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Sunshine Trips

Join the pilot year of ORP’s newest program, Sunshine Trip!

Sunshine Trips final

About Sunshine Trips

Sunshine Trips are a new free experiential program of the Oregon Remembrance Project’s Sunrise Project, which aims to help former sundown towns develop new identities as “sunrise communities.” Given the historic barriers to visiting southern Oregon, Sunshine Trips create safer, community-centered opportunities for Black Portlanders to explore the region’s Black history, culture, and community.

ORP is offering free 2-night trips geared towards Portland-area Black residents and their families to visit the ORP partner communities of Coos Bay, Grants Pass, and Ashland. 

Participants will take a chartered bus from Portland, visit sites of significance, connect with the Black community, participate in local activities, and build relationships across the Oregon Black Diaspora—all guided by ORP staff. Join us this summer!

What Will We Be Doing? 

Each Sunrise Trip is unique! Read the trip description below to learn more about each one.

Upcoming Trips and Offerings 

Trip Descriptions

Ashland, OR: May 23 –25 , 2026  |  Themes:  Art/Culture

Since 2023, ORP has operated the Sunshine Project in Ashland. Local community members have worked to educate their community on the unique obstacles that predominantly white liberal cities face in creating a community where people of color can be their authentic selves.

Participants can expect to: 

Coos Bay, OR: August 22 – 24 2026  |  Themes: History/Culture

ORP’s first project occurred in Coos Bay. Between 2018-2021, ORP partnered with the community to memorialize the 1902 lynching of Alonzo Tucker, Oregon’s most widely documented African American victim of lynching. After engaging in a series of acts of historical reconciliation for Alonzo Tucker, Coos Bay has seen Black cultural expression blossom in the region.

Participants can expect to: 

Grants Pass, OR: October 2 – 4 2026   |  Themes: History/Art

The Sunrise Project began in Grants Pass. From 2021-present, ORP has worked to develop a new identity in Grants Pass for being a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone. Grants Pass has become one of the leading communities in the U.S. for reconciling the history of a sundown town.

Participants can expect to:

A Note from ORP’s Executive Director

My name is Taylor Stewart and I’m a life-long Black Portlander. Growing up, my family and I rarely traveled outside of the urban core with an exception for the occasional trip to the coast. When I first started ORP and told older African Americans from the Portland area that I was traveling to southern Oregon, they would without fail ask me two questions: 1) “How many people are you going with?” and 2) “Are you carrying?” My dad used to always accompany me on my early trips to Coos Bay because, in his words, “There’s no way I’m letting you go to southern Oregon on your own.”

This fear was not without merit. Southern Oregon has an extensive history of racial injustice against African Americans. That being said, Black people have nevertheless persevered in claiming space in every corner of the state for the entirety of Oregon’s history. Just like Portland, southern Oregon is filled with a rich tapestry of Black history, life, and culture.

Did you know that Coos Bay is home to Oregon’s largest Juneteenth event per-capita?

There is an extraordinary collection of Black folks all across southern Oregon that are leading their communities toward becoming places where Black life can grow and flourish.

While traveling Oregon, Black individuals see red flags where many white individuals just see flags. Realistically, ORP can’t get rid of all the red flags in southern Oregon. However, we can find the green flags, those who planted them, and help them plant more. 

I’ve been regularly traveling to southern Oregon now for 8 years. In that time, I’ve become quite comfortable there. However, my comfortability was not achieved via the number of visits that I have made or the number of people that I have met. Ultimately, my comfortability was only achieved by my opportunity to help these communities plant more green flags. Thus, each Sunshine Trip will feature an ORP event to allow participants to see the community “in action.”

I’ve always had a strong sense of being a Portlander, but only in the last few years have I developed a strong sense of being an Oregonian. Sunshine Trips were created for this very purpose—to expand the sense of home in Oregon for Black Portlanders.

I hope that you will join us in pioneering a new experience for Traveling Oregon While Black!

Participation and eligibility 

Nondiscrimination statement

ORP is committed to serving communities impacted by historical racial harms and to fair, consistent program practices. ORP does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.

Questions or special requests

If you have questions about eligibility, need an accommodation, or want more information, please reach out to us here.

Sign Up

Add your name to our interest form and we’ll be in touch prior to our next trip.