The Columbia River begins its 1,250 mile journey to Oregon and the Pacific Ocean in Canada’s British Columbia. It is the longest river in the northwestern United States, and the fourth largest in the US by volume of flow. Humans have inhabited this region for more than 15,000 years, sustained along the Columbia by the remarkable salmon spawning migrations from the Pacific Ocean.
Sadly, these have declined precipitously since the mid-19th Century. The mouth of the Columbia, where it reaches the Pacific Ocean, was the farthest extent reached by the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1803-05. In the mid-1800’s the 2,170 mile long Oregon Trail gave westward passage to over 400,000 pioneers venturing into this region.
For the Cycling for Change bicyclists, support drivers, and our mascot Curtis…
the days spent along the Columbia were some of the most beautiful of the entire Summer.
We cycled the river valley east from Portland to near Wallula where the Columbia turns north, but we continued east to Walla Walla Washington.
We tracked the course of the river for over 200 miles, the total distance to Walla Walla being nearly 260 miles.
This segment was divided into four parts with overnight stays in Hood River Oregon on June 6th (72 miles), Biggs Junction Oregon on June 7th (51 miles), Umatilla Oregon on June 8th (81 miles), arriving in Walla Walla Washington on June 9th (54 miles).
We enjoyed riding a closed segment of old US 30 Highway high on the south bluffs overlooking the Columbia and modern highway below. It is now limited to bicycles and pedestrians.
Summer blooms were an explosion of technicolor.
There were a number of memorable moments:
We stopped for an impromptu celebration upon reaching the 500 mile point of our journey, Mount Hood in the background.
Lissa Whittaker surprised us one morning, gifting each of us with a small stone figurine that she believed represented the spirit of the recipient. Mine was a bear and Christine’s an owl.
We housed in motels in Hood River and Biggs Junction…
but enjoyed the hospitality of private home stays in Umatilla (Chris and I with the Trevino family) and Walla Walla. 83 year old Rose McClellan, mother of 8 sons, provided Chris and me with a delightful evening. Her physician husband had died in 2002.
A rare routing “disconnect” occurred near the 1938 Oregon Trail monument east of The Dalles.
The map showed a paved secondary road. Too late to turn back, the “road” transitioned to gravel and at times dirt for nearly 20 miles.
Even the “good road” frequently lacked meaningful shoulders, weaving, bobbing, and presenting a real cycling challenge.
Exhausted, we concluded our 81 mile day on the 8th at Umatilla Oregon’s Our Lady of Angles Parish where we gratefully received dinner that evening and breakfast the following morning.
In Walla Walla, we were received with open arms at St. Patrick’s parish.
Father Matt was interviewed by both print and television media prior to giving a talk about our mission.
Dinner was festive and featured the most creative table decorations of the entire ride.
Of course even when there were no parishes to feed us, we somehow managed.
Next: Idaho
Peace Everyone. Pete
(June 10, 2010) 2 Emotional Encounters
While on the road today, we stopped at a service station/convenience store. We were resting and refreshing when a woman approached me from the gas pump where she was fueling her late model Subaru. She made eye contact with me as she drew near. When she was within speaking distance she asked me what I and the other riders were doing. I told her of our C4C mission on behalf of Catholic Charities. She smiled and told me that she had a 24 year old daughter who was severely disabled. Her daughter had the mental function of a 6 month old. Catholic Charities of Washington had provided services and assistance to her daughter for many years. She was profoundly grateful to the organization. We spoke for quite some time and she offered to put Christine and me up for the evening if we needed a place to stay. She also shared that she was an avid bicyclist and that she was proud of a 26 mile ride that she had completed early in the week. With tears she explained that her physicians had discouraged her from riding because her most recent course of chemo-therapy would not leave her with enough strength. At this point she was not the only person struggling with tears. She embraced Christine and me, saying “thank you”, and left us her phone number in case we needed anything. Please say a prayer for Kathy from Walla Walla, Washington. – Pete Schloss
(This from a Facebook post) “At a store in Skamania, WA today the riders were talking to a gentleman with his 10-year-old son. After hearing what we were doing the boy reached into his pocket, pulled out all of his money, and gave it to one of the riders as a donation for C4C. That 62 cents meant a lot to all of us. Thank you young man for your generosity. You brought a smile and a prayer of gratitude to all of us today. – Christine Schloss
In the wake of the George Floyd tragedy there have been voices persistent in the assertion that systemic racism no longer exists in America. Interview clips from a few high profile African Americans are featured in videos in order to give credence to the claim.
I have engaged in discussion with a few acquaintances who maintain that claims of systemic racism in America are a fiction fostered by the media of the liberal left.
I am left to wonder and ask myself the question, “When did systemic racism end in America?”
Certainly, racism was pervasive and well established in 1619 when the America Colonies first began participation in the international slave trade. How else could the Colonials justify buying and selling innocent human beings?
Racism remained in evidence during the drafting of the United States Constitution when in 1787 Article 1, Section 2, specified that enslaved persons would count as 3/5 of a free person in determining the number of Congressional Representatives that a state would be entitled to.
Perhaps one might point to America’s 1807 withdrawal from international slave trade as an end to racism except that slavery continued to flourish within many U.S. states. It remained accepted as manifest destiny that White Americans could buy and sell Black men, women, and children… permanently severing child from mother, and husband from wife.
The Civil War of 1860-65 which was “a House Divided” over the question of slavery, resulted in the deaths of 750,000 Union and Confederate combatants. That bloodbath and the defeat of the Southern insurrection must have fully and finally resolved racism, even if the liberation of the slaves under the 1863 passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution did not. It seems like such a long time ago, but then it was the time of my great-grandfather, only 3 generations removed from mine.
If the Civil War had eliminated racism then how was it that African American (men) were only extended the right to vote in the passage of the 1870 15th Amendment to the Constitution?
How then was it that the infamous “Jim Crow” (fn1) laws of the 19th and 20th Centuries could institutionalize racial segregation in such fundamental aspects of society as property ownership, education, freedom of association, suffrage… just to name a few. These were prominent in the time of my Grandfather, remained prevalent in my Father’s time, and enforced by various state and local governments until at least 1965.
In 1913 President Woodrow Wilson initiated segregation in the federal workforce. The U.S. military, already segregated, was not desegregated until 1948. Yet in the last week controversy reigns over whether U.S. military bases should retain the names of military leaders who led troops against the United States in the name of the preservation of slavery. (fn2)
Perhaps racial lynching was a matter extinguished in the era of the Civil War or at least by the 20th Century.
Unfortunately, that is not the case. Between 1882 and 1968 approximately 3,500 African Americans were murdered by extrajudicial “lynching”. Some authorities believe the number much larger as some events and the fates of those victims remain hidden.
Noteworthy was a 1909 public lynching of a Black man in Cairo Illinois which was attended by thousands. Still a historical artifact? As recently as 1998 James Byrd, Jr., a Black man, was murdered by three White men who “hanged” him by dragging him by the neck behind a pickup truck. Using the Tuskegee Institutes definition of “lynching” as a racially perpetrated murder in which three or more persons participated, the number of victims is certainly greater and includes the 2011 murder of James C. Anderson by a group of Whites.
Not systemic? In 1947 President Harry Truman was unsuccessful in his effort to enact a Federal Anti-Lynching law… an effort repeated unsuccessfully in the US Senate in 2005, and again just last week.
But the laws that abolished slavery must have also abolished racism, right?
In 1892 Homer Plessy, a man who was one-eighth Black, was prosecuted and convicted in Louisiana for riding in a “Whites only” train car. The US Supreme Court took the matter up in 1896 ruling against Homer in a 7-1 decision that declared that although the 14th Amendment granted legal equality to the races, it could not overcome or eliminate all social distinctions based on color. Thus, “separate but equal” was a sufficient protection of rights. That decision has never been expressly overturned…
…Yet in the 1954 decision of Brown v. Board of Education the US Supreme Court did declare that in the matter of education, separate is not equal. The law of the land? Not to then Governor George Wallace who in 1963 tried to block the integration of Alabama schools declaring, “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!”
Clay County Missouri, where I worked in the late 1970’s as a State Parole and Probation Officer and later as a practicing attorney maintained a “Whites only” drinking fountain in its Courthouse at least into the late 1950’s. In the 1970’s Clay County Prosecuting Attorney, William S. Brandom commonly referred to “NNR” (N—- North of the River) as sufficient probable cause for law enforcement to stop an African American in the county.
In matters of housing: I live in an area of Kansas City developed in the early 1900’s. Indelibly recorded into the chain of title of homes in this area are covenants that these properties cannot be owned by persons of the Negro race. It was not until 1968 that the federal Fair Housing Act declared such restrictions illegal. Many neighborhoods, mine included, remain de facto segregated as the result of the inertia of history, and resistance of certain sellers, realtors, and lenders (“red-lining”) to change.
In matters of marriage: It was not until 1967 that the US Supreme Court (Loving v Virginia) struck down state anti-miscegenation laws that made “race mixing” criminally punishable. It remained unusual to see mixed race relationships in public and in the media well into the 21st century. I have been told by couples in mixed relationships that it remains “uncomfortable” in certain areas and among certain groups. (fn3)
Sports? Jackie Robinson broke the “color barrier” in 1947. What is less well known is that collegiate sports remained segregated in the South into the 1970’s. In the 1950’s and early 1960’s Louisiana and Mississippi each enacted laws that prohibited integrated sports competitions. It was not until 1971-72 that all SEC conference teams became integrated. It was not until 4 decades later that the SEC saw its first Black head coach and Black athletic director. Today, African American coaches, referees, and athletic administrators remain an underrepresented curiosity in the United States, especially in light of the proportion of Black to White athletes.
Health Care: I intended to skip this topic because it could justify a stand-alone post. However, today (June 12, 2020) State Senator from Ohio and ER physician, Steve Huffman, implied by question in a senate hearing that the higher rates of COVID-19 infections in the “…colored population” are because they “…do not wash their hands as well as other groups…” He has since been fired from his position as an ER doctor.
Voting: One need only look to the history of “poll taxes”, “literacy tests”, and other “legal” impediments designed to disenfranchise Black voters to understand the purpose of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Portions of that Act authorizing federal oversight of election procedures in certain states were struck down in 2013 by the US Supreme Court in Shelby County v Holder. The results and controversies remain a matter of current events, just one example being the disparity in the number of polling places to registered voters in predominantly White and Black race Georgia precincts this last week.
Our History: In the absence of systemic racism then surely two very similar massacres would have been equally reported in the annals of history and given equal voice in our schools’ American History textbooks.
In 1867 General George A. Custer and 267 of his officers and enlisted men were massacred at the hands of thousands of “savages” at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, more commonly known as “Custer’s Last Stand”. Who has not heard of the “valor, daring, and sacrifice” of the noble Custer and his men as mythically portrayed in books, movies, and television.
Yet, between May 31 and June 1, 1921, a mob of Tulsa Oklahoma’s White residents looted and burned Black owned homes and businesses. Over 35 square blocks in the Black citizen owned Greenwood District were virtually leveled. Over 800 Black residents were injured, and approximately 300 were murdered. The precise numbers will never be known as Oklahoma did not conduct an investigation into the events until 75 years later. Non-invasive archaeological research disclosed probable mass gravesites. The Greenwood District, then the most prosperous Black community in the nation ceased to exist and over 10,000 residents were rendered homeless. The 100 year silence that has surrounded the 1921 “Tulsa Massacre” is deafening.
Perhaps systemic racism is under attack and continues to erode. Ended?… I think not. As for those who believe otherwise, I will loosely borrow with apologies from Friedrich Nietzsche: “Perhaps those who were seen dancing were thought insane by those who refusedto hear the music.”
Peace Everyone. Pete
Footnotes:
fn1: The phrase “Jim Crow Law” was coined by the New York Times in an 1892 article about Louisiana’s passage of a law criminalizing the mixing of races in rail car accommodations. “Jump Jim Crow” was an 1830’s song and dance caricature of Negros performed by Thomas Rice in blackface which became synonymous with the negative depiction of the Black race.
fn2: For example, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is named in the honor of General Braxton Bragg (1817-1876) who lead Confederate troops against the Union Army in at least 8 engagements. He was successful in only one and was relieved of command by CSA President Davis. Bragg is considered by historians to be one of the most inept commanders in the Civil War.
CSA General Braxton Bragg
fn3: Today, June 12, 2020, is “Loving Day”, the day that it became universally legal in the United States for members of one race to marry members of another race.
On Sunday May 23 2010 the St. Francis Xavier parish came together to offer blessings to the C4C members.
It was a somber moment as we contemplated leaving our homes and families. We were mindful of the dangers that lay ahead for each of us.
After Mass Catholic Charities of Kansas City hosted a sendoff luncheon. This would be the last pre-departure event.
Most of the members flew to Seattle later that week. We were to assemble there prior to driving to Cape Flattery, our Memorial Day weekend departure point.
5 of us were tasked with driving the vehicles and equipment from Kansas City to Seattle, a journey of over 1,800 miles. Bethany Paul and Jeremy Ruzich drove one of the vans, while Stephen Belt and Carol Beckel drove the other van with trailer in tow. Christine and I drove the SUV which would be our “chase car” during the rides.
Christine and I passed through South Dakota where we made the obligatory stop at Wall Drugs.
We passed through Butte Montana where long deceased members of my family had been employed in the copper mines.
Onward we drove through Idaho and into Washington where the majesty of the northwest was on full display.
We arrived in Seattle on May 27th where we joined other members of the group.
The day before leaving for Seattle I was given to contemplation and I began journaling my thoughts… tapped out over the course of the next 3 months one finger at a time on my early generation palm sized iPod:
May 23, 2010, Unanticipated Sacrifices
Tomorrow my wife and I drive to Seattle, Washington. We are transporting one of the three vehicles that will provide support for me and the other C4C bicyclists. My professional life will be “on hold” until September 13th. We will miss the near daily contact with our children and grandchildren. Our clothing and personal effects for nearly 4 months have been packed into two “carry-on” sized bags. Space is at such a premium that we have focused on carrying the minimum of such things as socks (4 pair), shoes (one pair), long pants (two), shorts (one), and enough “unmentionables” to get us from one wash day to the next. These items are separate from our bicycle specific clothing. Except for 3 nights in July when we pass through Kansas City, we will not enjoy the comfort of our own bed for nearly 110 days.
We have been mentally and emotionally prepared for the anticipated sacrifices. Sacrifices of comfort… sacrifices of family… sacrifices of finances… sacrifices of privacy…. But, as tomorrow has drawn near I have been troubled by an annoying disquiet. I have pondered this to the point of distraction because it has caused me to be more critical, a bit less adaptable, and according to my wife, a bit more annoying (than usual). I have come to the conclusion that my reactions are the product of some unanticipated sacrifice.
For most of us, childhood was punctuated by the litany of “When I grow up, I won’t have to …”, “When I grow up, I can … whenever I want to.” The light at the end of the tunnel of childhood was self-determination and control. As adults we continue to embrace the illusion of achieved mastery of the management of our personal kingdoms. Such “mastery” is an illusion, since most of us have schedules, employers, responsibilities, duties… but these are shrouded in the trappings of our “rights”, and our “command” over our homes, persons, and property. We are comfortable in the illusions of our personal security and control.
Tomorrow, I leave the camouflage of my “grown-up” security. I again must accept being told when to rise, when to sleep… when to eat, and even what to eat. I will be a nearly anonymous servant. In some respects I have accepted a vow of 110 days of poverty and obedience. Since I will travel with my wife I hope to avoid the vow of chastity. The loss of the illusion of control over my life is a sacrifice that I had not anticipated. It will take some getting used to, now that I am a “grown-up”.
In 2010 46 million people in the United States lived in poverty. 15% of the population… one in every six people. Worse: 22% of children under the age of 18 lived in poverty.
Next to the Federal Government, US Catholic Charities is the largest social safety net provider in the Country, delivering services to over 12 million people from its 2,600 locations.
In 2010, its Centennial year, US Catholic Charities announced an initiative to reduce poverty in America 50% by the year 2020. Father Matt saw in this the prospect of making his departure from St. Francis Parish (SFX) and 3 month sabbatical into something grand and good. Matt often focused upon a core message in the Gospel of St. Matthew; Our duty to feed the hungry, clothe the naked… minister to the needs of the poor and forgotten. Father Matt saw that bicycling across the United States could draw attention and contributions to the Catholic Charities campaign.
Matt had already established himself as both an adventurer and gifted fundraiser. In 2004 he sought to reduce or eliminate the SFX parish debt. Seeking donations, Matt kayaked from the headwaters of the Missouri River over 2,300 miles to St. Louis. He raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars.
“Cycling for Change” was Matt’s creation and his message:
“I can not think of a better way to spend my sabbatical than by helping those most vulnerable across the country… Our Cycling for Change Team is a small group of pilgrims helping those in poverty all over the country by supporting the work of Catholic Charities and raising money to expand the services of the Caritas Center in Kansas City.”
The C4C campaign stood exclusively upon two pillars; raise awareness and raise money. There was a third pillar, individual in nature. It was the pursuit of an adventure. I confess that but for “the adventure” I would not have committed to those first two “pillars”.
2009 and 2010 lay before us heavy with an array of events, duties, and tasks.
In addition to phone and in-person solicitations I sent out over 150 letters and countless emails to friends, family, and colleagues in the legal community. Christine engaged in similar personal fundraising efforts. Together we raise over $25,000.00 on behalf of C4C.
There were meetings and committees.
I began assembling the tools and supplies to be our bike mechanic on the road, including building and “trueing” spare wheels for the group.
We began cycling together, joining the SFX parish “Flying Fish” bicycle group in organized metro rides.
Matt spoke at Kansas City’s Irish Fest.
We staffed a booth at the Tour of Missouri event.
We rode together in the 2 day MS-150 event.
We sponsored and headlined our own C4C group ride event in Kansas City.
There were informal C4C gatherings that cemented our group identity.
A grand fundraiser was hosted at the Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City.
A weekend retreat was held at Conception Abbey in northwest Missouri. … and there were (many) training rides. The most significant being in Colorado; a week in June to give us experience riding roads and highways in the mountains.
Until the June 2009 Colorado ride Christine had been content to let me pursue C4C on my own. No thought had been given to her personal participation. She was not a “cyclist”, however Christine was an organizational wizard and gifted manager of people. She accompanied us to Colorado for the fun of it, but by the end of the week everyone acknowledged the virtues of including Christine as the chief “cat herder”.
Matt’s original vision was to ride from the farthest northwestern point of the contiguous 48 states, Cape Flattery Washington, to the southernmost point, Key West Florida. (We traversed the Card Sound Bridge which is just north of Key Largo, the farthest southeastern point.)
Matt is a person of vision, but not necessarily detail. As of June 2009 others had begun to assemble the day-by-day routing and logistics. Christine became an active part of that planning after the Colorado ride.
C4C was taking shape in a serious way, inertia enough that Catholic Charities of Kansas City secured an SUV, two large vans, and a dual axle trailer for our use on the campaign across America.
2008 ended with a collision of bitter and sweet. In October our daughter Renee’ gave birth to naturally occurring quadruplets. They were very early and very small. Our other daughter, Alexis, announced that she was pregnant and would deliver in 2009. Renee’ encouraged Alexis to seek an early sonogram on the chance that mega-multiples now ran in the family. When later told by her doctor that she was carrying twins Alexis exclaimed in relief, “Thank God!”. In a span of 30 months our family would grow with the birth of 9 grandchildren.
Tragedy arrived in December. All four of the fragile babies remained in NICU. (Simon would not join his siblings at home until he was 6 months old.) Daphne was losing her struggle with life. On December 6th she drew her last breath while held in her mother’s arms. The family was devastated.
Father Matt arrived at the hospital the next morning to give solace. Lissa Whittaker, a Eucharistic Minister at St. Francis Xavier Church (SFX), called to say that she would take care of the arrangements for Daphne’s service. That eased one burden. We knew of Lissa and her husband Tom, but I was not yet aware that they would be among those bicycling across the Country. From the moment of Lissa’s call she and Tom became dear threads interwoven into the fabric of our family.
Father Matt officiated Daphne’s funeral and a few months later he baptized her three surviving siblings, all of whom have grown and thrived in spite of their early difficulties.
The Cycling for Change (C4C) through riders would number 12. In addition to Father Matt and his parish assistant, Bethany Paul,
we would include:
Dr. Tom Whittaker, JD MD. Physician and surgeon, University of Kansas Department of Ophthalmology.
Lissa Whittaker, Owner of Rapid Transcript, a Federal Court Transcription service.
John Mocella, retired and a volunteer with Catholic Charities of Kansas City.
Jason Christiansen, CEO of Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs.
and me.
Our support team on the road would consist of:
Stephen Belt, Flight training director St. Louis University.
Tom and Joy Comeau, SFX parish members. (Joy passed away late in 2018. In less than a month Tom followed. Love long shared resists separation.)
and my wife, Christine, owner and Director of Northland Dependency Services.
Logistics and administration in Kansas City would be in the hands of Catholic Charities staff Suzanne Cronkhite and Kathy Conwell.
C4C was scheduled to begin on Memorial Day 2010 in Cape Flattery Washington and conclude 100 days and 5,000 miles later with riders crossing the “Finish Line” on Labor Day in Key West Florida.
As viewed in January of 2009, Memorial Day 2010 seemed a long way off, but there was so much to do. Each participant had committed to engage in considerable group and individual fundraising. There were events to plan and host, promotional rides to organize, meetings… and of course the training. Each of us had to continue with the routine challenges of home, family, and work while juggling the significant requirements of C4C. The 16 of us began 2009 as relative strangers. By the end of that year we were family.
