Allison Barr Photography

proof that life has been sweet to me ❣️🍓

Stars were indeed on ice today at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. 🌟⛸️

got to feel 17 again last night for oregon city high school’s prom 👗✨

I wish someone has told me Holi was this fun years ago. 🎉

for The Oregonian 🌈

“Dear Portland” is a current art exhibit in Old Town that addresses the houselessness crisis in Portland in a unique way. Their goal to create change is done so by using visual storytelling to invoke empathy for those in housed and that viewers will leave feeling encouraged to help.

The exhibit is set up in three parts, similar to that of a movie. “Act I is to see clearly. Act II is to feel deeply, and Act III is to take action,” says Schaupp.

Reporting and visuals by me for the 🫂📸

Wale and Cyrus have been working hard in Old Town. The creative duo opened The Horizon Enterprise Building, which they deem will be the “epicenter and incubator for BIPOC creatives in Portland.” It’s been five years in the making.

All four floors in the building will be dedicated to creative pursuits for Portlanders. Currently, the bottom and first floor are open. The basement is home to , a rhythm and social club. And the second floor to .

Plans for the third and fourth floor include a makerspace for artists of all kinds and lodging options for artist residencies.

“We’ve had a history of the BIPOC community being confined here maybe against their will in the past,” says Cyrus Coleman about Old Town. “But obviously, being able to come full circle and make it into something that is actually special and can set the tone for the rest of the neighborhood, Downtown, city, nation…we’re truly trying to be that shining light.”

Reporting by
Photography by me 📸
For

Today, Jan. 31, several thousands people marched in an anti-ICE protest organized by local labor unions. Federal agents set off tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets when demonstrators got to the ICE facility.

Last year, I was introduced to HOLLA — a Portland education nonprofit that intertwines culture with schooling to empower youth of color.

Former OSU basketball player and Benson High coach, Eric Knox, started the program over ten years ago. They now have a brick and mortar school in addition to their mentorship program.

“Creating a sense of belonging and having kids know that their lived experience matters is something extremely powerful,” he said.

📸 by for
Reporting by Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

Last week, Soledad Molina was kind enough to let me into her home, and talk to about the toll increasing electricity prices has had on her family’s livelihood.

Molina has been struggling as a mother of four who recently lost her job. As my college Gosia reports, residential energy bills have increased nearly 50% across the state in the past four years. Nearly 58,000 Oregonian had their power disconnected last year.

“It’s simple: either I pay the rent, buy food, or pay the electric bill but I can’t do all three” she says.

You can read the full story at OregonLive.com 💡

Roughly 1,000 people gathered at the waterfront in downtown Portland on Saturday, January 10, 2026. Local organizations Swing Left and Cedar Mill Indivisible organized the event in response to recent shootings by ICE and Border Patrol agents.