WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21
Can You Hear Us?
Roosevelt High School students and members of the PDX NAACP will discuss their newest exhibit, Can You Hear Us?, which celebrates 104 years of Portland’s NAACP branch. If you can’t make it to the opening reception, the exhibit runs through the end of March. Lloyd Center, 2201 Lloyd, 11:30 am-1 pm, FREE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Free Renters’ Rights Workshop
Nearly 40 percent of Oregonians are renters, and the Community Alliance of Tenants works to protect them. This workshop, available in English and Vietnamese, will train renters about their rights and is open to all. Bring your questions! Midland Library, 805 SE 122nd, 6-7:30 pm, FREE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23
T Time: A Chill Space for Trans, Non-binary, and Genderqueer Folks
This safe space for trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer people offers a place to hang and create community. The PSU Queer Resource Center invites folks of these identities to do homework, doodle, and more over a cup of tea with others. PSU Queer Resource Center, 1825 SW Broadway, 5 pm, FREE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24
The Last Pig Screening
What would you do if you built a life around something that, as you grew older, felt at odds with your morals? It’s a question that The Last Pig explores as Comi, a pig farmer, chooses to reinvent himself. The screening is free but requests a $10 donation to benefit Out to Pasture Sanctuary. Q&A with presidents of Out to Pasture and delicious vegan food to follow. 5th Avenue Cinema, 510 SW Hall, 7-9 pm, $10 suggested donation
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25
Food and Film Night Benefit for African People’s Socialist Party
At the height of the Black Panther movement, renowned leader Fred Hampton was killed by the FBI. Although the organization fought against institutional racism, the FBI targeted the group and labeled them extremists. Join the Uhuru Solidarity Movement’s screening of The Murder of Fred Hampton in support of the APSP. Cash only. In Other Words Feminist Community Center, 14 NE Killingsworth, 6:30-9 pm, $7-10
Lunar New Year Gathering
Ring in Lunar New Year alongside Asians 4 Black Lives PDX, a group of Asian-identified activists fighting for collective liberation. Co-presented by AAPRP, BLM PDX, and Don’t Shoot PDX, this event will feature dumpling making, arts and crafts, and give info for how to get involved with said orgs. Special guest and internet-famous toddler Mazzy Chiu will be in attendance. Yale Union, 800 SE 10th, 5-7:30 pm, FREE
S1 Volunteer Orientation
The amazingly resilient artist-run visual art center S1 has survived yet another relocation. To help keep their workshops and synth library accessible and open to all, they need a new group of dedicated volunteers. Attend this hour-long orientation to meet the staff, have a snack, and learn how you can help keep this community space thriving for years to come. S1, 7320 NE Sandy, 6:30-7:30 pm, FREE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26
Geeks Who Drink: Trivia for a Cause
Get your geek on and flex your brain muscles proudly. Bring friends and set up a trivia team, or come alone and join a group. All proceeds will go to House of Dreams, a no-kill shelter focused on caring for feline leukemia-positive kittens and geriatric cats. Base Camp Brewing Company, 930 SE Oak, 6:30-10 pm, $5 suggested donation
We Are Not the Enemy!
In the 1940s, approximately 25,000 people with Japanese ancestry lived in Peru. As xenophobia and anti-Japanese sentiment ramped up with WWII, the US called for Latin American countries to arrest and deport their Japanese citizens to join those forcibly interned in the States. Grace Shimizu of the Japanese Peruvian Oral History Project will lead a conversation about the ongoing struggles for government accountability in Peru and beyond. Lewis & Clark College, 0615 SW Palatine Hill, 4:30-6 pm, FREE
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
The ACLU of Oregon, who advocates for the protection of civil liberties for all, is raising money by hosting a screening and a post-film talkback about the Black Power movement. The event is also an excellent prequel for their March 9 Liberty Dinner, which will feature scholar and activist Angela Davis. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 6:30-9 pm, $7-9
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27
Pop Up for Puerto Rico 2: The French Connection
This week marks five months since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. On January 25, CNN estimated that nearly half a million Puerto Ricans are still without power. Chef Andres Gonzalez-Diaz has prepared a Puerto Rican dinner to raise money to send emergency supplies to Casa Alondra, the assisted living home where his grandmother, Juanita Melendez, lived before she died on a rationed water and food diet following the hurricane. Daruma Sushi + Saké, 1640 NE Killingsworth, 6-10 pm, $60
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Growing Gardens
Since 2006, Growing Gardens have tackled the issue of food accessibility and public health by teaching people how to grow their own food. Thanks to the help of hundreds of volunteers, the group has been able to build organic, raised bed vegetable gardens in homes, schools, and correctional facilities. Low-income households are also supported for three full years with seeds, plants, classes, mentors, and more.
Opportunities and commitment: With spring around the corner, Growing Gardens have a slew of opportunities for folks to get involved. Their top priorities are spring dig-in teams (Earth Day garden build-a-thon), garden mentors (work one-on-one with beginning gardeners for one to five hours per month), and garden-building crew leaders (requires six-hour training and installations are typically five hours). To get involved, sign up at growing-gardens.org/get-involved and send questions to zoe [at] growing-gardens [dot] org.
