The Roots Festival, an annual event hosted by the Portland State Multicultural Center in partnership with Diversity and Multicultural Student Services and the Educational Activities Speakers Board, will take place on May 25 in the South Park Blocks.
The Roots Festival celebrates diversity through music and art and will include a wide range of performances, from hip hop artists, spoken word poets, singers and a range of speakers. Artists will also be selling their work and painting murals. There will be food vendors and a raffle. Snow cones, cotton candy and popcorn will be served.
PSU has hosted the Roots Festival since 2006 when multicultural campus groups proposed the event as a way to combat stereotypes and further discussions about diversity. The program was fully student run until 2009, when the Multicultural Center was put in charge of its organization.
Previous festival themes have included “Diversity in Education” in 2006, “Diversity in Communication” in 2007 and “Diversity in Politics and Activism” in 2008.
This year, Multicultural Center graduate assistant Diego Hernandez created a student organizing committee for the event during winter term. Eleven students participated on this committee, according to Hernandez.
The 2009 and 2010 Roots Festivals were simpler than those in the past, according to Hernandez.
“It was not as engaging as past festivals, and it was not really connecting to the origin and purpose of the original event,” he said.
In an effort to organize a festival that was closer to the Roots Festival’s original vision, Hernandez met with Student Activities and Leadership Programs adviser Tana Atchley this past fall. Atchley had helped students organize the festivals from 2006 to 2008.
“She filled me in with the history and stored documents of the past events,” Hernandez said. “From there I learned the original vision for the event, and I wanted to bring it back to that.”
The theme for this year’s festival is “A Peoples Movement, Fighting for Democracy and Freedom.” The theme was inspired by recent democratic movements in the Middle East and was chosen to recognize the importance of appreciating democracy and freedom.
“Though we come from different backgrounds, ideologies, cultures and communities we can unite under the same believe that freedom is a universal right,” Hernandez said.
This year’s festival will showcase eight performers, including Portland poet Turiya Autry, who has also performed at the Roots Festival in previous years. Autry will be performing both oldand new work, including poems from her recent chapbook, “Love is Also a Four Letter Word.”
“In regards to my art and writing, a lot of my work speaks to the intersections of identity, which shape my life and worldview,” Autry said.
Also performing will be Mark Gonzales, who has appeared on HBO’s “Def Poetry,” Fox News, “Mun2” and National Public Radio.
“He is an educator, spoken word artist, poet and is known for his work on human rights and especially bringing awareness towards Palestine and Gaza,” Hernandez said.
The Education Activities Speakers Board is helping to fund this performance, which begins at 4 p.m., according to Hernandez.
Other artists appearing at this year’s festival include DJ Andy, Los Amigos de la Sierra, Speaker Minds, Blacque Butterfly, Kalo Roots and Ava Cantos.
Students will also be performing from 2 to 3 p.m. Student performances include PSU Tango, Alejandro Lucano, Yacoub, Christopher Ramos, Daniela Garza and Efrin, Valery and Corrine and Christopher Lee.
The Roots Festival will last from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The schedule for this year’s Roots Festival is available on Facebook and the Multicultural Center website. ?