February is Black History Month

Weds Feb 1, 7-8:30 LO Public Library or online

Displacing Black Portland:  a history of housing discrimination

In honor of Black History Month, a presentation by Zachary Stocks from Oregon's Black Pioneers, about the history of housing discrimination in Portland. https://www.youtube.com/@LakeOLib/featured

Mon Feb 6, 5-5:30pm online 

Storytime with Katharine Phelps: Respond to Racism and the Youth Empowerment Committee proudly host monthly story time for K-5 elementary-aged children — and older!   Featuring narratives from a multitude of experiences, voices, and cultures.  Reserve your spot!

Mon Feb 6, 6:30-8pm online

RtR Community Meeting:  Join us as guests Joycelyn Jolly and Bob Henderson talk with us about overcoming unconscious bias to create a just, diverse, inclusive and peaceful world community. Register

Tue Feb 7, 5:30pm & Tue Feb 21 3pm, LO City Hall 

LO City Council Meetings:  The agenda of each meeting is posted in advance and includes time for citizen comment.  Meeting agenda & materials.  More information: (503) 534-4225; cityrecorder@lakeoswego.city

Thu Feb 9, 7pm at Mary’s Woods 17520 Mesnard Street

Women’s BIPOC Speaker Series:  Please join us as we hear from Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, who has proudly served as District 2 Multnomah County Commissioner since January 2019. Live streaming will also be available courtesy of the West Linn Public Library:  https://youtu.be/BtzIbByGTB8  Tracy Lam will be the final series speaker on Mar 23.

Sun Feb 19, 3pm Circle at 1st & Evergreen in LO

Silent walk:  Co-hosted by Respond to Racism & LO for LOve.  Quietly walk in support of our BIPOC community, thinking of equality, love, belonging and healing.  

Tue Feb 21, 5:30-6:30pm LO Public Library

Omar El Akkad  Third Tuesday Author series presents renowned journalist and author of American War and What Strange Paradise.

Tue Feb 21, 5pm Central Oregon Community College, online

2023 Season of Nonviolence community book discussion choice is This is My America by Kim Johnson.  Moderated discussion with the author and COCC's Afrocentric Program Coordinator, Marcus LeGrand.  Register

EXHIBITS & THEATERS

Wednesdays Jan 11-Feb 15 at noon via Zoom

New Scholarship in Jewish History in Oregon and the American West. Stimulating series co-sponsored by Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the Oregon Historical Society.  Tickets  

Current exhibits Portland Art Museum

Multiple exhibits feature the works of Oscar Howe, Jeffrey Gibson, Isaka Shamsud-Din, and more!  Howe (1915–1983) committed his artistic career to the preservation, relevance, and ongoing expression of his Yanktonai Dakota culture.

Colorline: Black Excellence on the World Stage. Information

Weds Feb 8 6-7:30pm Oregon Historical Society

From Stumptown to Motown and Back Again:  An evening with Mel Brown  A conversation with Mel Brown and Tim DuRoche.  Free and open to the public.

Feb 9 - 26 Profile Theater

Welcome to Arroyo's by Kristoffer Diaz - A tale of love, family, hip-hop, street art, and loss unfolds at Arroyo’s Lounge.  Affinity Nights: Pride Night – Feb 10th, BIPOC Night – Feb 17th, Latiné Night – Feb 24th

Feb 8 - Mar 26 Portland Playhouse

What I Learned in Paris by Pearl Cleage - A tangled web of romantic intrigue, set against the backdrop of a historic campaign win for Maynard Jackson, who has just been elected Atlanta’s first first African American mayor. BIPOC performances:  Wed Feb 15 7.30pm;  Sun Feb 26, 2pm;  Fri Mar 3 7.30pm

Feb 11 - Mar 26 Portland Center Stage

Young Americans by Lauren Yee - This intimate, music-led comedy veers back and forth in time, offering a fresh look at a U.S. road trip through the lens of the immigrant experience.  BIPOC affinity night Fri Mar 17 at 7:30.

RESOURCES

Right to Be  Five different methods to support someone who’s being harassed.  

Unite Against Book Bans is a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.

Banned Books Book Club:  A monthly book club, library and fund dedicated to reading and protecting the most important books for our generation.  January’s read:  Kindred by Octavia Butler

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition was created to lead the pursuit of understanding and addressing the ongoing trauma created by the U.S. Indian Boarding School policy of 1869.  Bookmark this site to follow and support passage of legislation to establish a Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the US (HR 5444, S 2907) 

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:  988  

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States.  

Sanctuary Promise Hotline: 1-844-0924-STAY [1-844-924-7829],

1-844-6-AMPARO [1-844-626-7276]

The system is designed to help Oregon DOJ investigate suspected violations to Oregon’s Sanctuary Promise Act and provide support where possible.  Advocates on the hotline are multilingual and identify as members of supported communities.  Interpretation services are available in 240+ languages.

Bias Response Hotline: 1-844-924-BIAS [1-844-924-2427],

Oregon Relay 711 

The Oregon DOJ Bias Response Hotline is a non-emergency reporting and referral service designed to support bias victims.  Any victim or witness of any age can report a bias incident or hate crime online or by phone.  If you believe a crime has occurred and want it investigated, contact your local law enforcement agency.  For emergency assistance, dial 911.

Stop AAPI Hate: The reporting center tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

Racial Equity Support Line (503) 575-3764 is a service led and staffed by people with lived experience of racism. They offer support to those who are feeling the emotional impact of racist violence and micro-aggressions, as well as the emotional impact of immigration struggles and other cross-cultural issues.