Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Lenten Reading 2017 - Sundown Towns

This year for my Lenten reading, I am reading social justice books (well, possibly only one, we'll see how it goes.) This is very much in line with my UU heritage. I am starting by finishing Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism by James W. Loewen. I started it, I think, a few years ago and have read it on and off, but quite honestly it is a hard and challenging read because I just don't want to face the racism I've been living with all my life and ignoring. I live in Oregon, which was designed to be all white and even advertised as a "White Paradise." Eugene, where I live now, was a sundown town. It wasn't that long ago that the white cross on a hill that historically marked the town as no blacks allowed was moved off of public property. It is apparently still on private property somewhere.


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