America's 250th anniversary is colliding with a renewed battle over Black history, just as the White House moves to both smooth over and narrow how race and equity are discussed nationwide with rollbacks of diversity initiatives.

Why it matters: Black History Month — in its 100th year since Carter G. Woodson's 1926 Negro History Week — arrives amid an administration actively shrinking institutions that preserve and teach that history.

• The Trump administration has said that diversity initiatives and racial equity efforts have unfairly advantaged Black and Latino Americans at the expense of white Americans.

Driving the news: Following presidential custom, Trump issued a National Black History Month proclamation on Feb. 3 that maintained "black history is not distinct from American history — rather, the history of Black Americans is an indispensable chapter in our grand American story."

• The proclamation, which the White House tied to the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary, celebrates Black Americans' historic contributions.

Yes, but: Its rhetoric, critics say, stands in tension with the Trump administration's recent actions, raising questions about whether commemoration without context ultimately obscures more than it honors.

• A National Urban League roundtable last month warned that rollbacks of voting rights, diversity initiatives and how history is taught are reinforcing fears that hard-won civil-rights protections are at risk.

What they're saying: "This isn't a break from American history. It's the continuation of it," Michael Harriot, author of "Black AF History," tells Axios.

• "The country was founded on the idea that some people get to define freedom and democracy — and others are excluded from it."

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Portlanders don't have to fly to New York, London or Los Angeles to immerse themselves in David Hockney's vibrant world of poolside turquoise blues, explosive fuchsia skies and electric green landscapes.

The big picture: A sweeping, six-decade exhibition featuring more than 200 works by Hockney is on view at the newly renovated Portland Art Museum and explores how he embraced reinvention throughout his career.

• From early etchings to his iconic swimming pool series, blooming British gardens and intimate portraits of friends, the show traces how Hockney constantly reimagined space and feeling.

Zoom in: The galleries are painted vermilion red and deep cobalt to create an immersive experience with sightlines and framed windows that let visitors glimpse works in neighboring rooms — subtly shifting their vantage point as they move through the exhibit.

• His photographic collages, which collapse multiple viewpoints into a single image, and iPad drawings — along with a multi-screen video of a snowy back road filmed from cameras mounted on a Jeep — show how he's always been an early adopter.

Between the lines: The works come from the expansive collection of Portland developer and philanthropist Jordan Schnitzer, who purchased his first Hockney print (from the Blue Guitar series) early in his career.

• At a news conference, Schnitzer said he "burst into tears" when he saw the exhibit for the first time, adding that it could have been at the Tate or Whitney with how well it was executed.
• "This sets a new standard for the museum here," he said.

Tell an art lover

📉 The number of students enrolled in Oregon's public schools continues to drop with October attendance numbers showing a 7% decline between 2019 and 2025. (The Oregonian)

😕 Expensive housing, job losses and fewer international arrivals are all putting Portland's economy on the brink of a crisis, according to a report commissioned by the Portland Metro Chamber. (OPB)

🕯️ Avel Gordly, the first Black woman to be elected to the Oregon Senate, died yesterday at the age of 79. (KGW)

❄️ Forecasters have increasing confidence several inches of snow could fall at lower elevations, potentially including Portland, between tomorrow night and Thursday morning. (The Oregonian)

For Lunar New Year, many people in Asia and around the world are eating foods that look like money, sound like good fortune and represent wholeness.

Why it matters: "The Chinese believe that you have to have a really positive attitude going into the new year," says Grace Young, a cookbook author, culinary historian and activist who works to preserve America's Chinatowns.

• "That's why you're eating these symbolic foods, to bring good fortune and good luck to your family," she tells Axios.

Between the lines: Some words for traditional Lunar New Year's foods are Cantonese homonyms for good things.

• Shrimp dishes are eaten because shrimp in Cantonese sounds like "ha," "so it means that joy and laughter will come into your life," Young says.

Whole fish is a holiday mainstay, for a few reasons.

• The Cantonese words for fish and abundance sound alike and it's important that the fish is whole "because it symbolizes a proper beginning and end of the year," Young says.

The Cantonese words for tangerine and luck sound similar, so oranges are popular on the holiday.

• Plus, they're round (representing the wholeness of life), almost red (red is lucky) and can have fresh green leaves (which represent new growth).

Go deeper

He's back! My dog, Joby, is somewhere in Portland — and it's your turn to guess where he is. Name the spot and win a shoutout in this newsletter to use as bragging rights with your friends.

Here's some clues:

• This quiet courtyard sits near one of the city's oldest institutions and is somewhere you might visit after a life event — big or small.
• It features the work of an iconic artist who got his start in the pages of local newspapers, and it's sure to make you giggle.

Send us your guesses! The first five to get it right win.

• The answer will be revealed Thursday.

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