Strides for Social Justice app launches fifth route at Skinner Butte
EUGENE, Ore. – Strides for Social Justice, an app developed by PeaceHealth and the Eugene Marathon featuring tours through local Black history, has added a fifth route—one that shines a light on a painful and little-known chapter in the history of the city of Eugene and the state of Oregon.
The three-mile-round-trip Skinner Butte route begins in downtown Eugene, at 10th Avenue and Oak Street, then heads north to the top of 682-foot-tall Skinner Butte, named for Eugene’s founder Eugene Franklin Skinner.
Along the way, participants will learn about Oregon’s racist past: exclusion laws that prohibited Blacks from owning property, residing in or even entering the state up until 1926; the proliferation of Ku Klux Klan chapters throughout Oregon in the early 20th century; and a 1924 Klan parade through downtown Eugene culminating in fireworks and a cross burning atop Skinner Butte that “cast a reddish glow over the town,” the daily newspaper reported at the time.
“The Skinner Butte route tackles a really difficult topic, but it’s only through awareness, understanding and action that we can build a more inclusive community,” said Eric Richardson, executive director of the NAACP. “Participating in Strides for Social Justice can bring a deeper meaning to places we take for granted and become a physical reminder of why it’s so important to keep working toward social justice.”
Strides for Social Justice is a PeaceHealth initiative created in partnership with the Eugene Marathon, the catalyst for which was the nationwide racial reckoning in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Developed with input from a 16-member steering committee, the app officially launched at the NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner on Feb. 19 and has since been downloaded more than 700 times.
The app is designed to be inclusive, engaging and educating participants on the contributions, achievements and milestones of local Black residents, as well as the injustices many have faced. It is available at both Apple and Google Play app stores.
The program also encourages physical activity for people of all abilities and fitness levels while generating financial support of the NAACP and other organizations focused on social justice initiatives. The other four routes are Westmoreland Park, West Eugene, Downtown Eugene and South Eugene. Future routes will include the University of Oregon.
A Spanish version of the app is in development.
PeaceHealth and the Eugene Marathon share a vision for the Strides for Social Justice: to influence and effect change that enhances community health and contributes to a socially just and unified Lane County.
More information is available at stridesforsocialjustice.org.
About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a group practice with more than 900 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.
