“Get to Know BASE: Black Alliance & Social Empowerment” is a free public discussion on Tues., February 6, 4:00-5:30 p.m., in the Gresham Room at Ashland Library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd. Part of the “Big Ideas” program series, it is presented by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Ashland Branch and Jackson County Library Services.

BASE (https://baseoregon.org) serves to create a welcoming, supportive community where Black people in Southern Oregon feel safe, respected and comfortable being themselves when expressing any aspect of their many cultural ethnicities. Established in 2019, it is a community platform for connection, collaboration and prosperity.

The speaker is Sabrina Prud’homme, BASE’s inaugural Board Chair. She is also a member of the organization’s Police Liaison Oversight Committee which is dedicated to improving anti-bias efforts and community relations among local Black residents in partnership with the Jackson County Sherriff and the police chiefs of Ashland, Central Point, Medford, Phoenix and Talent.
Community connection and collaboration are hallmarks of BASE’s work. Prud’homme will introduce attendees to BASE, its exciting programs and the strategies BASE employs to uplift and empower black residents, especially children, in the Rogue Valley and beyond.
Questions? Contact AAUW “Big Ideas” coordinator Marilyn Hawkins, (541) 708-6697, mhawkins@prhawk.com; or Ellie Anderson, Ashland Library, (541) 774-6896,.

2024 “Big Ideas” Schedule
February 6 Get to Know BASE: Black Alliance & Social Empowerment
March 5 The Power of Public Art