Creation Story
When Covid shut society down in 2020, the Oregon Blackberry Award was created by Peter Eberhardt, a Geographer and Cartographer living in Eugene, Oregon. It’s modeled after the Nobel Prizes. This award is a way of acknowledging people who make a difference in the cultures and communities of Oregon and in a few cases other states.
Awardees are chosen by members of the Oregon Blackberry Trust, a group of friends committed to progressive social change, good conversations, and fun. Like blackberry vines and fruit, awardees sometimes prick our conscience with sweet, juicy language and actions. They make a difference! Awardees are people who nourish us and open our minds.
Himalayan blackberries are fast-growing bushes that grow freely and abundantly in the Willamette Valley. Like humans, Himalayan blackberries are ubiquitous and highly successful at reproducing and covering landscapes. Both species are dominant and invasive.
You can count on blackberries every year to produce strong, fast-growing stems, flowers, and lots of fresh fruit. Blackberry thorns are sharp and can scratch soft skin and draw blood. Blackberry bushes provide habitat for rabbits, honeybees, songbirds, spiders, and many forms of life, both visible and invisible.
Blackberries are tart as they begin to ripen in late July, turning sweeter as weeks pass. Blackberry picking is a meditative experience with tasty results. Anybody can pick. Blackberries make delicious jams, jellies, cobblers, and stationery.
In the leafy domain of botany, blackberry plants are as powerful as the people chosen for this award. Blackberries and Awardees have several things in common: they are tenacious, successful in their own right, and self-expressed.
Nobel Prizes are Scalable
Since 1901, according to Alfred Nobel’s will, the Nobel Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” All Nobel Peace Prize laureates, inside a grand ceremony in Oslo, Norway are presented with a gold medal, a diploma bearing a citation, and a sum of money. It is an enormous honor drawing the world’s attention.
It is inspiring to read about the Nobel Peace Prize and who is chosen for this award. Laureates include Nelson Mandela, Jody Williams, the IPCC, Rigoberta Menchú, and Narges Mohammadi.
The Oregon Blackberry Award (OBA), like the Nobel, is created to honor and acknowledge people who make a difference in the cultures and communities of Oregon and our Nation.
The Oregon Blackberry Award is scaled to our community and resources. We invite other communities around the world to create their own botanical awards to acknowledge leaders in their communities! Send us an email with questions or suggestions on this
Awardees are chosen by members of the Oregon Blackberry Trust, a group of friends committed to progressive social change, good conversations and fun. Since May, 2020 over 34 OBAs have been awarded. We are having fun acknowledging people and groups who make a difference~!
The number of Awardees is growing like blackberry bushes.
Oregon Blackberry Awardees
Who are the Awardees of the Oregon Blackberry Award?
Awardee | Why They Were Chosen |
---|---|
1. Eric Richardson | Leadership of Eugene-Springfield NAACP; Public Speaker; Youth Leader-ACT SO; Jazz Musician; Awesome parent; Eugene City Club leader |
2. Raymond Albano | Mankind Project; Leader in Landmark Worldwide; Youth Wilderness Project; Kiwanis Club |
3. Liora Sponko | Oregon Arts Commission; Lane Arts Council; Eugene First Friday Artwalks; Leader in Landmark Worldwide |
4. Jean Eberhardt | Union Organizer, Carpenter, Singer. Thurston Santo Tomás Sister County Association founder & fundraiser; Master Gardener, Translator |
5. Mark Harris | Drug and Alcohol Counselor; Essayist; Public Speaker; Teacher; Awesome parent; Eugene Human Rights Council |
6. Jorah LaFleur | Poet & Community Event EMCEE; Outspoken Feminist; Writing Teacher in the Schools; Slam Poetry Emcee |
7. Sarah Moriguchi Ross | In 1985 founded H.O.N.E.Y. – Honoring Our New Ethnic Youth; Organizer; Awesome parent |
8. EUGENE WEEKLY | Free weekly newspaper with Social Justice writings; Building community; Progressive viewpoints; Entertainment Calendar; Sex Column |
9. Ibrahim Hamide | Extraordinary Chef and owner of Café Soriah; Eugene Human Rights Commission; Generosity; Kindness |
10. Jan VanderTuin | Bicycle Advocate; Center for Appropriate Transport; Founded alternative High School for Technical skills; Skinner gardens |
11. Jan Spencer | Permaculturist; Suburban Permaculture property conversion; Low carbon footprint; Closer to Home lifestyle; blogger |
12. Kathleen Dean Moore | Environmental Activist; OSU Professor of Philosophy Emeritus; Acclaimed author and editor |
13. Laurie Childers | Clay artist and peace activist; Cultural Ambassador to Cuba; Chair of National Council of the Fellowship of Reconciliation; Set designer; Awesome parent |
14. Mary DeMocker | Co-Founder of 350Eugene.org chapter; Author of The Parents’ Guide to Climate Revolution; Public speaker and climate activist; Awesome parent |
15. Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubinstein | Rabbi and spiritual leader of Eugene’s Temple Beth Israel; Climate activist and public speaker; Community builder; Awesome mother |
16. Kate Perle | Organic Farmer, She-Who-Feeds-Us, Soil builder, Composter; Santa Clara Neighborhood Council; Awesome mother |
17. Kazem Oveissi | Downtown Eugene Business leader; Landmark Worldwide Seminar leader, Impeccable service to the community; Extraordinary kindness |
18. Stacey Abrams | The State of Georgia Political Organizer; Fair Fight, Fair Count, Southern Economic Advancement Project. |
19. Sue Sierralupe | Clinic Manager for Occupy Medical – Eugene; Herbalist, Environmentalist; Determined activist |
20. Bill Hirata | Orchardist in Parkdale, Oregon. Compassionate Patrón of immigrant workers. Director, Parkdale Water District. |
21. KLCC RADIO | NPR News programming; Broadcasting local news, music, public service announcements. Talk shows. Informing Oregonians on matters of importance. |
22. Steve Frandsen | DJ of KPOV 88.9 FM radio show Psychedelic Protest, McKenzie Maps deck builder at Oregon Country Fair, Bonding people with Humandalas, Community leader, Awesome father, artist |
23. David Wagner | Field botanist; Regular column “It’s About Time” in Eugene Weekly; Website: fernzenmosses.com; Director and Curator of the University of Oregon Herbarium 1976 to 1993; Operated the Northwest Botanical Institute since 1993; |
24. Becky Riley | Founder and ongoing Steward of Rasor Park in Eugene, OR. Naturalist, neighborhood organizer, activist |
25. Terry McDonald | Director and creative leader of St. Vincent DePaul Society of Lane County; Master Recycler; Job creator and employer of hundreds of citizens; Major low-income housing builder and provider |
26. Lauren Regan & the Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) | Legal defense for civil rights and environmental activists, Climate Change protests, SLAPP lawsuits, Providing civil and legal rights trainings to thousands |
27. Rev. Wayne Martin &The Way Home | Tireless advocate for the unhoused in Eugene. Created the non-profit The Way Home that prepares food, distributes tents, clothing, coats to the unhoused. |
28. Prof. John Selker | Ecological engineer, designer, woodworker. Hands-on design engineer training students at OSU (OPeNS lab) and around the world; Co-Director of the Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO.org); Lathe turning wooden bowls to sell and donate money to hungry in Corvallis area |
29. Bern Johnson & Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) | Strengthening environmental justice and indigenous advocacy in Brazil, Republic of Congo, and many other countries; Legal actions for clean water and protecting waterways, closing coal mines, international climate litigation, building skills in environmental law and litigation. |
30. Herb Wisner | Ornithologist, Naturalist, Teacher. A generous and kind man. Created an enormous library of books and magazines devoted to birds and the natural world. Awesome parent of three, instructor of thousands. |
31. Rev. Dan Bryant | Started Egan Warming Centers at First Christian Church. Opened housing villages in Eugene including: Opportunity Village, SquareOne Villages, Emerald Village, Cottage Village, C-Street Co-op |
32. John Attig | Created the Nobel Peace Laureates park and educational curriculum in Eugene, Oregon. John Attig wishes that US citizens be aware of and appreciate the 21 US leaders and 3 organizations who have received the Nobel Prize for Peace. |
33. Josie McCarthy & the Food For Lane County Dining Room | Managed and led the Staff for 17 years at the FFLC Dining Room at 8th/Lincoln Streets in downtown Eugene, OR. Served 200+ meals a day, feeding the hungry with dignity and grace. The Dining Room also distributes warm winter clothing and water. |
34. Jim Brown | Supervisor and Manager at Eugene Water & Electric Board. Assisted with homeless relocations, feeding the hungry in our community, Led construction of 3 homes for Habitat for Humanity. Shared Lilac cuttings, built Camp Boxes for retirees, and recent graduates. |