Portia Prescott is more than a black woman. Prescott is a mother, community leader, and an activist. She wears many hats and contributes to her community where and when she can. With almost five thousand followers on Twitter, she utilizes social media to build connections, encourage her community, and monitor the various events that take place throughout the world on a daily basis.
She has supported the criminal justice reform. Prescott works as a connector and resource to help people identify who should be governor and who should be on the police task form. She has also been a part of the African American Initiative of Colorado Democrats (AAICD) since 2013. AAICD helped 2018 turn out the vote for the black community. Prescott has also worked on every black legislative campaign. She strives to get as many people into positions of leadership as she possibly can.
Prescott was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She graduated from Brown University, an ivy league university located in Providence, Rhode Island. Growing up, she attended Zion Baptist Church which was led by an activist pastor. While at Zion Baptist Church, Prescott became heavily involved in her community. When Jesse Jackson, an African American activist was campaigning for the democratic presidency in 1984, the entire Zion Baptist Church congregation campaigned for Jackson.
In a phone interview, Prescott expressed her concerns about the recent protests and police brutality incidents that have taken place across the nation. She also explained how she feels that the media have influenced people during these uncertain times surrounding racism and police brutality. This interview was edited for length and fluidity.
Re’nesia: What was it like for you growing up in Denver?
Portia: Well, everyone was very involved in the community. In high school, we created Brothers and Sisters Taking Action with Dawn Riley Duval, co-founder of Black Lives Matter in Colorado. Denver was much different from what it is today; it was much more of a town. It had more of a community feel to it. Now, it is hard for me to see the Denver I grew up in because sometimes I don’t know it. Even when you look at the activists protesting, I don’t see a lot of people that look like me. It’s a lot of white people, which is great, but it’s tough.
Re’nesia: What made you decide to step into an activist role?
Portia: When you are a community activist, you try to do what you can, but you want to engage in mostly the black community. We need to talk about police training; those cops are still going to be there no matter what the legislation says. We are not talking about small business, black homeownership, or generational wealth. My great grandmother bought a house on 22nd and York St. which the family still owns. I think our focus has been so shifted by a few people on Twitter and I think that’s why I stay active as a community activist and as a community leader because I just have a passion for my city.
Re’nesia: With everything that has taken place lately, what would you say are your biggest concerns as an activist?
Portia: Sustainability. I mean right now it’s popular to hear about Black Lives Matter. This has been ongoing. Police have been killing black men for centuries. How much are the people who are supposedly our allies going to want to be our allies two years from now? One year from now? It’s easy for them to switch codes and go back into their normal lives and not pay attention. With COVID and everyone having to social distance, more people are out home on social media. Will they care when basketball comes back? Will they care when theaters, museums, or stadiums are open? How much will these same people care years from now to see if anything in the legislation that was passed was actually implemented? Even the legislation that was just passed recently with the police reform, with Senator Rhonda Fields and Leroy Garcia. People didn’t read between the fine lines; it’s not being implemented until 2022. All of that legislation is not being implemented today, so who’s going to enforce it when it is no longer trending?
Re’nesia: Have you or someone close to you been impacted by police brutality or hate crimes?
Portia: I think all of us have. I grew up in the era of N.W.A. It wasn’t called stop and frisk when I was growing up. Stop and frisk was already going on; it was just given a name. In high school, I think we were constantly pulled over. I think of one of my friends who not only faced police brutality but faced felonies for having marijuana, which is now legal in Colorado.
Re’nesia: Is there a particular memory that you have relating to racism or police brutality that has stuck with you?
Portia: It’s tough to say. I grew up in a generation where the crips and bloods ran Denver and I remember when we had the Bloody Summer of 1993 (A.K.A. Summer of Violence). Some of the police brutality came out of that era when some of the gang violence was so bad and people didn’t pay attention to the abuse that black men were receiving because there were so many shootings. As a black female, I don’t have a particular moment that sticks out to me because other than being killed, police brutality was normal. In high school, when we attended parties in certain parts of Denver, police made every black male get down on the ground lined up, almost like cattle. I don’t have any memories that extreme other than what I am seeing in national news now.
Re’nesia: That is completely understandable. Have you noticed a change in the way that people respond to racism or police brutality from when you were younger until now?
Portia: Well I think with your generation, you’re catching it all on film. Police officers have to be much more cautious because of your generation since you guys walk around with phones all the time. In the case of George Floyd, there were multiple angles of his death to show the world that this man didn’t need to lose his life over a $20 counterfeit bill.
Re’nesia: How do you personally feel about what you have seen on social media and in the news?
Portia: It makes me angrier. I try to look for the light at the end of the tunnel, but it does makes me angry. It’s triggering because you hear about everything that’s going on across the country. We hear about every killing now because of social media.
Re’nesia: Do you feel that the media have remained neutral and fair in their reporting or do you think they have taken sides during all of this?
Portia: The media are disheartening because they are looking for drama. They are portraying everything accurately, but I don’t like that they are trying to make certain people the voices of the black community. A lot of people writing the stories are white and they are not taking the time to get to know our black community. They are just looking for a couple of people that will give them a story.
Re’nesia: So, with that in mind, do you feel like the media enhance or hinder the progress in the conversation concerning racism and police brutality in America?
Portia: I mean some definitely enhance it, but some are going to hurt it because if they only focus on the anger and do not start talking to any other diverse people from the community, then they cause division within our communities because they are determining what is and what is not important for a white audience to watch.
Re’nesia: So, if you feel the media looks for drama and ratings, do you think they contribute to the heightened emotions that people have?
Portia: Oh my gosh. Yes, because everything is a story. I mean the media help though because the story is getting out.
Re’nesia: How have you utilized your social platforms differently amid the current protests?
Portia: I try to be a voice. As a parent of a teenager, I try to make sure that the messaging that I send are not so negative and are more solution-based. We should be focusing on solutions and how we can make it better as opposed to immediately just wanting to tear down the system.
Re’nesia: What would you say are your greatest fears as a black woman and mother?
Portia: My daughter or I being assaulted by the police. We focus so much on what is happening, but we forget about where we came from, our roots. We lose our culture, we lose our history, we lose a bit of who we are.
Re’nesia: So, with all of that, your experiences, and the events currently taking place, how do you think that has shaped you into the person you are today, if at all?
Portia: It has made me a leader and has made me want to run for office. It has made me extremely passionate about my civic duties for my community.
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