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All right, so
welcome everybody.

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Before we get started,

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I just want to
make a note that

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we do have live

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captioning being provided

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for tonight's event.

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And to access that,

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just click at
the bottom right

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of your screen on

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live transcript
and you'll be able

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to get access to that.

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So thank you to
Jonquil for

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providing that
support tonight.

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And welcome everybody
to what's a Black name?

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It's a panel
discussion about

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the stories
behind the names

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of  Black folks.

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Tonight, we're
going to explore

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the complexity of what
our names mean to us,

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not just on an
individual level,

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but in public as well.

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My name is Donovan Scribes,
 and I

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recently changed my
last name from Smith.

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Sorry. This is
my stepdaughter.

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Oh, 1 second. And recently

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changed my last
name from Smith,

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as I said. You've gotta
get off camera,

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baby. I'm going to
come up. Sorry.

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So I wrote about why I

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changed my last name from

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Smith to Scribes in an essay titled
Why Scribes,

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the long ancestral journey

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that led me to
change my name.

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And this change has

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been prompted by a
number of things,

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including the birth of

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my daughter that's
about to happen.

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And so names had been
at the top of my mind.

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And that's serving
as kind of

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the inspiration for
tonight's discussion.

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I want to thank the PSU
Black Bag series for

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the opportunity to delve

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into the stories
behind Black names.

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We have a number of

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great guests who
will be joining us

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tonight to explore
this topic

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of what makes
a Black name.

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First, I want to welcome

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to the virtual
stage Cleo Davis.

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Cleo Davis is an
artist from Portland.

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He has worked on

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the historic Black
Williams art project

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and the Alberta street
Black heritage markers.

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In his work, he
combines disciplines,

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of Cultural and
Creative Arts,

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while
utilizing design,

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Historic Preservation,

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Economic Development,
and city policy.

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In one of his most
recent projects,

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Davis orchestrated the move of

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a historic house in
Portland to create

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a Black and Afro-
American cornerstone of

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creative genius
that promotes

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art, research and
imagination.

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Welcome, Cleo Davis.

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Hey, thank you.

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Thank you. Next we
have... yeah, absolutely.

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Thank you. We
have Gwen Carr.

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Gwen Carr
on the Emeritus board

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of an organization called

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the Oregon Black Pioneers,

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which is based in Salem.

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It has a mission

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of doing historical
research,

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honoring the lives of

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African Americans
who have contributed

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to the historical
development of Oregon.

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In her role with the
Oregon Black pioneers,

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she has done presentations
for schools,

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colleges, historical
societies,

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in civic organizations.

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She's curated a number

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of exhibits throughout
the state of Oregon.

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She was born and raised in

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Los Angeles and

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attended California
Lutheran University.

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She moved to
Oregon in 1980 and

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has worked for decades as

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an Information Systems
program manager

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for SAIF Corporation,

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especially specializing
in management

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and business process
improvement,

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retiring in 2003,

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but still very much doing

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the work since then.

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Next... Thank you Ms.
Carr for being here.

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Thank you. Thank
you for having me.

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And finally, we have
Walidah Imarisha.

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Walidah is the Director of

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the Center for
Black Studies and

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assistant professor in

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the Black Studies
Department

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at Portland State
University.

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Imarisha is an educator
and a writer.

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She's the editor of

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two anthologies,
Octavia's Brood,

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science fiction
stories from

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social justice
movements and

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Another World is Possible.

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Imarisha
is the author

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of Angels in Dirty Faces,

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three stories of crime,

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prison, and redemption,

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which won the 2017
Oregon Book Award.

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She spent six years with

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Oregon Humanities
Conversation Project

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as a public scholar.

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Facilitating programs
across the state

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about Black history
and other topics.

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In 2013, she
received a Tiptree

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Fellowship for her
science fiction

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writing. In the past,

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Imarisha has taught at

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Stanford University,

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Oregon State
University, and

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Pacific Northwest
College of the Arts.

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Welcome Walidah.
Thank you so much,

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Donovan, excited to be
here. Thank you all.

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I'm excited for you all
to be here tonight.

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And like I said,

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we are going to be
talking about names.

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The toddler approaches
again.

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I'm sorry, everybody.

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I have to get her

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in order before we

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can do what
we're here for.

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I'm sorry.

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But with that being said,

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I want to just make
an invitation for you

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want to start by talking

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about what is the story
behind your first,

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if you have a middle
and last name,

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who gave it to
you and why?

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And that question is
open to everyone.

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I will go off
screen briefly.

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Great.

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Any, anyone want to start?

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I'm talking... I can start.
I'll jump in.

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So it was interesting

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when Donovan brought
this idea to me.

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This is part of
the Black Studies,

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the University's Black
Bag speaker series.

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And this idea
about Black names,

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both the personal
and then how

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do we honor
Black names in,

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in the larger sense,

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is very much
tied to my work

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around Oregon
Black history,

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but it's also tied to
my work personally.

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I wasn't born
with the name

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Walidah Imarisha.

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It was actually gifted to

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me by my stepfather.

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And it means, together,

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it means newborn strength.

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And he was someone

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that I very much
learned about

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connections to
Black history

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and especially to Africa.

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He studied that a lot

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and was Muslim and
had converted.

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And so that was something
that was my gift.

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And it was, for me,

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kind of big piece with
connecting more deeply

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with my Black history and

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my connection to, to
Africa specifically.

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And was first it was just

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it was a name that folks...
I shared with folks.

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But I changed it

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legally when I was
old enough to.

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And I have been
Walidah

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for much much longer

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than than my
other name. Yeah.

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My mom doesn't
even call me that.

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She calls me Walidah,
which is great.

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And when she
talks about me as

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a baby, she's like
"Little Walidah."

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That's wonderful.

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And I feel like it was,

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it was an important
piece of,

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of my journey and my
work around who I am.

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And also just connecting

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with this history of
Black folks who have

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changed their names
because of the politics

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of slavery and of

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having our names
taken from us.

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So I didn't really

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have a strong connection
with my birth name.

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And that my birth
last name was not... it

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was like my mom's ex-

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husband's last name
and I was like,

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you know. So,

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I know folks have very

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different relationships,

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but that that is my
relationship to my name.

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Walidah,

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what was your birth
name originally?

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I don't really
identify with that,

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so I don't really
share that.

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Okay.

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Well, I'll go
next because I'm

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probably the other
end of the spectrum.

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My birth name, my
full birth name

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was Gwendolyn
van Hook.

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And I say that because
for years when I... well,

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when I became
an adult and I

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would apply for jobs and

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things like that
and people would

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see that last name,

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van Hook, they assumed
I was white.

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And it wasn't until
they saw me or had they

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interacted me that the
name would come up.

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How did you get that name?

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And what they
really meant was,

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Well, that's a white
person's name,

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how did you get that name?

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Those of us who
know our history

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know that slaves sometimes took

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the names of their
slave owners.

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And if you know that name,

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you can track it back

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through some of the
historical records.

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And sometimes
that is our way

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of being able to

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document some
of our history.

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My married name is Carr,

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which I chose to keep.

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But I also went
through a period,

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I was just thinking
about that,

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I actually had a
Swahili name for a

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while when I was
involved with the Us organization,

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which was an LA
based organization,

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very active in the
sixties and seventies.

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I took that name
for a while,

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although I didn't
legally use it

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or change my name legally.

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But I've just
kept Gwen Carr.

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So that's my story.

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And so how long
had it been since you

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have stopped from using

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the Swahili name to just...

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Oh, that was back
in the sixties.

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I think when I got out of

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that organization and moved
on to other things, I didn't use it

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anymore.

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Interesting.

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And Cleo, how about for you?

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Well, my my
full birth name

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is Cleo Edward Davis.

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Cleo meaning fame.

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00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:41,889
Cleopatra means actually
fame of the father,

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but my name is Cleo.

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Edward, meaning
prosperous,

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successful, guardian
and protector.

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And Davis means
house of David.

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So the...
it's funny

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that we're talking
about names right

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now because this
is something

269
00:12:06,579 --> 00:12:08,275
that I think a
lot about and I

270
00:12:08,275 --> 00:12:10,030
just had an additional...

271
00:12:10,030 --> 00:12:11,740
we just had an
additional member to

272
00:12:11,740 --> 00:12:14,179
our family where we

273
00:12:14,179 --> 00:12:17,029
had to go over certain
naming conventions.

274
00:12:17,029 --> 00:12:18,230
But my birth name,

275
00:12:18,230 --> 00:12:22,474
I'm named after my
father, so I'm a junior,

276
00:12:22,474 --> 00:12:24,319
but I don't tend
to really go

277
00:12:24,319 --> 00:12:27,769
by junior all the time.

278
00:12:27,769 --> 00:12:33,560
You know. It's...

279
00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:37,100
it's something
interesting

280
00:12:37,100 --> 00:12:38,330
because I think that

281
00:12:38,330 --> 00:12:44,224
like as actually
everyone who just spoke,

282
00:12:44,224 --> 00:12:47,945
we go through these
transitions in life where

283
00:12:47,945 --> 00:12:51,890
our names mean
so much, and

284
00:12:51,890 --> 00:12:55,159
it kinda tells you

285
00:12:55,159 --> 00:12:56,734
like where we're at

286
00:12:56,734 --> 00:12:59,429
within our
own identity.

287
00:12:59,470 --> 00:13:02,539
Like Walidah was saying,
I don't... she

288
00:13:02,539 --> 00:13:05,149
doesn't identify
with that birth name,

289
00:13:05,149 --> 00:13:07,790
so she doesn't even
speak it, you know,

290
00:13:07,790 --> 00:13:10,310
and that's dope,
that's within

291
00:13:10,310 --> 00:13:11,629
her own identity and

292
00:13:11,629 --> 00:13:13,204
how she wants to
be addressed.

293
00:13:13,204 --> 00:13:16,189
So for me, I look at

294
00:13:16,189 --> 00:13:17,809
that and see where I

295
00:13:17,809 --> 00:13:19,579
relate, as from
time to time,

296
00:13:19,579 --> 00:13:21,215
like when I was younger,

297
00:13:21,215 --> 00:13:24,425
it was cool to be a
junior, you know.

298
00:13:24,425 --> 00:13:27,899
And as you get older,

299
00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:33,020
I... the identity you want

300
00:13:33,020 --> 00:13:36,110
to... you still, it's

301
00:13:36,110 --> 00:13:38,075
kind of like having
a family name.

302
00:13:38,075 --> 00:13:39,559
Folks know your
family name,

303
00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:41,300
but then you're
also,

304
00:13:41,300 --> 00:13:45,394
you're also named
after an individual.

305
00:13:45,394 --> 00:13:49,219
So one of the things
that I've been taking

306
00:13:49,219 --> 00:13:53,029
a deep look at this
and in our child here,

307
00:13:53,029 --> 00:13:54,739
a part of his name,

308
00:13:54,739 --> 00:13:56,884
instead of making
him a junior,

309
00:13:56,884 --> 00:13:59,134
I gave him a "bar,"

310
00:13:59,134 --> 00:14:02,240
which is... or you
could also do "bin,"

311
00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:08,075
but in Aramaic

312
00:14:08,075 --> 00:14:11,764
"bar" is the son of, right.

313
00:14:11,764 --> 00:14:13,190
So he's a bar Cleo,

314
00:14:13,190 --> 00:14:15,510
not a Cleo Junior.

315
00:14:16,350 --> 00:14:19,855
So it's just, it's
just, you know,

316
00:14:19,855 --> 00:14:21,460
it's... it's a

317
00:14:21,460 --> 00:14:24,339
strong identifier,
like what everyone has

318
00:14:24,339 --> 00:14:27,099
said. Just like
you, Donovan,

319
00:14:27,099 --> 00:14:28,959
Just changing your
last name.

320
00:14:28,959 --> 00:14:31,299
I mean, I can't
wait til we unpack

321
00:14:31,299 --> 00:14:34,270
all of that. Yeah.

322
00:14:34,270 --> 00:14:37,330
And you all have

323
00:14:37,330 --> 00:14:40,915
mentioned like how last
names in particular,

324
00:14:40,915 --> 00:14:42,730
for Black folks,
a lot of times

325
00:14:42,730 --> 00:14:45,264
are tied to slavery.

326
00:14:45,264 --> 00:14:48,560
And I had found

327
00:14:48,780 --> 00:14:52,360
my first ancestor
just a year ago,

328
00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:56,289
who I believe was
probably enslaved.

329
00:14:56,289 --> 00:14:58,640
He was a man by

330
00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:00,859
the name of Sam,
Samuel J. Ballard,

331
00:15:00,859 --> 00:15:04,294
and he was born
in the late 1860s

332
00:15:04,294 --> 00:15:06,109
in Enola County, Texas.

333
00:15:06,109 --> 00:15:09,860
And enola is the word for...

334
00:15:09,860 --> 00:15:13,250
it is an indigenous
word for cotton.

335
00:15:13,250 --> 00:15:15,439
And a third of
the people that

336
00:15:15,439 --> 00:15:18,185
lived there were enslaved.

337
00:15:18,185 --> 00:15:21,259
And it's in like
pretty close proximity

338
00:15:21,259 --> 00:15:24,230
to Galveston,

339
00:15:24,230 --> 00:15:26,120
Texas, where, you know,

340
00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:28,700
the people that lived in

341
00:15:28,700 --> 00:15:30,065
that city learned
they were

342
00:15:30,065 --> 00:15:32,449
free two years late.

343
00:15:32,449 --> 00:15:35,569
And so I don't know what
the full history of

344
00:15:35,569 --> 00:15:38,644
Texas is in relation
to that moment,

345
00:15:38,644 --> 00:15:44,899
but is highly probable
that he was enslaved.

346
00:15:44,899 --> 00:15:47,254
And so at least
on my mom's side,

347
00:15:47,254 --> 00:15:50,089
that name Ballard had

348
00:15:50,089 --> 00:15:52,129
carried for a long time.

349
00:15:52,129 --> 00:15:56,870
And I got Smith
from my dad's side.

350
00:15:56,870 --> 00:16:00,949
But I'm wondering just
because slavery is so

351
00:16:00,949 --> 00:16:04,400
much a part of Black
American identity,

352
00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:07,920
it's like almost
inescapable,

353
00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:11,404
how much you
all know about

354
00:16:11,404 --> 00:16:14,719
slavery's roots in your,

355
00:16:14,719 --> 00:16:17,520
like, family trees too.

356
00:16:22,980 --> 00:16:25,599
Well, I'll pop up
and say I've been

357
00:16:25,599 --> 00:16:27,789
doing... taking a lot of

358
00:16:27,789 --> 00:16:30,444
interest in my own
family's genealogy,

359
00:16:30,444 --> 00:16:31,720
kind of in-between Oregon

360
00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:33,234
Black Pioneers stuff.

361
00:16:33,234 --> 00:16:37,179
And one, I'm
able to go back,

362
00:16:37,179 --> 00:16:39,744
I'm able to go
back into slavery.

363
00:16:39,744 --> 00:16:42,550
In fact, a very interesting
story is one of

364
00:16:42,550 --> 00:16:46,600
my earliest ancestors
that we can identify,

365
00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:49,135
he actually
changed his name,

366
00:16:49,135 --> 00:16:52,029
when he was free and we know

367
00:16:52,029 --> 00:16:55,014
what his his slave
owner name was

368
00:16:55,014 --> 00:16:57,370
and then we know
what his name,

369
00:16:57,370 --> 00:17:01,285
how he changed his
own name, his last name.

370
00:17:01,285 --> 00:17:03,310
And that name has

371
00:17:03,310 --> 00:17:06,000
gone down generation
after generation.

372
00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,810
In fact, my grandson has taken

373
00:17:08,810 --> 00:17:11,075
that name as
his first name.

374
00:17:11,075 --> 00:17:13,339
So it's kinda
funny how things

375
00:17:13,339 --> 00:17:15,665
can change over time.

376
00:17:15,665 --> 00:17:18,390
That's a little
family history.

377
00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:23,989
That's a really
beautiful...

378
00:17:23,989 --> 00:17:26,045
so beautiful that
your grandson

379
00:17:26,045 --> 00:17:28,429
took that, that's
beautiful.

380
00:17:28,429 --> 00:17:31,879
I feel like I am someone

381
00:17:31,879 --> 00:17:33,154
who has been very kinda

382
00:17:33,154 --> 00:17:34,670
cut off from that history.

383
00:17:34,670 --> 00:17:36,709
And I think we have

384
00:17:36,709 --> 00:17:38,120
so many different
experiences

385
00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:39,755
in the
Black community.

386
00:17:39,755 --> 00:17:42,244
I didn't know my father

387
00:17:42,244 --> 00:17:44,720
very well and then...
my birth father... and

388
00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:49,929
then was not really
connected to his family.

389
00:17:49,929 --> 00:17:51,385
So I feel like there's

390
00:17:51,385 --> 00:17:55,434
a whole side of

391
00:17:55,434 --> 00:17:57,550
people that are
technically my people,

392
00:17:57,550 --> 00:18:00,070
but we don't, we don't know

393
00:18:00,070 --> 00:18:03,115
each other.
Which, you know...

394
00:18:03,115 --> 00:18:05,874
So I think part of... yeah,

395
00:18:05,874 --> 00:18:07,224
part of that for me was,

396
00:18:07,224 --> 00:18:08,949
was also about connecting

397
00:18:08,949 --> 00:18:13,810
with histories in the way

398
00:18:13,810 --> 00:18:17,230
a lot of Black
folks do is we,

399
00:18:17,230 --> 00:18:19,419
sometimes we
can trace back.

400
00:18:19,419 --> 00:18:21,370
Most often when
we're tracing back,

401
00:18:21,370 --> 00:18:23,859
we're going to hit a
wall that we can't go

402
00:18:23,859 --> 00:18:26,934
beyond because
of enslavement.

403
00:18:26,934 --> 00:18:30,789
And then I think that
is the space of kind

404
00:18:30,789 --> 00:18:35,359
of liberatory
speculation of,

405
00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:37,715
of really thinking about

406
00:18:37,715 --> 00:18:39,395
I know that this is mine,

407
00:18:39,395 --> 00:18:41,195
even if I can't

408
00:18:41,195 --> 00:18:45,170
pinpoint the house
or the area,

409
00:18:45,170 --> 00:18:47,360
or if even if I don't know

410
00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:50,645
what country my people
originally came from,

411
00:18:50,645 --> 00:18:52,835
I know that that is mine.

412
00:18:52,835 --> 00:18:55,069
And so I think that,
that becomes a kind of

413
00:18:55,069 --> 00:19:00,410
liberatory process
of finding

414
00:19:00,410 --> 00:19:02,104
your own way of
connecting to that.

415
00:19:02,104 --> 00:19:03,420
And I think, you know, as,

416
00:19:03,420 --> 00:19:04,490
as we've talked about, we

417
00:19:04,490 --> 00:19:06,199
all have different
experiences.

418
00:19:06,199 --> 00:19:08,194
We're all doing that
in different ways.

419
00:19:08,194 --> 00:19:09,560
But I actually think it's

420
00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:10,970
a very powerful thing that

421
00:19:10,970 --> 00:19:12,890
Black folks in
this country have

422
00:19:12,890 --> 00:19:16,190
done is the many
different routes

423
00:19:16,190 --> 00:19:18,559
that we take to connect to

424
00:19:18,559 --> 00:19:21,110
our histories
that have

425
00:19:21,110 --> 00:19:26,639
been taken from us
or purposely erased.

426
00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:29,104
Yeah.

427
00:19:29,104 --> 00:19:33,784
And I wonder,
Cleo, because

428
00:19:33,784 --> 00:19:37,460
Davis, the Davis
family has been so

429
00:19:37,460 --> 00:19:41,315
central to the work
that you're doing.

430
00:19:41,315 --> 00:19:43,580
Your last name is

431
00:19:43,580 --> 00:19:47,525
important for documenting
your legacy.

432
00:19:47,525 --> 00:19:50,704
So I just wonder for

433
00:19:50,704 --> 00:19:53,720
you, like, if you
can talk a little

434
00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:57,709
bit more about like the
pride too that comes with,

435
00:19:57,709 --> 00:20:03,269
tied to your last name
as a Davis.

436
00:20:04,270 --> 00:20:10,189
That's 
kind of a tough one.

437
00:20:10,189 --> 00:20:16,925
The pride.
Well,

438
00:20:16,925 --> 00:20:20,284
I think I'll start
with just like...

439
00:20:20,284 --> 00:20:25,190
with the meaning
of Davis, right?

440
00:20:25,190 --> 00:20:27,199
Meaning the
house of David.

441
00:20:27,199 --> 00:20:29,059
I'd like to maybe,
maybe focus on

442
00:20:29,059 --> 00:20:31,820
that first part.
The house.

443
00:20:31,820 --> 00:20:33,110
Right. So I think

444
00:20:33,110 --> 00:20:34,879
the pride comes
from, you know,

445
00:20:34,879 --> 00:20:36,500
when you're, when you're

446
00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:39,910
all together with someone.

447
00:20:39,910 --> 00:20:41,769
Especially if
you're coming from

448
00:20:41,769 --> 00:20:43,119
a legacy and you're able

449
00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:49,719
to move that legacy

450
00:20:49,719 --> 00:20:51,820
forward or
reconcile pieces.

451
00:20:51,820 --> 00:20:55,975
So I mean, that's really
on a personal note.

452
00:20:55,975 --> 00:20:59,050
Being able to reconcile

453
00:20:59,050 --> 00:21:00,370
some of the wrongs that

454
00:21:00,370 --> 00:21:02,545
the City of
Portland has done.

455
00:21:02,545 --> 00:21:05,349
A segment of the
Davis family.

456
00:21:05,349 --> 00:21:10,819
So there is a... um,

457
00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:16,180
I don't... I don't

458
00:21:16,180 --> 00:21:19,120
know if pride is
the right word

459
00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:20,820
that I'm trying
to express.

460
00:21:20,820 --> 00:21:24,289
There is a, I guess... I

461
00:21:24,289 --> 00:21:33,184
guess there's
reassurance, right, that

462
00:21:33,184 --> 00:21:36,050
your ancestors,

463
00:21:36,050 --> 00:21:38,314
the folks that
came before you,

464
00:21:38,314 --> 00:21:41,030
that you are walking
in the right path.

465
00:21:41,030 --> 00:21:42,920
So really like
when it comes to

466
00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:44,974
like a family name, and you...

467
00:21:44,974 --> 00:21:47,825
you have folks who
are connected,

468
00:21:47,825 --> 00:21:49,789
it's more like you...

469
00:21:49,789 --> 00:21:53,180
there's a large
sense of belonging.

470
00:21:53,180 --> 00:22:01,280
And I think that that's
where the...

471
00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:03,809
that is just the...
I don't know.

472
00:22:04,450 --> 00:22:07,549
Let's have a
dialogue about it.

473
00:22:07,549 --> 00:22:09,440
I'm trying to get
my words together,

474
00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:12,064
but yeah, that's
what it is.

475
00:22:12,064 --> 00:22:16,744
For you, Gwen,
you have

476
00:22:16,744 --> 00:22:19,790
researched
Black Portland,

477
00:22:19,790 --> 00:22:21,395
Black Oregon for a long time,

478
00:22:21,395 --> 00:22:22,729
you have a book,

479
00:22:22,729 --> 00:22:25,234
African Americans
in Portland.

480
00:22:25,234 --> 00:22:29,509
And in it, in
doing the research

481
00:22:29,509 --> 00:22:33,635
on how we lived our
lives in this place,

482
00:22:33,635 --> 00:22:36,979
how important have surnames

483
00:22:36,979 --> 00:22:38,780
been to like piecing

484
00:22:38,780 --> 00:22:44,790
together the stories
of our existence here?

485
00:22:46,170 --> 00:22:49,670
You're on
mute right now.

486
00:22:51,510 --> 00:22:54,699
It's been very important.

487
00:22:54,699 --> 00:22:56,859
Just to clarify,
by the way, it's actually

488
00:22:56,859 --> 00:22:58,180
Kim Moreland that did the

489
00:22:58,180 --> 00:23:00,879
African Americans in
Portland book.

490
00:23:00,879 --> 00:23:05,905
I was more involved
with the Marion County...

491
00:23:05,905 --> 00:23:08,034
the book about Blacks

492
00:23:08,034 --> 00:23:10,689
in Marion and Polk County,
Perseverance.

493
00:23:10,689 --> 00:23:16,689
But just understanding
names and

494
00:23:16,689 --> 00:23:18,130
where they lived and where

495
00:23:18,130 --> 00:23:19,465
to find them made their

496
00:23:19,465 --> 00:23:22,570
surnames very important.
Because the Blacks

497
00:23:22,570 --> 00:23:23,770
that came here, whether it

498
00:23:23,770 --> 00:23:25,120
was over the Oregon

499
00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:29,714
Trail or after
that time period,

500
00:23:29,714 --> 00:23:32,404
they were a lot of times
attached

501
00:23:32,404 --> 00:23:35,029
to white families because

502
00:23:35,029 --> 00:23:36,679
they came with white families.

503
00:23:36,679 --> 00:23:39,680
But in a lot of instances
they kept their

504
00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,560
own... the names that
they came with,

505
00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,275
whether they received
them as slaves

506
00:23:45,275 --> 00:23:48,620
or you know, or not.

507
00:23:48,620 --> 00:23:50,630
And so if you

508
00:23:50,630 --> 00:23:53,780
know the name of a
person, for example,

509
00:23:53,780 --> 00:23:55,820
when you're
looking

510
00:23:55,820 --> 00:23:57,740
for where African Americans

511
00:23:57,740 --> 00:24:00,035
are buried in cemeteries.

512
00:24:00,035 --> 00:24:02,644
Most cemeteries do not

513
00:24:02,644 --> 00:24:06,124
categorize the people
that are buried there.

514
00:24:06,124 --> 00:24:08,000
And there's only
one that I know of

515
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:09,860
and that's in Salem,
actually, where you can

516
00:24:09,860 --> 00:24:12,770
actually go to a
website and you can

517
00:24:12,770 --> 00:24:15,860
ask for all of

518
00:24:15,860 --> 00:24:17,839
the African Americans
that are buried in

519
00:24:17,839 --> 00:24:22,474
this cemetery and they
give you a whole list,

520
00:24:22,474 --> 00:24:25,264
which is a very interesting
thing to do by the way.

521
00:24:25,264 --> 00:24:27,140
Most cemeteries
don't do that.

522
00:24:27,140 --> 00:24:28,910
They don't carry that
kind of information.

523
00:24:28,910 --> 00:24:30,619
So you almost have to have

524
00:24:30,619 --> 00:24:33,710
that name in order
to identify

525
00:24:33,710 --> 00:24:35,509
exactly where somebody
is buried.

526
00:24:35,509 --> 00:24:37,819
So that's probably
most significant part

527
00:24:37,819 --> 00:24:42,150
of having the
surname included.

528
00:24:44,050 --> 00:24:51,770
Thank you. And just...
I had this question,

529
00:24:51,770 --> 00:24:54,859
but it's already been
answered by you.

530
00:24:54,859 --> 00:24:57,349
Gwen and Walidah,
you obviously have

531
00:24:57,349 --> 00:25:01,220
already changed
your last names.

532
00:25:01,220 --> 00:25:03,020
But so I guess
this question will

533
00:25:03,020 --> 00:25:05,000
just be for Cleo again,

534
00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,169
I'm pulling you
in the hot seat.

535
00:25:07,570 --> 00:25:11,540
I think for a lot of
us in regards to

536
00:25:11,540 --> 00:25:16,040
names and like changing
names, like Malcolm X,

537
00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:17,479
the exposure of 
Malcolm X. Not

538
00:25:17,479 --> 00:25:19,144
even

539
00:25:19,144 --> 00:25:21,859
but Malcolm X saying,

540
00:25:21,859 --> 00:25:26,390
I'm X-ing out my last
name because I don't

541
00:25:26,390 --> 00:25:28,474
know the history of

542
00:25:28,474 --> 00:25:31,385
where I've been or
where I come from.

543
00:25:31,385 --> 00:25:35,119
I just wonder for you
like if there was

544
00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:37,309
any point where
you considered

545
00:25:37,309 --> 00:25:39,934
changing your last name.

546
00:25:39,934 --> 00:25:44,900
And if so was it tipped off

547
00:25:44,900 --> 00:25:46,924
by people like Malcolm or

548
00:25:46,924 --> 00:25:48,349
any groups of people

549
00:25:48,349 --> 00:25:50,610
that made you
think about that.

550
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:54,319
Well, you know, I've
thought about this

551
00:25:54,319 --> 00:25:57,200
stuff. In our family,

552
00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:01,370
we do trace our
history back to

553
00:26:01,370 --> 00:26:04,369
a few countries in

554
00:26:04,369 --> 00:26:07,669
the motherland,
back in Africa.

555
00:26:07,669 --> 00:26:11,599
And, you know, I'm
a researcher, so

556
00:26:11,599 --> 00:26:14,940
I get down into
the nitty-gritty.

557
00:26:15,460 --> 00:26:17,659
So, you know, just,

558
00:26:17,659 --> 00:26:19,249
just a few countries that

559
00:26:19,249 --> 00:26:20,959
we trace our name back to,

560
00:26:20,959 --> 00:26:25,504
Sudan, Angola,
and Tanzania.

561
00:26:25,504 --> 00:26:28,025
And when you, when you see

562
00:26:28,025 --> 00:26:36,605
how folks move, intermix
and transition,

563
00:26:36,605 --> 00:26:39,785
so like in Sudan,

564
00:26:39,785 --> 00:26:40,999
like we're starting off

565
00:26:40,999 --> 00:26:46,129
with Judeo-Arabic,
Arabic names.

566
00:26:46,129 --> 00:26:48,320
So, and then that's

567
00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:51,180
a whole story
within itself.

568
00:26:51,910 --> 00:26:55,880
And it's
just like when we

569
00:26:55,880 --> 00:27:02,090
look at our parents,
mainly the female,

570
00:27:02,090 --> 00:27:03,845
like our mothers, our

571
00:27:03,845 --> 00:27:06,710
our matriarchs and how
their names change,

572
00:27:06,710 --> 00:27:08,749
where they have a
maiden name

573
00:27:08,749 --> 00:27:10,189
and then they gain names.

574
00:27:10,189 --> 00:27:11,419
So you look at how

575
00:27:11,419 --> 00:27:14,495
all these names move
and transition,

576
00:27:14,495 --> 00:27:15,845
and they all have

577
00:27:15,845 --> 00:27:18,240
a narrative behind them.

578
00:27:19,990 --> 00:27:26,375
So what I've
really settled on

579
00:27:26,375 --> 00:27:34,985
is... one, is knowing
where you come from,

580
00:27:34,985 --> 00:27:38,210
but also, from that piece,

581
00:27:38,210 --> 00:27:40,740
knowing where you're
going.

582
00:27:41,590 --> 00:27:45,680
At this point in my life,

583
00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,020
I've come to the
conclusion, maybe in

584
00:27:48,020 --> 00:27:50,914
the last 15 years,

585
00:27:50,914 --> 00:27:54,319
that I wouldn't
change my name.

586
00:27:54,319 --> 00:27:57,935
I believe that the name,

587
00:27:57,935 --> 00:27:59,389
you know, even stemming

588
00:27:59,389 --> 00:28:00,815
with like Malcolm X, like,

589
00:28:00,815 --> 00:28:02,269
I don't know so
I'm going to take...

590
00:28:02,269 --> 00:28:05,790
I'm going to
take that name off,

591
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:13,049
changing... I believe in
adding to your name.

592
00:28:13,300 --> 00:28:19,700
So you're... the story

593
00:28:19,700 --> 00:28:21,740
of where you, where you

594
00:28:21,740 --> 00:28:24,890
come from is still there.

595
00:28:24,890 --> 00:28:29,719
So I'm not not
necessarily...

596
00:28:29,719 --> 00:28:31,190
but there will be
a point where I

597
00:28:31,190 --> 00:28:33,740
will add to my name.

598
00:28:33,740 --> 00:28:35,480
I have a thing like

599
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:38,240
out of honor
and respect for

600
00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:40,159
my father, since
I'm named after

601
00:28:40,159 --> 00:28:42,845
my father and
I'm a junior,

602
00:28:42,845 --> 00:28:46,460
when my father... If he passes

603
00:28:46,460 --> 00:28:49,760
before I do, he's
healthy and...

604
00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:53,495
you know,
God bless him.

605
00:28:53,495 --> 00:28:58,730
If my father passes
before I do,

606
00:28:58,730 --> 00:29:01,865
then I will add
to my name.

607
00:29:01,865 --> 00:29:05,610
But I won't... I
won't change it.

608
00:29:08,350 --> 00:29:11,705
That's very interesting.

609
00:29:11,705 --> 00:29:14,330
Do you want to say what
you would

610
00:29:14,330 --> 00:29:17,105
add onto it, or do you
want to hold that?

611
00:29:17,105 --> 00:29:18,590
No, I would
have to see who

612
00:29:18,590 --> 00:29:20,630
I am when that happens.

613
00:29:20,630 --> 00:29:22,289
You know, it's

614
00:29:22,289 --> 00:29:23,944
strange because we
change, you know,

615
00:29:23,944 --> 00:29:26,270
my mom passed

616
00:29:26,270 --> 00:29:31,129
away when I was about 32,

617
00:29:31,129 --> 00:29:33,829
33, and it

618
00:29:33,829 --> 00:29:37,620
changed me and it
changed my perspective.

619
00:29:38,710 --> 00:29:42,695
So like we change
as people.

620
00:29:42,695 --> 00:29:44,870
And I think

621
00:29:44,870 --> 00:29:46,550
that our names reflect who

622
00:29:46,550 --> 00:29:49,669
we are. And, when
we're born,

623
00:29:49,669 --> 00:29:51,200
when we are birthed
into something,

624
00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:54,124
if the name is
suited,

625
00:29:54,124 --> 00:29:57,330
then you live up
to that name.

626
00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:05,689
I wanted to play

627
00:30:05,689 --> 00:30:09,485
a video, but we're
running tight on time.

628
00:30:09,485 --> 00:30:12,620
But if you all are

629
00:30:12,620 --> 00:30:16,895
familiar with the comedy
duo Key and Peele,

630
00:30:16,895 --> 00:30:23,970
they have a sketch that
makes fun of names.

631
00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:27,214
It makes fun of
white names and

632
00:30:27,214 --> 00:30:28,760
pronounces them in

633
00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:31,489
stereotypically
Black ways.

634
00:30:31,489 --> 00:30:34,085
But I think it's interesting

635
00:30:34,085 --> 00:30:36,559
because it really is

636
00:30:36,559 --> 00:30:39,005
just a play on
normalization.

637
00:30:39,005 --> 00:30:39,470
Why?

638
00:30:39,470 --> 00:30:41,359
I guess we're gonna

639
00:30:41,359 --> 00:30:42,230
play it, we're

640
00:30:42,230 --> 00:30:43,594
going to go ahead
and play it.

641
00:30:43,594 --> 00:30:46,909
We don't have to...
I'm on your cue.

642
00:30:46,909 --> 00:30:48,694
Okay. Yeah.

643
00:30:48,694 --> 00:30:50,269
Yeah, we can...
can take it down.

644
00:30:50,269 --> 00:30:51,980
I encourage you
all to take a look

645
00:30:51,980 --> 00:30:54,290
at it on your own.

646
00:30:54,290 --> 00:30:56,179
But I wanted to talk

647
00:30:56,179 --> 00:30:59,570
about the stereotypes that

648
00:30:59,570 --> 00:31:02,659
come with phonetic or

649
00:31:02,659 --> 00:31:05,374
Black American names too.

650
00:31:05,374 --> 00:31:10,519
So names like Shaniqua,
Lashay, Laquita,

651
00:31:10,519 --> 00:31:13,804
things like... names like
these are ones that

652
00:31:13,804 --> 00:31:15,620
are a lot of times
are stereotyped

653
00:31:15,620 --> 00:31:17,390
as quote unquote "ghetto."

654
00:31:17,390 --> 00:31:19,220
Or if you have names that

655
00:31:19,220 --> 00:31:22,579
are rooted in European...

656
00:31:22,579 --> 00:31:24,170
in Euro-centricity,

657
00:31:24,170 --> 00:31:27,005
but have a flip on
how you spell it.

658
00:31:27,005 --> 00:31:31,534
It gets those same
sort of tags.

659
00:31:31,534 --> 00:31:33,409
For example, I
have a sister,

660
00:31:33,409 --> 00:31:36,004
her name is Jhaizmine,
is spelled J-H-A-

661
00:31:36,004 --> 00:31:39,200
I-Z-M-I-N-E.

662
00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:41,450
And so I just want to talk

663
00:31:41,450 --> 00:31:45,305
about... really I was
going to lean into you,

664
00:31:45,305 --> 00:31:47,479
Walidah, to talk

665
00:31:47,479 --> 00:31:52,579
about where these labels
of "ghetto" come from,

666
00:31:52,579 --> 00:31:54,139
but also where
the roots of

667
00:31:54,139 --> 00:31:55,939
these Black American names

668
00:31:55,939 --> 00:31:58,739
actually really rest.

669
00:32:01,540 --> 00:32:07,760
I mean, I think there's
a lot of answers.

670
00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:12,605
So we could do hours
just on that.

671
00:32:12,605 --> 00:32:16,039
But I think part of it is

672
00:32:16,039 --> 00:32:19,729
the creativity
and individuality

673
00:32:19,729 --> 00:32:22,099
in bringing that. I

674
00:32:22,099 --> 00:32:24,239
think the reason
it is looked

675
00:32:24,239 --> 00:32:28,955
down on is, yeah,

676
00:32:28,955 --> 00:32:30,049
obviously because it is

677
00:32:30,049 --> 00:32:32,990
Black people
doing it.

678
00:32:32,990 --> 00:32:36,140
And I think
oftentimes when it's

679
00:32:36,140 --> 00:32:37,520
Black folks doing

680
00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:39,499
the thing that
they created,

681
00:32:39,499 --> 00:32:41,539
it's looked down on as

682
00:32:41,539 --> 00:32:44,389
low class or as
you said, ghetto.

683
00:32:44,389 --> 00:32:46,280
But once it is
appropriated

684
00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:47,885
by the larger
white culture,

685
00:32:47,885 --> 00:32:49,220
then it becomes trendy.

686
00:32:49,220 --> 00:32:51,890
It becomes, it becomes

687
00:32:51,890 --> 00:32:54,155
the in thing.
It becomes....

688
00:32:54,155 --> 00:32:56,390
something that, you
know, celebrities,

689
00:32:56,390 --> 00:32:58,009
especially white
celebrities, are

690
00:32:58,009 --> 00:33:00,199
doing and popularizing
to other folks.

691
00:33:00,199 --> 00:33:03,230
And so, you
know, it's that,

692
00:33:03,230 --> 00:33:06,170
that adage of larger
white society

693
00:33:06,170 --> 00:33:07,639
loves everything
about Black folks

694
00:33:07,639 --> 00:33:09,079
except Black folks, right?

695
00:33:09,079 --> 00:33:12,889
And so that I think
the pieces of us

696
00:33:12,889 --> 00:33:17,629
that have transitioned
with us 

697
00:33:17,629 --> 00:33:20,030
from Africa, the pieces
of us that we have

698
00:33:20,030 --> 00:33:22,519
adapted and
re-imagined in this,

699
00:33:22,519 --> 00:33:27,334
in this brutally hostile
new environment,

700
00:33:27,334 --> 00:33:31,880
those pieces of us that
are quintessentially

701
00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:33,830
us, are the pieces that are

702
00:33:33,830 --> 00:33:36,904
most maligned
and vilified.

703
00:33:36,904 --> 00:33:40,595
And, you know, I feel
like there's this...

704
00:33:40,595 --> 00:33:42,469
I've put that, the link to

705
00:33:42,469 --> 00:33:45,079
the skit in the chat.

706
00:33:45,079 --> 00:33:46,819
And I also encourage
people to watch it

707
00:33:46,819 --> 00:33:48,680
because I think, you know,

708
00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:51,890
the names that
folks are able to

709
00:33:51,890 --> 00:33:53,359
pronounce and then
the names that

710
00:33:53,359 --> 00:33:55,760
they can't pronounce
or pretend they can't.

711
00:33:55,760 --> 00:33:57,200
Um...

712
00:33:57,200 --> 00:33:59,330
there are a lot
of weird names

713
00:33:59,330 --> 00:34:00,484
in the English language.

714
00:34:00,484 --> 00:34:02,075
They do not look...

715
00:34:02,075 --> 00:34:03,439
I just saw a meme that was

716
00:34:03,439 --> 00:34:05,180
like, you can't pronounce
an African name,

717
00:34:05,180 --> 00:34:07,100
but you could pronounce
Phoebe properly?

718
00:34:07,100 --> 00:34:08,630
Nothing about that

719
00:34:08,630 --> 00:34:10,444
sounds the
way it's spelled.

720
00:34:10,444 --> 00:34:13,249
So the ways that we are

721
00:34:13,249 --> 00:34:15,499
conditioned to
view certain names

722
00:34:15,499 --> 00:34:17,165
as normal and

723
00:34:17,165 --> 00:34:22,399
certain names as
abnormal, as made-up, right?

724
00:34:22,399 --> 00:34:23,749
And that's an also, a very

725
00:34:23,749 --> 00:34:25,939
interesting accusation.

726
00:34:25,939 --> 00:34:27,470
I'm like, you
know, everything

727
00:34:27,470 --> 00:34:28,745
is made-up, right?

728
00:34:28,745 --> 00:34:32,420
This whole English
language is just

729
00:34:32,420 --> 00:34:34,129
held together
with duct tape

730
00:34:34,129 --> 00:34:36,245
from a lot of
different places.

731
00:34:36,245 --> 00:34:37,970
Often at times in ways
that don't make

732
00:34:37,970 --> 00:34:39,725
sense or, you know, it,

733
00:34:39,725 --> 00:34:43,369
it becomes very much a
picking and choosing

734
00:34:43,369 --> 00:34:46,595
that is about power and,

735
00:34:46,595 --> 00:34:50,000
you know, vilifying and
demonizing folks.

736
00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:51,500
It's not because
it's actually

737
00:34:51,500 --> 00:34:54,559
rooted in anything real.

738
00:34:54,559 --> 00:34:55,834
Because if it was,

739
00:34:55,834 --> 00:34:58,579
then we would be

740
00:34:58,579 --> 00:35:01,380
having very different
conversations.

741
00:35:02,310 --> 00:35:03,984
Yeah.

742
00:35:03,984 --> 00:35:07,000
I think the point that

743
00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:08,409
everything is made-up

744
00:35:08,409 --> 00:35:10,719
is one of the most
important ones.

745
00:35:10,719 --> 00:35:12,579
And I think
Black people are

746
00:35:12,579 --> 00:35:14,875
in constant creative mode,

747
00:35:14,875 --> 00:35:18,759
constantly making up
things that... like I saw

748
00:35:18,759 --> 00:35:21,115
Quinn saying in
the chat that

749
00:35:21,115 --> 00:35:24,730
people like to copy later.

750
00:35:24,730 --> 00:35:29,770
So I also wanted to
talk about how

751
00:35:29,770 --> 00:35:31,510
we honor Black folks in

752
00:35:31,510 --> 00:35:34,480
the public sphere as well.

753
00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:39,650
And in Oregon, we have,

754
00:35:39,960 --> 00:35:44,325
I believe it's 18
geographic features still

755
00:35:44,325 --> 00:35:46,429
that have words tied to

756
00:35:46,429 --> 00:35:52,369
them like Negro or
"darkie" or "brownie."

757
00:35:52,369 --> 00:35:54,770
And for the ones that
were named Negro,

758
00:35:54,770 --> 00:35:56,720
that was an
update, I believe,

759
00:35:56,720 --> 00:35:58,129
from the sixties when it

760
00:35:58,129 --> 00:36:00,650
was the n-word.
And so

761
00:36:00,650 --> 00:36:02,495
that was an
"improvement."

762
00:36:02,495 --> 00:36:04,730
But a lot of
these places that

763
00:36:04,730 --> 00:36:06,679
have words like
this tied to

764
00:36:06,679 --> 00:36:08,780
them are actually
where Black people

765
00:36:08,780 --> 00:36:12,755
lived in some capacity.

766
00:36:12,755 --> 00:36:15,575
And that's really
interesting,

767
00:36:15,575 --> 00:36:17,480
especially for a state
like Oregon that

768
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,599
excluded Black people
from its founding.

769
00:36:20,599 --> 00:36:22,339
And then you have

770
00:36:22,339 --> 00:36:24,289
these early kind of
geographic features

771
00:36:24,289 --> 00:36:25,459
that are early,

772
00:36:25,459 --> 00:36:29,660
so to speak, but where
Black people were.

773
00:36:29,660 --> 00:36:31,340
And so, Ms. Carr,

774
00:36:31,340 --> 00:36:34,565
you've worked very hard on

775
00:36:34,565 --> 00:36:37,640
renaming of features to

776
00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:40,339
honor the Black folks
that lived here.

777
00:36:40,339 --> 00:36:45,275
The most recent was
Ben Johnson Mountain.

778
00:36:45,275 --> 00:36:47,149
And I'm hoping
you could just

779
00:36:47,149 --> 00:36:49,609
tell a little... tell us

780
00:36:49,609 --> 00:36:51,664
a little bit
about Ben Johnson

781
00:36:51,664 --> 00:36:55,545
and that effort to
honor his legacy.

782
00:36:55,545 --> 00:36:56,799
Yes.

783
00:36:56,799 --> 00:36:59,845
Actually, it's down to 15

784
00:36:59,845 --> 00:37:02,979
now, and shortly it'll

785
00:37:02,979 --> 00:37:05,095
be down to probably 10.

786
00:37:05,095 --> 00:37:06,399
We are kind of

787
00:37:06,399 --> 00:37:09,670
systematically working
through those names.

788
00:37:09,670 --> 00:37:11,470
And the idea is,

789
00:37:11,470 --> 00:37:13,330
we know where they are.

790
00:37:13,330 --> 00:37:16,405
And if we can identify

791
00:37:16,405 --> 00:37:20,140
Black pioneers who
lived in that area,

792
00:37:20,140 --> 00:37:22,960
for example, or we know
who it's named for,

793
00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:24,759
although it didn't use

794
00:37:24,759 --> 00:37:27,145
his name, it used "nigger" or

795
00:37:27,145 --> 00:37:31,119
"Negro" or whatever the
term

796
00:37:31,119 --> 00:37:32,560
was at the time,

797
00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:34,150
then that's what
we're trying to do.

798
00:37:34,150 --> 00:37:36,399
And that was the
case of Ben Johnson.

799
00:37:36,399 --> 00:37:39,079
It was... it didn't

800
00:37:39,079 --> 00:37:41,149
start out as Ben
Johnson Mountain,

801
00:37:41,149 --> 00:37:43,549
but once we
identify that this

802
00:37:43,549 --> 00:37:46,069
was the man who
who had property there,

803
00:37:46,069 --> 00:37:48,815
who lived there, was
a part of the community,

804
00:37:48,815 --> 00:37:50,165
then we went after it.

805
00:37:50,165 --> 00:37:52,249
And we have... right now

806
00:37:52,249 --> 00:37:54,560
this organization
that I'm involved in

807
00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:56,750
is called the Oregon
Geographic Names Board.

808
00:37:56,750 --> 00:38:00,424
It only meets
once a year.

809
00:38:00,424 --> 00:38:04,175
And it takes a look
at proposals to make

810
00:38:04,175 --> 00:38:08,915
name changes for these
geographic features.

811
00:38:08,915 --> 00:38:11,120
And so features,
meaning things

812
00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:13,609
like mountains,
rivers, canyons...

813
00:38:13,609 --> 00:38:15,379
it doesn't
include streets

814
00:38:15,379 --> 00:38:17,299
and towns and
things like that.

815
00:38:17,299 --> 00:38:19,745
That's a whole
different ballgame.

816
00:38:19,745 --> 00:38:22,130
But even with that,

817
00:38:22,130 --> 00:38:23,840
there are great
opportunities.

818
00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:25,820
And so in, at the
next meeting,

819
00:38:25,820 --> 00:38:26,839
which will be in August,

820
00:38:26,839 --> 00:38:28,279
we will be considering

821
00:38:28,279 --> 00:38:31,804
at least three
additional changes

822
00:38:31,804 --> 00:38:34,130
that will
incorporate... will

823
00:38:34,130 --> 00:38:36,680
change the names of
these features to

824
00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:40,264
honor Black people
throughout the state.

825
00:38:40,264 --> 00:38:42,830
And also there's
at least two

826
00:38:42,830 --> 00:38:45,124
more that are in
process right now.

827
00:38:45,124 --> 00:38:46,835
It's quite a process to

828
00:38:46,835 --> 00:38:49,830
to do this because
it involves

829
00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:54,049
the geological status
of things, where

830
00:38:54,049 --> 00:38:56,450
the property is, getting

831
00:38:56,450 --> 00:38:59,029
support for the
whole thing,

832
00:38:59,029 --> 00:39:00,500
but it's worth it.

833
00:39:00,500 --> 00:39:04,355
The idea is, probably
next year or two,

834
00:39:04,355 --> 00:39:05,929
we will have wiped out all

835
00:39:05,929 --> 00:39:07,699
of them, at least
we hope so.

836
00:39:07,699 --> 00:39:09,200
So if any of you are

837
00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:11,329
interested in that,
it doesn't have

838
00:39:11,329 --> 00:39:12,950
to come from a person on

839
00:39:12,950 --> 00:39:15,260
the board. In fact,
normally it

840
00:39:15,260 --> 00:39:17,569
comes from someone
who is not on the

841
00:39:17,569 --> 00:39:20,044
board, or it could come
from an organization.

842
00:39:20,044 --> 00:39:21,320
In this case, Oregon

843
00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:22,790
Black Pioneers
has helped to

844
00:39:22,790 --> 00:39:26,179
sponsor a lot of
these name changes.

845
00:39:26,179 --> 00:39:31,370
You just need to go
to the website for

846
00:39:31,370 --> 00:39:33,799
the Oregon Geographic
Names Board, and there's

847
00:39:33,799 --> 00:39:35,345
forms in there and
everything that

848
00:39:35,345 --> 00:39:37,159
tells you what
you have to do.

849
00:39:37,159 --> 00:39:39,544
So I would encourage you

850
00:39:39,544 --> 00:39:42,349
to take a look at
those forms and

851
00:39:42,349 --> 00:39:44,929
take a look at those
sites and work with

852
00:39:44,929 --> 00:39:48,749
us to rename these features.

853
00:39:49,210 --> 00:39:51,799
And I just wanted
to let folks

854
00:39:51,799 --> 00:39:53,509
know I posted that
link in the chat.

855
00:39:53,509 --> 00:39:55,430
So if they're interested
in doing that,

856
00:39:55,430 --> 00:39:56,629
feel free to
click through.

857
00:39:56,629 --> 00:39:57,860
And I just want to say

858
00:39:57,860 --> 00:39:59,734
I'm so thankful
to your work,

859
00:39:59,734 --> 00:40:01,910
Ms. Gwen, and then
the work of

860
00:40:01,910 --> 00:40:04,219
the Oregon Black
Pioneers to do this.

861
00:40:04,219 --> 00:40:06,259
And you know, I

862
00:40:06,259 --> 00:40:08,825
know you all are both
renaming these places,

863
00:40:08,825 --> 00:40:10,970
but it's also, it's
a reclaiming of

864
00:40:10,970 --> 00:40:14,239
these spaces for
those folks who,

865
00:40:14,239 --> 00:40:17,494
you know, who, who made it

866
00:40:17,494 --> 00:40:19,070
possible for me and

867
00:40:19,070 --> 00:40:20,570
other Black folks
to be here.

868
00:40:20,570 --> 00:40:22,609
So I'm very
thankful for

869
00:40:22,609 --> 00:40:25,030
that. 
And if I could just get in

870
00:40:25,030 --> 00:40:27,759
one thing, just in case
this doesn't come up.

871
00:40:27,759 --> 00:40:29,260
This is my own bias,

872
00:40:29,260 --> 00:40:32,049
but I would just
encourage all of us,

873
00:40:32,049 --> 00:40:33,640
as you are considering

874
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:38,245
naming streets,
towns, features,

875
00:40:38,245 --> 00:40:41,709
think about Oregon's
African American

876
00:40:41,709 --> 00:40:43,209
people who were here.

877
00:40:43,209 --> 00:40:45,189
So many times we jump

878
00:40:45,189 --> 00:40:47,169
to name something
Martin Luther King

879
00:40:47,169 --> 00:40:48,744
this or that, or

880
00:40:48,744 --> 00:40:50,799
some other thing.
That's fine.

881
00:40:50,799 --> 00:40:54,325
But we need to honor
our own folks.

882
00:40:54,325 --> 00:40:56,050
And that's a way
of doing that.

883
00:40:56,050 --> 00:40:58,269
So I would just encourage
you, as you have

884
00:40:58,269 --> 00:41:00,760
an opportunity to
rename a building,

885
00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:05,589
rename a street, name
anything, to consider

886
00:41:05,589 --> 00:41:07,780
the African Americans who

887
00:41:07,780 --> 00:41:11,350
have lived in Oregon from

888
00:41:11,350 --> 00:41:13,104
from the 1700s and

889
00:41:13,104 --> 00:41:16,149
probably prior to that.

890
00:41:16,149 --> 00:41:20,770
I think that is a great point.

891
00:41:20,770 --> 00:41:23,049
And I think if

892
00:41:23,049 --> 00:41:24,790
you really start
looking at a lot of

893
00:41:24,790 --> 00:41:27,595
the things that have
been named after

894
00:41:27,595 --> 00:41:29,619
white folks throughout

895
00:41:29,619 --> 00:41:31,029
the state in this country,

896
00:41:31,029 --> 00:41:32,320
a lot of the people

897
00:41:32,320 --> 00:41:34,570
have been mediocre people,

898
00:41:34,570 --> 00:41:36,130
they've been people
who have been

899
00:41:36,130 --> 00:41:37,749
evil, that, you know,

900
00:41:37,749 --> 00:41:40,660
and things that have
been normalized like

901
00:41:40,660 --> 00:41:42,669
Thomas Jefferson
having schools

902
00:41:42,669 --> 00:41:44,830
named after him all
across the country

903
00:41:44,830 --> 00:41:47,214
while he also
owned six hundred people

904
00:41:47,214 --> 00:41:48,669
across his lifetime,

905
00:41:48,669 --> 00:41:50,829
these are things that
we allow to

906
00:41:50,829 --> 00:41:53,889
continue to be
just the norm when

907
00:41:53,889 --> 00:41:55,479
there are plenty of
Black people who

908
00:41:55,479 --> 00:41:57,670
have done greatness and

909
00:41:57,670 --> 00:42:01,765
done good in their
communities in the past,

910
00:42:01,765 --> 00:42:04,209
and right now that
are living with

911
00:42:04,209 --> 00:42:06,629
us, people that
have been ancestors.

912
00:42:06,629 --> 00:42:08,694
So I think that

913
00:42:08,694 --> 00:42:11,244
is a great call to
action and it really is

914
00:42:11,244 --> 00:42:13,749
a good jumping point
for just kinda

915
00:42:13,749 --> 00:42:18,234
our last point before
we get into Q and A.

916
00:42:18,234 --> 00:42:20,140
And this question
is for anybody,

917
00:42:20,140 --> 00:42:23,780
but what is the importance

918
00:42:24,030 --> 00:42:28,820
of centering Black
narrative in Oregon?

919
00:42:30,330 --> 00:42:34,449
And anyone can take that.
One more time,

920
00:42:34,449 --> 00:42:35,830
what was the
question again?

921
00:42:35,830 --> 00:42:39,129
Just why is it
important to center

922
00:42:39,129 --> 00:42:43,249
Black narratives in
a state like Oregon?

923
00:42:48,300 --> 00:42:52,000
I can, I can start it
off and I'm excited

924
00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:55,254
to hear other
folks' thoughts.

925
00:42:55,254 --> 00:42:59,424
I mean, I think a)

926
00:42:59,424 --> 00:43:01,899
you cannot
understand a place

927
00:43:01,899 --> 00:43:03,729
like Oregon without
understanding

928
00:43:03,729 --> 00:43:06,790
the experiences of people

929
00:43:06,790 --> 00:43:08,020
of color in general

930
00:43:08,020 --> 00:43:10,150
and Black people
specifically.

931
00:43:10,150 --> 00:43:15,834
Oregon often,
in some ways,

932
00:43:15,834 --> 00:43:17,740
feels like there's
two very different

933
00:43:17,740 --> 00:43:20,470
Oregons living
right by each other.

934
00:43:20,470 --> 00:43:22,149
And, you know,

935
00:43:22,149 --> 00:43:24,565
white Oregonians
often know nothing

936
00:43:24,565 --> 00:43:28,720
about the experiences
of folks of color.

937
00:43:28,720 --> 00:43:29,919
And I think it's

938
00:43:29,919 --> 00:43:32,019
incredibly
important to center

939
00:43:32,019 --> 00:43:34,690
those narratives
and stories

940
00:43:34,690 --> 00:43:37,629
because that is who,

941
00:43:37,629 --> 00:43:39,399
who we are,

942
00:43:39,399 --> 00:43:41,170
that is what the state is.

943
00:43:41,170 --> 00:43:44,305
And to center
those narratives

944
00:43:44,305 --> 00:43:49,105
in a way that
honors the immense

945
00:43:49,105 --> 00:43:53,649
life-changing
organizing work that

946
00:43:53,649 --> 00:43:55,374
the Black communities in

947
00:43:55,374 --> 00:43:58,375
Oregon have and are
continuing to do.

948
00:43:58,375 --> 00:44:00,879
Black folks in Oregon,

949
00:44:00,879 --> 00:44:02,380
you know, as
you mentioned,

950
00:44:02,380 --> 00:44:03,220
as you alluded to,

951
00:44:03,220 --> 00:44:06,504
Donovan, have faced

952
00:44:06,504 --> 00:44:09,489
legally being excluded
from the state,

953
00:44:09,489 --> 00:44:11,860
have faced being
told they would be

954
00:44:11,860 --> 00:44:13,390
publicly whipped over and

955
00:44:13,390 --> 00:44:14,800
over again until
they left,

956
00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:16,434
have been charged for the

957
00:44:16,434 --> 00:44:18,460
the mere privilege
of existing in

958
00:44:18,460 --> 00:44:21,520
this state, have not
been recognized as

959
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:23,890
as people or citizens,

960
00:44:23,890 --> 00:44:26,139
have had their
experiences erased.

961
00:44:26,139 --> 00:44:29,049
And that's just really
the founding period.

962
00:44:29,049 --> 00:44:32,034
And yet, these folks

963
00:44:32,034 --> 00:44:34,090
not only built community

964
00:44:34,090 --> 00:44:35,485
in a place that said,

965
00:44:35,485 --> 00:44:38,019
we will publicly torture
you until you leave...

966
00:44:38,019 --> 00:44:39,700
and Black folks
said, well,

967
00:44:39,700 --> 00:44:41,770
I'm not leaving, so

968
00:44:41,770 --> 00:44:43,660
I guess we gotta
figure this out.

969
00:44:43,660 --> 00:44:47,274
But they actively changed

970
00:44:47,274 --> 00:44:48,910
this state for the better

971
00:44:48,910 --> 00:44:51,685
over and over
and over again.

972
00:44:51,685 --> 00:44:54,309
Black folks,
when we fight,

973
00:44:54,309 --> 00:44:57,369
we fight for ourselves
and we fight and

974
00:44:57,369 --> 00:44:58,989
make institutions more

975
00:44:58,989 --> 00:45:00,805
accessible for everyone.

976
00:45:00,805 --> 00:45:02,679
And so looking
at the history

977
00:45:02,679 --> 00:45:05,199
of public education
in Oregon,

978
00:45:05,199 --> 00:45:06,549
it was Black folks
that were

979
00:45:06,549 --> 00:45:08,500
fighting for access
for their children,

980
00:45:08,500 --> 00:45:10,044
which opened up access

981
00:45:10,044 --> 00:45:11,994
for everyone else
who had been locked

982
00:45:11,994 --> 00:45:13,614
out of this kind of

983
00:45:13,614 --> 00:45:16,644
white Protestant only
educational system.

984
00:45:16,644 --> 00:45:20,005
So I think it's just
important to honor:

985
00:45:20,005 --> 00:45:22,705
we have changed Oregon

986
00:45:22,705 --> 00:45:24,054
over and over again,

987
00:45:24,054 --> 00:45:25,509
when people say
well, Black folks

988
00:45:25,509 --> 00:45:26,889
are numerically so small,

989
00:45:26,889 --> 00:45:28,989
why bother studying them?

990
00:45:28,989 --> 00:45:31,450
Why bother taking
them into account?

991
00:45:31,450 --> 00:45:35,140
We have moved forward

992
00:45:35,140 --> 00:45:36,849
so many things that

993
00:45:36,849 --> 00:45:39,280
have made life
better for everyone.

994
00:45:39,280 --> 00:45:40,569
And we should be

995
00:45:40,569 --> 00:45:41,979
acknowledged and
honored for that.

996
00:45:41,979 --> 00:45:43,270
And our leadership
should be

997
00:45:43,270 --> 00:45:44,725
centered in the future,

998
00:45:44,725 --> 00:45:46,450
like we've done it
in the past,

999
00:45:46,450 --> 00:45:48,279
and we will do it
in the future,

1000
00:45:48,279 --> 00:45:49,359
whether or not
Oregon

1001
00:45:49,359 --> 00:45:50,530
wants it. It's really

1002
00:45:50,530 --> 00:45:54,200
just, how hard is this
change going to hit Oregon.

1003
00:45:54,270 --> 00:45:58,314
And Oregon has been very,

1004
00:45:58,314 --> 00:46:00,579
very stubborn
and racist and

1005
00:46:00,579 --> 00:46:03,069
that change has hit it
very hard in the past.

1006
00:46:03,069 --> 00:46:05,520
And so I think that's...
the question

1007
00:46:05,520 --> 00:46:07,569
is not will Black

1008
00:46:07,569 --> 00:46:09,579
folks continue
to make change,

1009
00:46:09,579 --> 00:46:11,320
it's, you know,

1010
00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:13,720
how much will systems

1011
00:46:13,720 --> 00:46:15,970
of oppression
and power fight

1012
00:46:15,970 --> 00:46:18,680
against that
change in Oregon.

1013
00:46:19,170 --> 00:46:22,884
I would agree with
that, Walidah.

1014
00:46:22,884 --> 00:46:27,009
I think that this is
really about us as

1015
00:46:27,009 --> 00:46:28,599
much as it is

1016
00:46:28,599 --> 00:46:31,510
about whites that
live in Oregon.

1017
00:46:31,510 --> 00:46:33,595
Because when you get
right down to it,

1018
00:46:33,595 --> 00:46:35,754
most Black people in

1019
00:46:35,754 --> 00:46:38,904
Oregon don't know
their own history.

1020
00:46:38,904 --> 00:46:42,355
And as a result,
they have accepted,

1021
00:46:42,355 --> 00:46:44,529
I think, the picture or

1022
00:46:44,529 --> 00:46:47,260
the story that's
been told to them.

1023
00:46:47,260 --> 00:46:50,290
There are so few Blacks,
there weren't any Blacks here,

1024
00:46:50,290 --> 00:46:52,899
no Blacks on the
Oregon Trail,

1025
00:46:52,899 --> 00:46:56,155
just sort of came,

1026
00:46:56,155 --> 00:46:58,150
miraculously
arrived here with

1027
00:46:58,150 --> 00:47:00,610
World War II or
with the railroads.

1028
00:47:00,610 --> 00:47:02,965
When in truth
Oregon's Black history

1029
00:47:02,965 --> 00:47:04,990
goes back so
much farther and

1030
00:47:04,990 --> 00:47:07,554
is so much deeper,

1031
00:47:07,554 --> 00:47:10,554
so much deeper
than those things.

1032
00:47:10,554 --> 00:47:12,790
And I think in
order for us

1033
00:47:12,790 --> 00:47:14,860
to stay strong
and encourage

1034
00:47:14,860 --> 00:47:17,335
our children and
our grandchildren

1035
00:47:17,335 --> 00:47:20,575
to stay strong and
to keep fighting,

1036
00:47:20,575 --> 00:47:22,299
we have to really
understand

1037
00:47:22,299 --> 00:47:23,694
that we belong here.

1038
00:47:23,694 --> 00:47:25,404
We came here.

1039
00:47:25,404 --> 00:47:26,965
We made it, here.

1040
00:47:26,965 --> 00:47:29,665
We created change here.

1041
00:47:29,665 --> 00:47:32,289
But we gotta know
and understand that

1042
00:47:32,289 --> 00:47:33,685
history before we can

1043
00:47:33,685 --> 00:47:35,875
jump out there and
start doing things.

1044
00:47:35,875 --> 00:47:37,389
Otherwise, we're accepting

1045
00:47:37,389 --> 00:47:39,235
the story that's
being given us.

1046
00:47:39,235 --> 00:47:41,110
And we all know that that

1047
00:47:41,110 --> 00:47:43,880
is an incomplete story.

1048
00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:49,809
Well, I mean, I'll just

1049
00:47:49,809 --> 00:47:54,199
touch on a little bit
about what both of you all have said.

1050
00:47:54,210 --> 00:47:57,249
One is 100%.

1051
00:47:57,249 --> 00:47:59,515
I agree with what
you both said.

1052
00:47:59,515 --> 00:48:02,139
And I think that
that's what

1053
00:48:02,139 --> 00:48:04,735
part of Kayin and I's work is,

1054
00:48:04,735 --> 00:48:06,519
is putting that

1055
00:48:06,519 --> 00:48:08,469
out there, putting
Black names,

1056
00:48:08,469 --> 00:48:10,450
so if specifically,

1057
00:48:10,450 --> 00:48:15,320
if we look at the Black
Williams project,

1058
00:48:15,660 --> 00:48:22,599
we have 40 pieces
from Alberta.

1059
00:48:22,599 --> 00:48:28,540
I mean, not Alberta...
from Broadway to

1060
00:48:28,540 --> 00:48:30,745
Killingsworth along

1061
00:48:30,745 --> 00:48:34,030
Williams, all the
way down Williams.

1062
00:48:34,030 --> 00:48:42,985
Geographically locating
places and people.

1063
00:48:42,985 --> 00:48:44,950
And the people make
the place.

1064
00:48:44,950 --> 00:48:46,449
So when we talk
about like,

1065
00:48:46,449 --> 00:48:48,279
so-called place-making
and everything,

1066
00:48:48,279 --> 00:48:49,480
it's the people, it's

1067
00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:51,984
the culture that
make the place.

1068
00:48:51,984 --> 00:48:53,990
So we got

1069
00:48:53,990 --> 00:48:56,730
about 30 different
locations,

1070
00:48:56,730 --> 00:48:58,095
40 pieces of art,

1071
00:48:58,095 --> 00:49:00,584
but 30 different
locations that

1072
00:49:00,584 --> 00:49:04,620
specify what went
on and who did it.

1073
00:49:04,620 --> 00:49:06,840
And it was all us. And the

1074
00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:09,360
intention behind

1075
00:49:09,360 --> 00:49:12,240
that as the
researchers and

1076
00:49:12,240 --> 00:49:15,929
artists was to inform

1077
00:49:15,929 --> 00:49:16,949
our folks so that

1078
00:49:16,949 --> 00:49:18,419
when we walk
down the street,

1079
00:49:18,419 --> 00:49:21,390
we know. Right after that,

1080
00:49:21,390 --> 00:49:22,919
so right after we... this

1081
00:49:22,919 --> 00:49:24,390
is a piece that
I'd like to share,

1082
00:49:24,390 --> 00:49:29,024
right after we got the
project completed

1083
00:49:29,024 --> 00:49:31,575
and folks began to

1084
00:49:31,575 --> 00:49:34,590
do articles and stories
and ask questions,

1085
00:49:34,590 --> 00:49:37,500
one of the questions
that was asked is,

1086
00:49:37,500 --> 00:49:42,285
what would you like the
gentrifiers to know?

1087
00:49:42,285 --> 00:49:43,830
And so a lot of times

1088
00:49:43,830 --> 00:49:46,709
people automatically
assume that

1089
00:49:46,709 --> 00:49:50,459
this project was put

1090
00:49:50,459 --> 00:49:54,089
there to let the folks
know who was here,

1091
00:49:54,089 --> 00:49:55,709
to let the gentrifiers

1092
00:49:55,709 --> 00:49:58,199
know that we were here.

1093
00:49:58,199 --> 00:49:59,999
Well, as one of

1094
00:49:59,999 --> 00:50:01,860
the artists, and I'm just
speaking for myself

1095
00:50:01,860 --> 00:50:03,540
because my
wife may have

1096
00:50:03,540 --> 00:50:05,895
a slightly different
perspective,

1097
00:50:05,895 --> 00:50:07,800
but what I always

1098
00:50:07,800 --> 00:50:10,589
say is I didn't
do this for them.

1099
00:50:10,589 --> 00:50:15,285
I didn't do this for
no folks to know

1100
00:50:15,285 --> 00:50:18,030
who came before, whose

1101
00:50:18,030 --> 00:50:19,969
neighborhood
you came into.

1102
00:50:19,969 --> 00:50:23,110
I did this as a
marker,

1103
00:50:23,110 --> 00:50:27,805
as a cultural
preservation piece.

1104
00:50:27,805 --> 00:50:31,899
So that our youth
can know our story.

1105
00:50:31,899 --> 00:50:33,639
You can walk down
the street and see

1106
00:50:33,639 --> 00:50:37,224
these... on the signposts

1107
00:50:37,224 --> 00:50:39,399
and also embedded
in tile in

1108
00:50:39,399 --> 00:50:44,380
the concrete, to trigger...
because you can't,

1109
00:50:44,380 --> 00:50:46,315
we can't keep being

1110
00:50:46,315 --> 00:50:51,490
displaced and moved
every time we sow roots.

1111
00:50:51,490 --> 00:50:54,594
And that's why just
in naming alone

1112
00:50:54,594 --> 00:50:56,559
we... you have to name
something.

1113
00:50:56,559 --> 00:50:57,939
I had a mentor
that would always say

1114
00:50:57,939 --> 00:51:01,100
Cleo, name it
and claim it.

1115
00:51:01,440 --> 00:51:06,039
So that's what this was.

1116
00:51:06,039 --> 00:51:08,529
It's... it's
naming.

1117
00:51:08,529 --> 00:51:10,239
So this is part of

1118
00:51:10,239 --> 00:51:13,509
my answer to what

1119
00:51:13,509 --> 00:51:14,905
you're asking about

1120
00:51:14,905 --> 00:51:18,654
Oregon Black folks'
naming conventions.

1121
00:51:18,654 --> 00:51:20,379
I mean, right here
in our backyard,

1122
00:51:20,379 --> 00:51:21,894
here in Albina,

1123
00:51:21,894 --> 00:51:23,844
we gotta name
it, claim it,

1124
00:51:23,844 --> 00:51:26,005
and keep that
legacy going, and

1125
00:51:26,005 --> 00:51:29,470
be able to pass

1126
00:51:29,470 --> 00:51:31,569
on that rich heritage
of knowledge.

1127
00:51:31,569 --> 00:51:33,085
That's what the purpose is.

1128
00:51:33,085 --> 00:51:34,674
It ain't to let... If we know it,

1129
00:51:34,674 --> 00:51:36,759
then everybody else will

1130
00:51:36,759 --> 00:51:38,499
be second... will secondarily
know.

1131
00:51:38,499 --> 00:51:40,850
But it's about us.

1132
00:51:41,520 --> 00:51:46,000
And I just...
I love y'all's project.

1133
00:51:46,000 --> 00:51:47,980
The historic Black
William's project

1134
00:51:47,980 --> 00:51:49,449
is incredible and I did

1135
00:51:49,449 --> 00:51:51,009
post a link in
the chat and

1136
00:51:51,009 --> 00:51:52,930
that link has a map.

1137
00:51:52,930 --> 00:51:55,389
So folks can follow
that map and

1138
00:51:55,389 --> 00:51:58,510
see every one
of the markers.

1139
00:51:58,510 --> 00:52:01,104
And I take my
students on that.

1140
00:52:01,104 --> 00:52:04,795
It's an incredible
resource.

1141
00:52:04,795 --> 00:52:06,340
And... but as you said,

1142
00:52:06,340 --> 00:52:12,099
just incredible claiming
of this being

1143
00:52:12,099 --> 00:52:15,130
a historic Black
neighborhood

1144
00:52:15,130 --> 00:52:15,879
and that it will

1145
00:52:15,879 --> 00:52:17,800
always be a historic
Black neighborhood

1146
00:52:17,800 --> 00:52:20,419
and that cannot
be taken away.

1147
00:52:20,760 --> 00:52:23,620
And we gotta grow,
we gotta...

1148
00:52:23,620 --> 00:52:26,274
I'm sorry.
You looked like you were going to say something.

1149
00:52:26,274 --> 00:52:28,570
Go ahead, go ahead.

1150
00:52:28,570 --> 00:52:29,349
We've gotta continue to

1151
00:52:29,349 --> 00:52:30,820
grow this
neighborhood here.

1152
00:52:30,820 --> 00:52:33,080
I mean, this is like

1153
00:52:34,650 --> 00:52:37,390
a neighborhood that we've

1154
00:52:37,390 --> 00:52:39,564
had major impact in.

1155
00:52:39,564 --> 00:52:41,559
I mean, we've moved
around, starting off in

1156
00:52:41,559 --> 00:52:44,530
northwest
to southeast,

1157
00:52:44,530 --> 00:52:46,269
then Vanport and 

1158
00:52:46,269 --> 00:52:47,889
then now here in
lower Albina.

1159
00:52:47,889 --> 00:52:50,469
But we have deep
roots here.

1160
00:52:50,469 --> 00:52:52,389
And that's one of
the things that

1161
00:52:52,389 --> 00:52:54,354
really Albina
Vision Trust

1162
00:52:54,354 --> 00:52:59,259
is looking to grow this
and to keep this.

1163
00:52:59,259 --> 00:53:05,454
If we... Mind you,
we're always moved.

1164
00:53:05,454 --> 00:53:07,269
When I say we I'm
talking

1165
00:53:07,269 --> 00:53:08,919
specifically about
Black folks,

1166
00:53:08,919 --> 00:53:11,845
but also other
non-Blacks like Natives,

1167
00:53:11,845 --> 00:53:14,905
are always moved from
the most valuable land.

1168
00:53:14,905 --> 00:53:16,959
It's funny that
we always end

1169
00:53:16,959 --> 00:53:18,910
up on the valuable land,

1170
00:53:18,910 --> 00:53:23,649
so it's like...
One thing

1171
00:53:23,649 --> 00:53:26,259
that we didn't
really cover in

1172
00:53:26,259 --> 00:53:27,969
in this whole
naming piece is

1173
00:53:27,969 --> 00:53:31,120
the energy that
names evoke, right?

1174
00:53:31,120 --> 00:53:33,460
Culturally Black
people invoke

1175
00:53:33,460 --> 00:53:37,450
a strong creative
energy wherever we go.

1176
00:53:37,450 --> 00:53:39,159
And that's
what's so funny.

1177
00:53:39,159 --> 00:53:42,789
So we tend to
lay down an energy.

1178
00:53:42,789 --> 00:53:44,815
And people who understand

1179
00:53:44,815 --> 00:53:48,010
energy work, in
naming conventions,

1180
00:53:48,010 --> 00:53:50,350
the words that...

1181
00:53:50,350 --> 00:53:52,660
the vibratory frequencies
that come out of

1182
00:53:52,660 --> 00:53:55,015
our mouths are
very powerful.

1183
00:53:55,015 --> 00:53:56,770
That's why names
are so powerful.

1184
00:53:56,770 --> 00:53:58,420
But also we leave

1185
00:53:58,420 --> 00:54:02,514
a footprint on the
locations that we go to.

1186
00:54:02,514 --> 00:54:05,259
Or the locations where
we create culture.

1187
00:54:05,259 --> 00:54:07,059
And what's always funny....

1188
00:54:07,059 --> 00:54:08,844
but if you look
in any like

1189
00:54:08,844 --> 00:54:10,990
Black town that has been

1190
00:54:10,990 --> 00:54:14,440
displaced, from
Lower Albina

1191
00:54:14,440 --> 00:54:15,910
or Albina in general,

1192
00:54:15,910 --> 00:54:18,025
all the way to
Black Wall Street,

1193
00:54:18,025 --> 00:54:20,514
and you see what
people set up,

1194
00:54:20,514 --> 00:54:23,199
what they do is
they

1195
00:54:23,199 --> 00:54:29,619
intentionally set
up something.

1196
00:54:29,619 --> 00:54:32,950
They get rid of the
original occupants,

1197
00:54:32,950 --> 00:54:34,569
but they set up
that at which

1198
00:54:34,569 --> 00:54:37,014
the same energy,
the same frequency.

1199
00:54:37,014 --> 00:54:39,969
So like we talked about

1200
00:54:39,969 --> 00:54:44,064
jump town and the
jazz and all of that,

1201
00:54:44,064 --> 00:54:48,100
what you'll see
is folks will come

1202
00:54:48,100 --> 00:54:52,255
in and displace you,

1203
00:54:52,255 --> 00:54:55,540
but continue that energy,

1204
00:54:55,540 --> 00:54:58,699
that energy of growth.

1205
00:55:00,600 --> 00:55:03,219
I know it seems a
little bit off topic,

1206
00:55:03,219 --> 00:55:05,379
but I just had to throw
that in there.

1207
00:55:05,379 --> 00:55:07,359
It's
important to me

1208
00:55:07,359 --> 00:55:08,530
because I'm
talking about name

1209
00:55:08,530 --> 00:55:09,819
and place, right?

1210
00:55:09,819 --> 00:55:12,189
Names, place, and
then the energy that

1211
00:55:12,189 --> 00:55:14,634
people as a culture,
what we do.

1212
00:55:14,634 --> 00:55:16,690
I'm passionate
about our neighborhood

1213
00:55:16,690 --> 00:55:19,570
here and about
this whole topic.

1214
00:55:19,570 --> 00:55:23,109
And to me it's
all one.

1215
00:55:23,109 --> 00:55:24,549
I wish we would've
got to see

1216
00:55:24,549 --> 00:55:28,210
the clip that you,

1217
00:55:28,210 --> 00:55:29,379
you know, and have

1218
00:55:29,379 --> 00:55:30,789
a discussion
about that and

1219
00:55:30,789 --> 00:55:33,205
pronunciation and
all of that also.

1220
00:55:33,205 --> 00:55:35,290
This is deep... OK, enough,

1221
00:55:35,290 --> 00:55:36,219
I'm done.

1222
00:55:36,219 --> 00:55:37,675
Thank you. Yes.

1223
00:55:37,675 --> 00:55:40,479


1224
00:55:40,479 --> 00:55:43,465
How much time really
could have been

1225
00:55:43,465 --> 00:55:47,515
dedicated to this combo,
because it is a lot.

1226
00:55:47,515 --> 00:55:49,450
Ms. Carr, I wanted to

1227
00:55:49,450 --> 00:55:51,219
give you the last
comment on this

1228
00:55:51,219 --> 00:55:52,869
and would you all
be willing to stay

1229
00:55:52,869 --> 00:55:54,669
about ten more
minutes for the

1230
00:55:54,669 --> 00:55:56,230
Q and A? I did want
to give

1231
00:55:56,230 --> 00:55:59,470
people the opportunity
to do that.

1232
00:55:59,470 --> 00:56:01,689
I just wanted to say that

1233
00:56:01,689 --> 00:56:03,880
within the next
few months,

1234
00:56:03,880 --> 00:56:08,059
probably all
of you will be

1235
00:56:08,610 --> 00:56:13,059
receiving something
from

1236
00:56:13,059 --> 00:56:15,624
me or from someone else who is
working on the project.

1237
00:56:15,624 --> 00:56:18,189
It's really a federal
preservation grant

1238
00:56:18,189 --> 00:56:19,690
through Oregon Heritage.

1239
00:56:19,690 --> 00:56:22,285
We're working with
University of Oregon,

1240
00:56:22,285 --> 00:56:22,855
Oregon

1241
00:56:22,855 --> 00:56:24,610
Black Pioneers,

1242
00:56:24,610 --> 00:56:26,889
and several other
organizations to

1243
00:56:26,889 --> 00:56:28,390
identify

1244
00:56:28,390 --> 00:56:30,700
African American
heritage sites

1245
00:56:30,700 --> 00:56:31,945
throughout the state.

1246
00:56:31,945 --> 00:56:34,059
Some of this has
already been done in

1247
00:56:34,059 --> 00:56:35,500
Portland, and you've seen

1248
00:56:35,500 --> 00:56:36,819
some of the
results of that.

1249
00:56:36,819 --> 00:56:38,020
Some of the
places that are

1250
00:56:38,020 --> 00:56:40,450
now on the national
registry like

1251
00:56:40,450 --> 00:56:44,769
Mount Olivet and
Dean's beauty shop,

1252
00:56:44,769 --> 00:56:46,404
Golden West Hotel.

1253
00:56:46,404 --> 00:56:48,265
But now we're going beyond

1254
00:56:48,265 --> 00:56:50,499
Portland out into
the rural areas.

1255
00:56:50,499 --> 00:56:52,269
All the other sections
of Oregon.

1256
00:56:52,269 --> 00:56:54,369
We've already
identified quite a few

1257
00:56:54,369 --> 00:56:56,320
and now we are
about to get into

1258
00:56:56,320 --> 00:56:58,330
an outreach phase where

1259
00:56:58,330 --> 00:56:59,860
we go out and talk about

1260
00:56:59,860 --> 00:57:01,959
these places and identify

1261
00:57:01,959 --> 00:57:03,430
additional places that we

1262
00:57:03,430 --> 00:57:05,335
can include on this list.

1263
00:57:05,335 --> 00:57:07,570
And this becomes
a place... that

1264
00:57:07,570 --> 00:57:09,669
becomes a place,

1265
00:57:09,669 --> 00:57:11,874
a document that
can be used

1266
00:57:11,874 --> 00:57:14,709
into the future
as we try to

1267
00:57:14,709 --> 00:57:16,900
identify more
and more places

1268
00:57:16,900 --> 00:57:19,329
that can be nationally

1269
00:57:19,329 --> 00:57:22,030
recognized on
the preservation,

1270
00:57:22,030 --> 00:57:23,949
the national registry of
preservation.

1271
00:57:23,949 --> 00:57:26,395
So just be alert for that.

1272
00:57:26,395 --> 00:57:27,520
And if you don't hear

1273
00:57:27,520 --> 00:57:28,840
anything in the next month
or so,

1274
00:57:28,840 --> 00:57:32,650
get in touch with me, because
we missed you somehow.

1275
00:57:32,650 --> 00:57:34,120
We're very interested in

1276
00:57:34,120 --> 00:57:35,259
getting that word out,

1277
00:57:35,259 --> 00:57:37,404
as I say, Portland
has been done.

1278
00:57:37,404 --> 00:57:38,589
But now we're looking

1279
00:57:38,589 --> 00:57:41,155
at all the other
sections of Oregon.

1280
00:57:41,155 --> 00:57:44,184
So this again
brings together

1281
00:57:44,184 --> 00:57:49,280
name and place and
recognition and legacy.

1282
00:57:50,580 --> 00:57:53,920
And thank you
for that work.

1283
00:57:53,920 --> 00:57:55,809
And everyone here is doing

1284
00:57:55,809 --> 00:57:58,149
work to make sure
that the stories,

1285
00:57:58,149 --> 00:57:59,679
the narratives,
the names of

1286
00:57:59,679 --> 00:58:02,259
Black folks, stay alive.

1287
00:58:02,259 --> 00:58:04,990
And I'm thankful that you

1288
00:58:04,990 --> 00:58:08,649
all could be a part
of this conversation,

1289
00:58:08,649 --> 00:58:10,929
I wish we could actually have

1290
00:58:10,929 --> 00:58:14,529
more time to dive into
all of this stuff.

1291
00:58:14,529 --> 00:58:16,509
And with that, I do

1292
00:58:16,509 --> 00:58:18,009
want to give us
about ten minutes

1293
00:58:18,009 --> 00:58:22,735
to answer the questions
from the Q and A.

1294
00:58:22,735 --> 00:58:26,185
The first one came
in from Queen M,

1295
00:58:26,185 --> 00:58:28,105
And she said, do you feel

1296
00:58:28,105 --> 00:58:30,190
or see that ethnic
Black Americans,

1297
00:58:30,190 --> 00:58:32,500
African Americans
are essentially

1298
00:58:32,500 --> 00:58:35,020
disregarded as an
ethnic group, that our

1299
00:58:35,020 --> 00:58:37,330
names and life here in
the US is just deemed

1300
00:58:37,330 --> 00:58:39,820
quote unquote "bad" or
quote unquote "ghetto"

1301
00:58:39,820 --> 00:58:42,220
as if to shame our
existence here?

1302
00:58:42,220 --> 00:58:45,020
Anyone want to take that?

1303
00:58:54,000 --> 00:58:56,919
I just, I have a
quick thought that

1304
00:58:56,919 --> 00:59:00,550
doesn't entirely
answer that question.

1305
00:59:00,550 --> 00:59:02,650
But I, I do

1306
00:59:02,650 --> 00:59:05,665
Black futurism,
Afrofuturism work.

1307
00:59:05,665 --> 00:59:07,119
And there's

1308
00:59:07,119 --> 00:59:09,370
a short story called
The Pretended,

1309
00:59:09,370 --> 00:59:13,794
which was in the Dark
Matter collection.

1310
00:59:13,794 --> 00:59:14,980
I'll put a link.

1311
00:59:14,980 --> 00:59:16,089
It's 100 years of

1312
00:59:16,089 --> 00:59:17,289
speculative fiction

1313
00:59:17,289 --> 00:59:18,940
from the African diaspora.

1314
00:59:18,940 --> 00:59:20,889
It's an amazing anthology.

1315
00:59:20,889 --> 00:59:22,870
But in the Pretended...

1316
00:59:22,870 --> 00:59:23,919
and it's.

1317
00:59:23,919 --> 00:59:25,705
A rough story, so I'm

1318
00:59:25,705 --> 00:59:28,030
content warning, I'm gonna

1319
00:59:28,030 --> 00:59:30,339
talk about genocide.

1320
00:59:30,339 --> 00:59:32,199
So in it,

1321
00:59:32,199 --> 00:59:36,744
white folks have killed
all the Black people.

1322
00:59:36,744 --> 00:59:38,859
All the Black people
are gone because

1323
00:59:38,859 --> 00:59:41,844
the economy no
longer needed us.

1324
00:59:41,844 --> 00:59:44,065
But then they realize

1325
00:59:44,065 --> 00:59:45,609
there was things
they needed.

1326
00:59:45,609 --> 00:59:49,825
So they built black
robots to take our place.

1327
00:59:49,825 --> 00:59:52,060
But the black robots,

1328
00:59:52,060 --> 00:59:55,105
basically their
existence shamed

1329
00:59:55,105 --> 00:59:56,980
Black folks because
it reminded

1330
00:59:56,980 --> 00:59:58,870
them of what
they had done.

1331
00:59:58,870 --> 01:00:00,729
And so in the story,

1332
01:00:00,729 --> 01:00:03,115
they are now eradicating

1333
01:00:03,115 --> 01:00:05,140
all of the black
robots as well.

1334
01:00:05,140 --> 01:00:08,275
So it's a double genocide.

1335
01:00:08,275 --> 01:00:10,779
And I think that,

1336
01:00:10,779 --> 01:00:13,794
that idea of disposability

1337
01:00:13,794 --> 01:00:17,770
to the settler
colonial project,

1338
01:00:17,770 --> 01:00:20,559
that is the United States

1339
01:00:20,559 --> 01:00:24,729
is very much at the
core of that story.

1340
01:00:24,729 --> 01:00:26,530
And I guess one

1341
01:00:26,530 --> 01:00:27,639
thing I think
that has been so

1342
01:00:27,639 --> 01:00:31,539
powerful that Ms. Gwen

1343
01:00:31,539 --> 01:00:33,294
and Cleo have
talked about,

1344
01:00:33,294 --> 01:00:36,310
is centering in Blackness.

1345
01:00:36,310 --> 01:00:38,529
Not centering in white

1346
01:00:38,529 --> 01:00:40,690
visions of Blackness,

1347
01:00:40,690 --> 01:00:42,309
but centering
in Blackness.

1348
01:00:42,309 --> 01:00:48,010
So we can say and absolutely
should say that

1349
01:00:48,010 --> 01:00:50,199
Black lives do not matter to

1350
01:00:50,199 --> 01:00:52,630
white supremacist
systems of

1351
01:00:52,630 --> 01:00:55,120
power that exist in
the United States.

1352
01:00:55,120 --> 01:00:57,609
And Black lives have always

1353
01:00:57,609 --> 01:01:00,429
been incredibly
precious and

1354
01:01:00,429 --> 01:01:02,230
have always mattered
to Black people.

1355
01:01:02,230 --> 01:01:06,324
And we have given
everything we have,

1356
01:01:06,324 --> 01:01:08,229
our ancestors gave
everything they

1357
01:01:08,229 --> 01:01:09,820
had and more to

1358
01:01:09,820 --> 01:01:13,660
ensure that our
Black lives matter.

1359
01:01:13,660 --> 01:01:16,540
And both of those things
are absolutely true.

1360
01:01:16,540 --> 01:01:19,374
But I think it's
imperative for us to

1361
01:01:19,374 --> 01:01:22,794
start by rooting
in us and,

1362
01:01:22,794 --> 01:01:26,890
and rooting in the
vision, the leadership,

1363
01:01:26,890 --> 01:01:29,079
the tenacity,
the brilliance,

1364
01:01:29,079 --> 01:01:33,175
the creativity
of Blackness.

1365
01:01:33,175 --> 01:01:36,279
Rather than focusing
on what was done

1366
01:01:36,279 --> 01:01:37,540
to us and using

1367
01:01:37,540 --> 01:01:39,310
that as an entry
point. Obviously,

1368
01:01:39,310 --> 01:01:40,749
we have to talk
about what has,

1369
01:01:40,749 --> 01:01:42,609
what has been and
what is being

1370
01:01:42,609 --> 01:01:44,980
done to Black communities,

1371
01:01:44,980 --> 01:01:46,840
Black people, Blackness.

1372
01:01:46,840 --> 01:01:49,149
But I don't think that
should be where we...

1373
01:01:49,149 --> 01:01:50,664
that's not where
we build home.

1374
01:01:50,664 --> 01:01:54,309
Where we build home is
in everything that has

1375
01:01:54,309 --> 01:01:56,034
been envisioned
and fought for and

1376
01:01:56,034 --> 01:01:59,060
gifted us by
our ancestors.

1377
01:01:59,850 --> 01:02:02,784
And to that end,

1378
01:02:02,784 --> 01:02:05,529
we have a question
from Quinn,

1379
01:02:05,529 --> 01:02:06,939
we'll only have room for

1380
01:02:06,939 --> 01:02:08,110
one person to answer it.

1381
01:02:08,110 --> 01:02:11,950
But is there any
historical story

1382
01:02:11,950 --> 01:02:13,764
that any of you all
would like to share

1383
01:02:13,764 --> 01:02:16,880
about an Oregon
ancestor or elder?

1384
01:02:22,980 --> 01:02:25,609
That's you, Ms. Carr.

1385
01:02:28,920 --> 01:02:31,194
Well, I...

1386
01:02:31,194 --> 01:02:33,279
I was born and raised
in California,

1387
01:02:33,279 --> 01:02:34,675
so I did not have

1388
01:02:34,675 --> 01:02:39,639
a historical Oregon
ancestor.

1389
01:02:39,639 --> 01:02:41,455
I know lots of stories

1390
01:02:41,455 --> 01:02:45,535
from just the research
that we have done.

1391
01:02:45,535 --> 01:02:48,445
And I think one of the
most powerful stories

1392
01:02:48,445 --> 01:02:51,804
is about a woman named
Letitia Carson.

1393
01:02:51,804 --> 01:02:53,589
I'm mentioning her very

1394
01:02:53,589 --> 01:02:55,660
specifically because
I know that there

1395
01:02:55,660 --> 01:02:57,249
is a project
going on right

1396
01:02:57,249 --> 01:02:59,754
now and have access to it.

1397
01:02:59,754 --> 01:03:01,359
It's called the Letitia

1398
01:03:01,359 --> 01:03:04,450
Carson Legacy Project.

1399
01:03:04,450 --> 01:03:06,970
And it tells the story of

1400
01:03:06,970 --> 01:03:08,830
this Black woman who

1401
01:03:08,830 --> 01:03:10,869
came over the
Oregon Trail,

1402
01:03:10,869 --> 01:03:16,465
was married to
a Irish man.

1403
01:03:16,465 --> 01:03:19,330
They had one child on

1404
01:03:19,330 --> 01:03:21,159
the trail and another
one when they

1405
01:03:21,159 --> 01:03:23,350
got into Oregon.

1406
01:03:23,350 --> 01:03:27,700
And her story is really
one of perseverance.

1407
01:03:27,700 --> 01:03:34,264
After he died, her land
was taken from her.

1408
01:03:34,264 --> 01:03:37,620
She sued and got
the land back.

1409
01:03:37,620 --> 01:03:40,410
Eventually. And
eventually she

1410
01:03:40,410 --> 01:03:43,889
becomes one of the
first women in Oregon,

1411
01:03:43,889 --> 01:03:46,109
and probably the first
Black woman in

1412
01:03:46,109 --> 01:03:50,519
Oregon to be a part of
the Homestead Act.

1413
01:03:50,519 --> 01:03:55,169
So her story is just
extraordinary, of how she

1414
01:03:55,169 --> 01:03:57,209
survived in spite of

1415
01:03:57,209 --> 01:03:59,940
all these different
barriers along the way.

1416
01:03:59,940 --> 01:04:02,070
And I mention her
very specifically

1417
01:04:02,070 --> 01:04:04,064
because a lot has been
written about it.

1418
01:04:04,064 --> 01:04:08,010
And if you really want
to see the results

1419
01:04:08,010 --> 01:04:09,570
of some research and

1420
01:04:09,570 --> 01:04:11,100
some legal actions and

1421
01:04:11,100 --> 01:04:12,644
all those kinds of things,

1422
01:04:12,644 --> 01:04:15,375
find out about
Letitia Carson.

1423
01:04:15,375 --> 01:04:17,859
She's one of a kind.

1424
01:04:20,270 --> 01:04:22,320
And I did just want

1425
01:04:22,320 --> 01:04:23,369
want to highlight, Donovan,

1426
01:04:23,369 --> 01:04:25,410
there was a question
in the chat

1427
01:04:25,410 --> 01:04:28,395
that I thought might be
a good one to end on.

1428
01:04:28,395 --> 01:04:31,589
For specifically...
for you and Cleo.

1429
01:04:31,589 --> 01:04:33,584
The question was about

1430
01:04:33,584 --> 01:04:36,210
naming children,
and thinking

1431
01:04:36,210 --> 01:04:38,609
about where... we've
been talking

1432
01:04:38,609 --> 01:04:41,069
about how names
have come here.

1433
01:04:41,069 --> 01:04:43,154
But this one's really
looking forward.

1434
01:04:43,154 --> 01:04:45,764
So for Cleo, thinking
about and sharing

1435
01:04:45,764 --> 01:04:46,829
just how you came up with

1436
01:04:46,829 --> 01:04:48,839
your children's name.

1437
01:04:48,839 --> 01:04:50,400
You don't have to say
the name if you want,

1438
01:04:50,400 --> 01:04:51,570
but just that process.

1439
01:04:51,570 --> 01:04:53,519
And then Donovan, you

1440
01:04:53,519 --> 01:04:55,590
mentioned that
this has kind of

1441
01:04:55,590 --> 01:04:57,240
been on your mind
since you've

1442
01:04:57,240 --> 01:05:00,019
got new life on
the way. So.

1443
01:05:00,019 --> 01:05:02,449
How are you thinking
about that?

1444
01:05:03,690 --> 01:05:05,454
Okay.

1445
01:05:05,454 --> 01:05:07,120
I did really want

1446
01:05:07,120 --> 01:05:10,060
to... I know we're
out of time.

1447
01:05:10,060 --> 01:05:13,779
I did really want
to kind of tell

1448
01:05:13,779 --> 01:05:17,845
line on that whole
piece about shame.

1449
01:05:17,845 --> 01:05:19,809
I just want to say
something real

1450
01:05:19,809 --> 01:05:23,380
quick about about shame.

1451
01:05:23,380 --> 01:05:29,905
That the shame, the
shame piece of,

1452
01:05:29,905 --> 01:05:34,370
you know, deeming us
as bad or ghetto.

1453
01:05:36,660 --> 01:05:40,699
Shame is something that

1454
01:05:42,990 --> 01:05:47,020
is held from the eye

1455
01:05:47,020 --> 01:05:48,310
of the beholder or

1456
01:05:48,310 --> 01:05:49,929
a culture or a
group of people.

1457
01:05:49,929 --> 01:05:51,040
But when people put

1458
01:05:51,040 --> 01:05:54,264
shame on you, to
be shameful,

1459
01:05:54,264 --> 01:05:59,199
we have to really take
a deeper look at that.

1460
01:05:59,199 --> 01:06:01,690
For example,
many of us are

1461
01:06:01,690 --> 01:06:04,044
shamed when it
comes to colorism,

1462
01:06:04,044 --> 01:06:06,160
just based off of
the color that we

1463
01:06:06,160 --> 01:06:08,260
are or where we come from.

1464
01:06:08,260 --> 01:06:10,794
So I would, I
would love to,

1465
01:06:10,794 --> 01:06:14,229
you know, at
a greater time,

1466
01:06:14,229 --> 01:06:17,200
dive deeper
into when people,

1467
01:06:17,200 --> 01:06:20,589
when others, outsiders
place shame on me.

1468
01:06:20,589 --> 01:06:24,385
And when we grasp
and accept those

1469
01:06:24,385 --> 01:06:27,235
reasons to be shameful of.

1470
01:06:27,235 --> 01:06:30,985
So I just had to
get that out.

1471
01:06:30,985 --> 01:06:35,004
So like back to
the

1472
01:06:35,004 --> 01:06:37,090
the question that you
originally asked,

1473
01:06:37,090 --> 01:06:38,860
Walidah, about

1474
01:06:38,860 --> 01:06:42,099
the naming conventions
for for children?

1475
01:06:42,099 --> 01:06:44,469
Well, the chat asked... someone

1476
01:06:44,469 --> 01:06:46,090
in the chat
just asked sort

1477
01:06:46,090 --> 01:06:49,329
of what was the process of
thinking about that,

1478
01:06:49,329 --> 01:06:50,230
you talked about

1479
01:06:50,230 --> 01:06:51,160
the power of naming,

1480
01:06:51,160 --> 01:06:53,560
thinking about
your naming

1481
01:06:53,560 --> 01:06:56,455
someone else. for you
and for Donovan.

1482
01:06:56,455 --> 01:06:58,465
I'm sure for Ms. Gwen
as well.

1483
01:06:58,465 --> 01:07:00,550
But since you
both mentioned

1484
01:07:00,550 --> 01:07:04,600
that.
Well, you know,

1485
01:07:04,600 --> 01:07:08,499
our process has
been to really take

1486
01:07:08,499 --> 01:07:13,465
a look at spending some
time with the child.

1487
01:07:13,465 --> 01:07:15,280
So we usually name our

1488
01:07:15,280 --> 01:07:16,930
children on the
eighth day.

1489
01:07:16,930 --> 01:07:20,860
So we take a look at
who they are, what

1490
01:07:20,860 --> 01:07:25,344
their personality is,

1491
01:07:25,344 --> 01:07:27,714
they all have an
interesting birth story.

1492
01:07:27,714 --> 01:07:30,039
So we, we tend to name

1493
01:07:30,039 --> 01:07:32,305
them based off of
their birth story.

1494
01:07:32,305 --> 01:07:38,605
Like one of our children
really was born

1495
01:07:38,605 --> 01:07:41,335
smiling. Smiling and

1496
01:07:41,335 --> 01:07:43,269
laughing, and they don't
usually tend to

1497
01:07:43,269 --> 01:07:49,075
like smile and laugh
until six to eight weeks.

1498
01:07:49,075 --> 01:07:51,460
But she was born
smiling and laughing.

1499
01:07:51,460 --> 01:07:57,009
And so her name is really...

1500
01:07:57,009 --> 01:07:59,469
her name is Ifetayo,

1501
01:07:59,469 --> 01:08:01,374
which means love has
brought joy.

1502
01:08:01,374 --> 01:08:02,649
So she came out very

1503
01:08:02,649 --> 01:08:05,935
joyful and she
is still joyful!

1504
01:08:05,935 --> 01:08:09,369
So it's just about...

1505
01:08:09,369 --> 01:08:11,170
that's one of
our traditions.

1506
01:08:11,170 --> 01:08:12,579
It's really
taking a look at

1507
01:08:12,579 --> 01:08:15,490
them and naming
them based off of

1508
01:08:15,490 --> 01:08:19,839
their qualities and naming

1509
01:08:19,839 --> 01:08:22,974
them off of some type
of expectations.

1510
01:08:22,974 --> 01:08:24,730
I know a lot of
times we talk about

1511
01:08:24,730 --> 01:08:26,920
not living up to
others' expectations,

1512
01:08:26,920 --> 01:08:29,274
but this goes
back to shame.

1513
01:08:29,274 --> 01:08:31,479
This is what keeps
you out of shame.

1514
01:08:31,479 --> 01:08:34,615
When you live up to
honorable names,

1515
01:08:34,615 --> 01:08:36,205
you know, when you have

1516
01:08:36,205 --> 01:08:39,069
expectations
to live up to,

1517
01:08:39,069 --> 01:08:42,475
that's what brings you
pride and joy.

1518
01:08:42,475 --> 01:08:48,249
It keeps a family
cohesive. What are you guys'

1519
01:08:48,249 --> 01:08:55,299
thoughts? For us, our baby

1520
01:08:55,299 --> 01:08:57,475
is due in about a month

1521
01:08:57,475 --> 01:09:02,784
and we... my partner, Zoe,

1522
01:09:02,784 --> 01:09:04,929
she asked me what names

1523
01:09:04,929 --> 01:09:07,479
I had some months ago and

1524
01:09:07,479 --> 01:09:09,190
I really wasn't even ready

1525
01:09:09,190 --> 01:09:12,369
to share the list
at that time,

1526
01:09:12,369 --> 01:09:15,550
but I shared some with

1527
01:09:15,550 --> 01:09:19,074
her, and some of them
were based in Swahili.

1528
01:09:19,074 --> 01:09:20,739
Some of them were

1529
01:09:20,739 --> 01:09:23,920
just things that were
connected to things

1530
01:09:23,920 --> 01:09:25,405
that I think we both

1531
01:09:25,405 --> 01:09:30,550
enjoy around the
earth and space.

1532
01:09:30,550 --> 01:09:37,434
And Solstice was one of
the names on that list.

1533
01:09:37,434 --> 01:09:39,909
And she said, I love

1534
01:09:39,909 --> 01:09:43,344
that and I really
loved it too.

1535
01:09:43,344 --> 01:09:47,289
And it just felt right.

1536
01:09:47,289 --> 01:09:50,005
And coincidentally,

1537
01:09:50,005 --> 01:09:52,585
we looked into it more and

1538
01:09:52,585 --> 01:09:53,650
where it's in
there and it's

1539
01:09:53,650 --> 01:09:55,270
like we're actually

1540
01:09:55,270 --> 01:09:56,860
talking about this
and it's the summer...

1541
01:09:56,860 --> 01:09:58,569
or the winter solstice.

1542
01:09:58,569 --> 01:10:01,224
And the due date

1543
01:10:01,224 --> 01:10:05,784
is the day after the
summer solstice.

1544
01:10:05,784 --> 01:10:08,319
So babies come when
they feel like it,

1545
01:10:08,319 --> 01:10:10,719
but yeah,

1546
01:10:10,719 --> 01:10:14,680
so we just kinda felt
like that was right.

1547
01:10:14,680 --> 01:10:16,900
And there were other
things too that

1548
01:10:16,900 --> 01:10:19,179
we found later that
I won't go into,

1549
01:10:19,179 --> 01:10:22,779
but felt even more
like it was right.

1550
01:10:22,779 --> 01:10:26,094
In terms of the
middle name,

1551
01:10:26,094 --> 01:10:29,110
that's still kind of in
discussion right now.

1552
01:10:29,110 --> 01:10:32,530
And in terms of
her last name,

1553
01:10:32,530 --> 01:10:36,079
my partner's name is Zoe

1554
01:10:36,300 --> 01:10:38,379
We wanted to make sure

1555
01:10:38,379 --> 01:10:40,105
her name didn't
get erased.

1556
01:10:40,105 --> 01:10:44,274
So her last name is


1557
01:10:44,274 --> 01:10:47,244
So my name and her
name combined.

1558
01:10:47,244 --> 01:10:51,250
So we're still in

1559
01:10:51,250 --> 01:10:53,515
process in terms of the
fullness of the name,

1560
01:10:53,515 --> 01:10:58,070
but that is the
process we've gone through.

1561
01:10:59,700 --> 01:11:08,330
Can I offer something
for consideration?

1562
01:11:09,810 --> 01:11:12,640
So this... our children

1563
01:11:12,640 --> 01:11:14,379
tend to have
pretty long names,

1564
01:11:14,379 --> 01:11:17,200
but are last child
who was just

1565
01:11:17,200 --> 01:11:20,784
born about six weeks ago,

1566
01:11:20,784 --> 01:11:26,004
he has nine
different names.

1567
01:11:26,004 --> 01:11:30,894
And this came about

1568
01:11:30,894 --> 01:11:33,520
based off of like
all the things

1569
01:11:33,520 --> 01:11:34,614
that we spoke about,

1570
01:11:34,614 --> 01:11:36,279
like the power of names

1571
01:11:36,279 --> 01:11:38,724
and really versatility.

1572
01:11:38,724 --> 01:11:43,555
I was at an
event and my daughter,

1573
01:11:43,555 --> 01:11:45,910
whose name is... one

1574
01:11:45,910 --> 01:11:48,714
of my daughters whose
name is Ifetayo,

1575
01:11:48,714 --> 01:11:51,940
we call her Ayo for short.

1576
01:11:51,940 --> 01:11:54,894
There was another
individual there

1577
01:11:54,894 --> 01:11:58,525
whose name was Ayo and
this was an adult.

1578
01:11:58,525 --> 01:12:03,810
And and everyone
started saying,

1579
01:12:03,810 --> 01:12:06,569
oh, you guys have
the same name.

1580
01:12:06,569 --> 01:12:09,825
Ayo, look,

1581
01:12:09,825 --> 01:12:14,264
meet this Ayo, and
this Ayo was not,

1582
01:12:14,264 --> 01:12:19,950
you know, Black or
a non-white person.

1583
01:12:19,950 --> 01:12:21,690
And so I just kind of

1584
01:12:21,690 --> 01:12:23,609
sat back and looked at how

1585
01:12:23,609 --> 01:12:27,915
my 11-year-old daughter
dealt with that.

1586
01:12:27,915 --> 01:12:30,629
And she immediately said,

1587
01:12:30,629 --> 01:12:36,224
my name's not Ayo,
my name is Ifetayo.

1588
01:12:36,224 --> 01:12:38,775
And I just thought
that was powerful.

1589
01:12:38,775 --> 01:12:42,285
It reminded me like when I,

1590
01:12:42,285 --> 01:12:43,560
when I asked you,

1591
01:12:43,560 --> 01:12:46,140
Walidah, what your
birth name was,

1592
01:12:46,140 --> 01:12:47,969
you know, this is

1593
01:12:47,969 --> 01:12:49,980
the power that this is,

1594
01:12:49,980 --> 01:12:51,359
this is what I am.

1595
01:12:51,359 --> 01:12:55,320
And so immediately
she said, you know,

1596
01:12:55,320 --> 01:12:57,180
to me, it meant that's not

1597
01:12:57,180 --> 01:12:59,535
my name, that's my nickname.

1598
01:12:59,535 --> 01:13:00,959
Let me tell you what
my real name is, there's

1599
01:13:00,959 --> 01:13:03,599
somebody else here
who's name is Ayo.

1600
01:13:03,599 --> 01:13:05,775
My name is Ifetayo.

1601
01:13:05,775 --> 01:13:07,380
So for the rest of the day

1602
01:13:07,380 --> 01:13:09,374
she went by Ifetayo.

1603
01:13:09,374 --> 01:13:12,885
I was like whoa, that's powerful.

1604
01:13:12,885 --> 01:13:17,280
That's powerful,
someone asserting

1605
01:13:17,280 --> 01:13:21,164
their own identity
through name, through naming.

1606
01:13:21,164 --> 01:13:27,469
And so looking at
that, you know,

1607
01:13:27,469 --> 01:13:29,964
if you have multiple names

1608
01:13:29,964 --> 01:13:32,229
with multiple
meanings that

1609
01:13:32,229 --> 01:13:37,525
that suit you,
you can choose.

1610
01:13:37,525 --> 01:13:39,580
You can kinda, you
can kinda make

1611
01:13:39,580 --> 01:13:42,790
a choice of which you
want to be called.

1612
01:13:42,790 --> 01:13:46,450
Like our

1613
01:13:46,450 --> 01:13:50,484
our newest addition
to our family,

1614
01:13:50,484 --> 01:13:54,714
his first name is actually
three whole names.

1615
01:13:54,714 --> 01:13:58,210
But instead of...

1616
01:13:58,210 --> 01:13:59,859
he can break those names

1617
01:13:59,859 --> 01:14:02,379
down into singular names if
he wants,

1618
01:14:02,379 --> 01:14:06,800
or he could ask folks to 
pronounce his full name.

1619
01:14:07,680 --> 01:14:09,520
And one of the things

1620
01:14:09,520 --> 01:14:10,539
that I've really looked

1621
01:14:10,539 --> 01:14:12,789
at when naming

1622
01:14:12,789 --> 01:14:15,400
my children is what

1623
01:14:15,400 --> 01:14:17,425
the nicknames... that was one of
the first...

1624
01:14:17,425 --> 01:14:19,405
there was the
meaning of the name

1625
01:14:19,405 --> 01:14:21,445
and then how people would

1626
01:14:21,445 --> 01:14:23,050
break it down

1627
01:14:23,050 --> 01:14:25,939
naturally as a nickname.

1628
01:14:27,300 --> 01:14:29,619
So there are certain names

1629
01:14:29,619 --> 01:14:31,360
that if they
were to be 

1630
01:14:31,360 --> 01:14:35,304
broken down into
certain nicknames,

1631
01:14:35,304 --> 01:14:36,880
I wouldn't go with,

1632
01:14:36,880 --> 01:14:37,389
I wouldn't go with

1633
01:14:37,389 --> 01:14:38,769
those names
because sometimes

1634
01:14:38,769 --> 01:14:41,980
people shorten their
name so the name

1635
01:14:41,980 --> 01:14:46,459
had to resonate even in
its shorter version.

1636
01:14:46,680 --> 01:14:49,240
So some people, you know,

1637
01:14:49,240 --> 01:14:50,950
you don't want to
put too much... I

1638
01:14:50,950 --> 01:14:52,944
didn't want to put
too much burden

1639
01:14:52,944 --> 01:14:57,399
on the children
with a very difficult,

1640
01:14:57,399 --> 01:15:00,340
hard name to pronounce
without it having

1641
01:15:00,340 --> 01:15:05,544
really a nickname
that could resonate,

1642
01:15:05,544 --> 01:15:08,559
or a shortened version
that could resonate.

1643
01:15:08,559 --> 01:15:10,540
So maybe you
consider this,

1644
01:15:10,540 --> 01:15:13,149
consider multiple
names, it doesn't

1645
01:15:13,149 --> 01:15:14,650
have to be just
the first name

1646
01:15:14,650 --> 01:15:16,030
and middle name.

1647
01:15:16,030 --> 01:15:18,879
And I think it empowers

1648
01:15:18,879 --> 01:15:22,405
us to have several
different names.

1649
01:15:22,405 --> 01:15:24,655
Even like our nicknames.

1650
01:15:24,655 --> 01:15:26,739
My wife calls
all the children

1651
01:15:26,739 --> 01:15:29,450
something different
than what I call them.

1652
01:15:30,420 --> 01:15:33,579
I think even
that construct of

1653
01:15:33,579 --> 01:15:35,289
first, middle
last is something

1654
01:15:35,289 --> 01:15:37,690
that could be broken down.

1655
01:15:37,690 --> 01:15:41,740
And think there
are a lot of

1656
01:15:41,740 --> 01:15:45,279
things we could
go into but I know

1657
01:15:45,279 --> 01:15:47,229
we are very, very
well over time.

1658
01:15:47,229 --> 01:15:49,510
But I just wanted to say

1659
01:15:49,510 --> 01:15:51,009
thank you all for

1660
01:15:51,009 --> 01:15:53,260
sharing your stories and

1661
01:15:53,260 --> 01:15:54,520
sharing this insight

1662
01:15:54,520 --> 01:15:56,110
on something

1663
01:15:56,110 --> 01:15:58,030
that we deal
with every day,

1664
01:15:58,030 --> 01:15:59,964
which is our names.

1665
01:15:59,964 --> 01:16:01,540
And I encourage
everybody who

1666
01:16:01,540 --> 01:16:03,925
 viewed this today,

1667
01:16:03,925 --> 01:16:04,989
or if you're
viewing this at a

1668
01:16:04,989 --> 01:16:06,130
later date, to check

1669
01:16:06,130 --> 01:16:08,709
out the resources people have

1670
01:16:08,709 --> 01:16:11,169
spoke to during
this conversation,

1671
01:16:11,169 --> 01:16:13,494
and keep the
conversation going.

1672
01:16:13,494 --> 01:16:16,300
So thank you again
to Ms. Gwen Carr,

1673
01:16:16,300 --> 01:16:17,980
Walidah Imarisha,

1674
01:16:17,980 --> 01:16:21,895
and Cleo Davis for being
here today.

1675
01:16:21,895 --> 01:16:24,670
And I wanted to share
before people go,

1676
01:16:24,670 --> 01:16:25,750
I wanted to share
a couple of

1677
01:16:25,750 --> 01:16:27,730
upcoming events just in

1678
01:16:27,730 --> 01:16:29,995
terms of checking
out the resources.

1679
01:16:29,995 --> 01:16:31,960
If folks don't
know, you can save

1680
01:16:31,960 --> 01:16:34,510
the chat on Zoom.

1681
01:16:34,510 --> 01:16:36,610
So if you're like, that's
too many resources,

1682
01:16:36,610 --> 01:16:38,094
I can't keep track.

1683
01:16:38,094 --> 01:16:39,760
If you open up
the chat and

1684
01:16:39,760 --> 01:16:42,295
click the three buttons,

1685
01:16:42,295 --> 01:16:43,870
there'll be at
the very top

1686
01:16:43,870 --> 01:16:44,995
it says Save Chat.

1687
01:16:44,995 --> 01:16:46,359
So you can, you can

1688
01:16:46,359 --> 01:16:48,564
always do that when
you're in a Zoom.

1689
01:16:48,564 --> 01:16:51,670
But I'm just going to
share my screen,

1690
01:16:51,670 --> 01:16:56,829
we have another Black
Bag speaker series,

1691
01:16:56,829 --> 01:16:58,660
which this event
is part of, for

1692
01:16:58,660 --> 01:17:00,895
the PSU Black
Studies Department.

1693
01:17:00,895 --> 01:17:02,455
So that will be a panel on

1694
01:17:02,455 --> 01:17:04,990
organizing and
education in prison.

1695
01:17:04,990 --> 01:17:07,344
And we're going to
have four leaders

1696
01:17:07,344 --> 01:17:09,085
from Uhuru Sasa,

1697
01:17:09,085 --> 01:17:10,899
which is the Black
cultural group

1698
01:17:10,899 --> 01:17:12,820
at Oregon Penitentiary.

1699
01:17:12,820 --> 01:17:15,084
All four of them
have come home

1700
01:17:15,084 --> 01:17:16,930
after spending a lot of

1701
01:17:16,930 --> 01:17:19,044
time organizing
behind the walls.

1702
01:17:19,044 --> 01:17:21,535
And it's going to be
an incredible event.

1703
01:17:21,535 --> 01:17:26,050
It'll be May 24th, 4:00
PM on Zoom as well.

1704
01:17:26,050 --> 01:17:27,819
And so if you

1705
01:17:27,819 --> 01:17:30,024
just go to the Black
Studies website,

1706
01:17:30,024 --> 01:17:32,304
you can find out
more about that.

1707
01:17:32,304 --> 01:17:34,960
Then I wanted to share

1708
01:17:34,960 --> 01:17:37,884
Donovan has an
upcoming event as well

1709
01:17:37,884 --> 01:17:42,170
that we wanted to make
sure folks knew about.

1710
01:17:45,330 --> 01:17:48,249
And I believe Ms. Gwen has

1711
01:17:48,249 --> 01:17:51,470
an event she wanted
to mention as well.

1712
01:17:53,700 --> 01:17:55,809
Yes, I just wanted to

1713
01:17:55,809 --> 01:17:58,765
mention that in September,

1714
01:17:58,765 --> 01:18:01,239
the Oregon Black Pioneers
will be sponsoring

1715
01:18:01,239 --> 01:18:03,640
a Black history bus tour

1716
01:18:03,640 --> 01:18:06,505
of the northern Oregon coast.

1717
01:18:06,505 --> 01:18:08,770
I don't have all
the details yet,

1718
01:18:08,770 --> 01:18:10,779
but if you will
check in on the

1719
01:18:10,779 --> 01:18:13,060
Oregon Black Pioneers
website,

1720
01:18:13,060 --> 01:18:14,839
there will be information.

1721
01:18:14,839 --> 01:18:16,950
This will be our third

1722
01:18:16,950 --> 01:18:19,170
Black history bus tour.

1723
01:18:19,170 --> 01:18:20,744
It's been a while though.

1724
01:18:20,744 --> 01:18:22,934
And we always have
such a great time.

1725
01:18:22,934 --> 01:18:24,075
You learn a lot.

1726
01:18:24,075 --> 01:18:26,220
You hear some great
speakers, and again,

1727
01:18:26,220 --> 01:18:28,170
you're learning about 

1728
01:18:28,170 --> 01:18:30,419
Oregon in its entirety.

1729
01:18:30,419 --> 01:18:35,320
So do stay tuned
for that. Join us.

1730
01:18:35,480 --> 01:18:37,620
And just from PSU's

1731
01:18:37,620 --> 01:18:39,300
Black Studies
Department,

1732
01:18:39,300 --> 01:18:41,730
I just really want
to thank all of you

1733
01:18:41,730 --> 01:18:44,580
all, Cleo Davis, Gwen Carr,

1734
01:18:44,580 --> 01:18:47,009
and Donovan
Scribes, for having

1735
01:18:47,009 --> 01:18:48,390
this really
important event

1736
01:18:48,390 --> 01:18:50,309
and opening it up

1737
01:18:50,309 --> 01:18:53,085
to the PSU community
to be part of that.

1738
01:18:53,085 --> 01:18:55,604
And I want to thank
David with AV,

1739
01:18:55,604 --> 01:18:58,540
who's always holding it
down. And thank you

1740
01:18:58,540 --> 01:19:01,219
to Jonquil,
the captioner.

1741
01:19:02,130 --> 01:19:04,629
Thank you, Walidah, this

1742
01:19:04,629 --> 01:19:06,700
was
excellent. Thank you.

1743
01:19:06,700 --> 01:19:08,319
Thank you,
everyone. Thank you

1744
01:19:08,319 --> 01:19:10,270
Donovan,
for putting this together.

1745
01:19:10,270 --> 01:19:12,400
It was nice hearing your

1746
01:19:12,400 --> 01:19:14,859
wise words, Ms. Carr.

1747
01:19:14,859 --> 01:19:18,399
And it's always

1748
01:19:18,399 --> 01:19:21,460
nice to hear you
drop knowledge,

1749
01:19:21,460 --> 01:19:29,590
Walidah. 
All right, enjoy.

1750
01:19:29,590 --> 01:19:30,760
All right. Thank you.

1751
01:19:30,760 --> 01:19:31,900
Have a good evening.

1752
01:19:31,900 --> 01:19:33,559
Take care.