Eugene Marathon moves against racism with educational tours
EUGENE, Ore. — Residents in Eugene, Ore., look forward to the annual Eugene Marathon. In 2020, Eugene Marathon canceled the race due to the pandemic, but the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement later that same year would inspire Eugene Marathon to organize a program to learn about Black history while running.
Strides for Social Justice is a mobile app established by Eugene Marathon and Peace Health of Eugene. Following George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery’s deaths, the organization wanted to uplift Black history in Eugene through what they know best: health and wellness. With self-guided tour routes, the app allows users to learn about local Black history while running or walking.
Oregon’s hidden history is largely anti-Black. Though early Oregonians generally opposed slavery, the Oregon Encyclopedia describes how the state prohibited Black people from inhabiting the state to ensure “Oregon would develop as primarily white.”
For example, the University of Oregon prevented two Black students from living on campus until their sophomore year in 1927.
Furthermore, Oregon’s current population is 86.2% white, according to the July 2022 census.
Though state exclusionary laws have expired, racial disparities prevail. According to the Oregon Center for Public Policy, white households in the U.S. have an average of $187,300 in wealth, while Black households have an average of $14,100.
Yet communities have found a key to unlocking racial solidarity: education.
To celebrate Black History Month, Eugene Marathon hosted a live tour on the University of Oregon campus. The UO Academics & Student Life Tour offers pieces of Black history on campus, including the university’s first Black Student Union in 1966.
“There’s an energy around learning, especially about Black history in this community,” said Becky Radliff, a Strides organizer and tour guide. “It’s a community that wants to learn and wants to remember, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Radliff led the campus tour with Denise Thomas, a UO alumnus. As a Black student, Thomas said she had few resources to voice her Blackness but noticed a significant change on campus since graduating in 1985.
Thomas said resources like the UO Black Alumni Network and Black Cultural Center give a “larger platform for Black students to have a voice.” Both barely established within the past seven years after Black students have been demanding space on campus since 1968, according to Strides.
“I would have thought there would have been a physical space before,” said tourist Mara Erb.
UO has made later contributions to racial justice for its students compared to Oregon State University, which established its BCC in 1975. Notable changes include renaming two buildings to disassociate the campus from white supremacists.
Yet this isn’t widespread knowledge. Strides for Social Justice is working to educate the community about racial injustice by uplifting local Black history, voices and speakers.
“Part of our mission was really trying to invoke change in people’s hearts,” Radliff said.
The Strides app encourages users to support Black businesses and organizations in Lane County. It also offers tour routes in downtown Eugene and Skinner Butte.
Cover image via PeaceHealth website
