Civic Circuit: April 2025 Events

This month Celebrate and Support Fair Housing, Poetry, Libraries, Record Stores, Transportation Advocacy, Earth Day, Indie Bookstores, and Preserving the Past!

Dear Readers,

Goethe once said, "A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul." In times like these—when basic rights are under attack and public institutions are treated as disposable—beauty, wonder, and connection can feel like luxuries we can’t afford. But the truth is, they’re essential.

This month’s Civic Circuit reminds us of the transformative power of art, story, culture, and community. Whether listening to poetry in a cozy bookstore, immersing yourself in a video installation about language and identity, restoring habitat in our public parks, or defending the institutions that preserve our shared knowledge and memory—these aren’t just pastimes. They’re acts of resistance.

We have so much to fight for—and so much worth celebrating. I hope you’ll take time each day to experience something beautiful that feeds your spirit.

Keep Loving, Keep Fighting,

Chloe

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National Fair Housing Month of Action 2025

April is Fair Housing Month, honoring the 1968 Fair Housing Act and the ongoing fight against housing discrimination. The Fair Housing Center invites you to join their Fair Housing Month of Action—a series of weekly challenges, resources, and activities to help you learn, reflect, and take meaningful steps toward housing justice.
Follow along online or subscribe to stay engaged all month long.

Week One:

📖 Read: 2025 Fair Housing Reading List | Choose a book (or two or three!) from this year’s Fair Housing Reading List to learn more about important topics surrounding fair housing and civil rights.

👀 Watch: “Advocating for Fair Chance Housing” | Local reentry leaders James Walker and Mike Jones discuss the benefits of fair chance housing and how the Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research works to make housing fair for all.

🎧 Listen: Building Community and Purpose: Leah Rothstein on Just Action | In this episode of the APA podcast, host Michael Brown engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Leah Rothstein, co-author of Just Action.

👉 Take Action: Support fair housing work | Whether you give one-time, monthly, or even spread the word about fair housing, your support makes a real difference.

Week Two:

📖 Read: 2024 State of Fair Housing in Northeast Ohio Report | This report is the Fair Housing Center’s 18th annual comprehensive examination of fair housing trends for Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina Counties. Read it to learn how housing discrimination, segregation, and housing instability continue to impact our communities.

👀 Watch: “Seven Days” Documentary | This short film, produced by Nationwide and the National Fair Housing Alliance, chronicles the seven days between the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the passage of the Fair Housing Act.

🎧 Listen: Segregation Migration – White Flight and Realtors | In episode 7 of Community Legal Services’ “(Un)Fair Housing” podcast, learn about White Flight, the phenomenon of white people fleeing urban areas for more segregated suburban neighborhoods, and how this led to further clashes over integration.

👉 Take Action: Become an email subscriber | Sign up for The Fair Housing Center’s email list to stay up-to-date on the latest fair housing news!

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Celebrate Street Books’ 15th Anniversary and support their support their spring membership drive!

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National Poetry Month 2025

April is National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry’s power to inspire, challenge, and connect us. Whether you're a lifelong lover of verse or just poetry-curious, this is the perfect time to explore local readings, workshops, and open mics—or pause and savor a poem a day.

National Poetry Month Reading
Saturday, April 19, 2025
7:00–8:30 PM · Free
BOLD Coffee & Books
1755 SW Jefferson St, Portland, OR 97201

Celebrate National Poetry Month with Portland poets Amy Baskin, Andrea Deeken, Genevieve DeGuzman, and Theresa Q. Tran as they read poems that engage the collective spirit and offer space for reflection and connection. In times of great uncertainty, what gives us sustenance? How do we take care of ourselves and one another in difficult times? Join these award-winning poets in creative conversation through verse that comforts, challenges, and inspires.

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National Library Week 2025

National Library Week 2025 runs from April 6–12, inviting everyone to celebrate the vital role libraries play in our communities. Libraries are more than books—they’re gathering places, creative hubs, lifelong learning centers, and trusted sources for everything from job searches to genealogy research. Whether you’re joining a book club, exploring a makerspace, or attending storytime, libraries connect us to information, ideas, and one another.

This year’s celebration comes at a crucial moment, as Trump’s proposed budget cuts threaten the very institutions that make this access possible. With millions of weekly visits, it’s clear that libraries matter—to students, parents, job seekers, artists, researchers, and everyday readers. Supporting your local library now is a powerful way to protect equitable access to knowledge for future generations.

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ja’ / buuts’ / t’aan (Water / Smoke / Word) by Patricia Vázquez Gómez and Collaborators

March 13 – May 31, 2025
Gallery Hours:
Thursdays · 5:00–8:00 PM
Fridays · 12:00–6:00 PM
Saturdays · 12:00–4:00 PM
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA)
15 NE Hancock St, Portland, OR 97212

ja’ / buuts’ / t’aan (Water / Smoke / Word) is an immersive video and sound installation by Patricia Vázquez Gómez, created in collaboration with Mayan youth in Northeast Portland. The piece explores their personal connections to maayat’aan (Yucatec Mayan), a language rooted in the Yucatán and carried across borders by diaspora. Shot in Mexico and voiced in Portland, the work reflects on the challenges of preserving Indigenous languages in the face of systemic neglect. Through water, smoke, and word, it weaves a sensory narrative of cultural resilience and identity.

Patricia Vázquez Gómez is a multidisciplinary artist whose work centers community, justice, and the social function of art. Drawing from her background in immigrant rights activism, she utilizes media ranging from painting to socially engaged projects. Based in Portland, she teaches at PSU and has exhibited nationally in formal and grassroots spaces.

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Youth Pass Youth Thrift Pop-Up!

Saturday, April 12th, 2025: Support the Multnomah Youth Commission’s transportation advocates!

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Record Store Day!

Saturday, April 12, 2025: Support your favorite record store(s) today!

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Earth Day Oregon in Forest Park

Visit the Forest Park Conservancy website for their full calendar, which includes guided walks, restoration, trail maintenance, and more.

• April 19th, 2025: Earth Day Oregon Restoration with Forest Park Conservancy (Birch trailhead)

• April 19th, 2025: Earth Day Oregon Restoration with Forest Park Conservancy (Lower Holman Trailhead)

• April 22nd, 2025: Restoration Work Party, (Leif Erikson & Thurman)

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Earth Day Community Bike Ride

Saturday, April 19, 2025
Meet at 11:00 AM · Ride departs at 11:30 AM
Start Location: Colonel Summers Park
End Location: Laurelhurst Park

Join PBOT’s Portland by Cycle team for a relaxed Earth Day Community Bike Ride along Portland’s Neighborhood Greenways—quiet, people-prioritized streets perfect for walking, biking, and rolling.

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Making Earth Cool Earth Day Events

Click here for the full roster of events and additional info!

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Earth Day: Volunteer Land Tending

Saturday, April 26, 2025
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Friends of Tryon Creek
11321 South Terwilliger Blvd, Portland, OR 97219

Join Friends of Tryon Creek to connect with and care for the park by removing ivy or caring for newly planted trees near the creek. Volunteer activities include hiking and the use of hand tools. Instruction, gloves, and tools will be provided, but feel free to bring your own gloves.

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Independent Bookstore Day!

April 26, 2025: Support your favorite indie bookstore(s) today!

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Preservation Week

April 27 – May 3, 2025
Preserve the Past, Shape the Future: Inspiring the Next Generation

Preservation Week is a national initiative led by the American Library Association's Core division to raise awareness about the urgent need to protect our personal, community, and institutional collections—from books and photographs to digital archives and oral histories. The 2025 theme, Preserve the Past, Shape the Future: Inspiring the Next Generation, highlights the importance of passing on preservation knowledge to ensure our shared cultural memory endures.

This work is more critical than ever in light of recent threats to library and museum funding under Trump’s proposed budget cuts, which would gut the very institutions that protect and share our history. With 630 million items in immediate need of care and most institutions lacking dedicated preservation staff, Preservation Week is a vital reminder that cultural heritage isn’t self-sustaining—it requires collective action and support.

Find free webinars, resources, and ways to participate at Preservation Week's website.

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