Date: Mondays, March 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Location: Online

Tier A Pricing: $140 ($30/hr or above wage earners)
Tier B Pricing: $110 ($16-29/hr wage earners)
Tier C Pricing: $70 ($15/hr or below wage earners)
See our Pricing + Generosity Policy for more information on tiered pricing. 

PUGS is about both learning and community. Register with a friend and get 25% off with the code YOUVEGOTAFRIEND

(Note: This course was rescheduled from February to March. Thanks to all for your understanding.)

Despite Oregon’s progressive and forward-thinking reputation, our history tells another story – indeed, many refer to Oregon as the South of the North, as we have historically embraced segregation, exclusion and displacement. Now, the disparities between BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities of color and white people are extreme. Participants in this course will spend five weeks delving into our state’s history and our current realities. We will collectively build an understanding of how Oregon’s whiteness, historically and today, has functioned, an understanding that will help us move forward to develop a better future for us all.

Week One: What is Race, Anyway? We will explore how race as a construct, including whiteness, came to be in the United States. We will also look at the many manifestations of racism as it permeates our society, including our own impressions of Portland and its culture. We’ll look at Portland’s progressive reputation, examining how this reputation corresponds to Portland’s BIPOC communities.

Week Two: Early Exclusions and Genocide - How was Oregon founded? Who were the first white people here? We will explore the early days of the Oregon Territory and the first years of statehood, and look at the ways Oregon's pioneers intended the state to be a white utopia.

Week Three: Segregation, Hate Groups and Deportations – As communities of color entered Oregon in greater numbers, how did many white Oregonians respond? We will examine the birth of segregation in Oregon, hate groups like the KKK, as well as the first of several catastrophic deportations in the state.

Week Four: World War II and the Aftermath – World War II and the years immediately following transformed BIPOC communities in Oregon. This week, we will explore Vanport, Japanese Internment, Native American Termination, Latinx Deportations, displacements in Black communities and more.

Week Five: Current Disparities, Conditions and Issues -- We will continue to look at the aftermath of World War II, moving into modern-day Oregon. As we finish the class, we’ll discuss our own actions moving forward, how we can all help create a different future for our state.