As a photographer, Tracy George is used to seeing the world through a unique lens. As a Black woman, that lens is also made more unique than many of her neighbors’ in widely white rural Clackamas County.
George has since stepped back a bit from community work like the Sandy STAND UP Movement, but plans to be involved again.
Courtesy photo
In 2020, George utilized her perspective to help found an anti-racism movement in Sandy called the Sandy STAND Up Movement in light of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, which inspired movements around the country. She and a team of activists hosted a handful of rallies and marches and then also virtual educational events.
As the movement, and George, became better known, she experienced backlash that eventually pushed her to leave her hometown of Sandy. George said people were actually finding out where she lived and driving by her house; others sent threats and insults via social media and one person taped an “All Lives Matter” sign to her trash can.
After leaving Sandy, George and her family bought their first home, and since then she’s focused her lens on creating a community virtually, through social media and interior design.
George began chronicling her interior décor adventures on Instagram in May 2020 under the username MrsTracyGeorge, and in 2021 her profile was noticed by an editor at Better Homes and Gardens and she was named one of the publications Stylemakers of the year. In 2022, she was honored with that title for a second time.
Sandy STAND UP Movement co-organizers Tracy George and Frank George IV lead a joint march up Proctor Boulevard on Aug. 9, 2020.
PMG File PHOTO: Brittany Allen
George said until she was contacted, she didn’t know how people got connected to publications and companies. But a home editor at Better Homes found her, and while her personal doubts told her “this isn’t somewhere I belong or an accomplishment I should receive,” she’s been chosen among 100-200 others in North America two years in a row.
“Once I got all of the information last year, and it sunk in, I was speechless,” George said. “I didn’t understand how someone like me could earn this.”
After a childhood of abuse, moving between several foster homes and experiencing homelessness, George has said that she has “so much experience feeling unwanted.” So much so that she feels a sense of imposter syndrome when faced with accomplishment.
But accolades and encouragement keep finding her, and it is changing her perspective.
Now about seven months pregnant, George said “I’ve kind of taken a big step back from both (activism and interior design).”
The STAND Up Movement has been hosting rallies in the past year, but is still active online, but George has been focusing more on her family and health recently.
“I mainly had taken a large step back from that because of the safety of my family and my kids,” George explained. “I went into a really serious bout of depression from that, just because of the backlash I’d be receiving on Facebook from the online haters, and having an inbox constantly dull of threats. That really took a toll on me, so I needed for myself to take a step back from that.”
George said that now she is interested in wading back into the community work, but admits that “it’s been a little scary to dip my toes back in.”
“There are still places, like Estacada, where I won’t go alone anymore because of the response I had gotten from people,” she explained. “There is still definitely a lasting effect from that.”
That said, George added that since moving, she feels much safer in her new neighborhood and she’s enjoyed turning what was once a very ‘70s style house in need of some serious TLC into her family’s home.
Stylemaker Tracy
PMG File PHOTO: Brittany Allen
This year, because of her newsworthy accomplishments and inspiring story, George has been chosen by the Royal Rosarians as Pamplin Media Group’s Newsmaker of the year. George will attend an awards gala later this month along with other Newsmakers from around the metro area.
Of receiving this honor, George said: “It’s a little bit eye-opening to realize that the things I am doing, people actually care about it and it’s affecting more than just myself and my family.”
“People are actually inspired by me, and I am inspired to continue doing the things that I do because people are responding to it the way that they are.”
