Please join us Saturday, November 15th to celebrate Community Alliance of Lane County’s legacy and future as we make a big next step!
As you know, we have made the strategic decision to sell our longtime headquarters at 458 Blair Blvd. Part of CALC’s special character has always been our capacity to embrace creativity, nimbleness, and strong roots in the community to rise to the occasion and educate and organize for the issues at hand. This decision is part of that legacy.
We are getting creative to use our resources to strengthen our focus on youth engagement and civic participation. Continuing our operations through remote collaboration, ongoing partnerships, and Casa de la Unidad (our Springfield location), CALC is advancing on exciting initiatives that put leadership in the hands of the next generation of committed, prepared activists.
Proceeds from the sale of the house will help us expand core programs that empower young BIPOC leaders. These include the UdA (Unión de Activistas) program and its new extension, Serving Justice—a mobile initiative supporting youth entrepreneurship, career development, and community advocacy through a reimagined food truck model.
Celebrate a special place!
On November 15th, we will celebrate these next steps, honor the amazing legacy of community organizing they build upon, and gather in the special place where much of that organizing has taken place – the CALC house at 458 Blair Blvd.
458 Blair Blvd has been the seedbed for so many of our community’s social change initiatives and organizers. It has been a place for our community to dream, plan, and organize for peace, human dignity and social, racial and economic justice – our mission! Many of you will remember meetings, conversations, meals, and planning sessions at the CALC house.
Do you have a 458 Blair Blvd story? We would love to hear it!
Share your memories from the CALC Headquarters in the Whitaker neighborhood, so we can highlight them on November 15th.
CALC History – This is not our first move!
CALC is one of our community’s oldest social justice organization — next year is our 60th anniversary! We keep finding ways to adapt and persist! And it’s not the first time we have moved. Some community members will remember CALC organizing from 1414 Kincaid, the Koinonia Center, on campus. Next we were at the Tiffany Building, and then 372 West 10th. There are stories attached to each of these locations! We are part of a long history of committed activism in this community and no matter where we are, we will keep holding that torch and passing it along!
CALC began in 1966 as a chapter of Clergy and Laymen Concerned About Vietnam. We soon realized that, in the words of Dr. King, the war was a symptom “of a far deeper malady.” In the 70’s, CALC concentrated on US support for military dictatorships, the need for disarmament, and the weapons industry. By the early 80’s, we were holding undoing racism workshops for ourselves and others, and re-balancing our work to focus on challenging racism while supporting immigrant rights and economic justice, and maintaining our opposition to militarism. By the early 90’s we also were supporting LGBTQ rights in the face of homophobic ballot measures, and actively countering far right hate activity. We have continued all these threads in the 21st century, challenging white supremacy and working for educational equity, and immigrant justice.
This photo is from the celebration when CALC paid off its loans for the 458 Blair Blvd house.
Today, we are taking a brave step that strengthens CALC’s long-term commitment to creating space for folks new to social justice activism to gain skills and community. We are inspired by and believe in the remarkable young people we work with and we look forward to all the positive changes we will make together!
Please join us on Saturday, November 15th!
Please join us on November 15th to celebrate and remember our past, and show support for our community as we lift up young leaders on their organizing journey. We are stronger together!
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