Standing in Solidarity

Black lives matter. We at Confluence stand in solidarity with the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities protesting a system of oppression and dispossession that stretches back to 1492. The mission of Confluence is to connect people to the history, living cultures, and ecology of the Columbia River system through Indigenous voices. We do this in schools and online to educate future generations; through public events to broaden our civic dialogue, and through art landscapes to invite people to reflect on what our history can teach us about creating a better future.

Our work is designed to ask people to reimagine what it means to be American, to open up to a broader and more inclusive story of the place we call home. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others are the result of generations of Americans learning a racist ideology that defines whites as supreme. One way to replace that way of thinking is to elevate the voices of historically marginalized people so that together we can create a future based on equality.

If you are interested in supporting organizations working on restorative justice, law enforcement reform, and anti-racist initiatives, click here for Oregon or here for Washington. Thank you.

Yours in solidarity,
The Confluence Team