“The cultural practice of white supremacy leads white people to believe that Black people are obligated to make them comfortable or submit to their self-appointed authority. It is the cultural practice of white supremacy that makes white people believe that they are an extension of the police force and have the right to police Black bodies.
To be clear Aidan was murdered because he was a young Black person who made a white man uncomfortable and refused to submit to that man’s personally-perceived authority – not because he was listening to music too loudly.”
— SOBLACC Statement on the Murder of Aiden Ellison
Editors’ Note: There is no more poignant and honest statement than that of the Family of Aidan Ellison, 19, shot on November 23rd in Ashland, OR. We are called upon to make changes and transformation to honor his name. Please see our full Peace House statement.
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Statement from the Family of Aidan Ellison
The Truth and Conciliation Council releases the following statement from Aidan Ellison’s Family:
Many people are wanting to know more about Aidan Ellison and who he was in his short time on this Earth. What can be said about this teenager who was full of spirit? He was just getting started on his lifelong journey when he was taken from us.
For those who want to know who he was, it’s too late. He’s gone. That opportunity has been missed, and no eulogy or summary of his 19 years will suffice to describe it.
What you need to know is that this young man’s life was taken and nothing can justify that. Nothing he did, legitimizes the cold-blooded response of being shot in the chest.
Enough is enough. How many Black men have to die before this community takes hate crimes seriously? How many #BlackLivesMatter signs have to go up for this to be addressed in a constructive way?
We know from our own experience living in Ashland, Oregon that this heinous murder was racially motivated.
Aidan often said there were two rules for living in Ashland:
- Have a big smile
- Be white
He was hyper-aware of this community’s denial of his experience in a Black, male body, and this country’s denial of how it targets people like him.
The culture of white supremacy is entrenched in this valley and as we have seen following Aidan’s tragic death it is ingrained in policing and reporting here. By victim-blaming Aidan in the headlines, we can already see the rough road ahead to ensure justice for Aidan.
We insist that this community be forever changed by what happened to Aidan. We are calling for an end to this violence and oppressive white supremacy in Oregon now.
We hold Jackson County to the task of prosecuting this crime to the fullest extent. A clear and firm message must be sent, that this violence and aggression towards Black bodies will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
We call on the community to support us and hold the justice system accountable.
We feel that everything happens for a reason and we know God has Aidan’s spirit now.
If you wish to help you can contribute to a Go Fund Me account set up for the family: https://gf.me/u/zacitn
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Peace House Statement
from Elizabeth Hallett and Jim Phillips
Where there is sorrow, there is sacred ground.”
– Oscar Wilde
Dear Friends, our Peace House community deplores the murder of Aidan Ellison. There is no more poignant and honest statement than the one made by the Family of Aidan Ellison, 19, shot on November 23rd in Ashland, OR. We are called upon to make changes and transformation for the good in his name.
Drs. Larry Ward and Peggy Rowe Ward are senior Dharma teachers in the nonviolent tradition of Martin Luther King and Tich Nhat Hanh. They spoke to us last year at our Annual Peacemaker Awards dinner. Trauma, they teach, “is the disruption of connection.” This is where our work is and will be in community.
Larry quotes Oscar Wilde, who wrote:
“Where there is sorrow, there is sacred ground.”
Dr. Larry Ward, who is Black, holds the space for people of color to process what it is like for them to live day -to-day in the uber-culture.
We encourage you to listen to Dr. Larry Ward. He and his wife are a biracial couple and activists in the traditions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Buddhist teacher Tich Nhat Hanh. After the death of George Floyd, this year, Larry gave a talk called: “Black Lives Matter as a Doorway to Liberation”.
We offer the link to his forceful and transformational video:
“Black Lives Matter as a Doorway to Liberation” on utube. You will also find other talks by Larry there as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1wiSuj0zNg
Dr. Larry Ward, author of “America’s Racial Karma”, is Co-Founder of The Lotus Institute
Please see more offerings below the SOBLACC Statement.
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STATEMENT ON THE MURDER OF AIDAN ELLISON
From: Southern Oregon Black Leaders, Activists, And Community Coalition (SOBLACC) Leadership Team (printed with permission)
The murder of Aidan Ellison, a 19 year old Black person listening to music in their car, in the early hours of November 24, 2020 marks the first and only homicide in Ashland this year. Aidan was murdered by a 47 year-old white man who news sources claim left his minor-child unattended in the Stratford Inn while he shot Aidan in the chest – killing him. The Black community in Ashland is less than 2% of the total population but now makes up 100% of the homicide victims in our town.
SOBLACC is outraged that racism continues to endanger Black bodies and Black lives. The murder of Aidan Ellison is another example of Southern Oregon’s racist history with and current practice of white supremacy. It is the cultural practice of white supremacy to believe that Black people are to submit to the will of white people, and that violence is an acceptable way to cause submission.
The cultural practice of white supremacy leads white people to believe that Black people are obligated to make them comfortable or submit to their self-appointed authority. It is the cultural practice of white supremacy that makes white people believe that they are an extension of the police force and have the right to police Black bodies.
To be clear Aidan was murdered because he was a young Black person who made a white man uncomfortable and refused to submit to that man’s personally-perceived authority- not because he was listening to music too loudly.
Aidan’s murder isn’t a Black problem, but a community problem. Ashland, and all of Southern Oregon has a problem with racism, and the only way to address this problem is to demand stronger policies that protect Black lives and more severe consequences for anti-Black racism. It is time that Southern Oregon make a real commitment to dismantling anti-Black racism, by committing time, energy, and the resources needed to create community conversations that unpack and address how white supremacy culture among white and non-Black people jeopardize the safety of Black people.
At this moment, being outraged or speechless is not enough. It is imperative that we work together to move beyond “equity and diversity frameworks” or tip-toe around white people’s fragility and seek resolutions that expand racial justice for Black people. Anything less is not enough, and the time for reckoning is now. SOBLACC is clear that Black people in Southern Oregon are a critical part of our community ecosystem and we deserve the right to live and thrive in the valley.
On December 7th, SOBLACC will hold a meeting for Black people living in Southern Oregon to create a Black Agenda. If you want to join us in demanding criminal justice and state-sanctioned violence reform, please register here. This community process is by and for Black people only, non-Black people can like our Facebook page to stay abreast of and support the roll-out of the SOBLACC Black Agenda.
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SOBLACC envisions a Southern Oregon that is a joyful, prosperous, and welcoming place for Black people to live, work and play. Thanks to our community organizing, issues advocacy, and political power building policy and law making in Southern Oregon shift to ensure that the Black community is setting the future trajectory of the politics that shape our lives.
Copyright © 2020 Southern Oregon Black Leaders, Activists, and Community Coalition, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Southern Oregon Black Leaders, Activists, and Community Coalition
2321 Ashland St
Ashland, OR 97520-1598
DONATIONS made to this address are tax deductible.
More Resources:
“America’s Racial Karma,” by Dr. Larry Ward: his recently released book, available from Penguin/Random House Books
Love’s Garden: A Guide to Mindful Relationships, by Larry Ward and Peggy Rowe-Ward available from Parallax Press
A Message for White People from Lama Rod Owens: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHL52rDgh6I/?igshid=1vmyihjcv7pr2
Why Scholar Dr. Loretta Ross Is ‘Calling In’ Callout Culture : an Interview on December 3, 2020 on NPR’s “On Point” with Magna Chakabarti, Loretta Ross and Alicia Garza and Dorie Scheimer
See a series of fascinating interviews by Dr. Loretta Ross on Twitter
“Calling in the Call Out Culture,” by activist-teacher Dr. Loretta Ross will be published in 2021.
Discussing Reparations- Ibram X Kendi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEjpbDSoBCA
“My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies” by Resmaa Menakem
“When They Call You a Terrorist,” co-authored by Patrisse Kahn-Cullors (one of the founders of Black Lives Matter)
