President’s Message
On a walk a few days ago, I marveled as always at the hundreds of signs adorning yards on almost every block in our neighborhood. Many were political on the heels of our hotly contested November election, but even more were invitations to kindness and thoughtfulness.
I passed scores of “Black Lives Matter” and “All Are Welcome Here” signs, many clearly handmade by children, and multiple renditions of the biblical admonition to “Love Thy Neighbor.” Stuck into countless lawns were versions of the American flag striped with slogans: “In our America…all people are equal, love wins, immigrants and refugees are welcome, disabilities are respected…” and so on.
A bright red poster announced that “Kindness, Patience, and Hope are also Highly Contagious. Don’t Wait to Catch It…Be a Carrier.” New to me was an eye-catching blue sign with rows of houses separated by roads of words reading, “We’re Glad You’re Our Neighbor” in Spanish, English, and Arabic.
Then I walked by the fence at NE 45th and Brazee (slightly outside the Beaumont-Wilshire boundary, but only a short amble away) with its hundreds of colorful messages that have been painted on the wood since the start of the pandemic: “Stay confident, humble, compassionate, happy, creative, helpful—and cha cha cha!” “Persevere: the sun will come out tomorrow.” “I have lost my smile, but don’t worry…the dandelion has it.” Most have that “We’re all in this together” and “Stay connected!” attitude.
A cynic might say that it’s easy to post a sign, easy to say words, and that actions are what count. But I see plenty of evidence that these yard sign proclamations are matched by neighborly actions.
I see a friend setting off to deliver supplies to a women’s shelter. Saturday morning green bags dot many Beaumont-Wilshire front porches—groceries to be donated to food banks and shelters through the Portland Food Project. I note that Grand Central Bakery on Fremont gives customers the opportunity to buy and donate “community loaves” that the folks there will deliver to Portland’s Lift UP food pantry. Volunteers in BWNA’s Friends of Wilshire Park committee continue to raise funds and provide labor to make tremendous improvements on that well-loved open space. Neighbors join in a charity gift-giving exchange. Folks volunteer to address racism and discrimination, traffic problems, homelessness, economic uncertainty. People check in on each other during the pandemic. Most of these are acts that don’t loudly announce themselves, but simply try to forward the values of staying connected and extending a hand.
Any quarantine crankiness I feel fades away as I consider the many small acts of neighborliness around us. Thanks for living up to the spirit of our yard signs.