Music that makes history
This month, we’ve been talking with local Portland legend and self-advocate DJ Lamar.
Alongside logistics for DJ’ing our Spring Dance on March 27th, we also talked about Black History Month and what it means to him. :)
Naturally, DJ Lamar shared that Black History Month gets him thinking about “the music….the most popular songs that have been throughout the years.”
He named favorites as James Brown, Whitney Houston, The Commodores, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations. …”the classics.”
And for the record, DJ Lamar is not keen on remixes. “Me, I like the originals… It’s just the way I am. I was born and raised with it, the sound of it.”
A song that inspired change
One song in particular inspired DJ Lamar to dedicate himself to sharing music in the world, to spread joy, “to change things”: Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.”
He notes, it isn’t a song he plays in his dance set. “It’s a mellow song…a song that you just listen to, to let you know that there’s a change coming…like Martin Luther King says, ‘I have a dream’… He made it so everybody can ride [the bus where they want]. What he wanted …is everybody coming together.”
DJ Lamar shared, “This is how I was raised, from this stuff. …Y’all better get ready, because there’s a change coming. …That’s why I did this DJ business. To change things … to change everybody with music. Music is my inspiration, [to] make them feel good.”
And change he has!
DJ Lamar celebrated 30 years of DJ’ing last year, and he cites having reached over 1,000 people in that time. “This is how I reached L’Arche. Everybody knows about The D.J. Lamar Show. People love to dance, they love my music.”
He has DJ’d countless dances, bingo nights, karaoke nights, weddings, advocacy conferences, and other parties – for the disability community and general public. And he keeps as busy a gig schedule as ever, including multiple monthly gigs with Club Impact.
Keep looking to the future
DJ Lamar also uses his voice and presence for change in his direct advocacy work. He is a 30-year member of Self Advocates Taking Action and recently participated in advocacy days at the state capitol in Salem. “I’ve been doing great work… I’m out there serving the community.”
As we closed our conversation, DJ Lamar offered this encouragement: “Just stay positive… Keep up the good work. Keep on going. All you got to do is put your mind to it, and you got it. You got this. Keep looking to the future.”
