The OMA attended the Northwest Archivists Conference 2012 this past weekend! This year the conference took place in Salem, Oregon and it was a joint meeting with the Oregon Heritage Commission. It was a great turn-out; there were at least 300 enthusiastic attendees.
There were several memorable sessions that related to the OMA:
Friday Morning began with the Plenary Session: “Making History: Yesterday and Today” – Eliza Canty-Jones, Editor, Oregon Historical Quarterly, discussed the Century of Action project and how everyone can be involved in celebrating 100 years of Oregon’s women’s right to vote in 2012 and advancing the understanding of women’s citizenship in Oregon’s history.
Be sure to view: the Women of the OMA display
One of the Friday afternoon sessions “Plowing New Ground: Oregon’s Heritage Fellows” which highlighted emerging scholars, the recipients of fellowships from the Heritage and Community Programs Division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, described their research findings:
Kimberly Hursh, Willamette University, “A Social History of the Colegio Cesar Chavez, 1973-1983”
Hursh used the theoretical framework of assimilation theory to analyze the relationship between the German American population in the Mt. Angel with the Latino/a population as part of the newly formed Colegio. As part of her research she interviewed Sonny Montes and John Little and used the OMA’s Colegio Collection.
Be sure to view: Colegio César Chávez Collection as well as the blog post regarding the Mexican American Activism in Oregon Panel Discussion
Gareth Stacke, Lewis & Clark College, “The Relationship Between Black Power and Welfare Relief Programs in Portland, 1964-1975.”
Stacke described the political life of R. L. Anderson, an activist for African-American rights in Portland during the late 1960s. Anderson was elected to a city position as part of the war on poverty campaign of the time period, but as Stacke argued, the mainstream media and the police misunderstood Anderson’s intentions due to his participation in the Black Panther Party. While Anderson genuinely intended to work for the betterment of his community, the police began investigating his professional and personal life. After Anderson was arrested in 1971 and served a 2 ½ year sentence, his political career was unfortunately over.
The next day, on Saturday morning, the conference ended with Terry Baxter, Archivist at the Multnomah County Archives and David Lewis, of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community, leading a discussion regarding the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials. Over the past five years NWA has hosted a session at each annual meeting to discuss the Protocols and their role within the regional organization. The spirit of the Protocols is to promote respect, understanding, and collaboration between Native American communities and archival repositories. The OMA strongly supports the Protocols and is currently working with Oregon tribes to assist them with their archives.
Be sure to view numberous blog posts regarding the Oregon Tribal Archives Institute
It seems as though the conference was over as soon as it began! The conference was both fun and informative as well as a wonderful opportunity to meet new people…can’t wait until next year.
