Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs

40 YEARS - PAST - PRESENT - INTO THE FUTURE!

•  OABA 40th Anniversary Celebration at Oregon State Capitol, Governor's Ceremonial Offices - FREE - PUBLIC INVITED ~ ANNIVERSARY CAKE & PUNCH

Click here to view a complete program for the day.

•  Hon. Statesman; OABA PRESIDENT, DR. CALVIN O.L. HENRY
•  Hon. Statesman, Senate President Peter Courtney
•  Hon. Stateswoman, Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek
•  SEIU Local 503 Steward, Hon. Dr. Martin Kehrli, DHS, Disability Determination Services, 
•  Caribbean Chef Regis
•  OREGON Stateswoman, Hon. Barbette Renee Woodall
•  OREGON Stateswoman, Hon. Teressa Raiford Mazique - Don't Shoot Portland
•  SALEM - PDX - ACLU - Constitution & Preservation of Civil and Human Rights 
•  A BETTER OREGON
•  OREGON Statesman, Hon. Senator Lew Fredrick
•  HONORABLE FORMER SENATOR CHIP SHIELDS - PORTLAND OREGON

On April 9, 2017, the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs (OABA) will be forty years old.  

The OABA Board will start celebrating this achievement on Friday morning (10 AM), April 7, 2017, at the State Capitol in Salem, Oregon.  (Historical note: “On April 9, 1977, it was moved by Barbara Friday of Portland and seconded by Jim Hill of Salem that the Call-To-Action Leaders hip Conference adopts the proposed constitution for the OREGON ASSEMBLY FOR BLACK AFFAIRS. The motion passed unanimously.” )
OABA is inviting you to come and participate with us as we begin  this “OABA 40 Years Celebration.”

In 1976, the paper “The Need for Political Maturity and Activism among Blacks in Oregon” was published.  This study pointed out three facts for it.  One fact was that pass legal exclusions of Blacks from Oregon established a pattern of economic and political discrimination that had not been easy to overcome and the other fact was that the Black population in Oregon was very small.  This study examined Oregon major political subdivisions that included the State of Oregon, 36 counties, and over 242 cities.  Not all of these subdivisions had Black Americans within them.   Out of the 2,271 elected officials within these subdivisions who affected the lives of Blacks in Oregon, only four were Blacks.  Blacks were not organized into any effective pressure groups in Oregon, and this gave rise to a sense of powerlessness and frustration among young Blacks.  Being politically powerless was one of the pressing problems facing Blacks in Oregon.  Also there were gatekeepers within the Oregon Black Community who were afraid to lead the community.  What this study revealed led to the establishment of the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs (OABA) in 1977.

The Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs (OABA) was established in 1977 to improve conditions for Blacks in Oregon.  When OABA was established, our political and economical voices were nearly non-existent, and our concerns for each other were indifferent.  In many ways, we were afraid to speak up for each other or do business with each other.  Our community often left the young Black children to fend for themselves in school settings.  The percentage of Blacks in the Oregon prison population was and still is greater than the percentage of Blacks in the Oregon population.  Businesses in the Oregon Black Community had decreased.  Since its establishment, OABA has been working to lessen these strong disconnects among Black Oregonians. OABA knows that Black Oregonians must become informed and committed voters who will use their citizenship power to improve conditions in Oregon.  Thus, the MISSION of the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs (OABA) is to improve the political, educational, social, legal, and economic status of Blacks in Oregon.  Also, OABA is an organization for change and OABA encourages Black Oregonians to run for partisan and nonpartisan offices and to get involved with Oregon political parties.

If you would like to register for the event to receive Education/Training Credit, click here to download the education registration form.