February 21, 2018 The Skanner BLACK HISTORY EDITION Page 11
Black History
Black History
News Briefs
appreciation of the Black culture and
experience, and to commemorate the
life and legacy of Mrs. Coretta Scott
King for her courage and determina-
tion in supporting the work of her hus-
band, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for
peace and world brotherhood.
NAACP Portland Branch
Opens “Can You Hear Us?”
Exhibit at Lloyd Center
Feb. 24
August Wilson Monologue
Competition Takes Place
Feb. 26
The NAACP Portland Branch’s his-
tory exhibit, “Can You Hear Us?” cele-
brates some of the Portland branch’s
history over their 104 years of service.
The NAACP Portland Branch is the lon-
gest-running branch west of the Mis-
sissippi. The display presents some
of the organization’s most pivotal mo-
ments through historic photographs as
well as video footage of some of our mo-
ments that speak to the African Ameri-
can experience in America.
NAACP members and students
from Roosevelt High School will be
present at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 24 for an
official opening of the exhibit. Stu-
dents will share their poetry and spo-
ken word while guests can learn more
about the history of the NAACP Port-
land Branch and how you can get in-
volved. “Can You Hear Us” can be found
on the first Floor of the Lloyd Center
Mall, next to Starbucks, Verizon and
Stanford’s Restaurant.
This event is free and open to the pub-
lic! Donations help the NAACP Port-
land Branch continue their cultural
programming.
Bill Fletcher to Lecture on
Race and Labor Feb. 21
Bill Fletcher, Jr., one of the country’s
most prominent theorists and leaders
in the struggle for economic justice,
whose columns frequently run in The
Skanner News, will lecture from 4 to
6 p.m. Feb. 21 at UO Campus Eugene
in Straub Hall Room 145. This event is
free.
Fletcher has been at the forefront of
both the labor and anti-racist move-
ments for four decades. Fletcher has
served as Education Director for the
national AFL-CIO and as senior staff
for a number of national labor unions.
He has also served as president of Tran-
sAfrica Forum, as Senior Scholar with
the Institute for Policy Studies, and as
an editorial board member of Black-
Commentator.com.
He is author or co-author of multiple
books, including “Solidarity Divided:
The crisis in organized labor and a new
path toward social justice” (University
of California press, 2009).
Hollywood Theatre Hosts
‘Black Power Mixed Tape
1967-1975’ Feb. 26
The ACLU of Oregon’s Resistance
Book Club presents a 35mm print of
“The Black Power Mix Tape 1967-1975”
from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at 4122 North-
east Sandy Boulevard, from $7 to $9. All
proceeds from this screening will go to
the ACLU of Oregon.
“The Black Power Mix Tape” is a trea-
sure trove of intimate moments and re-
markably unguarded interviews with
many of the leaders of the Black Power
movement, including Angela Davis,
Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale, and
Eldridge Cleaver. This footage lan-
guished in the basement of Swedish
Television for 30 years, until director
Göran Olsson and co-producer Danny
Glover brought it to light in a mosaic of
images, music, and narration chroni-
cling one of our nation’s most indelible
turning points: the Black Power move-
ment. Music by Questlove and Om’Mas
Keith and commentary from Erykah
Badu, Talib Kweli, and Melvin Van Pee-
bles give the historical footage a fresh,
contemporary resonance and make the
film an exhilarating, unprecedented
account of an American revolution.
The ACLU of Oregon will present a
post-screening talkback exploring the
Black Power movement, the influence
of movements on political resistance
in today’s world, and Angela Davis’
enduring legacy. Join the talkback dis-
cussion by reading selected excerpts,
including work by Angela Davis and
other writers, that explores criminal
justice policy and racism, among other
topics.
For more information, visit https://
hollywoodtheatre.org/booking/tick-
ets/1-351798/.
Portland Author Renée
Watson to Read From
‘Betty Before X’ at North
Portland Library Feb. 24
Portland readers interested in Black
history will have the chance to meet
local author Renée Watson and win
copies of her new middle-grade novel,
“Betty Before X,” co-authored my Ilya-
sah Shabazz, at an intergenerational
tea from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 24.
The event includes a reading, book
discussion, Q&A, and book signing
with Renée. Conversations will center
on girlhood, women’s empowerment,
and the inspiring legacy of Dr. Betty
Shabazz.
This is a free event open to the public
and space is limited. The first 50 guests
18 years old and under will receive a
free, signed copy of the book.
“Betty Before X” is a middle-grade,
historical fiction novel inspired by the
real life of Betty Shabazz, later known
as Betty X.
The book illuminates four poignant
years in Betty’s childhood and paints
an inspiring portrait of a girl over-
coming the challenges of self-accep-
tance and belonging that will resonate
with young readers today. The book
has received starred reviews and high
acclaim, including praise from Con-
gresswoman Maxine Waters, who said,
“Today is a time when fearless and
uncompromising leadership is need-
ed, and this story answers the call. It
should be an inspiration and playbook
to all women today, both young and old,
who, like Betty, are paving their own
path of strength.
Earlier this week Watson’s previ-
ous book, “Piecing Me Together,” was
named American Library Association’s
2018 Coretta Scott King Book Awards
“Piecing Me Together” as well a New-
bery Honor Book.
The awards were announced this
week at the American Library Associ-
ation (ALA) Midwinter Meeting & Ex-
hibits, held Feb. 9–13, 2018, in Denver,
Colorado, and presented in New Orle-
ans at the ALA Annual Conference &
Exhibition in June.
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards
are presented annually by the Coret-
ta Scott King Book Awards Committee
of the ALA’s Ethnic and Multicultural
Information Exchange Round Table
(EMIERT) to encourage the artistic ex-
pression of the African American ex-
perience via literature and the graphic
arts; to promote an understanding and
The August Wilson Red Door Proj-
ect presents the fourth August Wilson
Monologue Competition showcasing
Portland area high school students
from 7 to 10 p.m. Feb. 26. This year’s
theme is “Emerge” and the show at the
Newmark Theatre includes emerging
and acclaimed performers in theatre,
dance, and music. The event takes place
at Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broad-
way. It is free but reservations are re-
quired. Pre-sale tickets are no longer
available, but you can still register for
standby tickets. For more information
visit reddoorproject.org/awmc.
The mission of the August Wilson
Red Door Project is to change the racial
ecology of Portland through the arts.
The monologue competition is one of
the ways that the Red Door highlights
cultural and ethnic diversity in the
next generation of theatre artists and
the growing cultural arts movement in
Portland.
Following a recruitment campaign
that put the Red Door in front of over
1,000 students in Portland area high
schools, and a challenging two-day
audition process, 12 young women
have emerged as this year’s semi-final-
ists. This talented, diverse cohort has
been working in master classes with
Kevin Jones and Victor Mack, both
award-winning theatre artists and fa-
vorites on Portland stages. On the big
night, they will bring their newly deep-
ened “acting chops” and understanding
of Wilson’s themes, characters and lyr-
ical language to the stage. Professional
judges will select two of them to com-
pete nationally at the August Wilson
Theatre on Broadway.
Former competition participants de-
scribe their experiences as life-chang-
ing. Portland’s finalists have gone on to
success ranging from schooling at Jul-
liard to the starring role in a Broadway
play.
This year’s musical headliners rep-
resent a rich cultural mix of style and
genre:
• Darrell Grant, Jazz Pianist, Compos-
er, and Educator
• Bobby Torres, Latin Jazz Percussion-
ist
• Redray Frazier, Rock and Soul Trou-
bador
• Mic Crenshaw, World class MC and
poet
• DJ David vanOvereem, Portland’s
Master of “Turntablism”
• Oluyinka Akinjiola, Founder/Ar-
tistic Director of Rejoice! Diaspora
Dance Theater
NAACP Announces Key
Partnerships
During its annual public board meet-
ing in New York City, the NAACP an-
nounced several key partnerships de-
signed to expand the reach, impact and
effectiveness of the nation’s oldest and
largest civil rights organizations.
See BRIEFS on page 12