January II, 2012
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M
W
a r t in
L u t h e r K in g J r .
Page 23
2012 special edition
North Portland news and events
nSt. Johns
N E IG H B O R H O O D
Exhibit
Tells Story
of Freedom
Riders
Local students
explore civil
rights history
The University of Portland
S ch o o l o f E d u c a tio n and
Roosevelt High School will be
hosting “Freedom Riders,” a
national traveling exhibition that
tells the story of the 1961 free
dom rides to integrate buses and
trains in the South.
The exhibition is free and open
to the public and will take place
from W ednesday, Jan. 18 to Fri
day, Jan. 20 on the third floor of
Franz Hall, on the University of
Portland cam pus at 5000 N.
Willamette Blvd.
An exhibition featuring local
“freedom fighters” for social jus
tice will accompany the national
exhibit.
Roosevelt High Schools stu
dents, the Roosevelt High School
W riting Center, and students
from the University’s School of
Education’s social studies meth
ods course collaborated on the
local production.
From May until November
1961, more than 400 Americans
risked their lives— many endur
ing savage beatings and impris
onment— for simply traveling
together on buses and trains as
they jo u rn e y e d through the
South.
D eliberately violating Jim
Crow laws, the Freedom Rid
ers’ belief in non-violent activ
ism was tested as mob violence
and bitter racism greeted them
along the way.
O rg an ized by the G ild er
Lehrman Institute of American
History and Public Broadcast
ing Service’s flagship history
series, the Freedom Riders exhi
bition combines powerful pho-
University o f Portland and
Roosevelt High School
students interview Max
Pavesic (far left), one o f the
Freedom Riders o f 1961 who
volunteered in a civil rights
campaign to integrate buses
and trains in the South.
tography and news coverage of
the rides, as well as first-hand
audio accounts.
Inspired by the Freedom Rid
e rs sto ry , R o o s e v e lt H igh
School and U niversity o f Port
land students identified com
m unity issues that they cared
about and located local free
dom fighters who are actively
engaged in w riting, advocat
ing, volunteering and w orking
to advance social ju stice in
these areas.
Working together, they inter
viewed the freedom fighters, took
photographs, located related im
ages at the Oregon Historical
Society Library, and helped to
design graphic and written ma
terials for the exhibit.
The exhibit will also be travel
ing to several other locations in
North and Northeast Portland
throughout January. For more
inform ation and a com plete
schedule, go to sites.google.com/
site/freedomfighterspdx.
Coach Nate M cM illan
NG JR.
“ I strive to represent Martin Luther King Jr's vision of equality and justice in iny daily life, in my work, and in my
teaching of young people. Because of his work and his legacy, this country is a better place and it is our duty to
carry oh that legacy and fulfill that vision."
TRAIL BLAZERS COACH NATE McMILLAN
make it better
To learn more about how you can make it better together with
the Trail Blazers visit trailhlazers.com /m akeltbetter