The lives of 19th century pioneers Mary Jane Shipley and Letitia Carson will be among those highlighted during a special Black History Month presentation on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at Philomath Museum.
The program, scheduled to run from 6-8 p.m., will be given by Zachary Stocks, executive director of Oregon Black Pioneers. Admission is free.
“I’m going to present some background about Black life in early Oregon communities and focus specifically on the experiences of Black pioneer women,” Stocks said during a phone interview this week. “And to do that, I’ll be highlighting the stories of a few of them who have particularly interesting experiences.”
Shipley and Carson both came to Oregon in the 1840s.
“Because of things like Oregon’s exclusionary laws … those certainly created obstacles which Black emigrants making their way west would not have experienced in other parts of the continent,” Stocks said when asked about unique stories such as theirs. “That certainly informed their experiences during the time that we’ll be talking about.”
The special event is being hosted by Philomath City Council and the city’s Inclusivity Committee.
“I really appreciate that both at the city level, through things like proclamations and hosting, and sponsoring events like like the one that I’ll be presenting at, that they’ve demonstrated a commitment to telling stories of people of all identities, all races, all backgrounds, who have called Philomath, and the surrounding area, home,” Stocks said. “I think that that has made it easier for civic groups to work in similar capacities, like the Inclusivity Committee. So, I’ve been proud to see this work take place and I think it’s a good model for what a lot of small communities in Oregon could try to replicate.”
Terra’s Tastee Treats, which is owned by Terra Brown, a 1988 Philomath High graduate, will provide refreshments. The program will take place in the museum’s Moreland Gallery, which is located on the second floor.
Black History Month honors the history, contributions and achievements of African Americans. This year’s theme focuses on the role of labor in the Black experience, including the struggles for racial and economic justice — a particular area that pioneer women like Shipley and Carson certainly experienced.
Recent federal-level actions and comments related to diversity programs have created concern on various levels around the country, including in Oregon and the organization that Stocks heads up.
“Our team is watching and is really disturbed by a lot of things that we’re seeing at the federal level and the way that anything that is sort of about people of color has been targeted,” Stocks said. “That’s a really disturbing sign.”
Stocks describes Oregon Black Pioneers as an organization that strives to provide community-based learning.
“We share the stories of our ancestors so that they can continue to educate and inspire people,” Stocks said. “To me, that’s not political, you know, we share facts about local communities and to us, we hope that people, regardless of whatever their racial identity will be, will look at these people as one of them because they lived in the same place that they live and took part in our traditional industries.
“We believe that Black history is foundational to our understanding of Oregon history,” he added, “because Black people have been a part of all of Oregon’s traditional industries and moments and experiences.”
