The Board recognizes that silence in the face of harmful language can itself cause harm. We should not allow the use of racial slurs to pass without comment or accountability.

The use of the N-word or other racial slurs has no place in our organization or our community discourse. Words carry history and power. Regardless of the speaker’s intent or identity, language that has been used to demean, dehumanize, or intimidate others can cause real harm and undermines the respectful and inclusive community we seek to build.

We believe it is possible—and necessary—to have honest conversations about race, equity, and justice without resorting to language that wounds or alienates others. We reaffirm our commitment to treating every person with dignity and respect and to addressing these issues openly, consistently, and with integrity.

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The Oregon Country Fair is determined to uplift all BIPOC voices in our community to ensure they are heard and supported in measurable ways. We not only condemn the significant increase in acts of violence inflicted upon East Asian individuals as a result of hateful rhetoric surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the pervasive racism and xenophobia that has harmed the entire Asian community for too long.

Change begins when we directly call out racism the moment we see it and hold those closest to us accountable for their actions, as this is how we truly stand alongside our BIPOC community to combat white supremacy and the racist-motivated violence it normalizes in our communities.

We saw an example of this violence in the heinous murder of George Floyd by a police officer who refused to recognize his victim’s humanity. We witnessed it again in the Atlanta massage parlor massacre, as the murders of Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Paul Andre Michels, Hyun Grant, Suncha Kim, and Soon Chung Park were all the result of the dehumanization of East Asian women and femmes. The South Asian, Southwest Asian, and North African (SSWANA) and Sikh communities are continually targeted to this day, as evidenced by the FedEx massacre in Indianapolis.

In pursuing our goal of becoming exceptional collaborators in the fight for racial justice, we have taken steps that bring us closer to creating a fully inclusive and equitable space at the Oregon Country Fair. With our team of diversity, equity, and inclusion consultants, we have begun this process of incorporating recommendations that make the Fair feel safer for all marginalized people.The OCF Diversity Committee is in dialogue with CeDaR, FairCARE, and management on how to prevent racial harm and support healing when these harms occur. Although we have made some strides, we also recognize that we still have a tremendous amount of space that must be filled with learning and growth.

If you would like to support an organization dedicated to providing a safe space and platform for East Asian and all BIPOC folx, please follow the Lane East Asian Network on Facebook and make a donation to them on PayPal (OregonLEAN@gmail.com) or Venmo (OregonLEAN). Thank you for helping us create the community we want to see in the world.

Black Lives Matter Solidarity Statement

The Oregon Country Fair expresses our profound outrage at the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others before them whose lives have been taken by racial violence.  We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the ongoing protests occurring throughout our country against the systemic racism that leads to these horrific deaths.

As an organization and community, the Oregon Country Fair is committed to the quest for social justice and the right for all people to live creative lives of dignity, respect, and meaning. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic and yet more killings of Black Americans have exposed the systemic racist underpinnings of our country and revealed how short we have fallen in creating a nation with “liberty and justice for all.”

We need to call out and condemn racism, oppression, and injustice when we see them in the world – but that starts at home.  We pledge to look within and prioritize the difficult and uncomfortable work of challenging and overcoming the deeply entrenched personal and organizational assumptions and biases that have hindered our progress toward becoming a more welcoming, inclusive, and equitable organization and community for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

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