February 26, 2020
Page 2
Exploring Life at the Margins
O piniOnated
J udge
by
d arleen
o rtega
Theater in Portland turned es-
pecially and resourcefully rich
this past weekend, with the open-
ing of two terrific co-productions
by important American women
playwrights exploring questions
The
of identity and life at the margins.
I recommend making time to see
both.
Dominique Morisseau is a
name to watch; a 2018 recipient
of a MacArthur “Genius Grant,”
the Detroit native’s plays (in-
cluding a new musical about The
Temptations, “Ain’t Too Proud”)
draw from her background as a
spoken-word poet to illuminate
aspects of life in African Ameri-
can urban communities. Her 2017
Week in Review
Kobe and Gianna Goodbye
Thousands of fans poured into the Staples Center
Monday to remember the lives of late NBA star
Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others
killed in a helicopter crash last month in an emo-
tional ceremony that spoke to the legendary Laker’s
outsize impact on Los Angeles, the basketball world
and the culture at large.
NASA Pioneer Dies at 101
Katherine Johnson, a black mathema-
tician who calculated rocket trajecto-
ries and earth orbits for NASA’s early
space missions and was later portrayed
in the 2016 hit film “Hidden Figures,”,
died Monday. She was 101.
Feds to Look at Fesser Case
The U.S. Department of Justice will conduct a civil
rights investigation into the 2017 wrongful arrest
of Michael Fesser, a black man who recently won
a $600,000 lawsuit against the city of West Linn
play “Pipeline,” co-produced by
Portland Playhouse and Confron-
tation Theater, explores life inside
the so-called school-to-prison
pipeline as experienced by one
black family.
Nya (Ramona Lisa Alexander)
knows education; she teaches in
an inner-city high school and ded-
icates herself to elevating the con-
sciousness of her students inside
C ontinued on P age 8
to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit involving
the city’s former police chief and a tow company
employer.
Noose at Benson Investigated
Portland police responded to Benson High School
Friday on a report that a noose was found by a main-
tenance employee in a secure area within the school
that was not in view of students. Officers are con-
tinuing to investigate the incident.
Republicans Walk Out
Republicans in the Oregon Senate left the Capitol
Monday to stop majority Democrats from passing a
bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions. On Tuesday,
Republicans in the House also walked out, prevent-
ing a quorum to pass any legislation.
Movie Mogal Found Guilty
Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced former Hollywood
producer, was found guilty of criminal sexual as-
sault and of rape in the third degree in a New York
court Monday. The outcome was seen as a landmark
moment in the #MeToo movement aknowledging
sexual harassment in the workforce.