Oregon’s Marshallese community gathers in Salem to celebrate culture and sovereignty

Russell Langrine still remembers the day his home country gained sovereignty.

It was October 21, 1986, and he was a high school freshman in the Marshall Islands. All year, he and his friends were involved in celebrations for the historic day for the island nation.

Decades later, as attendees began filling the gymnasium of the Capital Field House in Salem Friday, Langrine looked at a group of teenagers chatting at the event, who would later…