Portland, Oregon
OCTOBER 17 - 25, 2025
Nine Days. Six Events. One Community.
A celebration of Portland’s first Black ancestor.
In 1805, an enslaved man named York reached what is today Portland as part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 220 years later, people from Portland and beyond will gather to celebrate York and his legacy at six events across the city.
Come be a part of it!
Events
Fri. Oct. 17
The Unraveling of York
Vin Shambry
Alberta House
Selected scenes from The Unraveling of York, plus a York Art Gallery presentation, and a talkback session.
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The Unraveling of York, the play, delves into the captivating story of York, the enslaved African who participated in the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Come witness snippets from the making of this groundbreaking play on October 17 at 7 PM, performed by the talented Vin Shambry and a team of professional artists.
Join us for a major talkback session with playwright Vin Shambry and Mount Tabor bust creator Todd McGrain as they delve deeper into the narrative and significance of York's story.
Before and after the show, immerse yourself in the York Art Gallery presentation, adding layers of depth to your understanding of this historical figure. Additionally, witnessed the special presentation of renaming the main hall within the historic Alberta House to YORK HALL, a fitting tribute to the legacy of York.
For more information on this not-to-be-missed event, please visit this page. Let's come together to celebrate and honor the legacy of York.
Sat. Oct. 18
Our Rooted Futures Festival
The York Collective
LABS Media & Lionspeaks
Our Rooted Futures is a community-led storytelling and wellness gathering that uplifts Black, Afro-Diasporic, and allied voices in Portland through art, dialogue, and collective care.
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Our Rooted Futures is a community-led storytelling and wellness gathering that uplifts Black, Afro-Diasporic, and allied voices in Portland through art, dialogue, and collective care. The event will feature a Community Wellness Fair alongside workshops, performances, exhibits, guest speakers, and panel discussions that highlight both the legacy of York—the only Black member of the Corps of Discovery—and the York Collective’s vision for the York Urban Village (YUV), a community-led development centered on liberation, place, and collectivism.
At the heart of the event is The Griot: Liberated Storytelling, Education, and Qualitative Research Hub, where participants will immerse themselves in oral histories, connect with elders, historians, and archivists, and contribute their own narratives in our Oral History Booth. Live performances, art exhibitions, and a Folk Opera performance inspired by York will animate the evening, affirming the power of story as a tool for justice.
The Community Care Marketplace will take place from 11 AM to 5 PM PDT and will bring together organizations aligned with the York Collective’s tenets—Wellbeing, Permanency, Storytelling, and Stewardship—creating opportunities for education, resource-sharing, fundraising, and fellowship.
Over 12 community partners will be engaging in activities, tabling and vending showcasing their work, opportunities to get involved and to allow for a closer connection between our community and these organizations.
Participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive workshops on Regional Community Organizing and Collage Placemaking from 12 PM to 3 PM PDT, exploring creative and concrete strategies for building resilient communities.
Our Rooted Futures will also unveil the York Urban Village Exhibit and Guilds Lake Diorama, curated in partnership with Colloqate, featuring renderings, dioramas, and archival materials that envision housing, health, cultural, and green spaces for Portland’s Black community.
The York Collective, in partnership with BHIRD, Mentor$chip and One World Chorus and York the Explorer: Folk Opera, has co-created art and educational study guides, modules, a book and an interactive AR/VR gaming experience focused on York's perspective as a member of the Corps of Discovery. Students will have the experience to engage in educational material and games with a chance to apply and win the first York Scholarship in Oregon.
Our main program consists of speakers, performances and panel discussions and will be held from 5 PM to 8 PM PDT. Wewill confront themes of placemaking, legacy, co-optation, and solidarity, grounding the work in historical truths while imagining liberated futures.
More than an event, Our Rooted Futures is a convocation—a space for healing, connection, and action. It honors the past, resists erasure, and seeds a living ecosystem of care and liberation for generations to come.
Sun. Oct. 19
Boating With Bubba: The York River Loop Tour
Flossin Media & Soul District Business Association
Broughton Beach Park
Step into history and community with a ceremonial experience both on the water and on shore.
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Set sail with Captain John “Big Bubba” Washington, a fleet of Black mariners, the Flossin crew, and the Soul District Business Association for a powerful day on the water honoring York—the first documented Black explorer of the Pacific Northwest. This immersive river tour traces York’s path along the Willamette, blending live storytelling with cultural reflection and outdoor exploration.
On shore, enjoy a community celebration featuring live music, spoken word, a visual timeline of Black history in Oregon, and a collaborative art installation. Youth can join interactive river education and stewardship sessions, gaining the skills, confidence, and cultural connection to navigate and protect our waterways.Part of the Boating with Bubba series and featured in Flossin Magazine’s Volume 25, this event is a tribute to Black outdoor joy—whether on the water, on the trail, or in community. We’re reclaiming riverways as places of pride, purpose, and belonging.
Join us for a day of history, healing, and outdoor celebration.
Wed. Oct. 22
Big Medicine: York Outdoors
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail and NEW Multimedia
The Tomorrow Theater
This film follows eight Black educators and environmental stewards as they retrace York’s steps along the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. On their journey to revive York’s story, they explore themes of recreation access for people of color, and the joy and healing that the outdoors can provide. There will be a panel discussion after the film.
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Big Medicine: York Outdoors is a 35 min. film which follows eight Black educators and environmental stewards as they retrace York’s steps on a four-day river trip along the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. On their journey to revive York’s story, they explore themes of recreation access for people of color, and the joy and healing that the outdoors can provide. After the film there will be a panel discussion with Oregon Black Pioneers’ Executive Director Zachary Stocks and other participants in the river excursion.
Big Medicine: York Outdoors explores the untold story of York, the only African American member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Enslaved by Captain William Clark, York did not choose to be part of this journey, yet his significant contributions as a hunter, guide, caretaker, and intermediary in interactions with Tribal Nations are chronicled in the journals of Expedition members as well as in accounts from the tribes they met along the way. The Arikara tribe referred to him as Big Medicine for his strength and the color of his skin.
The film is a collaborative effort between Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail and NEW Multimedia, as part of Big Medicine: The York Project, an initiative to bring York’s story to the foreground.
Thurs. Oct. 23
The Journey of York
Hasan Davis
Alberta House
Nationally acclaimed storyteller and living history interpreter Hasan Davis brings to life the remarkable and often overlooked story of York. This powerful first-person portrayal gives voice to York’s courage, resilience, and humanity, shedding light on his critical contributions to one of America’s most iconic journeys.
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Join nationally acclaimed storyteller and living history interpreter Hasan Davis as he brings to life the remarkable and often overlooked story of York, the enslaved Black explorer who was an indispensable member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Through a powerful first-person portrayal, Davis gives voice to York’s courage, resilience, and humanity, shedding light on his critical contributions to one of America’s most iconic journeys.
Blending historical insight, dramatic performance, and deep empathy, this presentation invites audiences to reflect on the complexities of race, identity, and recognition in American history. Davis’s portrayal not only brings the past vividly to life but also invites conversation about the enduring relevance of York’s story in today’s world.
Don’t miss this unforgettable experience—where history steps off the page and into the room.
Fri. & Sat. Oct. 24 & 25
York the Explorer World Premiere
Aaron Nigel Smith & Dr. Renee Mitchell
Patricia Reser Center for the Arts
York Fest marks the world premiere of this groundbreaking new folk opera. Based on historical accounts and set to an innovative score that blends folk, classical, jazz, hip hop, and reggae, York the Explorer celebrates an unsung American hero whose skill and bravery helped map a nation.
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York the Explorer is a new folk opera highlighting the life and journey of York, an enslaved Black man who was a vital member of the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery Expedition. York Fest marks the world premiere of this groundbreaking work at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts.
York the Explorer amplifies the extraordinary story of York, the enslaved Black man who accompanied Lewis and Clark on the Corps of Discovery expedition, yet whose contributions have been largely forgotten by history. Based on historical accounts and set to an innovative score that blends folk, classical, jazz, hip hop, and reggae, York the Explorer celebrates an unsung American hero whose skill and bravery helped map a nation. The opera also honors the indigenous nations who were displaced by the expansion of the United States, acknowledging the complex legacy of westward exploration.
York the Explorer’s book and music are composed by GRAMMY®-nominated producer Aaron Nigel Smith, with lyrics co-written by Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Dr. Renee Mitchell. This compelling musical work illuminates York’s remarkable journey of self-discovery and determination as he navigates a complex role in the expansion of the American territory.
