Opinion
Last Month in Oregon Labor | May 2025
Amid nearly daily federal threats to workers across the United States, the Oregon labor movement continues to march on. In May, workers won at least five union elections, formed seven new campaigns and held six labor actions. “Last month in Oregon labor” is a monthly installment by Aurora Biggers covering all things Oregon labor. Union…
Letter from the editor | Street Roots wins 8 SPJ awards, publishes first piece with ProPublica
Street Roots has big news. First, I’ll give an update regarding a number of stories published last year, as well as in our Spring Anthology issues in April. Then I’ll introduce the first story Street Roots is co-publishing with ProPublica, which is in this June 11 issue of Street Roots. Each year, Street Roots submits…
Poetry & Art
Portland filmmakers celebrate Black history in Juneteenth event
In November 2024, the screening of two short films at the Hollywood Theatre a few days after the presidential election coincided with a sense of anguish, and the need for community and belonging. On June 19, Portlanders will have another chance to see them. Filmmakers Donovan Scribes and Devin Boss created “Dear Young Black Portland”…
News
Portland said it was investing in homeless people’s safety. Deaths have skyrocketed.
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. As the city of Portland clawed its way out of the pandemic, it faced a new set of crises: The city’s homeless population was growing. Tents lined some city blocks. High-powered business associations held press conferences demanding the city remove homeless people and touted self-funded surveys…
Oregon celebrates Juneteenth
In 1945, Clara Peoples started a tradition in the cafeteria of the Kaiser Shipyards in Portland. With permission from supervisors, she announced to her co-workers that they would celebrate Juneteenth at lunchtime. They had 15 minutes to do so. Since then, the Juneteenth celebration has grown to include a parade, the Miss Juneteenth Oregon pageant…
