I Adoregon?

Rachael Vorberg-Rugh

“In today’s cultural environment, public anniversaries are not perceived as important or relevant. On the whole, citizens are inclined to be more private and less civically involved than generations past.” –Christopher Zinn, quoted in 150 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes (Dec 13, 2006).

In 2009 Oregon will mark its sesquicentennial, and planning is already underway. Oregon 150, the state-funded organization responsible for the 150^th anniversary events, began its work last July and held its first full Board meeting on February 14, 2007. (Interim board and board minutes are available here. In the fall of 2006, the group commissioned a “Listening Project” using on line surveys, public meetings, and stakeholder interviews to gather public views on what an Oregon sesquicentennial should do – and its report makes interesting reading. (For what it is worth, beyond contributing to the survey, I have no connection to Oregon 150.)

Now, Oregon 150 is inviting public comment on its draft Strategic Plan. The deadline for public comment is Wednesday, June 13th, 2007, and can be sent to [email protected]. If you prefer to make your feedback in person, you can also attend the Board of Directors meeting (3:30-4:45 pm at the University Place Conference Center, Multnomah Falls Room, 310 SW Lincoln Street, Portland).

Why should you care about the sesquicentennial plans?

Well, for one thing, this is the list of possible themes:

• We Love Oregon
• Love, Oregon
• Celebrate Oregon
• I am Oregon
• We are Oregon
• I Adoregon
• Green Oregon
• Naturally, Oregon
• Delicious Oregon

Christopher Zinn  may have been right in cautioning the Board to keep their expectations about public enthusiasm realistic - but that list is embarassing enough to be relevant to anyone who'll be living through the 150th in a couple of years. “I Adoregon”? Really? Someone’s got to nip that in the bud. And “Delicious Oregon” is pretty terrible too. To me, none of those tag lines captures anything about the distinctive Oregon I know and love. But the potential themes are the least of the reasons to care.

No, really, why should you care about the sesquicentennial?

• Because you live here, and the 150th anniversary of statehood should reflect the priorities and interests of all Oregonians.
• Because, while many people don’t find public anniversaries relevant, the sesquicentennial will reflect on all of us – how we commemorate the 150th will say a lot about the state of our state.
• Because it is publicly-funded. According to the Oregon 150 Board’s meeting minutes (Dec 13, 2006), the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department had budgeted $419,000 for sesquicentennial planning and Oregon 150 administration for fiscal years 2005-07, and a similar amount is proposed for the 2007-09 budget. (150 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes (Dec 13, 2006).
• Because it will be dependent on additional funding through donations, corporate sponsorships, and grant programs. As I’ve commented elsewhere, the kind of history that is developed in public commemorations is often influenced by those who hold the purse strings. Would a forest products corporation help fund a community program on clearcuts? Would a donation from an Oregon “old money” family lead to exhibits about “prominent Oregonians” at the expense of everyday residents? These are just two examples of how money can, and does, influence content – and public comment is one way to provide a corrective voice.

My two cents on the Strategic Plan

Here’s what I’ll be sending in for public comment.

What I like

• Statewide day of volunteerism: intended to end the 150th events, this sounds like the Oregon I know, and would involve SOLV and other community groups.
• Oregon Encyclopedia: an online encyclopedia of history and culture would involve a broad cross-section of Oregonians in its creation and be a lasting legacy. (According to the minutes of Sept 27, 2006, this is actually a pre-existing project involving the Oregon Historical Society, the Oregon Council for the Humanities and Portland State University, and if it gets other funding it may go forward regardless of Oregon 150 support).
• Curriculum resources: I can’t say enough in favor of developing materials to help K-12 schools incorporate Oregon history throughout the curriculum.
• The emphasis on promoting and coordinating with sesquicentennial-themed projects that are already being planned around the state, eg dovetailing with SOLV’s plans.

Lukewarm

• Day in the Life: while a “day in the life of Oregon” photography project sounds interesting, why limit it to professional photographers? In the era of digital photography this sounds like a great public project and web exhibit – not a travelling exhibit with photos by professional photographers.
• Oregon Minutes: while an audio "Oregon minute" on OPB or elsewhere sounds good, it may well be expensive, should be careful in selecting its topics, and should definitely not be described as being 30-45 seconds long under that name!
• Community Empowerment Grants: small grants to organizations across the state would be welcome, particularly as Oregon has a hard time funding arts, culture, and community programs to begin with. Although one-time grants will help and be a boon, a stable source of state funding for such organizations is what’s really needed.
• Military Ball – while I think participation by state-oriented military organizations is relevant to this commemoration, I object to the idea of the Military Ball as the kickoff event of the sesquicentennial and I’d like to see more thoughtful programming on the role of the military in the state.

What I don't like

• The themes, obviously.
• The Oregon 150 Passport/’Delicious Oregon’ idea: basically a coupon book for Oregon. Discounts are all well and good, but this is cheesy.
• The Oregon Dreams Blog: intended for people to “share their dreams for Oregon for the next 50 years.” Sure, use new technologies in the commemoration – but this is vague, silly, and I’d need some serious convincing to believe it will help “develop a shared understanding of civic identity.”
• The Oregon Pageant Toolkit: a script for an easy-to-produce pageant, with a ‘gap’ that could be locally customized – suggested venues include County Fairs. Has anyone on the board seen “Waiting for Guffman”? This sounds like a public program from the 1950s.

What's missing

• Enough information about Oregon tribes: while there are at least two tribal representatives on the board, and apparently each of the nine federally recognized tribes were asked to select a representative (Minutes, Nov 17, 2006), there is little about tribal history and culture in the strategic plan. Remembering that Oregon tribes have been here far longer than 150 years and that for them, the 150^th anniversary of statehood might not be a celebration, needs to have a prominent place in the strategic plan.
• A statement of approach to dealing with the difficult episodes in Oregon history, and how Oregon’s history can provide insight into the challenges of today. For instance, Oregon’s racial history – from the exclusion of African Americans at statehood to the internment of the Japanese, from anti-Chinese racism during the building of the railroads, to the current treatment of migrant laborers – these are stories that are part of the fabric of our history. Similarly, history has an impact on present day problems – land use planning comes immediately to mind!
• County landmarks: The “Listening Report”, among other things, recommended that “A restored or preserved landmark in each county would create a legacy for the future and set a national example of how to bring a positive focus and solution to an emerging problem.” This sounds like a great opportunity to preserve state heritage and encourage tourism in all 36 counties – and it should be among the central projects.

I encourage you to read and comment on the Strategic Plan yourself – and please comment here at Blue Oregon as well!

By Rachael Vorberg-Rugh June 11, 2007