M Artin l uther K ing J r .
January 16, 2019
2019 special edition
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Page 31
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
Creating Social-Justice Themed Artwork
Young activist
motivated
to make a
difference
by D anny p eterson
t he p ortlanD o bserver
Ameya Okamoto is only
18-years-old but she has already
has made a name for herself by
creating dramatic social-justice
themed artwork.
Having been involved in causes
like LGBTQ rights, joining pro-
tests by Don’t Shoot Portland and
Black Lives Matter Portland , and
advocating for mental health ser-
vices, Okamoto’s says her artistic
mission is to “make the revolution
accessible.”
Okamoto has already had her
artwork featured at the Portland
Art Museum and galleries in Mi-
ami and Washington, D.C. Her
story and accomplishments have
been featured in the Washington
Post and New York Post. Last
year, as a high school senior, she
was selected as one of 20 U.S.
Presidential Scholars.
She’s perhaps best known for
her portrait of Quanice Hayes, an
unarmed black teen who was shot
and killed by Portland Police in
February 2017, which was car-
ried by Don’t Shoot Portland and
Black Lives Matter Portland pro-
testers following Hayes’ death.
“He was a 17 year old. I was
17 at the time, actually. I had been
working with Black Lives Matter
Portland, very closely, but realiz-
ing how close to home it was....
within 36 hours, I had created a
piece which had gone a little bit
viral,” Okamoto told the Portland
Observer.
“We ended up having it print-
ed and given to his family at his
memorial. And to have that ex-
perience of being with his family
and with his community, it kind of
made me realize the power that art
could bring,” she added.
That piece spurred more art-
work surrounding the theme of
social activism and Okamoto
came to the realization that such
portraits are a positive alternative
photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver
Ameya Okamoto makes social justice themed artwork that has been featured at the Portland Art Museum and galleries in Miami and
Washington D.C. Born in New York City and raised in Portland from a low-income single-parent home, the 18-year-old has been active
politically since high school, dedicated to local causes like LGBTQ rights and supporting the civil rights groups Don’t Shoot Portland and
Black Lives Matter Portland.
to the outdated and incriminating
mug shots that police often release
to the media in officer-involved
shootings.
“It was amazing to me and
opened a lot of doors to realizing
the potential of fine art in activ-
ism,” Okamoto recalled.
A few months later, in May
2017, when a man’s xenophobic
and racist verbal assaults against
two young girls on a Max train
ended up costing the lives of two
other men who were stabbed try-
ing to defend the young women ,
Okamoto created a heartfelt por-
trait of one of the victims, Tal-
isin Namkai-Meche. She worked
closely with his family and again
presented the finished portrait to
them at Namkai-Meche’s memo-
rial.
Okamoto also worked with the
designer of the new Hollywood
Max Station mural in commemo-
ration of the incident on Northeast
42nd Avenue, created by Sarah
Farahat, by helping Farahat paint
the public art piece.
She’s also created works depict-
ing Michael Brown, the 18-year-
old unarmed black man who was
killed by a police officer in 2014
C ontinueD on p age 35