August Wilson Monologue Competition

7 p.m. Mon, Feb 27, Newmark Theatre, FREE (reservations required)
Twelve local high school students perform monologues by landmark playwright August Wilson, whose 10-play Century Cycle chronicled black life in Pittsburgh’s working-class Hill District, vying for the chance to advance to the national competition in New York City. Plus, expect two monologues from the Red Door Project’s Hands Up project about policing and race, and plenty of music throughout the evening.

Latinx Rally - Defend DACA

5­–7:30 p.m. Tues, Feb 28, Terry D. Schrunk Plaza
Join Milenio.org and Voz Hispana Cambio Comunitario as they call on elected city, state, and national officials to protect DACA, stop deportations, protect immigrants, and welcome refugees.

Ride for Resistance

6–9 p.m. Tues, Feb 28, Parkway North, Portland State University, FREE
Listen to the stories of indigenous activists from more than twelve different nations as they share their knowledge of colonial violence and #NoDAPL resistance.

Thank You Planned Parenthood

7 p.m. Tue, Feb 28, EastBurn, $20
Seven women—including providers, volunteers, and former patients—share stories about the role Planned Parenthood has played in their lives.

The Lost Boys of Portlandia Screening and Panel

7–8:30 p.m. Wed, March 1, Havurah Shalom, FREE
This free event includes a screening of The Lost Boys of Portlandia, an indie documentary about Portland’s homeless youth; the premiere of the film “Resist, not Arrest,” which explores HB 2215, a new bill that would allow people to rest, sit, and eat in public; and a panel discussion with youth who have experienced homelessness. 

Count Her In Celebration

5:30–8 p.m. Thu, Mar 2, Castaway Portland, SOLD OUT
Commemorate the groundbreaking results of the Women’s Foundation of Oregon’s landmark statewide “Count Her In” survey with dinner, drinks, a live auction, and a celebrity quiz show. 

ACLU Benefit Show at Holocene

8 p.m.–12:30 a.m. Thu, Mar 2, Holocene, $10
This 21+ musical performance features acts by Lenore, Lindsay Clark, Catherine Feeny, Anna Tivel, and Robin Bacior.

POWFest

Thurs–Sun, Mar 2–5, Hollywood Theatre, $9 general, $60 festival pass
The annual showcase of women in cinema celebrates its 10th anniversary with its first guest of honor of color: Cheryl Dunye, whose 1996 film The Watermelon Woman was a trailblazing LGBTQ work. Other highlights include The View from Tall, a feature film exploring teen sexuality and consent, and Out of Order, a doc following queer faith leaders.

Joel Berg

7:30 p.m. Fri, Mar 3, Powell's City of Books, FREE
The antipoverty advocate and director of Hunger Free America just dropped a new book, America, We Need to Talk, which parodies self-help tomes while also examining why our country has gone so haywire of late—and providing a plan for the future.

Cascade Festival of African Films

Various times thru Mar 4, Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus, FREE
Back in 1991, this fest launched as a humble four-film affair. This year, it’s up to 17 feature-length films (plus six shorts) from across the continent, including South Africa, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Tunisia.

Know Your Rights: Trans Youth & Title IX

Noon–1 p.m. Sun, Mar 5, Q Center, FREE
The Trump administration recently announced it would rescind protections for transgender students—this event will outline what rights and options are still available to students of all gender identities. 

Putting the T in Equality

6:30–9 p.m. Sun, Mar 5, Portland First Christian Church, FREE
Learn how to support and advocate on behalf of transgender Oregonians at this workshop for cisgender allies.

My Life Through My Lens

Thru Mar 5, Union Knott, FREE
Local photographer Renée Lopez’s first solo exhibit features her striking images of Portlanders of color, largely women and those in activist and music communities.

"The Few, the Many... and Trump"

7 p.m. Tue, Mar 7, Reed College's Vollum Lecture Hall, FREE
Political theorist and University of Pennsylvania professor Jeffrey Green gives a lecture that promises to "examine aspects of the Trump phenomenon in light of a plebeian model of democracy."

Portland Zine Symposium Presents: Identities and Futures

7 p.m.–1 a.m. Tues, Mar 7, Holocene, $7-10 sliding scale (or bring a donation of sealed menstrual products and pay $5)
This multimedia event will highlight the stores of women and non-binary folks through animations, comics and zine readings, and tunes by DJ KM Fizzy of the Thermals. A portion of proceeds will benefit Sankofa Collective Northwest. 

Beyond the Bars: A Discussion on Mass Incarceration and Deportation

7–9 pm. Tues, March 7, Gilda’s Italian Restaurant, FREE
Join Milenio.org for a roundtable discussion about the effects of the United States' current deportation and mass incarceration practices. 

Eight That Can't Wait: Discussion of Reproductive Health Access Gaps

8:30–10:30 a.m. Wed, March 8, Women’s Foundation of Oregon, FREE (suggested donation)
Since releasing its galvanizing Count Her In report last fall, the Women’s Foundation of Oregon has been hosting a series of talks exploring the most pressing obstacles facing female Oregonians. This community discussion will focus on ways to close the gaps in reproductive healthcare access across our state.

Matthew Desmond

7:30 p.m. Thu, Mar 9, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, $15–65
As part of Multnomah County Library’s Everybody Reads program, Desmond—a sociologist at Harvard and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow—discusses his book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, which profiles eight poor families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Morgan Parker

7:30 p.m. Fri, Mar 10, Powell's City of Books, FREE
Rarely has a poetry collection boasted a nervier title than Parker’s latest, There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé. Drawing on politics, jazz, and modern pop culture, her work has both moxie and depth. Parker will also appear at the Portland Art Museum at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11, with a group of high-school poets for a performance in the Constructing Identity exhibit.

Pride Forever: LGBTQ History Tour

11 a.m.–2 p.m. Sat, March 11, Voodoo Doughnut, $15
Featuring the personal stories of local LGBTQ leaders, this Know Your City tour explores topics like anti-transgender violence, AIDS, and cross-dressing through a local lens. 

Ceremony of Sludge VI: Benefit for Planned Parenthood and ACLU

8 p.m.–3 a.m. Sat, March 11, High Water Mark, $10-20 sliding scale
This annual celebration of heavy music will feature Witch Mountain, Disenchanter, Year of the Cobra, and other local bands. All proceeds will be donated to Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette and ACLU of Oregon.

Arvie Smith

Thru Mar 12, Portland Art Museum, $19.99
With lush colors, swirling lines, and potent references—the Ku Klux Klan to Aunt Jemima to the police shooting of Michael Brown—the Portlander’s huge canvases are a politically charged visual feast.

NXNE: The Skanner Photography of Julie Keefe, 1991–2008

Thru Mar 17, Emerson House, FREE
Julie Keefe started working as a photographer for the Skanner, Portland’s African-American newspaper, in 1991. This exhibit gathers nearly two decades’ worth of her work of North and Northeast Portland.

We the People

Thru Mar, Wieden & Kennedy, FREE
This gallery show features demonstration signs from recent social justice marches. The evolving exhibit—community members are welcome to donate their signs—will run through March before traveling around the world to Wieden & Kennedy’s international offices. For each item received, Wieden & Kennedy has pledged to give $10 to Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union, promising a minimum contribution of $10,000. Read more about it here.