April 02 2021
The Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie of Northeast Portland is a minister in the United Church of Christ.
Portland has been home most of my life. Our family moved here when I was 10. At 18, I joined the Burnside Community Council board, kicking off a life in social services and ministry that has covered three decades and six Portland mayors.
All these years, I ve been in a lover s quarrel with Portland, demanding more housing and attention to civil rights to make Portland a better home for all.
At 52, like many Portlanders, I m dismayed where we are as a city and wondering if Portland, with all the Rose City has to offer, will become the new Eden, or are we on a path to becoming the new Gotham. You might be surprised to learn I m still hopeful about our future.
MLK s Legacy Looms Larger Than Ever
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By OZY Editors
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By OZY Editors
The patron saint of America’s civil rights movement, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is part of every school curriculum and there’s a federal holiday in his name when even George Washington has to share custody. There can be no “next” King, and it’s not fair to anyone to hand off that label. But after a year of conflict and connection around race in America, when we were shaken awake to unresolved issues from King’s day, it’s worth reflecting on who’s carrying his torch in 2021. In honor of Martin Luther King Day, this Sunday Magazine introduces you to today’s leaders across issues to which King devoted his life’s work: poverty, labor, religion and civil rights. Looking for inspiration? Read on.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Oregon: Events, what’s open, what’s closed
Updated Jan 18, 2021;
Posted Jan 15, 2021
SOLVE will host a Day of Service cleaning Portland streets on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.Photo by Toledo Images
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As the nation celebrates slain human rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., several organizations will host virtual and live events to commemorate the holiday. We’ve also included a list of what’s open and closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the Portland area Monday, Jan. 18.
EVENTS
“Bridge Over Troubled Water”
The World Arts Foundation presents a tribute to King’s life and legacy. This virtual production will stream on multiple platforms and includes decades’ worth of digitally transferred recorded content from the organization’s archives. Historic media has been combined with contemporary interviews of community leaders and past program participants.
The coronavirus pandemic has upended the worlds of millions of people across the globe and here in the United States.
Amid a crisis not experienced for more than a century, the pandemic has set off another epidemic of silent suffering.
The isolation.
The hopelessness.
It s creating a mental health crisis for young people, and now, eight out of 10 young people say they are struggling.
Over the course of this series, our team looked at what s driving this mental health crisis and why it s hitting 18-30-year-olds especially hard. We tried to strip away the stigma and shame around it, as well as offer tangible ways people can find and access care, support and build connections.
[In an effort to reflect on a very tumultuous year, the Mercury asked several Portlanders to look back on their 2020 and share how their lives have changed and what they ve taken away from their experiences. Candace Avalos is a Blacktina, a former city council candidate, a PSU educator, and an activist for police reform, neighborhoods, and Black lives. Here is her 2020 story. eds]
“It was supposed to be my year” is a phrase I ve heard from so many people as they reflected on the plans they had for 2020 dreams and wishes that ultimately never came to fruition. I also entered this year thinking about all the goals I was going to crush, all the doors I was going to knock on during my first campaign for Portland City Council, all the places I wanted to visit including a trip to see baby goats in Eastern Oregon. But that trip, like so many other plans, crumbled between my fingers during a year that truly tested everyone’s resolve.