Member Spotlight

By Acasia Berry, Director of Finance & Operations 

In a time when coming together as a community is more important than ever, Portland’s Clinton Street Theater provides a space to unite our voices, empowering us to protect the clean water and clean air we all depend on and to defend the most vulnerable among us. Lani Jo Leigh and her husband Roger bought the theater in 2012 with the mission to support the community through the power of independent film and live events. With the theater, they commit to creating a safe and welcoming environment where people can be true to themselves while learning about the world around them. They encourage a world rich with diversity and unique viewpoints.

Lani Jo is inspired by the artists and activists who are doing good in the world, and especially our community. She knows she can't physically do everything and be everywhere in support of the causes she believes in. In sharing the theater space she hopes to make it possible for others to go out and change the world. “I care deeply about feminist issues, especially reproductive justice, racial equality, LGBTQ issues, and the environment. I was alive before Roe v Wade, before the EPA was formed, before Stonewall. I remember dirty cities, gays given shock treatment as a cure, and women without hope. I hope I live long enough to see my children's children's children, and I want them to be born into a world that is inclusive, just, and CLEAN,” Lani Jo said.

In 2014, on the day they learned that Pete Seeger had died, she and Roger were talking about Pete. It was the first time she had seen Roger cry about the death of a celebrity. This was because Pete was so much more than a celebrity, he was an activist, a story teller, an inspiration. Their longtime friends commented on how much Pete Seeger had meant to them, and how he had changed their lives.

While living in Westchester County, New York, Lani Jo and Roger had seen Pete in action and even had the opportunity to sail with him on the Clearwater. They respected and admired the great courage Pete demonstrated day in and day out in his efforts to clean up the Hudson River.

“I knew that I wanted to honor Pete's legacy in some way, and the idea of a tribute to him through song and community and activism, too, seemed like a perfect fit. A few years earlier I had seen a documentary about the Columbia River, FROM SOURCE TO SEA, and I knew that the mighty Columbia needed help, too. Thus we made the decision to raise funds for Columbia Riverkeeper,” said Lani Jo.

On May 3, 2019 they are once again opening the theater to celebrate Pete Seeger and his call for us all to take action to protect our rivers and our communities. This is truly a special evening. Lani Jo and Roger bring together musicians and film clips that inspire the best in us all. There is even an opportunity to rise up and sing together. With the daily news hanging so heavily over us, it is a great time to remember those that fought for clean water and inclusive communities before us. I hope you join us and raise your voice in song and joy.