Donovan Scribes (fka Donovan Smith)

Tiffany Cross has no fairytale notions about love. Instead, she embraces what’s real: her sister circle, wisdom from the ancestors, and an undying commitment to Black people, from the stoop to the board room.  Her second book, Love, Me: A Letter to Black Women in a Toxic Country, Career, and Relationship demonstrates that love over […]

“I read all the revolutionary shit you read. But I am alive because of what my Grandmama did with her understanding of Christ.”—Kiese Laymon, 2026 “As a culture worker who belongs to an oppressed people my job is to make revolution irresistible.”—Toni Cade Bambarra, 1982 Sigh… If the culture wars within Portland city council weren’t […]

Are you not entertained? —Russell Crowe as Maximus, Gladiator (2003) YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER! If Maury—the longrunning daytime talk show hosted by Maury Povich—were around in 1776, Thomas Jefferson would have been the perfect guest—I’m talking season opener level. Jefferson, the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence, allegedly had secret children that he […]

So if I come to your job / Take your corn on the cob / And take a couple kernels off / Would that be alright with you? Andre 3000, What a Job (2007) Re•pair: to restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken IMPOSSIBLE Rep. Shannon Jones Isadore is […]

“Don’t ever change, keep your essence / The power is in the people and politics we address” —2pac, Me Against the World (1995) Dear Governor Kotek, It’s been a while.  I write this letter with little joy. In fact, given the work I do in the realm of civics—it is near certain my words will […]

All money ain’t good money —Black Proverb, 4080 BACK TO “THE FUTURE”  Ask just about anyone to envision a futuristic world—robots, bright lights, and flying cars are likely to come to mind. Less likely are visions of open meadows, abundant gardens, and communities laughing and eating together over home cooked meals. Last month, Bernie Sanders and […]

God is Change—Seed to tree, tree to forest; Rain to river, river to sea; Grubs to bees, bees to swarm. From one, many; from many, one; Forever uniting, growing, dissolving—forever Changing. The universe is God’s self-portrait.”— Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower, 1993 In just a few weeks, the Thompson Elk Fountain will be restored to […]

Port•land: a seaport in NW Oregon, at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Nice: pleasant; agreeable; satisfactory. •••• In case y’all missed it: Last week during a public meeting, Metro Councilor Juan Carlos González was discussing his concerns surrounding housing policy in the region, when fellow councilor Mary Nolan—who is White—asked González to […]

An attempt by Portland Police to recolor the thin blue line to green was gently swatted down this week by a Multnomah County judge. The Coalition of Communities of Color mounted a legal challenge against a Portland Police union-backed ballot initiative that would divert 25 percent of the monies from the groundbreaking climate initiative, Portland […]

Portland, in addition to being my hometown, is many things. “War-ravaged” is not one of them. 2025 brought us a slate of memorable, profound, troubling, and laugh-to-stop-from-crying moments: ramped up terrorism from ICE, groundbreaking reclamation efforts from Black Portland, and thousands of people bare-assing it to disarm the POTUS’ hot-takes about Portland. So what did […]