When Kenny Adams joined The Father’s Group in 2021, he was a concerned father, hoping to create solutions for racism in central Oregon schools. Fast forward to 2024, and Adams is the organizer behind the largest cultural festival in central Oregon: the Juneteenth Central Oregon Jubilee.

“There’s not really any other cultural festival that’s geared at the Black community that happens in central Oregon right now,” Adams said. “So, if we’re gonna have a big festival, we want to blow it out and give people the chance to feel relaxed.”

The fourth annual Juneteenth Central Oregon Jubilee will take place 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. June 15 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. June 16 at Drake Park in Bend. The event will feature African, Caribbean and African American cuisine, art, music and education.

“Our theme is Jubilee and we want to make sure that we get a chance to just revel in freedom and legacy, but also it’s a reminder that it also took this country two years to actually let everyone know that they were free,” Adams said.

Juneteenth is a national holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people on June 19, 1865. This occurred more than two months after Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered and two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Union troops arrived in the coastal city of Galveston, Texas, to enforce the emancipation order.

Known as America’s second Independence Day, Juneteenth has been celebrated by the Black community since its inception and was declared a federal holiday in 2021. Officially recognized in Oregon in 2022, Juneteenth celebrations take place across the state from early to mid-June.

The Father’s Group, a Black-led nonprofit, was established in 2018 following the death of 14-year-old Deshaun Adderley, a Black student at Summit High School in Bend who had been bullied and racially harassed before he died by suicide.

“There were also several other Black community members that were dealing with several levels of racism in the school systems,” said Adams, who is now executive director and board president of The Father’s Group.

A group of Black fathers came together to discuss these issues and find solutions. It was originally a sort of support group, said Adams. But the organization has since grown to create its own programming, educational resources and the annual Juneteenth festival.

“We went from just doing backpack drives and things of that nature to having a full scale afterschool program that we meet multiple times during each semester,” Adams said.

Their most populous event is the Juneteenth festival, which has grown into a two-day event.

“It’s really nice to see everyone come together, of every color, of every race, just come together, eat food, participate in all of the dancing that they’re doing on the stage,” said Jermaine Ellis, a food vendor at the festival. “It really just feels like it’s a start to building the community together.”

One of the main attractions of the festival is its celebration of food. This year, the festival will feature a blend of African Caribbean and African American cuisine.

Ellis said he is excited to return as a vendor this year. He is in the process of transforming his business into a food truck: Jermaican Jerkculture, offering Jamaican Jerk food inspired by his cultural heritage.

“It’s one of the first events in central Oregon that I’ve ever been to [where] I’ve seen that many people of color in one location,” Ellis said.

Since relocating to central Oregon in 2017, Ellis has observed a positive shift in the area’s diversity. Although Deschutes County, which encompasses Bend and the surrounding area, is over 85% white, the population has steadily grown more diverse over the past decade. Between 2010 and 2022, the Black population doubled from 531 to 1,094 residents.

“We make up less than 1% of the population in this area,” Adams said. “So being able to find people within our community was kind of few and far between.”

Many vendors and performers come from out of state to participate in the festival, which serves as both a celebration and an educational event.

“We not only break down stereotypes that are usually pushed upon the Black community, but we also help people learn and understand what we’ve actually contributed to this country,” Adams said.

During this year’s festival, an expanded pop-up museum exhibit dives into multiple facets of Black history in partnership with the High Desert Museum and other local Black, Indigenous and People of Color organizations. Some of the exhibits focus on Black inventors and influences in arts and culture.

“We really take this absolutely seriously with a call to the reverence and respect of our heritage and the promotion of true history,” said Adams. “The people that come out, not only are they going to have a good time … but they’re also going to learn something.”

Adams hopes to eventually coordinate with other Juneteenth celebrations across the country to include live broadcasts of their events.

“It’s time that we link our together and really show that unification not just in Oregon, but across the country,” Adams said.

Learn more about Juneteenth celebrations across Oregon here.

— Chiara Profenna covers religion, faith and cultural connections. Reach her at 503-221-4327; cprofenna@oregonian.com or @chiara_profenna

The Oregonian/OregonLive receives support from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to bring readers stories on religion, faith and cultural connections in Oregon. The Oregonian/OregonLive is solely responsible for all content.

OK, let’s get it out of the way.

Yes; his quirky, rambling, meandering and obscure commentary during basketball telecasts could be extremely frustrating — evoking reactions ranging from cute to cursing, endearing to eye-rolling, joy to “you’ve gotta be joking,” and from a sense of comradery to cursing. And, for some, simply anger.

But, for many of us, doesn’t that sound a hell of a lot like the state we love?

So, in a sense, Bill Walton was Oregon.

I pulled Mr. FishDuck from his fun where he learned how a Fanatics Sportsbook NC Promo Code will help you maximize your potential earnings if you are adding stakes to any game. He had a number of memories about Walton, being a lifelong Oregon resident.

During telecasts Walton had an odd habit of referencing his 1977 championship Portland Trailblazers teammates. Maurice Lucas, Lionel Hollins, Johnny Davis and Larry Steele to name a few. I would assume the vast majority of the viewing audience had no idea who those players were. He was talking to a minority of us Oregon sports junkies almost as an inside joke, to which I would find myself in exasperation, responding, “Bill! Nobody knows who Dave Twardzik is!!”

And that encapsulated my general feelings toward Walton. I loved him and liked his color commentary, but sometimes he could drive me crazy.

Walton was an old hippie. He loved the Grateful Dead, riding his bike, nature, and Oregon: the state that adopted him after he brought its only professional sports championship in 1977. Walton came from Southern California, but Oregon was in his DNA. He had the good sense of putting others ahead of himself over the “me first” glamour of his native Los Angeles. This way of life served him well on the basketball court as he was one of the best passers and most unselfish players the game had ever known.

The 1977 final pitted the Trailblazers against the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers. As an egoless entity, the Blazers epitomized “team.” They played like graceful figure skaters on the hardwood where passing, off-the-ball cuts, and basketball IQ were emphasized over scoring and individual accolades. Coach Jack Ramsey would famously run practices where the ball would not touch the floor as the elegant sound of squeaking sneakers rang like Mozart in the ears of basketball purists.

In contrast, the Sixers were a motley crew of outlaws (think Jailblazers) with immense flash and talent led by the Michael Jordan of the 70s, Julius “Dr J” Irving. The Sixers were favored and had more individual talent than the Blazers, but wherein the sum of the whole was greater than that of the individual parts for the Blazers, the opposite was true of the Sixers.

In today’s era of NIL and transfers it is difficult to put together a true team as the “me first” mentality rules the day. Because of this, Dana Altman has had a difficult time putting together a true “team” the past few seasons, as the Ducks have always been at their best when they fielded a team as opposed to a group of self-directed individuals. The Luke’s (Jackson and Ridnour) under coach Ernie Kent, the 2017 Final Four team, and the Payton Pritchard era were all about team-first.

Altman is known for getting his teams to play their best toward the end of the season. Only a true team can grow together throughout the season and continually improve. At 65, and with an outstanding sophomore floor general leading the way in Jackson Shelstad, it feels as if Altman has at least one more great run of “team basketball” left in him at Oregon.

As long as he can get them to play Bill Walton basketball.

Oregon, the humble, quirky little state tucked away in the Pacific Northwest not known for its flashiness (minus uniforms) but rather for a collection of underdogs and misfits like Ken Kesey, Steve Prefontaine, and Phil Knight who rise to do great things. And that is what Oregonians relish the most.

Whether you loved or disliked Walton’s public persona, it was easy to recognize his joy, kindness, self-deprecation, and giving nature. At the very least, and above all else, you could see that Walton was a good person.

R.I.P. big man, and the piece of Oregon that passed away with you.

Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: From X

Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in technology in SLC, Utah.

Darren Perkins is a sales professional and 1997 Oregon graduate. After finishing school, he escaped the rain and moved to sunny Southern California where he studied screenwriting for two years at UCLA. Darren grew up in Eugene and in 1980, at the tender age of five, he attended his first Oregon football game. His lasting memory from that experience was an enthusiastic Don Essig announcing to the crowd: “Reggie Ogburn, completes a pass to… Reggie Ogburn.” Captivated by such a thrilling play, Darren’s been hooked on Oregon football ever since. Currently living in Spokane, Darren enjoys flaunting his yellow and green superiority complex over friends and family in Cougar country.

A southern Oregon lawmaker’s comments on a podcast suggesting non-Christians aren’t qualified to hold elected office didn’t violate legislative rules around a safe and respectful workplace, a House panel determined Monday.

The House Committee on Conduct voted 3-1 that Rep. E. Werner Reschke, R-Malin, didn’t violate House rules when he told a conservative Christian podcast host that people want Christians, not atheists, Muslims or “materialists,” in government. Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend, joined Republican Reps. Kevin Mannix of Salem and Ed Diehl of Stayton in voting to clear Reschke, while Rep. Thuy Tran, D-Portland, voted against it.

Reschke did not respond Monday to a request for comment.

The investigation into Reschke stemmed from comments he made on a conservative Christian talk show in January that were reported by OPB. During a conversation with former Arkansas lawmaker Jason Rapert, Reschke said he was inspired to run for office because of men including George Washington, James Madison, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.

“You look at men and the struggles that they faced and the faith that they had, and those are the type of people that you want in government making tough decisions during tough times,” he said. “You don’t want a materialist, you don’t want an atheist, you don’t want a Muslim, you don’t want, you want somebody who understands what truth is and understands the nature of man, the nature of government and the nature of God.”

Democratic leaders condemned his comments and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments that newly appointed state Rep. Dwayne Yunker, R-Grants Pass, had expressed on his campaign website. On the final day of the legislative session, members of civil rights groups and state Rep. Tom Andersen, D-Salem, gathered outside the Capitol to protest Reschke’s and Yunker’s comments.

Meanwhile, an attorney with Jackson Lewis, a Portland law firm, was quietly investigating whether Reschke’s comments violated legislative rules meant to ensure the Capitol is a safe and respectful workplace. Two people who attorney Sarah Ryan described as mandatory reporters said they had been approached by others with concerns about Reschke’s comments, including that at least one person who didn’t want to be identified felt that Reschke’s comments adversely impacted their work at the Capitol.

Legislative rules require state representatives, senators and nonpartisan supervisors to report any behavior that could violate the Capitol’s workplace policies. Legislative Equity Officer Bor Yang hired Ryan to investigate the reports, as well as a separate complaint about a July 2022 invitation from Reschke to a prayer vigil that was interpreted as threatening to LGBTQ+ individuals. Ryan quickly dismissed that complaint, saying there was no indication it affected anyone at the Capitol.

She spoke to a dozen people about his comments about Muslims and atheists and found that two were concerned about how Reschke’s comments would affect their work at the Capitol. One was troubled by years-old tweets Reschke had made about Muslims, and another individual feared that Reschke viewed them as lesser.

“Most of the people that I interviewed were at least initially offended by the comments that were made by Representative Reschke,” Ryan said. “Some had one-on-one conversations with the representative and were satisfied with his explanation, but there were only two people who indicated that the comments had an impact on their work at the Capitol.”

Tran, who is Buddhist, said she absolutely sees an effect from Reschke’s words.

“Rep. Reschke’s comment was offensive, and it will impact my working environment and it will affect my interactions with him,” she said.

‘Lessons for all of us’

Kropf said the comments were clearly disrespectful to Muslims and atheists, but that the Legislature’s workplace harassment rules aren’t clear on what conduct outside of the Capitol should or shouldn’t be allowed. He personally believed Reschke’s comments, made as a state representative on a podcast, were related to his work in the Legislature, but he said he understood how Mannix and Diehl could reach a different conclusion.

“I hope that he has been — I think he has been — reflective and appreciative of the impact those words have had and the work that he has to do to continue to restore trust,” Kropf said. “There’s lessons for all of us to learn in this. To me, what this reinforces is that we can be guided by our faith, we can be guided by our beliefs, but we can also be respectful of the faith and the beliefs of others and how that they guide them in our governance for our state.”

Mannix echoed that he believed Reschke has reflected on the comments, and that he hopes Yang will consider those comments as she prepares training for legislators to follow. Reschke did not address the committee and did not respond to a call or emailed questions about the decision or any reflection.

Diehl said he was concerned that legislative workplace rules could become so broad that they stifle lawmakers’ abilities to express themselves and discuss legislation.

“We’re looking at something that wasn’t even said in the building,” he said. “It was said completely outside the building. It wasn’t even directed at any particular individual, and we’re here having a discussion on it.”

Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on Facebook and X.