Back to normal, or so I hope. Your daily picture resumes with an interest in connections/connectedness this week. Obviously a broad umbrella term, which I hope to fill with diverse reports.

We start with some photographs that made me happy. Kukatonon, the afternoon dance and drumming program in North Portland, had their annual fundraiser on Saturday. A mother, Bahia Overton, openly talked to the assembled crowd about the difficulty of being Black in lily white Portland, and how much safe spaces with a focus on shared Black history, African traditions and simple connectedness meant for the kids as well as the parents.

It took courage for Bahia to talk so openly about discrimination and fears in front of a partly White donor crowd and I applaud her. Meanwhile, in the backroom where the kids were eagerly awaiting their performance, that connectedness was displayed in spades. They laughed, they sang, they helped each other with their hair and costumes, and they took, of course, ubiquitous selfies.

 

And the guests formed their own community, however limited to their once-a-year encounter, since many of us are repeat visitors, feeling connected by a sense of supporting an important cause.

Anti-apartheid activist and former congress woman Elizabeth Furse.

It took an incredible amount of work for all the staff to pull this event off, superb volunteerism that makes safe spaces possible. Nothing but respect for them.

Community. One of the best forms of connection!