We share coverage of a critical local issue from National Public Radio to provide context for an important issue in Ashland. The piece, titled, “NPR Reporting on Oregon Theater Death Threats Prompt Local and National Response” highlights a serious problem for our identity and individuals in Ashland and Southern Oregon.

Peace House Issues the Following Statement in Response:

Oregon has a long, painful, and horrifying history of racism and intimidation of people of color. In 2022, we continue to bear witness to the painful presence of racism and we are faced with the troubling reality that one of the top leaders in our community, the Director of our Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Nataki Garrett, must now be accompanied by a security detail in public and has been forced to move her residence to ensure her safety.

It is unclear what the City of Ashland Police Department and the FBI are doing about this situation. We welcome more information. Peace House stands ready to support a process of communication and healing from the intersectional trauma that this situation and many other racially charged events in Southern Oregon reflect, both now and historically.

We are at a time of intersectional trauma that can create a magnet for division or a nexus for a transformative cultural shift. We have the opportunity to bring Southern Oregon into a better alignment with respect for cultural diversity and inclusion.

If we do not unpack and heal from the trauma of racism and the violence to both the body and soul of Southern Oregon, we cannot, individually or as communities, go forward into a newly creative time of respect, unity and harmony.