PDX Civil Rights formerly the Burger Barn

SPRING BREAKOUT: Audits Matter ☝🏽

🙋🏽‍♀️We’ve been using for years - it’s how we use data to investigate local city inequality on the record - from policies, to programs and bureaus.

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During this educational open house, we will have workers from the Auditors Office share recent report findings from the Arts Tax, Climate Justice, Parks and Citywide Asset Management audits and other recent systemic reviews.

🔎Learn about reporting government misconduct, the Good Government Fraud Hotline, how to suggest future audits and more.

A city audit is an independent, objective assessment of a municipality’s financial records, operations and performance, conducted to ensure accountability, efficiency and compliance with laws.

The Portland City Auditor is an independently elected office responsible for ensuring accountability, transparency and efficiency in city government. In addition to conducting performance audits of city bureaus and programs, the office also investigates complaints against city services.

Everyone is Welcome

Holding on to history: Black Memory Lab keeps stories alive Black history is still in the making thanks to a project that's co-led by the City of Portland and the organization Don't Shoot PDX.

👏🏾‼️ Last weekend to see this amazing exhibition ‘If We Could Talk’ by local members of our community in partnership with Oregon Metro!!

Thank you The Oregonian / OregonLive.com 🗞️
https://youtu.be/i4AY9U3-7Ak

The BLACK Gallery PDX Taishona Carpenter doesn’t consider herself an artist. Yet, art is almost her whole life. It’s because she’s not only the director, but also a founder and cu...

🎨 For Artists of Color
An Unaffiliated Exhibition of Student artwork, By and for Students of Color
Hosted by The Black Gallery

Exhibition Dates: February 22nd, 2026 - March 7th, 2026
Opening Reception: First Thursday, March 5th 2026 6pm - 9pm

What is art without activism? What is art without resistance? What is art without protest?

For Artists of Color is an exhibition showcasing artwork from local Portland-Based artists. This exhibition is curated exclusively by and for students of color. On February 14th, 2025 a letter was sent out by the United States Department of Education.

This letter imposed a view of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as being discriminatory towards white students because they cannot “equally benefit” from race and ethnicity based measures that intended to create a more equitable playing field for students of color.

Many universities and arts organizations pushed back and fought against this letter, suing the department of education. The students in this exhibition were told that their institution wasn’t fighting for them.

Rather than support their community of student artists and defend their right to hold exhibitions solely for the Black, Indigenous and community of color they were told they couldn’t. This exhibition stands as a counter, a push back against them, if you don’t want our community then you won’t have us.

About 1,000 people brought their signs, their dogs and their kids to march under a crisp winter sun in North Portland on Monday.

Portlanders march in honor of MLK Jr., and in protest of second Trump administration For many demonstrators, this was their first time marching on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Some said they were driven by what they were seeing in the news across the country: Federal agents violently detaining people off the street, and President Donald Trump's attempts at erasing parts of Black hist...

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s house was firebombed Jan 30th, 1956 during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Did you know he tried to get a Concealed Pistol License? Civil Rights & The Gun - Historian Michael Imhotep founder of The African History Network Recorded 1-30-20

(VIDEO)
https://youtu.be/d-KftJWjW0s?si=oy6O29sGlChjeWi1

On the evening of January 30, 1956, one month after the beginning of the Montgomery bus boycott, the home of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was bombed while his wife Coretta, seven-week-old daughter Yolanda, and a neighbor were inside. The front of the home was damaged but no one was injured.

Dr. King was speaking at a large meeting when he learned about the bombing. He rushed home to find a large crowd gathered outside, some carrying weapons and prepared to take action in his defense. The crowd cheered at Dr. King's arrival, and the mayor and police commissioner urged the crowd to remain calm and promised the bombing would be fully investigated.

SOURCE:

https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/jan/30

Congratulations! Yolanda Renee King, the granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr., is continuing her grandfather’s legacy at just 15 years old. She wrote We Dream a World, a picture book meant to inspire readers of all ages to dream big, act peacefully, and stand up for justice in their communities.

Yolanda has been inspired by her grandparents, Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, and she feels a responsibility to continue their work. She often speaks at schools and events, including the March on Washington, encouraging young people to use their voices for good.

Her message is simple: even small actions can make a difference. By sharing her story and ideas, Yolanda hopes to motivate the next generation of dreamers to take peaceful action and make the world a more fair and equal place.

Her book was released January 2, 2024, and is already inspiring readers everywhere.

(Photo: Yolanda Renee King)