Permission to Break!

Police Officer and Author Releases Powerful Memoir on Healing, Strength & Softness

Portland native, author, and community advocate Rashida Saunders

Portland native, author, and community advocate Rashida Saunders is set to release her debut memoir, Permission to Break: A Memoir of Strength, Suppression, and Softness, a raw and deeply personal reflection on what it means to survive, heal, and reclaim one’s voice.

Saunders, a current Portland Police Bureau officer and founder of Black Ember Press & Photography, draws from her experiences growing up in Northeast Portland, navigating generational silence, and serving in law enforcement while confronting her own emotional trauma. Permission to Break weaves memoir and reflection into a story of transformation — from emotional suppression to softness and self-acceptance.

“For years, I was praised for being strong — but that strength became armor,” Saunders says. “This book is about laying it down, choosing vulnerability, and giving myself permission to be human again.”

The memoir explores themes of mental health, identity, motherhood, and resilience within the Black community — offering a rare look into the emotional realities behind the badge and beyond survival. It’s both a personal reckoning and an invitation for others to confront the silence in their own lives.