(Photo © J. Maus)
Race Talks, a discussion series sponsored by Multnomah County, will tackle the complex and sensitive topic of how race has impacted a local transportation project.
The free event, “Coming Together on North Williams Avenue: Reconciling Neighborhood’s Past with Proposed Bike Lane” will be held at McMenamins Kennedy School Gym on Tuesday, November 8th.
The format of the event will be short presentations by four panelists, some time for Q & A, and then a facilitated discussion among the audience. The discussions are moderated by trained volunteers from the non-profit group Uniting to Understand Racism and Portland’s Intergroup Dialogue program.
The event is co-organized by Donna Maxey. You might recall Maxey’s name from our reporting back in July when the specter of racism first reared its head in the Williams Avenue project.
I’ve accepted an invitation from Ms. Maxey to be one of the panelists. I’m looking forward to this discussion and to sharing my perspective on this issue. I hope you’ll consider showing up and taking part.
UPDATE, 4:48pm:
Here are the other panelists:
- Noni Causey: North Williams Traffic Operations Safety Project Stakeholder Advisory Committee Member; Education Specialist; small business owner
- Ellen Vanderslice: City of Portland, Department of Transportation; Project manager, North Williams Traffic Operations Safety Project
- Thomas Robinson: Photo historian, lecturer; owner of HistoricPhotoArchive.com, which features remarkable and rare images of the historic Albina neighborhood through which N. Williams Avenue passes.
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RACE TALKS: Coming Together on North Williams Avenue: Reconciling Neighborhood’s Past with Proposed Bike Lane”
Tuesday November 8, 2011, 7:00 to 9:00 pm (Doors open at 6:00, come early for networking)
McMenamins Kennedy School Gym (5736 NE 33rd Ave.)
(503) 249-3983
More info here