The Washington County Historical Society is pleased to sponsor
an Oregon Chautauqua program by Erlinda Gonzales-Berry entitled Sojourners, Settlers,
and New Immigrants: Mexicanos in Oregon. This public program will take place
Wednesday, June 20, 3:30 p.m. at the Washington County Museum located on the
Portland Community College Rock Creek Campus. This program is funded by the
Oregon Council for the Humanities (OCH).
Admission to this monthly Crossroads Lecture is $3 per person and free to WCHS
members, employees of corporate members and PCC faculty, students and staff. Parking
in Lot A in front of the museum is free with a museum permit.
The number of Latinos residing in Oregon has increased dramatically in the last
decade, leading one scholar to speak of the “browning of Oregon.” This, however, is not
a new phenomenon, for there has been a settled-out, Mexican-origin population in
Oregon since the 1930s. Erlinda Gonzales-Berry explores the 75-year history of
migration and settlement of Mexicans in Oregon, highlighting their sustained practices of
community building, their struggles for integration, and their contributions to the cultural
and economic landscape of the state.
Gonzales-Berry draws on her own extensive fieldwork, newspaper articles,
archival photographs, and agency reports to provide a rich portrait of a vibrant
community. She calls attention to the relation between globalization and current patterns
of worldwide migration. For example, how can we address the inherent contradiction in
contemporary understandings of “borderless” nations for economic enterprises, and
“borders” as law-enforcement and protection barriers for national identity and
sovereignty?
The Oregon Council for the Humanities was founded in 1971 as an independent,
nonprofit, affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). OCH believes
that knowledge and ideas are fundamental to the health of our communities. The
organization’s public and educational programs encourage Oregonians to learn about and
discuss social, cultural and public issues. OCH receives support from the National
Endowment for the Humanities, the Oregon Cultural Trust, grants from foundations, and
the generous contributions of individuals.
Visit OCH on the web at www.oregonhum.org to learn more about its programs,
or contact Carol E. Hickman at (503) 241-0543 in Portland, (800) 735-0543 statewide, or
at chickman@oregonhum.org.
