Ro Deezy Monday, February 26, 2007

Activist, author, performance poet, motivational speaker, underground superstar. All of these words—and more—have been used to describe Rochell D. "Ro Deezy" Hart.

I'll add a couple more, in case they haven't been said yet: intelligent, grounded, and passionate. She could have left Portland for a different life in a more cosmopolitan city, but chose to stay here to help keep the Rose City a little more colorful. I like that about her.

I had the chance to photograph Ro Deezy as she was being interviewed by Sarah Blount for the Portland Observer. You can read that report in the Feb. 21 edition of that paper, or online at www.PortlandObserver.com (click on Features, and look for the headline "Redefining 'Black Woman'.")

For more about Ro Deezy and her work, check out www.RoDeezy.com.