Oregon PSR is celebrating our 40th year of work for a more healthy, peaceful, and just world in 2021. We began from the powerful vision of our founders who sat on the living room floor in Dr. Karen Steingart’s house and strategized about how a health message could help prevent nuclear war. Over the next forty years, countless members, volunteers, and donors brought their passion and leadership to the organization, bringing a broad public health frame to issues such as environmental justice, gun violence, and climate health, learning and growing along the way.
Thanks to this strong foundation, we’ve become a recognized leader in the interconnected movements for a healthy climate, a more just and equitable society, and a more peaceful, nuclear-free world. To celebrate four decades of work, we’ll be telling the stories of our organization’s history through our social media channels, an interactive timeline on our website, and our archive at OHSU.
I have started talking to some of our leaders throughout the years and I’m learning more about powerful pieces of the organization’s history, such as a conference of more than 1,000 participants on the Developing Child in a Violent Society, details of the groundbreaking work on community participatory research with Hanford Downwinders, and helping found a mobile lead screening clinic serving Black youth. I’d love to hear from you about your memories of significant accomplishments, partnerships, and projects throughout the years. How have you seen the organization grow or change? What is your hope for the next 40 years of Oregon PSR?
We’ll be collecting and sharing members’ memories, ideas, photos, and videos throughout the year. Please reach out to me if you have stories, thoughts, or memorabilia to share at [email protected], and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and subscribe to our new YouTube channel to learn more about our history.
Stay tuned for details about a 40th anniversary celebration in October 2021, where we’ll gather to reflect on our four decades of achievements, hopefully in person. We’ll also be working to grow our base of financial support this year to ensure an effective organization for the next 40 years. We’re kicking this off with a campaign to add 40 new monthly donors to sustain our work. Will you consider becoming a monthly donor in honor of our 40th year? Visit oregonpsr.org/recurring_donation or call me at 502-274-2720 to set up your monthly donation. Thank you!
Photo above: A poster for an event we organized in 1982.
This article was written by Kelly Campbell, Oregon PSR Executive Director.