Narrators/Organizers
There is no movement without “movers and shakers.” The Rural Organizing Voices oral history project has recorded the stories of over 40 local and state leaders, organizers and allies. These are the people who started, shaped, and continue to make the Rural Organizing Project and its statewide Human Dignity network what it is today.
We have recorded nearly 100 hours of archival quality audio and video material from several dozen narrators representing groups in over 20 of Oregon’s 36 counties. Together, these narratives provide insight into a largely under-documented aspect of Oregon’s social and political history. They speak not only to ROP and its member groups’ history, but also to the unique experiences of rural Oregonians, particularly those marginalized from dominant culture: pioneers of rural Oregon’s LGBTQ communities, Vietnam war veterans and conscientious objectors, people of color, immigrants and their allies.
Click on individual narrators’ names below to learn more about their role in advancing democracy and human dignity in rural Oregon and to listen to interview highlights. Complete interviews will eventually be available through the University of Oregon Special Collections and University Archives. In the meantime, to request access to the full interviews, contact: sarah@rop.org. Click here for more information on the interview process and methodology.
The Narrator/Organizers
Aeryca Steinbauer
Counties: Marion, Multnomah
Group: CAUSA, Oregon’s statewide immigrant rights coalition
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose
Allen Hallmark
Counties: Josephine, Jackson
Groups: Citizens for Peace & Justice, Occupy Medford
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose
Amanda Aguilar Shank
Counties: Columbia, Multnomah
Role: ROP Field Organizer (2008-2013); ROP Associate Director (2013-2014)
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose
Amy Dudley
Counties: Multnomah & Columbia
Role: ROP Field Organizer (2004-2008); ROP Co-Director (2008-2010)
Interviewers: Mutasin Farah, Sarah K. Loose
Billy Russo
County: Douglas
Groups: Ruby House, Douglas County AIDS Council, HIV Resource Center
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose
Brian & Linda Stahl
County: Wasco
Groups: Wasco County Citizens for Human Dignity (WCCHD), Mid-Columbia PFLAG, Safe Schools Task Force
Interviewer: Meg Heaton
Cara Shufelt
Counties: Multnomah, Columbia
Role: ROP Field Organizer (2002-2008), ROP Co-Director/Executive Director (2009-2020)
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose
Cathy Barr
County: Lane
Groups: Siuslaw Peace Force, Human Rights Advocates of Coos County (HRACC), Community Partnership
Interviewer: Jess Campbell
Craig Frasier
Counties: Malheur, Crook, Columbia
Group: Columbia County Citizens for Human Dignity (CCCHD)
Interviewer: Meg Heaton
Cris Lira
Counties: Douglas, Lane
Group: Sexual Assault Support Services of Lane County (SASS)
Interviewer: Amanda Aguilar Shank
Dancer Davis
County: Douglas
Groups: Occupy Roseburg
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose
Dave Toler
County: Josephine
Groups: Illinois Valley Human Rights Alliance, Social Justice Alliance (SJA)
Interviewers: Joan Lockwood, Sarah K. Loose
Don Butcher
Counties: Umatilla
Groups: Pendleton Commons
Interviewer: Meg Heaton
Elli Work
Counties: Deschutes, Multnomah
Group: Deschutes County Coalition for Human Dignity (DCCHD)
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose
Grace Taylor
Counties: Columbia, Multnomah
Groups: ROP Staff Organizer
Interviewer: Amanda Aguilar Shank
Janice Thompson
Counties: Yamhill, Multnomah
Group: Neighbors Talking to Neighbors
Interviewer: Ryan White
Jerry Atkin
Counties: Tillamook, Multnomah
Groups: Tillamook County Citizens for Human Dignity
Interviewer: Meg Heaton
Jess Campbell
County: Lane
Roles: ROP Field Organizer (2011 – 2015), ROP Co-Director/Executive Director (2015 -)
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose
Kathy Paterno
County: Crook
Group: Human Dignity Advocates
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose
Kelley Weigel
Counties: Columbia, Multnomah
Roles: ROP Network Coordinator (1995-1998), ROP Co-Director (1998-2002)
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose
Marion Malcolm
County: Lane
Groups: Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC), ROP Board of Directors
Interviewer: Catherine Diaz
Penny Ehrenkranz
County: Columbia
Groups: ROP Office Manager, Columbia County Citizens for Human Dignity
Interviewer: Louise Rickard
Rachel Ebora
Counties: Columbia, Multnomah
Role: ROP Administrative Assistant
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose
Trish Leighton
Counties: Hood River, Wasco
Groups: Wasco County Citizens for Human Dignity, Columbia River Fellowship for Peace
Interviewer: Sarah K. Loose