Jan 25, 2022
Lessons from 30 Years Ago: No on 9 Remembered
(Photo credit: Linda Kliewer)
Friends,
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the No on 9 Campaign, in which thousands of Oregonians from all walks of life came together to defeat Ballot Measure 9, one of the harshest antigay measures ever put to American voters.
To commemorate the remarkable multi-year mobilization that defeated the measure, Western States Center has created No on 9 Remembered, a narrative history project.
We have to become a movement that understands the long arc of history. Learning from earlier struggles teaches us discipline and helps prevent the sin of despair.
In a time where some seek to erase or deny our nation’s history, remembering the stories that are part of the movement for inclusive democracy is a powerful act of resistance and redemption.
No on 9 Remembered will share 30 stories from 30 years ago — three every month until Election Day in November. Each story offers a unique prism on how this epic battle for civil and human rights can impart lessons for today’s fight for inclusive democracy.
(Photo montage courtesy of SPLC)
We begin our first batch of stories with Act I, in 1988 when racist skinheads beat Mulugeta Seraw to death on the streets of Portland, foreshadowing the spike in hate crimes that would accompany Ballot Measure 9. Take a deeper dive into the language and meaning of Ballot Measure 9 and learn about one response supported by Western States Center, the Oregon Democracy Project. Preview coming stories on our Stories landing page.
Elsewhere on the site you can view a comprehensive Timeline that depicts 45 years of the struggle for LGBTQ rights in Oregon, through 35-anti-gay ballot measures to being named the second-most gay-friendly state in the nation.
Because the Oregon LGBTQ community’s story intersects with the great 20th century movements for civil rights, we’ve also included some of the historical memory projects that inspire us in our Resources section.
“Remembering the No on 9 Campaign, and all 35 of the OCA’s hateful measures, is a best-of-times-worst-of-times rollercoaster. Courage is there, so is terror. Community like we’d never experienced, along with painful rifts. No on 9 showed us what we could achieve when we unite against hate — and how far we still had to go.”
Holly Pruett, Senior Fellow
To everyone committed to defending democracy in these difficult times, we hope that No on 9 Remembered encourages you to be brave. To take action and take heart.
To remembering the past and shaping the future,
Eric K. Ward, Executive Director, Western States Center
Holly J. Pruett, Senior Fellow, Western States Center
No on 9 Remembered Co-Curators
P.S. We encourage you to tell your own story, to ask your own questions. We’d love to see civic leaders and community organizations across Oregon observe the 30th anniversary of the No on 9 Campaign in their own way. Contact us with your ideas.
