Tag Archives: Black/African Americans

Gov. Kotek issues Juneteenth proclamation, attends ‘In Freedom’s Footsteps Walk’ marking holiday

Governor Tina Kotek issued a proclamation Wednesday honoring June 19, 2024 as Juneteenth across Oregon. Kotek also joined Oregon Black Pioneers, Just Walk Salem Keizer and the Willamette Heritage Center for their annual Juneteenth In Freedom’s Footsteps Walk. “On Juneteenth, we remember our history and honor the resilience of the Black community,” Kotek said. “We […]
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Once, Oregon’s Black students went to college at higher rates than their white classmates. Not anymore

Oregon has an established and growing network of programs to help Black teens find their way to higher education, but there are powerful outside forces at work, including spiraling college costs. Two friends from Reynolds High School spent their senior year trying to find their way to their futures. Request full-text access (for State Agency […]
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Three Black students in OPB’s Class of 2025 take three different paths toward graduation

Oregon has not met expectations in serving Black students, but students are finding their own paths to success. Black students make up just 2.4% of Oregon’s 547,000 students according to the state’s October 2023 student count. Efforts like the state’s Black/African American Student Success Plan include goals to increase attendance and graduation rates. But the […]
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As pharmacies shutter, some Western states, Black and Latino communities are left behind

Urban and rural communities have come to depend on pharmacies as a trusted care option and a place for advice. Opening stores used to mean everything to pharmacy chains. CVS Health once boasted of opening or buying more than 2,900 locations in a five-year period. Now it’s shuttering hundreds, while Walgreens, Rite Aid and independent […]
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IRS to address wide disparity in audit rates between Black taxpayers and other filers

A study from January 2023 involving university researchers and the Treasury Department found that the IRS disproportionately audited people who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is aimed at low- to moderate-income workers and families: While Black taxpayers accounted for 21% of the claims for that break, they were the focus of 43% of […]
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OHA Director Hathi tours recovery center, opens up about new drug recriminalization law

Oregon Health Authority Director Dr. Sejal Hathi got an earful Monday at a Northeast Portland drug recovery center serving African American clients. “What are you planning to do to help the Black community?” O’Nesha Cochran, senior director at The Miracles Club, asked Hathi. “Will you come visit us again?” Request full-text (for State Agency patrons […]
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Event in Pendleton honors nation’s first Black paratrooper battalion, the Triple Nickles

An event in Pendleton, Oregon, on Saturday honors the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, also known as the Triple Nickles. They were formed during WWII when President Franklin D. Roosevelt, facing pressure from Black cabinet members, paid a visit to the Army Airborne School at Fort Benning in Georgia. “There were no Black airborne troops in […]
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Opinion | Property Taxes Drive Racism and Inequality

State Library Ed. Note: If you cannot access this story directly from the source, state employees can access this New York Times story HERE via the State Library’s subscription to the US Newstream database. Alternatively, state employees can contact us for access: LibraryHelp.SLO@slo.oregon.gov or 503-378-8800.

Event in Pendleton honors the Triple Nickles, the nation’s first all-Black paratrooper battalion – OPB’s Think Out Loud

An event in Pendleton this weekend will honor the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, also known as the Triple Nickles. Formed during WWII, the unit was the first all-Black paratrooper battalion in the U.S. military. The Nickles were stationed in Pendleton as part of Operation Firefly, a top-secret effort to intercept and disarm Japanese balloon bombs […]
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Paratrooper jump honors Pendleton’s WWII all-Black battalion

A group of former U.S. Army paratroopers plan to honor the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, an all-Black unit from World War II that was based at Pendleton Field, where the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport now stands. On Saturday, April 13, dozens of retired paratroopers will put on a family friendly air event — jumping out […]
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