Events & Classes

This special Black History Month edition of Rainbow Storytime features Lady Berri and friends, sharing Black and queer joy with drag and overall fabulousness!

Children from birth to age 6 (with a favorite adult) enjoy books highlighting LGBTQ+ families, along with songs, rhymes and movement activities building language, literacy, and community in an identity-supporting environment.

Learn about and discuss Afrofuturism with author and scholar Walidah Imarisha. Whenever we try to envision a world without war, without violence, without prisons, without capitalism, we are engaging in an exercise of speculative fiction. Walidah Imarisha will uncover the truths buried in the fantastical – and inject a healthy dose of the fantastical into our search for truth.

Join Urban Forestry for a BIPOC-centered, story-time-like program with tree-themed story reading, songs, education, and tree-themed botanical art! Kids and adults are welcome to this tree-literacy winter experience!

Hosted by Portland Parks and Recreation’s Urban Forestry Division. 

Celebrate Black History Month through the art of floral design. In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore the cultural significance of flowers and botanical traditions within the African diaspora while creating their own unique arrangement. Guided by floral designer Toyin Oyemaja, attendees will learn basic floral techniques, discover meaningful symbolism, and honor Black creativity and heritage through nature-inspired expression.

Join us to screen the documentary, Beyond the Beats, a short history of hip-hop in Portland produced in conjunction with Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) and KMHD Jazz. Following the film there will be a discussion panel led by director J Jackson with some influential Portlanders of hip-hop talking about the scene.

Join us to screen the documentary, Beyond the Beats, a short history of hip-hop in Portland produced in conjunction with Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). Following the film there will be a discussion panel led by director J Jackson with some influential Portlanders of hip-hop talking about the scene.

The Black, African, and African American experience comes alive for children from birth to age 6 (with their favorite adult/family members). Have fun with books and stories, songs, and movement activities in a positive and affirming online environment. Black Storytime builds language and literacy skills your child needs to be ready for kindergarten.

Kids and their grownups are invited to Black Tree Stories with special guest reader, Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall this Black Heritage Month! We’re going to sing songs, read stories, make art honoring our community ties to nature, and dream of the outdoors. Cozy up for bedtime with Portland Urban Forestry and Gresham Parks!

Registration is required. Registration opens on February 3rd.

Stones, Bones & Blacked-Eyed Peas presents: Our favorite African American children's books, and the recipes that go along with them. Join chef and owner of Finer Things Events and Catering, Michelle Guinn, along with her daughter, Sable Askew and take a trip back into history.

Join Oregon Black Pioneers for a lecture focused on the African American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s and the major changes brought to Oregon. Black communities in Portland, Eugene, and beyond participated in the fight for social and political progress. It addresses the racism, exclusion, and displacement that targeted Black Oregonians, and the Black community's efforts to pursue justice.

Come see how Shalonda Menefee helps women and teen girls boost their self-esteem! Embrace your beauty and self-love in this workshop by decorating a personal mirror. Engage in a guided meditation and explore the power of positive affirmations. Create a mirror that reminds you of your inner beauty and self-worth. Look at yourself with love and appreciation, and embrace who you are with confidence!

Join Urban Forestry for a BIPOC-centered, story program with tree-themed story reading, songs, education, and tree-themed botanical art! Kids and adults are welcome to this tree-literacy winter experience!

Hosted by Portland Parks and Recreation’s Urban Forestry Division.