Rural residents of Oregon have been engaging in various community activities since the beginning of 2024. These activities include Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations, Women’s Marches, civics education workshops, and peace vigils. The Rural Organizing Project (ROP) is encouraging groups to share their experiences and attend the Rural Caucus and Strategy Session on April 6th in Woodburn.
In Baker County, community members in Halfway have been conducting peace vigils every Friday for several months. They have published an article in the local paper, the Hells Canyon Journal, and received permission from the city council to install a permanent peace sign at the town’s main intersection. In Coos County, the Bandon Inclusivity Group held a civics workshop on January 21, following a similar event by Linn-Benton NAACP in 2022. The workshop had 80 participants.
Despite flood warnings in Curry County, 54 people attended Indivisible North Curry County’s 8th annual Women’s March. The marchers walked from Battle Rock in Port Orford to the library, where Indivisible North Curry County had set up information tables on various topics.