Kathleen Saadat: Velvet and Steel

Voting Now: Turning Rights into Reality

Kathleen Saadat has been called the conscience of Portland, Oregon. Here, Saadat talks about organizing Portland’s first gay pride parade, as well as the campaign to beat Measure 9 in 1992, a homophobic amendment to the Oregon Constitution. Kathleen also discussed coalition building and intersectional organizing as well as her work with the Portland Police Bureau and her thoughts on Black Lives Matter.

Cliff Jones, a Portland activist calls Kathleen a " ‘connector.’ No matter the issue, he says she strives to 'reach across differences.' ‘I describe her as velvet and steel,’ Jones says. ‘She’s incredibly compassionate and sees the humanity in everyone, even those with whom she vehemently disagrees. At the same time, her mind is a matrix, thinking down and across and over and under, seeing every side of an issue.’"
Kathleen has lived a remarkable life: at the age of 77, she released her first album, Love for Sale, which she recorded with the internationally acclaimed band Pink Martini.