Kennedy to speak at Clackamas Community College on May 9

OREGON CITY – Grand Ronde Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy will be the featured speaker at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, at Clackamas Community College.

The college is partnering with the Clackamas County Indigenous Taskforce to host the lecture “Do You Know Oregon’s First Peoples? A History of the Grand Ronde Tribe.”

Kennedy will discuss the history of Indigenous communities in Clackamas County and how people can work to honor their strengths and contributions and celebrate the diversity of contemporary Indigenous lives and experiences.

The free lecture will be held in the Niemeyer Osterman Theatre on the Oregon City campus, 19600 Molalla Ave.

“We are honored to have Tribal Council Chairwoman Kennedy share with us the history of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde,” said Casey Layton, the college’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer. “It is important for CCC to offer opportunities for our community to learn about the Indigenous communities of the Willamette Valley and their history, including culture and traditions, but also the harmful government policies that affected the peoples who lived on the lands where CCC now resides. This event is intended to amplify the voices of Indigenous peoples, and move us forward together.”

Kennedy, 75, is currently serving her eighth consecutive three-year term on the Grand Ronde Tribal Council and has been the Tribal chairwoman for 16 of those years.