Madison Grad
Makes History
As Valedictorian, Taj
Ali achieves highest
academic honor
‘City
of
Roses’
Volume XLVIII • Number 21
See Local News, page 3
Portland parks
all geared up to
keep kids active,
healthy
See Metro, page 6
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • June 12, 2019
Hail
Queen
Mya!
A dream comes
true for St.
Mary’s senior
Summer
Free for All
Rose Festival Queen Mya Brazile
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Mya Brazile of St. Mary’s Academy was crowned 2019
Rose Festival Queen Saturday, an amazing accomplish-
ment for the 18-year-old senior and the fulfillment of a
childhood dream.
Brazile said she’s wanted to be part of the historic Rose
Festival Court ambassador program since she was just 9
years old. The best part so far has been the community
outreach and getting to know the other 14 Rose Festival
princesses, she said.
“To give back to the community which has given so much
to me, is something I’m excited for and I can’t wait to start,”
she told reporters after the coronation, anticipating even more
responsibilities in the upcoming year of her reign.
Her selection was announced in a ceremony just ahead
of the Rose Festival’s Grand Floral Parade at Veterans Me-
morial Coliseum. She was joined by her parents, Montral
and Michelle Brazile, and other family members.
An all- league standout varsity basketball player at St.
Mary’s, Brazile said she plans to attend Concordia Univer-
sity in northeast Portland where she can continue playing
sports and pursue an education in social work and comput-
er science. She also said she wanted to attend the school
because it’s close to the family and Portland community
she loves.
Fostering Diversity Behind the Lens
New black
filmmakers
celebrate
D anny p eterSon
Black and women filmmakers, who are
sorely underrepresented nationwide in the
television and movie industries, were the
focus of a yearlong fellowship for film-
makers of color at Open Signal Labs, the
nonprofit community media organization
in northeast Portland. Now the culmina-
tion of their work will be shared with film
screenings and an after party celebration
this Friday starting at 7 p.m. at Hollywood
Theatre in northeast Portland.
The pilot year fellowship was overseen
by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Ifanyi
Bell, the executive producer of Open Lab
Signal. The first screenings will come from
six local black filmmakers: Kamryn Fall,
Elijah Hasan, Tamera Lyn, Sika Stanton,
Noah Thomas, and Dustin Tolman.
Project Coordinator RaShaunda Brooks,
who is herself an African American film-
by
maker, told the Portland Observer the
screening is to highlight the work and let
people know more about the program.
“There are people of color here in Port-
land; there are black, brown filmmakers,
people who just want to have access to this
type of equipment, access to this type of
work,” she said.
The films include documentary and nar-
rative works that cover topics including
law enforcement, African identity, music,
fashion, and gentrification. Brooks said be-
yond that description, “it’s more of a sur-
prise.”
“We want people to come out and see
C ontinueD on p aGe 4
photo by S am G ehrke
Portland filmmaker Ifanyi Bell
behind the lens. The executive
producer of Open Signal Labs on
Northeast Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard spearheaded a unique
black filmmaker incubator program
for the nonprofit community media
organization, which will screen six
film projects made by local black
filmmakers this Friday at 7 p.m. at the
Hollywood Theatre.