Our Mission

Our mission is to play a leadership role in the work of resisting and dismantling racism and the policies and practices that flow from it and sustain it, within and beyond our congregation.

We will help our congregation recognize and set aside a culture of white supremacy and truly realize its aspiration of being a welcoming, equitable, and inclusive community. We realize that the dominant culture of white supremacy harms all our community members, but most particularly those who are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color as well as those impacted by the intersectional effects of gender oppression, heterosexism, ableism, and classism.

In pursuing these ends, we will…

• work to dismantle white supremacy culture;
• maintain an antiracist focus that promotes equity, justice, and inclusion;
• continue to educate ourselves and others about all aspects of white supremacy culture, and how we might dismantle it;
• work to maintain cultural diversity within our action group;
• take direction from, support the efforts of, and collaborate with communities of color;
• support and collaborate with other marginalized communities;
• join hands with the Portland faith community and with local and national advocacy and activist groups to help build a city, state, and nation committed to justice, equity, and personal wellbeing; and
• be mindful that mistakes will be made, that we will seek to rectify them and humbly begin again in love.

Honoring Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is an annual celebration honoring the historical and cultural contributions of Americans of Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander descent.  (Learn more about AANHPI Heritage Month and the history and contributions of AANHPI Americans.) 

The greater Portland area is home to a large and diverse AANHPI population and numerous advocacy and cultural organizations; so, we have many ways to celebrate.  

The Lan Su Chinese Garden AANHPI Heritage Month celebration (Celebrate Our Stories!) features programming in partnership with more than 20 local cultural organizations, artists, and performers.  This includes Threading Together, an exhibit of traditional garments that tell stories of heritage, identity, and cultural expression (until June 21) and Cultural Immersion Saturdays highlighting AANHPI cultures through performances, talks, and family-friendly activities (May16, 23, 30).
239 NW Everett Street, Portland
Daily 10-6:30 March-October; 10-4:30 October-March
Admission: adults $18, seniors & students $17, youth $15, under 5 free

“I Am an American Live: Stories of Exclusion and Belonging” is an evening of storytelling, music, and performance presented by The Immigrant Story in partnership with Oregon Rises Above Hate at Beaverton’s Patricia Reser Center for the Performing Arts.  The program features personal narratives alongside a world premiere musical performance by Talilo Marfil.  Now in its fifth year, the production highlights themes of identity, resilience, and belonging, with a pre-show happy hour offering drinks, author meet-and-greets, and community resources. 
12625 SW Crescent Street, Beaverton
Saturday, May 16 (7-9:30)
Admission: sliding scale ($0-$25)

Lake Oswego’s annual AANHPI Celebration brings an afternoon of performances, food, and community to the waterfront.  The event features a marketplace of AANHPI-owned businesses, artisans, and local nonprofits, along with a main stage program emceed by DJ Prashant.  Performances include Tahitian dance by Anavai O Te Ora and a dragon and lion dance by the White Lotus Foundation, highlighting the diversity and cultural traditions of AANHPI communities in the region.
Millennium Plaza Park, 200 First Street, Lake Oswego
Sunday, May 17 (Noon-3)
Admission: free

This summer, watch for the annual India Festival put on by the India Cultural Association of Portland, a nonprofit organization “dedicated to enhancing Indian cultural awareness.”  Established in 1980, the festival “brings the entire Indian community together and provides a venue for people to reconnect with their roots.”  Timed to celebrate India’s Independence Day (August 15), the all-day festival “never fails to delight with a mix of free live music, dance, and food!”

We also have great year-round educational and cultural resources.  “The mission of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon is to preserve and honor the history and culture of Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest, educate the public about the Japanese American experience during WWII, and advocate for the protection of civil rights for all Americans.”  Located in Portland’s Old Town neighborhood, where Nihonmachi (Japantown) once thrived, the museum offers special exhibits as well as its permanent one.  “Minidoka on Our Minds” (through June 14) “celebrates 25 years of preservation at this site where many Nikkei from Oregon and Washington were incarcerated during World War II.  Artwork by survivors, descendants, and Japanese American youth explore the park’s history and its importance as a site of memory.”
411 NW Flanders Street, Portland
Wednesday – Saturday (10-4); Sunday (11-4)
Admission: adults $8, seniors $6, students $5, children under 12 free

The Portland Chinatown Museum is Oregon’s first museum about Chinese American history, art, and culture.  “Our mission is to collect, preserve and share the stories, oral histories, and artifacts of Portland’s Chinatown as a catalyst for exploring and interpreting the history of past, present, and future immigrant experience.”  In addition to its large permanent exhibition, Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland’s Historic Chinatowns, the museum shows the works of contemporary Asian American artists and hosts a variety of cultural and educational events.   
127 NW Third Avenue, Portland
Thursday-Sunday (11-3)
Admission: adults $8, seniors $6, students $5, children under 12 free

You can celebrate AANHPI Month at home, curled up with a good book.  Multnomah County’s librarians have identified something for everyone, curating a variety of booklists honoring the rich cultures and contributions of our AANHPI community members: 

• Adult reads
• Teen picks
• Nonfiction for kids in grades K – 8
• Fiction for kids in grades K – 3 and grades 4 – 6
• Picture books for preschoolers

Prefer to read online? Explore collections of AANHPI reads for adults, for teens, and for kids on Libby.

Celebrating Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month, ARJAG has shared stories about the ways in which Black people have helped to shape our city, state, and nation — as well as our religious tradition.

Read our post about local organizations here.

Read our post about Unsung Black Heroes here.

Read our post about Black Unitarian Universalists here.

Read our post about Black History in Oregon here.

Anti-Racism Learning Circles

One of our most important programs are the Anti-Racism Learning Circles. The Antiracism Learning Circles are small discussion cohorts that go through a book or podcast. These Circles were formed in the Fall of 2020 as an educational response to the unrest due to the murder of George Floyd.

Recent ARJAG Programs

Justice Delayed, Finally Gained: How Portland Families Displaced by Urban Renewal Won Restitution

Whatever happened with EDPA2? 
Find out on Sunday, February 22, 2026
12:00-1:30 pm, Eliot Chapel, First Unitarian Church

Very light refreshments provided before the event. Please BYO if you need more sustenance.
Childcare is available with advance notice. Please email Rev Leah with your request: longiri@firstunitarianportland.org.

Ms. Byrd (pictured above, speaking to the reporter), the founder of Emanuel Displaced Persons Association 2 (EDPA2), with whom our congregation has been long connected, returns to recap and update the efforts that led to their remarkable settlement with the City of Portland last year.  Under Byrd’s determined and creative leadership, EDPA2 persisted for many years as an ad hoc, community-based social justice organization made up of people whose family homes and businesses had been demolished in the 1970s to make way for a hospital expansion that never happened.  Byrd dedicated almost ten years of her life to advocating and agitating for justice, for restitution. It was Byrd’s scholarship, study, research, and persistence that led to the filing of a lawsuit that
resulted in an unprecedented settlement. Don’t miss this uplifting story about a successful struggle to achieve redress that took more than 50 years.

To contact Ms. Byrd: Contactedpa2@gmail.com