Hundreds of people flooded Mac Court for two days of singing, dancing and community building at the 49th annual Mother’s Day Pow Wow, hosted by the University of Oregon Native American Student Union.

The event welcomed Native Americans and non-Natives alike, allowing everyone to take part in Native American culture.

Before the event, NASU member Mitchell Lira said the best way for non-Native visitors to enjoy the event was to set aside any ideas of what to expect at a pow wow. As many non-Natives may not understand the significance of a headdress or the purpose of a pow wow, Lira hoped that attendants would glean a better understanding of Native culture by engaging and asking questions.

“If it’s someone’s first time and [they’re] non-Native, forget whatever you heard, forget what someone told you about Indians, Native people or pow wows when you walk in the door because it’s probably not accurate,” Lira, a Warm Springs Tribal member, said. “Have a conversation. We’re humans too. We’re not like aliens from another planet. We eat, we sleep, we do the same things that non-Natives do. We are different in ways, but we are human at the end of the day.”  

(Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

The two-day event – split into three sessions – began on Friday evening with a group of tribal members, dressed in their regalia, blessing the floor and event by dancing on Mac Court. The grand entry followed the blessing. In a procession behind a color guard carrying the eagle staff, Native veterans carried the American, Oregon and P.O.W. flags. Non-Native veterans followed with a group of dancers dressed in beaded and feathered regalia coming in behind them.

Dancing to the beat of 4 Drums — the host band — the group of about 40 circled the arena floor before a young man delivered an invocation blessing the event.

The UO Mother’s Day Pow wow is unique in the fact that it has time delegated to honor mothers.

“As American Indians, we hold our women high in regard. They are the wing of the eagle that balances our life,” said Nick Sixkiller, the emcee for the event. “So we come here on Mother’s Day to celebrate them.”

According to Gordon Bettles, a steward at the Many Nations Longhouse on UO’s campus, the Klamath tribe had its first pow wow in 1954. He explained that during WWII, Native soldiers began interacting with other tribes that would host pow wows, and members of tribes brought the tradition back home.

“The significance is to bring people together from all different nations, all different tribes,” he said. “It’s a time for human interaction”

By Alex Powers
Jared Jackson of Medford dances in the fancy dance on Saturday, May 14, 2017, during the 49th Mother’s Day Powwow at University of Oregon.

UO hosted its first pow wow in 1964 when it was the spring pow wow. Bettles said that Native students originally brought up the idea of having a pow wow for Mother’s Day. They wanted to include families in the traditional spring celebration.

Lira said that Native societies view women differently than non-Native ones. In Native American culture, women are sacred.

Bettles used examples in nature to illustrate Native American ideas about women.

When coming to a stream, the oldest female buffalo or deer crosses first, he explained. They know that if they cross safely, the rest of the herd can follow. Women are leaders and have set aside their “special talent in taking care of everybody,” Bettles said.

He went on to describe how his tribe, the Klamath, refer to fire as “grandma.” When he was a boy, the elders would ask everyone who was taking care of grandma every night. If they didn’t want to have to build a new fire every day, it would have to be kept going all night.

“Grandma is the oldest power. Grandma is fire,” he said. “You take care of grandma, she takes care of you. That’s mother.”

While all the dancers performing last weekend were Native, plenty of non-Native families and individuals joined the festivities. Anna Hoffer, co-director of the Native American Student Union, said that while they are traditional events, pow wows are not exclusively for Native people.

“I think that’s an important part because it allows people who are non-Native to come and appreciate who we are as a people and see we are still thriving and living,” she said.

After the intertribal dance — reserved for those wearing regalia — the emcee invited anyone who wished to dance onto the arena floor.

“We try to make it a friendly atmosphere,” Sixkiller, the master of ceremonies, said. “Anybody here, all the outside public, the non-Indians, they come and learn who we are and they can join us. They can dance with us.”

Surrounding the arena were vendors selling blankets, T-shirts and jewelry. Hoffer said that while it’s inappropriate for non-Natives to dress up as Native Americans or performing rituals reserved for tribal members, buying traditional goods from Native vendors is acceptable.

“When you actually buy things that are made by Native people you’re helping Native people survive,” she said. “You’re helping pay their bills and you’re also helping them keep practicing their culture as well.”

All the hosts asked for was respect for the culture and traditions. Bettles stressed that while everyone was welcome, appropriation isn’t acceptable.

(Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

“We are doing it because this is how we are raised,” he said. “The regalia is made by individuals who do it as a craft, not for a show. They put everything they have into this.”

Hoffer said an example of appropriation is when non-Native women wear headdresses. In Native culture, women do not wear headdresses.

“Pow wows are not a place where you can come and ‘look at the Indians,’ ” Hoffer said. “We are people and we should be treated respectfully and our practices should be treated respectfully.”

The Native American Student Union organizes and hosts the event each year, and students are in charge of every detail.

“For me, it represents student leadership, specifically Native student leadership,” Hoffer said. “This is a big thing that is going on and it’s always run by students every year. It’s pretty significant to show what Native students can do.”

NASU awarded Pendleton wool blankets to graduating seniors. The awards are for students who have been active in local and national Native tribal issues, Bettles said, adding that, “You don’t get one just because you’re an Indian.”

Bettles has been involved in NASU activities informally since 1972 and formally since 2001. He said this year has been an exceptional year thanks to high student participation. NASU exists to help Native students develop their identity and give them an opportunity to succeed.

NASU member Mitchell Lira said he is here to try to “level the playing field.”

“I mean to be somebody in this world you have to have this degree that says you can write and read really well,” he said. “The biggest thing for me is just trying to get this paper so I can say ‘Hey you know, look I can read and write really well. Let me make some change, let me do things in this world just like my white counterpart can do.’ I’m just as good as him.”

The post Happy Mother’s Day from NASU: The Native American Student Union’s annual Mother’s Day Pow Wow appeared first on Emerald Media.

Following a high-speed motorcycle chase through Eugene Wednesday evening, a suspect in a possible assault is still on the loose.

Four different law enforcement agencies chased a man on a motorcycle throughout Eugene, passing by campus on Hilyard Street. Eugene Police, Oregon State Police and the Lane County Sherrif’s Office were involved in the chase.

Witnesses told the Emerald that shortly after 8 p.m., a man on a motorcycle went the wrong way down one-way Hilyard Street at high speeds. Six unmarked police vehicles followed closely, follow by more than 10 other police vehicles a few seconds later. The motorcycle came close to

The suspect was last scene in the southwest Eugene area. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

hitting oncoming traffic.

According to Lane Country Sherrif’s Office Sgt. Carrie Carver, the chase started near Marcola Road at approximately 7:30 p.m.

The Register Guard initially reported that the man was a possible homicide suspect, but later changed the description to assault.

Sgt. Carver described the suspect as a white male, 30s or 40s, with short, dark hair, a reddish blonde goatee, medium build, between 5’8 and 5’10. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and black motorcycle pants.

Office Sgt. Carrie Carver returns to her vehicle after searching for a suspect in South Eugene. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

“We’re still urging people to keep an eye out for that description and contact local law enforcement. Do not attempt to contact [the suspect] if you see him,” Carver said.

Parts of the Fox Hollow neighborhood in South Eugene were blocked to residents earlier in the night, but people are now able to return to their homes.

“The canine team thoroughly searched the area, but we were unable to locate the suspect at this time. It is still an active case,” Carver said.

The suspect abandoned his motorcycle in South Eugene following the initial chase, and fled on

A Eugene Swat Team trucks leaves the scene as the search is concluded in southwest Eugene.

foot. The chase began in the Marcola area, before continuing down the freeway into downtown Eugene and

eventually South Eugene.

Police do not know the name of the suspect at this time. It is also not confirmed whether or not the suspect is armed.

Updates to come as this story develops.

The post Suspect still at large following motorcycle chase and hours long search appeared first on Emerald Media.

Update 11:49 p.m: Law enforcment officers have left the area; say that the operation is done. Lieutenant Jennifer Bills with the Lane County Sheriffs Office could not immediately confirm if an arrest was made.

Update 11:39 p.m: Law enforcement officers are in a standoff with the suspect in South Eugene, near Potter Street and East Amazon Street. According to a witness, access to the Fox Hollow neighborhood in South Eugene is currently blocked. SWAT team members are searching for the suspect with the aid of police dogs. The suspect has reportedly ditched his motorcycle and jacket.

SWAT units search for the suspect in South Eugene. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

********

Lane County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement and the Eugene Police Department chased a man on a motorcycle through Eugene, passing by campus on Wednesday night.

According to a Register-Guard article, the man may be a suspect in an assault.

A witness said that the man on the motorcycle went the wrong way up Hilyard Street and almost ran into oncoming traffic. The witness said that around four unmarked police SUV’s followed directly behind the man and more than 10 other police vehicles came a few seconds later.

The Register-Guard reported that Lane Country Sherrif’s Office Sgt. Carrie Carver said that the chase started near Marcola Road at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Updates to come.

The post Updated: Police chase motorcyclist through Eugene appeared first on Emerald Media.

On Thursday, March 2, DIY-punk-rock pioneer Mike Watt performed with his band the Missing Men at Hi-Fi Music Hall. The trio played an energetic set that featured songs from across Watt’s storied career. Many of the songs were from Watt’s most renowned band, the Minutemen, including some that were never recorded by the Minutemen.

Watt began the show by telling the crowd that the Missing Men drove 1,000 miles to “play their hearts out” for an audience that chose to spend one of their 52 Thursdays in a year them.

Below are photos from the show that reenforced Watt’s status as one of the great living bass players.

The Emerald recently spoke with Mike Watt. Check out our profile on him here.

Mike Watt sticks his tongue out during Thursday’s performance at the Hi-Fi Lounge. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Missingmen guitarist Tom Watson performs with Mike Watt on Thursday. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Mike Watt in his natural habitat: onstage in front of a bass amp. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Tom Watson and Drummer Raul Gates of the Missingmen perform on Thursday. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Mike Watt plays his signature Reverend “Wattplower” bass on Thursday night. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Audience members react to Mike Watt and the Missingmen’s performance at the Hi-Fi Lounge on Thursday. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Tom Watson plays guitar on Thursday at the Hi-Fi Music Lounge. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Mike Watt sings on Thursday with the Missingmen at Hi-Fi Music Lounge. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

(Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Watt looks across the stage to Tom Watson during a performance at Hi-Fi Music Lounge on Thursday night. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

The Missingmen share the stage with fellow San Pedro, California, band Toys That Kill. They ended the performance with a cover of The Stooge’s 1970 song “Funhouse.” Watt played bass for Iggy Pop and the Stooges during their last reunion. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Mike Watt smiles at the crowd at the end of Thursday night’s performance. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

The audience reacts to Mike Watt and the Missingmen’s performance on Thursday night. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Mike Watt on Thursday night at the Hi-Fi Music Lounge. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Mike Watt poking his head behind the curtain during the encore break on Thursday. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Mike Watt with Chachi Ferrara of Toys That Kill. Watt and the Missingmen ended Thursday’s performance onstage with opening band Toys That Kill for a cover of “Funhouse.” (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

Mike Watt is a founding father of DIY punk rock. He still drives the van after shows. (Christopher Trotchie/Emerald)

The post Photos: Punk legend Mike Watt captivates at the Hi-Fi Lounge appeared first on Emerald Media.

When the Native Americans from Standing Rock Sioux Reservation called for support, tens of thousands answered by standing on the front lines or donating materials. Much of this help comes from the Pacific Northwest, Eugene and even the University of Oregon.

When an Emerald reporter arrived at camp, he found the largest demonstration of Native American unity in U.S. history.

The post E1 Multimedia Story: Protecting the Water appeared first on Emerald Media.

With the protest at Standing Rock entering its eighth month of resistance, a lot can be said about the resolve of the water protectors and their mission. They have gained international media attention, defied corporate interests and are now weathering a harsh winter. With the support of outsiders and each other, and as long as Dakota Access Pipeline construction lights shine down from the surrounding hills, water protectors believe they have a reason to be there. I sat down with David Archambault II, the chairman of Standing Rock Indian Reservation, to discuss what his role is and how people in Eugene can support their cause.

Standing Rock Indian Reservation—

Christopher Trotchie: What is the best way for people in Eugene to help?

Dave Archambault II: I get that question all the time, “What can I do?” and I don’t think there is one answer. Whenever they come and they ask, there is so much that can be done. … What we try to do is just put the information on what the tribe is doing because there’s so many different interest groups, and we have a website called Standwithstandingrock.net. And if it’s something like divest from banks that are funding this, or if it’s writing a letter to Congress, or writing a letter to the administration, or writing requests or asks to the company or whoever, we have some templates on there. When it comes to donations ⎼ the tribe didn’t ask for funds ⎼ but people want to give to the tribe, and we’re thankful for that. So we have a tab on the website where you can donate on there, or if you want to give to whoever, there’s 5,500 different GoFundMe accounts. You could fund whatever you want. What I tell people is, it’s up to you whatever you want to do; follow your heart. And that usually takes you in that direction that you need to go.

T: What do you think the general condition of the camp is right now?

DA: Well I haven’t gone down there lately, because when the first storm came, I asked everybody to leave. And the second I made that statement somebody else from Standing Rock made the statement “don’t leave.” And then there’s been a lot of criticism on me saying that I sold out, and that I have a house in Florida, and that I have another house in Bismarck, and that I received money. And none of that’s true, but it’s just how everybody has turned on me. So it makes me curious about [what people’s intention are]. What are they here for? When we had the decision made by the Corps of Engineers not to give an easement, and to do an [Environmental Impact Statement] and to consider rerouting ⎼ those were the three things that we’ve been asking for the last two years. … So the purpose of the camp was fulfilled, and we got what we wanted. I understand that it’s not over. This new administration can flip it, so what we’re doing now is trying to do everything we can to make sure that that decision stays, but even then it’s not guaranteed. Right now it’s dangerous ⎼ tomorrow we’re going to get 15 inches of snow, 55 mile an hour wind. It’s not safe at the camp. And from what people are telling me, there’s a lot of empty tents all over and a lot of trash, and if we don’t clean up, when the flood waters rise all that stuff is going to be in the river. So we’re going to, at some time, get down there and clean up.

T: What is the biggest misconception about you currently?

DA:  Just the perception that I’m not here for the fight is false and it’s wrong, and that’s kind of disturbing to hear all the fabricated lies about me when people don’t know me. People really don’t know who I am. And when somebody says something, and it’s believed and it’s passed on, it’s sad because we we’re the ones who started this whole thing. This tribe is the one who stepped up and filed the suit when we knew that we didn’t have a chance. We knew that the federal laws that are in place are stacked against us. They’re in favor of projects like [the pipeline], but we had to do it.

T: What is the impact of the protest on the tribe as a whole?

DA: On Standing Rock, we have eight districts. We have 12 communities. We have highways. We have our schools. We have ambulance services. And now because people choose to stay at the camp, we have to make sure that they’re out of harm’s way. So when the storms happen, we’re going to have a shelter here in Cannon Ball, and people are going to come. And they’re going to expect food, and they’re going to expect heat, and they’re going to expect blankets. So we provide that because it’s an emergency shelter. And then when the danger is gone, they stay there. They don’t leave. And the community says, “We want our gymnasium back.” … There’s really nothing going on. There’s no drilling going on. But they want to be there, and I think it’s because there was a good feeling when it first started. When we came together, tribal nations came together, and we prayed together, and we shared our songs, we shared our ceremonies. And it was a good strong feeling, but nobody wants to let that go. Nobody wants to move on. Those things that we learned from that lesson are things that we can take home to our communities and apply. We come from communities that are dysfunctional. We fight our own family, we fight each other’s families in the community, but what happened here was we were able to live without violence and without drugs or alcohol, without weapons. And we were able to do it with prayer and coming together. That lesson right there is something that we need to take back to our communities, but we don’t want to now. There are people down there that don’t want to leave. They think it is the greatest thing. But when you ask me ‘what’s the status,’ the things that I hear if I go down there, I don’t hear the good things anymore. I hear ‘this person did this,’ ‘they took this,’ and now I’m getting accused of doing that. So what we’re doing is bringing that dysfunction into something that was beautiful, and we’re letting the lessons slip through our hands. And we’re not learning. We’re hanging on to something that’s not there anymore. And so, I know that there’s a chance that this pipeline has to go through, but it’s not the end. It’s not the end of everything. We have to take the things that we learned, and accept it as a win. We have to take the processes, the policies, the regulations, the rules that are going to change because of what happened here, and take it as a win. Whether that pipeline goes through or not, I think we won.

T: How do you feel about the example that Standing Rock has set for other land struggles in the United States?

DA:This isn’t the first pipeline that anyone’s stood up to. This isn’t the first infrastructure project anyone’s stood up to, and I don’t think it is going to be the last. But it is something that we have to be mindful about though: if we’re going to take on the oil industry, it’s not going to be at the pipelines. We have to change our behavior, and we have to demand alternatives, and we have to start doing things different, and we have to stop depending on the government. This country is so dependent on oil. The whole nation is dependent on oil. If we want to fight these things, it’s not going to be where it’s being transported. It’s going to be at the source, and it’s going to be with the government.

T: Who is responsible for the camps?

DA:There’s never been anybody that was responsible. It was forever evolving from day one. The way it started was there were kids who said, ‘We don’t want this pipeline to go here.’ We don’t want oil in our water. So they ran from Wakpala to Mobridge over the Missouri River. They did it with prayer. Then the second thing that happened was a group of people got together in April and said we need to set up a spirit camp. So the first spirit camp was set up with prayer and then there was a ceremony, and in the ceremony individuals were identified to help with this. So when we had our first meeting, [there were] 200 people from Pine Ridge and 300 from Cheyenne River coming the next day. Where are they going to go? Where the spirit camp was set up was already bursting at the seams. … I brought the different groups together and I said, “We need to coordinate. We need to know what each other are doing.” Then they said I was colonizing them, and that I was trying to control them, trying to dictate to them because I was IRA government. It seemed like every time the Standing Rock Sioux tribe tried to help, we got bit. So you ask me who is running the camp down there? It’s whoever the people want to listen to and there is always someone who doesn’t want to listen. That is the disfunction. The good thing about the tribal government is [even] if the people don’t want to listen to me, it’s a role that everyone accepts. Down there, if someone does not accept it, [the leadership] will change. That is how it has been going. It’s been forever evolving from the first time we set up until today. Even now if I go down there, they’re not going to want to have anything to do with me because I asked them to leave.

T: Do you genuinely want people to leave the camps?     

DA: Yeah. There is no purpose for it. What’s the purpose?

T: There seems to be some concerns for safety in the camps; how should these concerns be addressed?

DA: I don’t want that pipeline to go through. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt, I don’t want anyone to die, I don’t want any kids to get abused, I don’t want any elders to get abused, I don’t want any rapes to happen. They don’t want any authority down there. What do you do then? Do I have to close it down with force?

T: I don’t know… Do you?

DA: No, I’m not going to do that.

T: Why not?

DA: I don’t want that. I don’t want Wounded Knee. I don’t want to fight my own people.

I tell you what, when I say stuff and when I do stuff, it feels like no one is behind me. And I feel like I’m the only one that thinks like this. I feel like I’m the only one that really understands, and it makes me question whether or not I’m Indian.

Am I Indian enough? How come I don’t want to be there? And how come I don’t want to put people’s lives on the line? How come I don’t want to think it’s okay for them to die? I must not be Indian. I must not be Indian enough.

What I saw happen was something that was beautiful. Then I saw it just turn to where it’s ugly, where people are fabricating lies and doing whatever they can, and they’re driven by the wrong thing. What purpose does it have to have this camp down there? There are donations coming, so the purpose is the very same purpose for this pipeline; it’s money. The things that we learn from this camp — the things that were good, that people are doing whatever they can to hold onto — are slipping through their hands at this moment. And I feel like no matter what I say or what I do now, because it flipped and it turned, I have to be really careful; because they will say that I’m trying to facilitate this pipeline. That’s the last thing that I want and I’ve always said that. … We were offered money; I don’t want money. We were offered that land; I don’t want that land. I don’t want anything. I just don’t want that pipeline. It’s symbolic if I can stay with that course. We are so close, but there is a chance that it could go through. If it goes through, I’ll be the worst chairman ever, and if doesn’t go through, I’m the worst chairman ever. So there is no win for me. I don’t want a win; I don’t want anything from this. What I see is something that is so symbolic it could change… We have a chance to change the outcome for once: the outcome of who we are as people. There is a real opportunity here, and that is what I want. That is what I’m hoping for, is that we take these lessons that we are learning and change the outcome of who we are and what we are about and the future of our people.

The post Q&A: David Archambault II, chairman of Standing Rock Reservation appeared first on Emerald Media.

After the mass shooting earlier this summer in Orlando’s Pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead and 53 injured, Bill Sullivan had “flashbacks.”

Sullivan, a Eugene resident, and LGBTQ activist, said he recalled when a New Orleans bar called the UpStairs Lounge was attacked by an arsonist in a massacre that killed 32 people in 1973. It was the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ community — until earlier this summer.

“Orlando was a wake up for a lot of people,” said Sullivan, who serves on the board of directors for the Eugene PRIDE Day Equality project, the organizers behind this weekend’s 25th annual Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival. “It’s still happening. It’s not just a one-time event.”

Other members of the LGBTQ community are feeling this sentiment as Eugene prepares to host several pride events this week.

Anthony Duibouti ( Diva-Someone Slaughter) sits up front at the HIFI Music Hall Quing pageant. This event marks the second time Eugene will have a Quing. Bruce Clark took top honors this year.

Despite June being LGBT Pride Month, many pride events around the country are shuffled around the summer due to the fact that availability is scarce in June. Because Oregon has several pride events around the state — in Portland, Salem, Bend, southern Oregon, coastal Oregon, Corvallis and Eugene to name several — it’s hard to fit them all into one month, Sullivan said.

Sullivan coordinated the second annual Eugene/Springfield Quing — queen and king — Pride Pageant at HiFi Music Hall on Saturday night.

That night, the Eugene LGBTQ community kicked off a week of festivities to celebrate one of Eugene’s more vibrant communities.

Standing in platform high heels, skyscraper wigs and bright flowing dresses, a collection of drag queens towered over the crowd, shouting cat calls at each other from across the outdoor patio.

One of those people is Morgan Andersen, a local who’s made a name for himself by his drag queen persona Angelica D’Vil. Andersen said friends of his asked if he still wanted to host events as D’Vil, which puts him in the limelight as queer.

He said yes.

“The biggest mistake we can make as a community is to stay quiet and pretend these things didn’t happen,” Andersen said. “I’m not going to dumb down who I am or what I believe in just because of living in a state of fear that people don’t like who I am or what I stand for.”

“Eugene Pride, this year, will definitely be more powerful,” said Sam Thrower, who was crowned the first ever Quing in 2015 and performed at Saturday’s Pageant. “People just want to be more together now.”

Camille Vaden remembers when he was a teenager and had to sneak into “underground” bars where he could be around other gay people. He said things are a lot different now.

One onlooker at HiFi was Camille Vaden. Vaden was a drag queen himself for thirty years, and the scene on Saturday was something he could only dream of when he was growing up in Las Vegas in the 1970s.

“Now it is a little easier for people,” Vaden said. “I think we are strong enough in our number to not let that fear overtake us.”

This weekend’s Pride Festival will take place from noon to 6 p.m. in Alton Baker Park on Saturday, Aug. 13. The event is all ages and free, though there is a $5 suggested donation.

This Friday, The Wayward Lamb pub will host the Downtown Pride Block Party, which will block off Broadway from Charnelton street to Olive street from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. D’Vil will host both the block party and the subsequent after-party in the Lamb from 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

UO graduate student Jesse Quinn has attended many Pride Festivals in Eugene and Springfield since he was a student at Pleasant Hill High School. Quinn created a Gay Straight Alliance at his high school after attending the Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival.

“It was pretty instrumental in my coming out,” said Quinn, program assistant for the UO LGBT Education Support Services. “Having an event here in Eugene that’s open to the community was extremely beneficial, at least to my own self-discovery.”

After attending Portland Pride in the days following the Orlando tragedy, Quinn said he felt a lingering sense of fear in the air — but it was therapeutic at the same time.

“We could process these emotions together,” Quinn said.

Quinn attends the annual festival every year representing the LGBT Education and Support Services, as well as community groups such as the Queer Community Center of Eugene. He says he’s excited for this year, given the balance between the family-friendly festival in the park and the more party-oriented downtown block party.

Joelle Goodwin helped judge this year’s event. She drew on her own experience as Mrs. Oregon America 2009.

“Seeing youth involved at these events is always encouraging because I feel like we’re making the next wave of LGBT activists,” he said.

Andersen is from Pomona, California, outside Los Angeles, where the queer scene is focused on a long strip of gay bars. Eugene’s pride events are different than most. It’s more about community here, Andersen said.

“Most pride events don’t make me feel proud as a gay person,” he said. “I don’t necessarily see the point of being proud of being belligerently drunk on the street.”

When Andersen first attended Eugene’s pride festival last year, he saw something totally different.

“It’s so much more about a community getting together and supporting each other,” Andersen said. “That really spoke volumes, to me, about what the real LGBTQ community is, and what it means to have pride.”

UO’s Black Student Union, Black Women of Achievement, and allies of the Black Lives Matter movement marched from the EMU amphitheater to 13th and Agate Street on Friday, July 8 to protest the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.

The two African-American men suffered fatal gunshot injuries from police, causing an uproar from the public. The footage of the shootings appeared in videos on social media.

Alton Sterling, 37, was shot by Baton Rouge police who were reportedly responding to call about an armed black man on Tuesday morning.

The next night, Philando Castile was shot by St. Paul police in Minnesota after being pulled over for a broken tail light. His girlfriend streamed the aftermath on Facebook’s live video-streaming feature. Her daughter was also in the car.

UO students and faculty have responded to this tragedy with an outpouring of anger, sadness and resignation on social media.

Here are photos from the University of Oregon protest:

University of Oregon student Aryavong Khounlavouth was arrested on charges of first-degree felony encouraging child sexual abuse.

Khounlavouth was arrested at his home in Springfield on Tuesday, June 14, following an investigation dating back to 2014 by Royal Canadian Mounted Police and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

According to The Register-Guard, an investigation found person-to-person messages containing child pornographic subject matter sent via a Twitter account. The account was traced to a Canadian man named Eric Paul.

Paul was also using chat application KIK to disseminate child pornography to individuals, including Khounlavouth.

The department of Homeland Security contacted Springfield area police who subsequently seized 44 items from Khounlavouth’s residence including a computer hard drive in May that led to Khounlavouth arrest earlier this week.

Khounlavouth is being held on 10 separate felony charges of encouraging child sex abuse at the Lane County Jail.  

More information will be made available as this story develops.  

University of Oregon’s population of black students hovers around 2 percent. It’s been that way since 1986.

Black students are not seeing other black students around campus, and many are left feeling like outsiders in classrooms and corridors of UO. Black student groups are fighting to change this.

Arthur Dickson, coordinator of the Black Male Alliance, knows the personal and complex difficulties UO’s 472 black students encounter on this campus.

“From January until now, from [Black Male Alliance] alone, six people have left and gone home because they can’t stand the climate at University of Oregon,” Dickson said. His frustration with UO’s stagnant numbers of black students has reached a critical level. He is disappointed and feels that strategies scheduled to begin Fall Term 2016 are too late for some of his peers.

Another student feeling frustration about her situation is Akiva Hillman, co-coordinator of the Black Student Union. She views UO’s current climate as difficult and unwelcoming for black students. Hillman centers her frustrations around the isolation she feels as a member of one of the universities smallest minority groups.

“I think a lot of the reasons we don’t have black students on campus, just in the first case, are retention problems and cultural competency issues that a lot of the professors and admin don’t really carry in this campus,” Hillman said. “African American students aren’t eager to come here because it’s not a place where we are comfortable.”

Her work at BSU focuses on helping black community members at UO by creating awareness and building community ties through social engagement. They recently held a big event in the Wheeler Pavilion at the Lane Events Center.

On May 7, over 500 community members and students filled the auditorium for the fourteenth Annual Divine Nine Step Show. By 5 p.m. nearly every seat in the house was filled.

Nate Jackson, comedian and emcee of the event, believes events like the ADNSS mean everything to the black community.

“If you look around, it’s vibrant,” Jackson said. “This is about recruitment and retention. Look at all the young kids, they’re already wearing colors and letters. All you’re doing is adding to your own legacy of your university, so it means everything.”

UO President Michael Schill recently sent an open letter to the campus community listing steps the university will take beginning fall term of 2016 to better accommodate a more enriched community for black students at the college.

Schill plans to bolster the number of black students at the university with stronger recruitment strategies, the implementation of a student advisory group, increased number of black speakers on campus and inviting six of the nine historically black fraternities to join Greek Life at UO.

Assistant Dean of Students Quantrell Willis sees Schill’s letter as proof that the school is putting the appropriate resources towards a more culturally competent environment for students at UO.

“President Schill’s recent announcement regarding the various commitments that the University of Oregon is making in response to the Black Student Task Force’s list of demands sends a great message about the U of O’s commitment to creating an inclusive campus for Black students,” he said.