Women, Race, Gentrification: Local Film Shows Thursday 4/10

I meant to put a post on this for anyone reading between now and Thursday evening. A reader sent in the following information about a free screening of a locally made short documentary:

Hello.

I'm a NE Portland resident and I just made a documentary short about In Other Words Books and Resources and their move into the space formerly occupied by the Albina Arts Center, an African-American arts program that closed down in the 80s.  The video is really looking at the issue of gentrification through this very specific lens and questions whether or not a non-profit gentrifies.

You are invited.  See details attached. 

The following is the press release in its entirety:

Moving In:  A Non-Profit Feminist Bookstore and the Politics of Place.   In January 2006, In Other Words Women's Books and Resources moved into 8b NE Killingsworth, a space previously occupied by the Albina Arts Center and still owned by the Albina Women's League.

Learn about the rich history of this space and the bookstore as this ten-minute video examines how a feminist bookstore both contributes to and challenges racial tensions and gentrification in NE Portland.

WHEN:    Thursday, April 10, 2008; 6:30PM - 8:00PM

WHO:    A panel discussion will following, featuring:
·    Annie Allen, Albina Women's League
·    Amara Pérez and Sue Burns, In Other Words Books and Resources
·    Allyson Spencer, Resident of NE Portland/Attended Albina Arts Center
·    Jeana Woolley, Development Consultant to Albina Women's League.

Roslyn Farrington of All About Community will facilitate this conversation

WHERE:    Portland Community College Cascade Campus
Moriarty Auditorium
705 N. Killingsworth
Portland, OR.

COST:    This screening is free and open to the public.

Comments

[PDX Dilettante]

I went to the presentation and found the film very well done. The panel discussion afterward was interesting, but only one of the panelists had a good handle on the issues.

I did get to hear several white homeowners stand up to talk about how "guilty" they felt for moving in and displacing the indigenous population. It is nice to get the acknowledgment, but at the end of the day they go back to their overvalued home and the poor go back to whereever it is they go now.

Listening to the stories and feelings of those displaced by gentrification is not a bad thing, but it does nothing to change conditions and certainly does not "heal" the displaced.