PORTLAND, Ore. — A social justice organization is using art education to advocate against ongoing gun violence across Portland.
Teressa Raiford founded the nonprofit Don’t Shoot PDX, motivated to make a change after her nephew was shot and killed in 2010. Their art events focus on providing mental health support in the aftermath of tragedy, which Raiford said is vital to stopping the cycle of violence.
“With arts and education we can bring back the experiences of our elders, sharing our history, and utilizing art to build community that way," Raiford said.
Raiford grew up in foster care and saw the effects of gun violence effects in her everyday life, realizing it was time to lift others in the same boat, she said.
“To address the need for mental health for our communities once we are facing the tragedy of gun violence," she added. "But it was also so we could leverage our community access to get legal and housing support.”
On Saturday Don’t Shoot PDX partnered up with the Pacific Northwest College of Art downtown. The event taught people printmaking, opened up space to paint plus had mental health professionals as speakers like therapist Yolanda Hargrove who lost her brother to gun violence.
“Through art and talk therapy it helps you to process what’s going on," Hargrove explained. "How do I work through this? How do I even live to see another day? How can I help my family through this?”
The organization hopes this will bring awareness to the other resources they provide.
“If they need someone to do mediation because of the different problems that they are facing," Raiford said. "If they need advocates in courts or schools we’ve always been there and we want to continue being there.”
The signs made will be used at future events like their annual Reclaim MLK march in January.
