Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Please join our community partners in Tacoma, WA or in Portland for a Day of Remembrance, Day of Action. To join a carpool from Portland for the Tacoma event, please contact Maria.

The Day of Remembrance, Day of Action commemorates the 78th anniversary of the Executive Order that incarcerated 126,000 citizens and immigrants of Japanese descent during WWII. Today, thousands of immigrants and refugees are confined in similar concentration camps where they are subjected to inhumane conditions, family separations, threats of deportation, and countless indignities.

Sunday, February 23rd, 12:30 - 2:30 PM
Northwest Detention Center (1623 East J Street in Tacoma, WA)

The NW Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma is one of the largest immigration prisons in the US. It is a private prison run by GEO Group and it is where virtually all immigrants arrested in Oregon and Washington are detained. Many asylum seekers who enter the US at the Mexico border are transferred to NWDC each month, as well. The conditions in privately run immigrant detention facilities have drawn widespread criticism and calls for advocacy due to health, legal, and other human rights abuses. Organizing group Tsuru for Solidarity's message is, "We stand on the moral authority of Japanese Americans who suffered the atrocities and legacy of US concentration camps during WWII and we say, “Stop Repeating History!” NWDC is the "repeating of history," and we as allies will come together to demand that this prison be closed.

Learn more and join this event on Facebook.

In Portland, there will also be a free screening of the new film Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066.

Sunday, February 23rd beginning at 2:00 PM
PCC Sylvania Campus (12000 SW 49th Avenue in Portland)

Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066 is an award-winning documentary that examines the fabricated evidence of espionage by Japanese Americans, which led to their forced removal and incarceration during World War II. Interviews illuminate the racism, xenophobia, and backhanded political maneuvering that occurred. The film also examines the parallels to the current climate of fear, the targeting of other vulnerable immigrant and religious communities, and the role media has played in vilifying people of color.

View the event flyer for more information.

We hope that you will join us, either in Tacoma or in Portland, for this day of remembrance and action.

It is with great pleasure that Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility announces our twelfth annual Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship. Any 11th or 12th grade Oregon high school student may enter by submitting an original essay, poem, or narrative work (maximum 600 words) in response to the following question: "How would an effective movement for climate justice benefit immigrant communities?"

Entries may be submitted online (preferred, see below) or sent by email or postal mail. A panel of judges comprised of local writers, activists, and distinguished community members will select the winning entries. The first prize winner will receive a scholarship award of $1,000, the second $750 and the third $500. Oregon PSR will host an awards ceremony in late April in Portland at which the scholarship winners will be honored.

Students from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply.
All entries are due by 5:00 PM on Monday, March 2nd, 2020.

Enter your online submission HERE.
For email and postal mail submissions, please see INSTRUCTIONS AND ENTRY FORM.

Please help us in announcing this opportunity to all 11th and 12th-grade students and their teachers, counseling departments, student and parent groups, and school officials. We very much appreciate your help in spreading the word about this scholarship opportunity.

Download the scholarship flyer and share with any students who may be interested in participating, or contact us for more information.

Get started with a few resources: 

Climate Change, Migration, and Displacement
Let’s Talk About Climate Migrants, Not Climate Refugees
"People are Dying": How the Climate Crisis has Sparked an Exodus to the US
Blog: Immigration Justice is Climate Justice

We hope you will join us, the high school student winners of our 2020 Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship, and our Keynote Speaker, Wendi Garcia, for an evening of reflection on the intersections of climate justice and immigrant justice. The prompt for Oregon high school juniors and seniors this year was: "How would an effective movement for climate justice benefit immigrant communities?"