Race Talks celebrates history of Black drag in Portland

Bringing the history and art of drag to the northeast side of Portland, Race Talks: Uniting to Break the Chains of Racism hosted its second annual History of Black Drag event after a large success last year.

The History of Black Drag in Portland is a two-night event featuring conversations and performances by local Black drag queens. The first night, BIPOC night, took place on Thursday. The community event took place at 6:45 p.m. on Friday at the McMenamins Kennedy School Theater.

Taking place during Pride and Juneteenth, the event highlights the intersection between the BIPOC and LGBTQ communities. The event acknowledges the history that “Black and Latine trans women and drag queens are credited with starting the Pride movement,” according to the Race Talks website.

“This is an opportunity to hear other people’s stories,” Shaina Pomerantz, executive director and operations officer of Race Talks, said.

Founded 13 years ago by Donna Maxey, a native Portlander, Race Talks’ mission is “Filling the spaces between races with compassion, conversation, and education,” according to its website.

“The whole purpose of starting Race Talks was for people to have a chance to talk to other people,” Maxey said.

Through a lens of race, they have been able to discuss a variety of topics with the community. Race Talks has held over 400 programs with different themes and perspectives. From fashion to sports, there is no shortage of conversations and themes.

“The whole idea is to get people thinking about what is being said, what’s the background, what’s the backstory, what’s really going on,” Maxey said.

Equal parts informative and entertaining, the event began with a conversation hosted by Poison Waters. Guest panelists Lawanda Jackson, Isaiah Esquire, Kourtni Capree Duv and Epiphany Valentine Dupont discussed their identities, challenges they’ve overcome and experiences as Black drag artists.

Panelists began the conversation with questions about the Stonewall protests and riots compared to the drag bans happening today.

Focusing on progress and moving forward, Lawanda Jackson emphasized the sacrifices made in the past that enabled change.

“The pendulum swings both ways,” Poison Waters said. “And it’s swinging right now. Well, literally in states in our country, it’s illegal to drag. So things are gonna get a little rocky before they get better, and the only way to get through it is together and support it.”

Advocacy, protest and education were important themes in the discussion since standing up for the LGBTQ community is an integral part of being a drag performer.

“If I want to take up space in the queer community, I have to put that foot forward,” Epiphany Valentine Dupont said. “I think that we should all have a sense of duty to protest every time we get up and speak on behalf of the queer community.”

The audience was invited to ask questions after the discussion.

Following an intermission, there were performances by Poison Waters, all four panelists, as well as T’Kara Campbell Starr and Arcadian Campbell Starr.

The show included drag artists with a variety of gender expressions and backgrounds. Highlight performances included Poison Waters’ rendition of “Respect” and Arcadian Campbell Starr’s take on “Uptown Funk.”