ODOE Celebrates Black History Month
February is Black History Month, an annual celebration of African Americans and Black Americans and their central role in U.S. history.
This year at ODOE, to help acknowledge and honor the many contributions to our history and culture by Black Americans, our team pulled together a selection of favorite books, movies, and other works to share. You might just find your next favorite among the bunch!
And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou – submitted by Facilities Engineer Stephanie Kruse
And Still I Rise is an exceptional book of poems from an author that overcame extensive hardships to become a beloved voice that helped shape American culture. Maya Angelou’s work has many aspects, but to me it serves as both a hopeful and a confrontational call to activism. I have read through almost all of her written works and choosing one volume was incredibly difficult, but this book of poems was a favorite of mine as a young adult.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler – submitted by Hanford Ecologist Sara Lovtang
Parable of the Sower, published in 1993, takes place in 2024 in an apocalyptic America, due mostly to climate change, political instability, and social inequality. One of the things I love about it is that Oregon is seen as the promised land. The main character walks through upheaval and chaos in California due to water shortage and political instability. I’m optimistic enough to think Octavia Butler escalated events for dramatic effect, although others in my book club felt it hit too close to reality for comfort!
Singer Lionel Richie – submitted by Program Analyst Tracy Richardson
If you want to relax a bit, it’s time to kick up your feet and put on some Lionel Richie!
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor – submitted by Communications Director, Jenny Kalez
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and the other novels about the Logan family were some of my favorite books growing up. Taylor won the Newberry Medal for the book in 1977, and completed the family’s story in a novel published in early 2020. They touch on hard topics like racism and the legacy of slavery in a way that’s accessible to young readers (I’ve even re-read them as an adult, and they are still effective). Taylor was born in Mississippi in 1943 and her stories were inspired by oral histories passed down by her family over the generations.
Survival Math by Mitchell S. Jackson – submitted by Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety & Emergency Preparedness Max Woods
Survival Math refers to the calculations Jackson made to survive his neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, as a young man. An autobiography we (adults) should all read.
The Book of Delights by Ross Gay – submitted by Director Janine Benner
On my bedside table right now is a collection of essays by poet Ross Gay. Each short essay records something that Gay has found delightful – bumblebees (which he posits should be called ballerina bees) crawling on a plant growing up through the sidewalk; the joy of how it feels to write on paper with a really good pen; two people sharing the burden of carrying a heavy bag together even when it’s something that either one could do solo. In addition to being delightful, these essays have got me thinking about little things – is the meaning of “whoop-de-doo” always bad? And bigger things – like innocence, and how Black people in America are often presumed guilty, even as children. Some of the delights I can relate to – he, like me, has rituals he runs through before flying that he is certain keep the airplane from falling out of the sky. Other essays cover things that I have not experienced – for example, something he calls the “negreeting,” which he describes as the nod that some Black people feel obligated to give each other in solidarity with other Black people they pass on the street. The book is a reminder of how many shared experiences we have as humans, and yet how much we have to learn from each other.
Actor Sidney Poitier – submitted by Strategic Engagement & Development Associate Director Ruchi Sadhir
One of my favorite movies that I saw recently is In the Heat of the Night (1967) starring Sidney Poitier. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it until I saw it on a list after he passed away recently.
The Hate U Give, On the Come Up, and Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas – submitted by Government Relations Coordinator Christy Splitt
Thomas’s series of coming of age stories is set in the same fictional community, Garden Heights, with different lead and supporting characters and set at different times over the past twenty years or so. Each of them are engaging, powerful, and honest. The two written from the perspective of young women are read aloud in audiobook form by the fantastic Bahni Turpin.
Inventor Lonnie Johnson – submitted by Internal Auditor Michael Williams
Lonnie Johnson the man behind two toys that have brought countless hours of fun and joy to children everywhere: the Super Soaker and the NERF gun. While they might be his best-known inventions, Johnson had many other accomplishments in his career including time in U.S. Air Force and working in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His work has covered energy related areas, such as the JTEC project that seeks to turn waste heat into useable energy.
Author N.K. Jemisin – submitted by Technology & Policy Manager Jessica Reichers
I am a total sci-fi nerd, and I love N. K. Jemisin’s books, especially her Broken Earth series. She is notable for being the first author to win the Hugo Award (essentially the Pulitzer Prize for science fiction novels) for best novel in three consecutive years, all of which were for the three novels comprising the Broken Earth trilogy. Not only is the book cast in a rapidly changing world with a diverse group of people that are struggling to manage catastrophes and social upheaval, but it also is a unique look at the evolving nature of the individual and how each of us has a diversity of spirit and persona. I now have read all of her science fiction books and consider myself a big fan!
Podcasts: It’s Been a Minute and Code Switch – submitted by Project Manager Kaci Radcliffe
Anytime I need help understanding current issue or re-framing historical events, It’s Been a Minute and Code Switch are my go-to listens. They always teach me something new and challenge me to think about issues from diverse perspectives
Summer of Soul – submitted by Assistant Director for Central Services Cathy Connolly
Summer of Soul is a documentary about a series of concerts that were held in Harlem in the summer of 1969. The organizer/producer taped it all with the intent of making a documentary, but could never interest anyone – Woodstock occurred the same summer and it kind of consumed all the air in the room. But, the current director found the old footage and finally made a documentary. The music runs the gamut from soul, gospel, rock, blues and the one-of-a-kind Nina Simone. The interviews with the musicians and audience members are fascinating, and talk about the space that Black Americans were in at that time. But most of all the music is beautiful and happy.
Spawn Comics – submitted by Public Affairs Specialist Erica Hertzsch
The Spawn comic series holds a special place from my teenage years. While the character is fictional, Spawn broke through the norms of what I was seeing in 1990s comic books and superheroes — he was an African American man. Spawn, AKA Albert Francis Simmons, has all of the intelligence, torment, style, brawn, and sci-fi flair you would want in a superhero and achieved considerable success in the 1990s. At the height of the series, Spawn was just as popular as the Batman and Spiderman series, and even starred in a Spawn vs. Batman edition. I am a strong believer in the “If I can see me, it can be me” mentality and seeing more people of color in comic book characters can attract diverse fans and introduce them to the fantastic stories and art I still love today.
Musician Michael Franti – submitted by Facilities Engineer Blake Shelide
I’ve been listening to Michael Franti, a hip-hop and reggae musician, for a while and have seen him in concert a few times. His shows are so energetic, and his music is so positive and pushes for social justice.
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