Our Mission The August Wilson Red Door Project is a social change agent, using the arts as a catalyst for creating a lasting, positive change in the racial ecology of Portland. Our Philosophy All people, regardless of personal, cultural, and social history, internalize values and beliefs of the world they have been raised in. While some of these values and beliefs enable creative achievement and success, others create a sense of profound limitation and self-doubt. This doubt can be described as “internalized oppression” – a process by which people come to accept and internalize the inaccurate myths and stereotypes they have been exposed to. No one is immune from having to wrestle with a sense that something is holding them back, regardless of background or privilege. The Red Door Project is founded on the belief that the right education, exposure, and support, everyone is capable of growing their capacity to create, to achieve, and to thrive. And this belief is our driving philosophy – the core of everything we do.