Welcome to the first edition of the Street Roots Spring 2024 Anthologies!
Each year, Street Roots takes a pause from its normal production cycle of brand-new content every week, in order to look back upon the greatest hits of its recent coverage.
Unlike most other publications in the city, Street Roots is a news source that does not solely rely on advertising dollars to sustain itself. It goes out of its way to center the voices of communities who are too often pushed to the margins of our civic dialogue. This makes it a trustworthy and noble voice in Portland (and one that routinely wins awards).
Of course, the Street Roots newspaper also exists as a product for its vendors to sell, creating income and a vehicle for encouraging dialogue and relationship building among all of us residing in Portland — regardless of our housing status.
This year’s two Spring Anthologies (look for the second edition arriving on April 24, available from a Street Roots vendor near you) coincide with Street Roots’ spring fundraising drive. It’s a big year for the organization, which is in the process of renovating a historic building in the heart of Downtown Portland at the corner of Northwest Third Avenue and West Burnside. Just a quick walk around the corner from its longtime digs on Northwest Davis Street, the new space will be larger, with enhanced amenities like a wellness center with laundry and showers and a rooftop classroom. With it, Street Roots will be able to expand its capacity and stretch its wings, meeting the demands of the ongoing housing crisis in our community with creative, empathetic solutions and care. Also of note is the fact that for the first time in 25 years, the editorial staff of the Street Roots newspaper will have its own dedicated newsroom!
This building will make Street Roots an even more visible jewel in the community, a cheerfully painted teal reminder on one of our busiest thoroughfares of the renewed energy this organization, and its city of supporters — that’s you! — is bringing to our current challenges.
We all have a responsibility to invest in the city we want to live in, to care for each other, and to recognize that the future of Portland depends on our ability to collaborate. This issue represents a collaboration too. In my short time as interim editor, I’ve seen Street Roots’ small newspaper staff go above and beyond every week to provide serious reporting that accurately represents the realities of life on the margins; detailing how political machinations directly impact our values (for better and for worse); and enabling readers to hear directly from homeless residents by publishing their poetry, vendor profiles, and essays. (Speaking of which, look for our Vendor Issue out next week!)
These few issues will give the Street Roots editorial team a couple weeks of rest. However, the efforts leading up to their publication had folks from all areas of the organization working overtime to prepare. Discussions over what to highlight from the past year of coverage take place in addition to the weekly churn of attending press conferences, creating original illustrations, writing, editing, and proofreading. It’s all hands on deck, with vendors stepping up to wrap each issue in its band by hand, and the development team working hard to make donating to this worthy cause as easy and fun as possible.
Inside this week’s issue, you’ll find some stellar reminders of why Street Roots is an essential part of this city’s landscape. Even if you’ve read some of these stories in their initial print run, things have a way of becoming worth a revisit as power dynamics continue to shift and local elections loom.
For instance, back in May, Piper McDaniel examined the controversial halting of tent distribution by Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, who is now running for mayor of our city. Aurora Biggers took a look at the union efforts of strippers at Magic Tavern as part of her ongoing coverage of the booming unionization energy of the past year. Our outgoing Indigenous affairs reporter, Melanie Henshaw, had a wonderful conversation with the curators of an art exhibit exploring the identities and experiences of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer individuals, as well as a piece heralding the upholding of the Indian Child Welfare Act by the Supreme Court.
They say looking back can help you find direction moving forward, and I hope this issue leaves you feeling confirmed in your support of Street Roots the newspaper, Street Roots the nonprofit, and Street Roots the community. We will see you next week and every week as we continue to fight to make this city a stronger and more equitable home for us all through the power of dedicated, independent journalism.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly investigative publication covering economic, environmental and social inequity. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
© 2024 Street Roots. All rights reserved. | To request permission to reuse content, email editor@streetroots.org or call 503-228-5657, ext. 40