Oregon was the only state admitted into the union with an exclusionary law. The constitution of Oregon also contained exclusionary language. Matthew Deady, who was the author of Oregon’s Constitution, wrote, “No free negro, or mulatto, not residing in this state (Oregon) at the time of the adoption of this constitution, shall come, reside, or be within this state, or hold any real estate … for the removal by public officers, of all such negroes, and mulattoes, and for their effectual exclusion from the state, and for punishment of persons who shall bring them into the state, or employ, or harbor them” (Article 1, section 35, 1859).
Matthew Deady was highly involved with white supremacy groups, and Oregon and the University of Oregon have a history of white supremacy groups investing money and resources in upholding their dogma. Imagine the massive investment in creating a white history, white disciplines, white spaces, white laws and white housing. It comes as no surprise that those who faced no identity, no space, oppression, marginalization, murder, hate and fear would rise up and fight against centuries of oppression.
Martin Luther King Jr. became that voice against laws of discrimination and oppression. He was the hope of the people. He was the compacted voice for freedom and the spokesperson for the civil rights movement after centuries of growing frustration. He existed as a movement because of people like Matthew Deady.
MLK’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech came 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It has now been 45 years since his speech and we still see massive poverty that disproportionately affects people of color. We can see the economic disparity and how that affects the access to housing, jobs, education and health care.
Racism has evolved into a more complex system that has been institutionalized. We can see it in the redlining of districts and the gentrification of projects and ghettos like in Harlem and even North Portland. Prisons are disproportionately filled with people of color and are private businesses that look out for profits instead of rehabilitation. Prisoners are used as cheap labor that resembles slavery. People of color are overrepresented in our military. There is still unfair police brutality toward communities of color, such as in the Oscar Grant, Rodney King, Sean Bell, Genarlow Wilson, Jena Six and the Amadou Diallo incidents, just to name a few. Xenophobic roundups, incarceration and deportation of immigrant families are happening daily, which reminds me of the exclusionary laws.
It has been 45 years since MLK’s speech and we find ourselves with the first black president. But please do not mistake this with the end of oppression and racism. Barack Obama’s victory is merely a reflection of the people’s frustration. People want change; they want progress, and it is up to us to bring about real change. With all this said, the University should take a look at itself and the injustices that exist within the institution. If Matthew Deady’s name sounded familiar to you, it is because our math department building is named after him. We should celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. by changing things within the institution to provide justice to what he stood for, starting with the renaming of the math department building.
The University’s budget for MLK Day was minuscule compared to other universities’, and this reflects its priorities. If the University prides itself with diversity, inclusiveness, accessibility and social change, then let’s just say actions speak louder than words.
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