May Day 2017 - All Power to the People: Rise Up, Resist, Unite

Noon–5 p.m. Mon, May 1, Shemanski Park, FREE
Mark International Workers’ Day by joining a broad swath of local organizations—including Black Lives Matter Portland, Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project, Portland Tenants United, the Oregon Working Families Party, and many more—to stand up for labor rights. The rally is at 2 p.m., with the march kicking off at 3 p.m. 

Race & Place: Old Town’s Chinatown and Japantown through Chinese American and Nikkei Eyes

5:30–7:30 p.m. Wed, May 3, Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, FREE
Before Old Town was Old Town, it was New Chinatown and Japantown, playing home to significant immigrant communities. Hear from four Chinese and Japanese American elders as they recount their experiences from the 1920s to 1960.

Shaun King

7 p.m. Thu, May 4, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, $20–170
The New York Daily News columnist and Black Lives Matter activist—one of the country’s strongest voices on racism and police brutality—gives a lecture titled “The New Civil Rights and Global Justice.”

Women Writers Against Trump

7 p.m. Fri, May 5, Ford Food + Drink, FREE
This reading series, founded by sisters and poets Chrys and Allison Tobey, aims to “stick it to the man (with the flaming orange head carpet) by drawing attention to the voices and ideas he and his administration attempt to silence.” Tonight features readings from five women writers: Andrea Hollander, Kate Carroll de Gutes, Natasha Sajé, Stephanie Adams-Santos, and Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo. The event is free, but donations will go towards No More Deaths / No Más Muertes.

Listen. Learn. Lead.

7:45 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat, May 6, First Unitarian Church of Portland, $60
The group calling itself Nasty Women Get Shit Done PDX puts on an all-day conference dedicated to social and political justice, with workshops and presentations put on by the likes of Black Lives Matter, Planned Parenthood, and Causa.

Conversation Project: Immigrants, Refugees, and Oregon

7 p.m. Mon, May 8, Sabin Elementary School, FREE
What role does international migration play in Oregon's future? Manuel Padilla, who's worked with refugees across the globe, will ask attendees "to consider questions of uprootedness, hospitality, identity, perception, and integration and how we might build more informed, responsive, resilient, and vibrant communities."

Gender Diverse Children & Youth

11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Wed, May 10, YWCA Social Justice/Multicultural Center, FREE
Hosted by the YWCA of Greater Portland, this social justice training event will explore how children develop gender identity and gender expression, and the impact that transgender and gender non-conforming children can have on family dynamics. 

This is Innocence: A Fundraiser for Oregon Innocence Project

6 p.m. Thu, May 11, Urban Studio, $125
This annual fundraiser for the Oregon Innocence Project, which works to clear wrongful convictions, features guest speakers Anna Vasquez and Cassandra Rivera of the "San Antonio Four." These women were falsely convicted for sexual abuse and served between 13 and 15 years before being exonerated at the end of 2016. Admission includes drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

How to Defend the Columbia—An Evening with Columbia Riverkeeper

7:30 p.m. Thu, May 11, Patagonia Portland, FREE
Columbia Riverkeeper, a nonprofit that works to protect the Columbia River, puts on a workshop about protesting a proposal to build a $1.8 million methanol plant at the Port of Kalama in Washington state, which would bring coil and oil supertankers down the waterway. Additionally, 10 percent of all Patagonia profits on Saturday, May 6 will benefit Columbia Riverkeeper.

Poetry and Politics

7–9 p.m. Thu, May 11, Literary Arts, FREE
Four poets—Allison Joseph, Margaret Rhee, Sam Roxas-Chua, and Neil Aitken—read from their work, and then discuss "literary activism, social justice, intersectionality, feminism, and allyship."

PDX Red Party

Vendor fair 4–6 p.m., dance party until 10 p.m., Friday, May 12, PSU’s Smith Memorial Student Union, FREE
Now in its second year, this party—put on by Periodic, Inc., an organization that addresses menstruation-related social inequities through advocacy, policy, and education—includes raffle prizes, dancing, carnival games, and an array of community vendors. For more, check out our event preview.

Bodies Empowered

6 p.m. Fri, May 12, Holocene, $5–50
Lingerie boutique Lille celebrates its 10th anniversary with a runway featuring pretty unmentionables from the Istanbul-based Else, with an appearance by brand founder and designer Ela Onur. All proceeds—from ticket sales as well as from a raffle and silent auction—will benefit Planned Parenthood.

White Guilt Work Group

3–5 p.m. Sat, May 13, Una Gallery, FREE
Queer feminist organizer Emilie Friedman facilitates an anti-racism working group designed for white folks to work through feelings of shame and guilt around white supremacy, and to talk about anti-racist actions and organizing going forward.  

Clothing Swap Benefiting Trans & Nonbinary Folks

12–3 p.m. Sun, May 14, Crush Bar, FREE
This clothing swap centers trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals, but folks of all genders are welcome to attend. Bring clean, gently used clothing and home goods to donate or trade. 

Connecting Lines

Thru Oct 29, Portland Art Museum, FREE–$19.99
PAM’s Center for Contemporary Native Art showcases work by two artists: Luzene Hill (Eastern Band Cherokee) examines sexual violence against Native women via large-scale silk hangings, while an installation by Portlander Brenda Mallory (Cherokee Nation) “addresses ideas of disruption, repair, and renewal.”