Page 4
August 26, 2015
Soul
Singing
Activism
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Locals called out the names of Kendra
James, Keaton Otis, Aaron Campbell and
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lated deaths in the Portland area.
Portland Black PFLAG Chapter mem-
bers were also at the rally in solidarity with
the message of ending police violence, and
local urban farmers offered free freshly
grown produce for activists to eat and take
home to their families.
Don’t Shoot Portland activists have
been meeting since Michael Brown, an un-
armed black teenager, was shot and killed
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gust last year.
Monáe has publicly stated she will be
visiting Black Lives Matter and other black
activist protests and rallies across the Unit-
ed States during her current tour.
“When things are going on in the com-
PHOTO BY O LIVIA O LIVIA /
T HE P ORTLAND O BSERVER
Victims, survivors, and family of police brutality were invited onstage at Dawson Park Monday to join contemporary soul and
pop singer Janelle Monáe for a rendition of her now infamous anthem for police reforms, ‘Hell You Talmbout.’
munity, they can count on us to speak up
and say something and come to them di-
rectly,” she told NBC’s Today last week.
“We don’t come to the rallies as artists,
we come as human beings.”
She was later cut short on the same net-
work TV show, when she began to publicly
condemn police brutality and listing names
on the broadcast.
Say Her Name
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country so far this year, activists across
the country and in Portland are calling a
state of emergency and asking for sup-
port in stopping more needless killing.
A vigil Thursday night at Pioneer
Courthouse Square, downtown, focused
on remembering the victims. With a ral-
lying cry of “Say Her Name,” over 100
people attended the event, which was put
together by Greater Portland Trans Unity
and Don’t Shoot Portland.
The aim was to uplift and honor those
lost in a way they deserve – by saying
their names, sharing their stories, and
discussing the importance of supporting
trans women in our communities while
they are alive.
“Eighteen trans women have been
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Alyssa Pagan, a local activist and trans
woman who helped organize the vigil.
“Most of them are black. We want more
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matter. Often times their deaths go un-
investigated and underreported. Even
when they are reported on, they are re-
peatedly misgendered and their character
called into question.”
This lives and stories of Lamia Beard,
Keyshia Blige, Kandis Capri, London
Chanel, India Clarke, Taja DeJesus, Ta-
mara Dominguez, Papi Edwards, K.C.
Haggard, Mya Hall, Amber Monroe,
Yazmin Vash Payne, Penny Proud, Kris-
tina Gomez Reinwald, Shade Schuler,
Ty Underwood, Elisha Walker, and Mer-
cedes Williamson were shared, and or-
ganizers asked that community members
continue to remember their names and
the work they did across the country and
in their communities.