For decades, what happened after dark shaped the reputation of some Oregon communities. Known as “sundown towns,” they discouraged Black people and other racial minorities from living in or even passing through.
Today, the Oregon Remembrance Project is trying to change that history. Its Sunrise Project encourages communities to confront their past while creating places where people of all backgrounds feel welcome. One effort, called Sunshine Trips, brings Black Portlanders to Southern Oregon for free two-night visits designed to build connections in communities that once excluded them.
aylor Stewart, founder of the Oregon Remembrance Project, said sundown towns deliberately excluded Black people and other racial minorities through fear, violence and intimidation…