The August Wilson Red Door Project strives to change Portland’s racial ecology through the arts. It started with a play called Hands Up: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments that showcases a powerful set of monologues commissioned by The New Black Fest in response to police shootings and institutional profiling. Then came Cop Out: Beyond Black, White & Blue. This series of monologues portray police of various rank and experience relating to the community, each other, their families and the institutions they represent. Up next for the Red Door Project is The Evolve Experience, a blend of Hands Up and Cop Out.
Kevin Jones and Lesli Mones co-founded the Red Door Project. They sat down with us for a compelling conversation about closing the gap between racial divides by taking center stage. During our talk, you’ll hear us reference findings from the Portland Police Bureau Strategic Insights Report, which is a summary of data collection and outreach efforts on behalf of the Bureau. A link to the report is included in the show notes below.
Show notes & links:
About August Wilson Hands Up: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments Cop Out: Beyond Black, White & Blue The Evolve Experience Portland Police Bureau Strategic Insights Report