POSITIVE CHARGE! PDX CELEBRATES THE POWER OF BOOKS TO CULTIVATE AWARENESS, UNDERSTANDING, AND INCLUSION WITH A FREE EVENT ON AUGUST 26 AT THE Q CENTER

Portland, OR - July 26, 2023 - Positive Charge! PDX (PC! PDX), a nonprofit organization dedicated to amplifying kindness and building community, is thrilled to announce a special event celebrating the transformative power of books to cultivate awareness, understanding, and inclusion. Celebration of Diversity, organized by PC! PDX's Compassion Through Literature initiative, will take place on Saturday, August 26, 1pm - 5pm. It will feature guest speakers, captivating performances, book giveaways (while supplies last), engaging activities for children, and refreshments - all free to the public. RSVPs are kindly requested at positivechargepdx.org/ctl-celebration, so plans can be made for book giveaways and snacks.

The event will take place at the Q Center at 4115 N. Mississippi, Portland, OR. The Q Center is dedicated to providing safe spaces, community building, and empowerment for the LGBTQ2SIA+ communities and allies in the Pacific Northwest. "Compassion Through Literature's Celebration of Diversity aligns perfectly with our mission, and we are excited to be part of it," said Interim Executive Director Alanna Hein of the Q Center.

The Celebration of Diversity will feature a lineup of local authors, performers, educators, and community leaders. Among the notable speakers are Alex Dang, poet, speaker, and educator; Jonathan Hill, award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and educator; Kendall Clawson, community leader in nonprofit management and public service; Nikki Brown Clown, award-winning entertainer and literacy advocate; Trudy Ludwig, acclaimed speaker and author; Elliott Hinkle, principal and founder of Unicorn Solutions, which supports youth impacted by systems such as child welfare; Dane Liu, award-winning author; Chris Gustafson, retired K-12 librarian extraordinaire; and Flawless Shade, celebrated drag queen and makeup artist.

Speaker Trudy Ludwig captured the event's mission when she said, "If contempt and disregard for our fellow human beings are the bane of our problems, then empathy, compassion, and kindness are the balm. Diverse . . . literature is a wonderful supplemental tool in our efforts to accomplish this in safe social settings."

"The power of literature is that it gives us a way to connect as a whole and gives us a way to speak clearly as an individual. We are who we choose to be; we are the main character in our lives," said presenter Alex Dang.

Further, Jonathan Hill shared, "I'm excited to support Compassion Through Literature and diversity in literacy to help give [people] the opportunity to see themselves [in books] and realize they are the main characters of a story and not someone else's sidekicks."

Celebration of Diversity is made possible through the generous support of Little Free Library, Portland Film and Events, and featured book stores: A Kids Company About, Belmont Books, and Maggie Mae's Bookshop. We also extend our gratitude to book lovers everywhere.

Please join us!
https://www.positivechargepdx.org/ctl-celebration

Positive Charge! PDX
6312 SW Capitol Hwy., #127 Portland, OR 97239
info@positivechargepdx.org
971-258-0449
Media Contact:
Katie Collins
volunteer@positivechargepdx.org
831.402.4334

ABOUT POSITIVE CHARGE! PDX's COMPASSION THROUGH LITERATURE INITIATIVE
​Positive Charge! PDX is an all-volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit, open to everyone, with a mission to unite community to transform kindness into action, making a positive impact on a collective scale. Established in 2016 as a politically and religiously neutral organization, PC! PDX has a history of bringing together neighbors to help neighbors tackle a range of issues such as houselessness, natural disaster, food insecurity, and more. Compassion Through Literature is one of PC! PDX's many initiatives.

"Compassion Through Literature (CTL) began with a simple idea - to encourage people to take a walk in someone else's shoes by sharing and reading diverse books," said Sallie Cohen of Positive Charge! PDX. "Our goal is to open hearts and increase understanding, compassion, and acceptance for each other."

Compassion Through Literature (CTL) began in 2022 with Positive Charge! PDX establishing little free libraries (LFLs) devoted to featuring diverse books. The accomplishment led to a partnership with the international Little Free Library organization and its Read in Color initiative, which distributes books catering to readers of all backgrounds, identities, and perspectives. Today, 20 CTL LFLs can be found throughout the Portland area-from Gresham to Newberg.

For more information about Positive Charge! PDX, please visit:
www.positivechargepdx.org
www.facebook.com/PositiveChargePDX
https://www.instagram.com/positivechargepdx/

This release was published on openPR.