7pm November 28th 2023
at Portland State University
Native American Student and Community Center
710 SW Jackson St, Portland
Join us for a conversion with author Rebecca Clarren as we discuss how her book The Cost of Free Land helps us reexamine the American myths of the West, immigrant “success stories” and of the land’s Native peoples. We’ll explore how our shared stories inform our understanding of who we are as Americans and how the attempted genocide of Lakota and other Native Americans shape our view of the American project: past, present, and - critically - the future. Specifically, what are the steps we Portlanders can take as part of the healing process.
This event is part of the Shared Values in American Life series, which brings clergy, academics, ethicists and activists together with a broad audience to explore how we can reclaim a politics grounded in shared values to enable those different backgrounds and perspectives to find common ground.
About: The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota and an American Inheritance
In this personal and social history Rebecca Clarren tells the story of her immigrant Jewish family, who, fleeing antisemitism in Russia, found a new start on a 160 acre homestead in South Dakota. Clarren uncovers the land’s backstory: it was stolen by the United States as part of its ceaseless effort to dispossess the Lakota people and erase their culture. By shining a light on the people and families tangled up in this country's difficult history, the book invites readers to consider their own culpability and what, now, can be done. More at rebecca-clarren.com
