‘Mayor of NE Portland’ Honored With Affordable Housing Building
The Paul & Geneva Knauls Building will provide wraparound services for military veterans.
On Steps of US Supreme Court, AG Rosenblum Rallies Abortion Rights Supporters
Speaking at an ACLU-organized rally on the steps of the United States Supreme Court this morning, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum made an impassioned defense of abortion as essential healthcare, and of medication abortion as a key part of those healthcare rights. The rally coincided with arguments being presented inside the Supreme Court in the AHM (Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine) v. FDA (Food & Drug Administration) case.
Should College Essays Touch on Race? Some Feel the Affirmative Action Ruling Leaves Them No Choice
When the Supreme Court ended affirmative action, it left the college essay as one of few places where race can play a role in admissions decisions. Yet the added weight of the college essay has fallen unevenly on students of color, who often feel pressure to exploit their hardships as they compete for a spot on campus.
Bird Flu, Weather and Inflation Conspire to Keep Egg Prices Near Historic Highs for Easter
The cost of filling a basket or completing a Seder plate reflect a market scrambled by disease, high demand and growing costs for farmers. While global prices are lower than they were at this time last year, they remain elevated.
The Portland Art Museum presents Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks
Exhibition on view March 30 - August 11, 2024. Programs to include sneaker-focused Summer Camps and in-gallery activities ...
Portland Street Response Hosts Town Hall
PCCEP is seeking community input to help shape their recommendation in support of Portland Street Response. ...
Joint Center Responds to the U.S. House Office of Diversity and Inclusion Disbandment
This decision jeopardizes the establishment of policies to support diverse communities and threatens the pursuit of inclusivity for...
Bonamici, Kaine Praise Billion Dollar Increase for Child Care, Early Childhood Learning
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) —members of the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the...
Portland Rose Festival 2024 Court Member from Benson Polytechnic High School Announced
The Rose Festival Princess from Benson Polytechnic High School, Laedyn Romero, was selected March 22. ...
California's commercial Dungeness crab season will end April 8 to protect whales
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The commercial Dungeness crab season in California will be curtailed to protect humpback whales from becoming entangled in trap and buoy lines, officials announced Thursday. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife said commercial crabbing will end April 8 for...
Oregon city can't limit church's homeless meal services, federal judge rules
BROOKINGS, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a southern Oregon city can't limit a local church's homeless meal services. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke found that an ordinance passed by the small city of Brookings, on the southern Oregon coast, violated the religious...
Georgia ends game on 12-0 run to beat Missouri 64-59 in first round of SEC tourney
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Blue Cain had 19 points, Justin Hill scored 17 off the bench and 11th-seeded Georgia finished the game on a 12-0 run to beat No. 14 seed Missouri 64-59 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Cain hit 6 of 12 shots,...
Georgia faces Missouri in SEC Tournament
Missouri Tigers (8-23, 0-18 SEC) vs. Georgia Bulldogs (16-15, 6-12 SEC) Nashville, Tennessee; Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bulldogs -3; over/under is 147 BOTTOM LINE: Georgia plays in the SEC Tournament against Missouri. ...
COMMENTARY: Is a Cultural Shift on the Horizon?
As with all traditions in all cultures, it is up to the elders to pass down the rituals, food, language, and customs that identify a group. So, if your auntie, uncle, mom, and so on didn’t teach you how to play Spades, well, that’s a recipe lost. But...
A Full Court Press to Get the Lead Out
With a “goal of identifying and remediating lead hazards in at least 2,800 Lancaster County homes,” LG Health is setting an example for the private sector. And the Biden-Harris administration’s focus on environmental justice and access to clean and safe...
OP-ED: Congress Is Right: Federal Reserve’s Reg II Will Hurt Minority Communities in America
The Fed is taking every effort to promote income equality and workplace diversity and inclusion, but Regulation II would undercut its great work in this respect and cause potential harm to millions of minority families. Now that a congressional coalition has...
OP-ED: A Silent Killer No More
Data from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City shows that more than 13 percent of African American men between the ages 45 and 79 will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes. And Black men have a 70 percent higher rate of developing...
Takeaways: AP investigation reveals Black people bear disproportionate impact of police force
PATERSON, N.J. (AP) — Black people accounted for a disproportionate number of people who died after being restrained, beaten or shocked with stun guns by police officers in the United States, according to an investigation by The Associated Press. The investigation, led by AP with...
He didn’t trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
PATERSON, N.J. (AP) — Jameek Lowery entered the dimly lit lobby of the city’s police headquarters in a panic. He was having a mental breakdown — and needed help. Barefoot and wearing only pajama pants and a sweatshirt in the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 5, 2019, Lowery pulled out his...
What to stream this weekend: Beyoncé, Steve Martin, J-Hope, Mike Birbiglia, Bill Nighy and 'Madu'
Beyoncé's country album and a documentary about a Nigerian boy who dreams of being a professional ballet dancer are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated...
Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 31-April 6
Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 31-April 6: March 31: Actor William Daniels (“St. Elsewhere,” ″Boy Meets World”) is 97. Actor Richard Chamberlain is 90. Actor Shirley Jones is 90. Musician Herb Alpert is 89. Actor Christopher Walken is 81. Comedian Gabe Kaplan...
How to make an Easter ham last all week
The beauty of making a baked ham for Easter (or any holiday or large gathering) is that there's bound to be leftovers. Leftover ham, which will last for up to five days in the fridge, can be a springboard for other meals during the week. Of course you’ll want a sandwich or two, but...
Book Review: 'Glorious Exploits' turns classical history into an endearing comedy about tragedy
Best friends Lampo and Gelon are potters by trade, but their souls are filled with poetry. It’s 412 B.C. and the city of Syracuse doesn’t know what hit it when these two hatch up the best worst idea: They’ll put on a play using the Athenian prisoners of war who are starving to death down in...
Trump attends wake of slain New York officer, calls for 'law and order,' to show contrast with Biden
MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Donald Trump attended Thursday's wake of a New York City police officer gunned down...
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
NEW YORK (AP) — Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive...
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (AP) — An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for...
Israeli court halts subsidies for ultra-Orthodox, deepening turmoil over mandatory military service
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered an end to government subsidies for many...
UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings for aid into Gaza
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The top United Nations court on Thursday ordered Israel to take measures to...
Dengue is sweeping through the Americas early this year
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Dengue is surging across the Americas early this year from Puerto Rico to Brazil,...
In May of 1804, 33 men set out from Illinois to explore and map the western United States under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark.
For nearly two years the Lewis and Clark expedition traveled westward to the Pacific Ocean in search of a practical route across the continent. The troop surveyed the land, crossed perilous territories and met and traded with Native American tribes.
Among this Corps of Discovery was a man who was highly skilled at scouting, hunting and field medicine. He rescued Clark from a flash flood of the Missouri River and saved Lewis from a grizzly bear attack. He also played a key diplomatic role with the Native Americans due to his dark skin color. This man was Clark’s slave, York.
York is the focus of a one-man play coming to Jefferson High School on March 12 and 13. The ReBuilding Center and the Native American Youth and Family Center have partnered to present the piece.
Playwright Bryan Harnetiaux created the piece, collaborating with the actor and musician David Casteal, who plays the title role of York. Harnetiaux said the play is meant to show a different side of history.
“We wanted to tell the story in the kind of Howard Zinn tradition; not by the victor, but by the vanquished,” he said. “What if York wasn't illiterate? What if York was able to tell his story?”
Harnetiaux, playwright-in-residence at the Spokane Civic Theatre in Washington, was asked to write a play about the Lewis and Clark journey for the 2005 bicentennial celebration. After weeks of researching, he could not hone in on a story and eventually he turned down the commission.
A few weeks later, inspiration struck. Harnetiaux said he woke up in the morning and saw a vision of York standing at the end of the bed. Then he saw Casteal standing next to York -- and he knew he needed to write a play about York starring Casteal.
He had worked with Casteal before in his play “National Pastime” about Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball. The two set out to bring York to life on stage. Harnetiaux worked to craft the story while Casteal scored the djembe drumming rhythm heard throughout the play.
Even though York had the same responsibilities as the rest of the expedition, very little is mentioned of him. York may have been the first Black man to have crossed the continent north of Mexico.
When the crew returned from their journey, every member except for York received money and land for their service. The historical record is unclear if York received his freedom from Clark.
Casteal said he was saddened that York’s contributions have been ignored.
“I think it speaks directly to slavery and how our slaves were treated and how they were looked at as essentially almost non-humans,” Casteal said.
Carrying the one-man play, Casteal says he is constantly moving and working. He plays York and voices the other expedition members as they interact with him. He is exhausted by the end of each performance but said playing York is rewarding work.
“I get to help tell this story or what might have been had somebody cared to listen,” he said.
York’s position as a slave contrasts with his place among Native American tribes, where he was a person of great interest. His skin color intrigued the indigenous people and he was treated with curiosity. Harnetiaux said York was considered a “Black Indian” by the Nez Perce tribe.
Stephen Reichard, executive director of the ReBuilding Center, saw the original York play in Spokane in 2006 and was mesmerized by the performance. Two years later, he moved to Portland to become the chief operating officer of Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette.
When Planned Parenthood moved its headquarters to Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, it became the focus of community tension about abortion and reproductive services for African Americans. Reichard wanted to present the play in Portland as part of community outreach, but the idea fell apart.
When he began work with The ReBuilding Center, he rekindled the idea of hosting York. He called Harnetiaux to revive the play and was surprised to hear that Harnetiaux and Casteal were already planning a revival.
Reichard said it was serendipity to finally be able to show the play in Portland. He said he hasn’t been able to forget about York since he saw it nearly a decade ago.
“I've had the bug for 10 years; it’s been a passion of mine to bring it to Portland,” Reichard said.
For more information, check out the ReBuilding Center’s page on York.