2020 has ushered in a renewed uprising against systemic racism, social injustice, and excessive police force. As the “Black Lives Matter” movement gains momentum all over the United States and abroad, Portland has taken center stage for its unwavering stand for change. Don’t Shoot Portland, a nonprofit civil rights agency, is collaborating with Portland-based HOLDING Contemporary on its second exhibit in a series designed to shine a light on injustice.
The two groups collaborated in 2017 to create an exhibit named “Stolen Angels,” which honored the memories of victims who were murdered by the police. It was “created as a space where the families of children murdered by the police and the violence of white supremacy could remember, represent, and depict their family members’ memories with love, honor, and positivity.”
The current exhibition, Stop Killing Us: A Black Lives Still Matter Multimedia Installation, is both a memorial and a display of the BLM movement and social protest history.
Don’t Shoot Portland founder Teressa Raiford holds a live YouTube conversation every Thursday at 5:00 pm PT to answer questions and create a dialogue about the exhibit and its mission. Raiford created the Don’t Shoot Portland organization in 2016 after being exonerated of a disorderly conduct charge during a peaceful protest.
HOLDING Contemporary partners with grassroots organizations like Don’t Shoot Portland to bring community-driven projects to life that will “challenge the economic and social privilege of the art world.”
The exhibit, which opened on August 6th, runs through August 29th at HOLDING Contemporary’s Flanders Street gallery. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Social distancing and masks are required.