregon to educate attendees about the specific injustices Black individuals face, especially in Oregon. 

The hour and a half event began with an introduction to the organization Brown Hope, that serves and mobilizes communities in order to heal our collective soil from the poisons of our past and present, so our future roots can thrive. Founder and CEO Cameron Whitten gave an introduction to the organization and shared some of its incredible programs to facilitate healing and change, including: the Black Resilience Fund, Power Hour, Solidarity Squad, Black Street Bakery, and more.  

Next, Teela Foxworth, an Anti-Racism educator who has given several presentations for SMPS Oregon, began her presentation on Anti-Blackness as a Form of Racism. The presentation started with a Land Acknowledgement (Portland, Oregon is on land previously tended to by the Chinook, Cklackamas, Kathlemet, Multnomah, Tualattin-Kalaupia tribes). Teela then shared with a list of DEI Intentions for the presentation, including such intentions as “respect one another’s lived experience” and “check in with your reactions.”

Teela explained a quick history of Anti-Blackness in the United States and shared the many ways that Black individuals in particular have been treated unjustly since the dawn of the nation. She used an iceberg metaphor, explaining that there are 400 years of mistreatment under the surface. She also touched on the way that race is a caste system, an artificial construction that ranks human value that sets the presumed inferiority of other groups on the bases of ancestry.

Next, Teela shared the ways in which Anti-Blackness was codified in law. She showcased the difference between either BIPOC groups, pointing out that laws have targeted specifically Black people, and prevented them from owning property or being able to vote for many many years. In Oregon specifically, there have been several Anti-Black Laws, including the Territorial Legislature Act (1849), which states “It shall not be lawful for any negro or mulatto to enter into or reside in Oregon” as well as the Donation Land Act (1850) which gave white men 320 acres of land in Oregon while Black people were prohibited from entering the state.

Teela illuminated the ways in which the entertainment industry has contributed and profited from Anti-Blackness. She brought up the ways Vaudeville producers used Blackface and minstrel shows to normalize racism and create a caricature of Black people that was simply untrue. She tied the past to current entertainment media, highlighting Joe Rogan’s use fo the N-word in his podcasts. Teela also explained the ways in which De Jure segregation led to segregated communities which then later became sources of urban renewal projects and finally gentrification, pushing Black communities out of the areas they historically inhabited in Portland. She touched on the way white supremacy continues to emerge, not just in hate groups, but in the underlying fabrics of our communities and workplaces.

A few ways in which whiteness continues to show up in the workspace:

• What is considered “professional” - in 2022 Oregon passed a law called the CROWN act allowing black people to wear natural hair to work
• Who can behave in a variety of ways without becoming a stereotype?
• Threat of discrimination, such as being called the “diversity hire” 
• Access to employment opportunities & networks
• Hostile & toxic work environments & bullying

By the end of the hour, Teela was able to answer several attendee questions. One take away from the Q and A period of the presentation was that until there is no longer profit in Black exploitation, there will continue to be Black exploitation. 

Teela also included a list of what to listen to, watch, and read to continue to learn about Anti-Blackness and Racism that can be found below:

• Book: Caste –Isabel Wilkerson
• Book: The Color of Law – Richard Rothstein
• Book:  A People’s History of the United States – Howard Zinn
• Book: The Possessive Investment in Whiteness – George Lipsitz
• Podcast: Scene On Radio: Seeing White (Season 2)
• Podcast: 1619
• Read: Tema Okun - White Supremacy Culture
• Talk: Kimberle Crenshaw – The Urgency of Intersectionality
• Talk: Verna Myers – How to overcome Biases
• Watch: Priced Out

Overall, this was an incredibly powerful and illuminating event that showcased the importance of learning about Black History and de-centering whiteness in our own lives and workplaces. On behalf of SMPS Oregon, we would like to thank Teela Foxworth for her incredible presentation, and Cameron Whitten of Brown Hope for his participation as well.

This event recap was provided by SMPS Oregon JEDI Committee.