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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2002)
April 03, 2002 Page A5 African Dance Troupe Raises AIDS Awareness Forum 2002 National Forum for Black Public Administrators Orphaned children of Uganda perform at Nike campus Presents a Public Policy Town Hall Meeting Sunday, A pril 7, 2 0 0 2 Oregon Convention Center 777 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. For the first time since the September 11th tragedy, a group of the nation’s most distinguished mayors will convene to discuss the impacts this event has had on security and disaster preparedness in their cities and states. The Children o f Uganda perform at the Nike campus in Beaverton. Acting as goodwill ambassadors to increase global awareness of HIV/AIDS, they play a variety o f handmade instruments and perform dances from a number o f African countries. Children o f Uganda, the award winning dance troupe comprised 'of 20 Ugandan children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, performed at the Nike campus in Beaverton last "Wednesday. The perform ance was part o f a 17 city U.S. tour projected to raise $1 million to support orphans in Uganda while increasing global awareness of AIDS and its devastating impact on children. The dual crises of civil war and AIDS in Uganda combined with a high illiteracy rate and the ab sence o f free education have posed a serious threat to the com plex fabric of family and village life that previously nurtured and de pended on a rich and varied oral culture. In the 20 years since the epi demic began, AIDS has killed a total of 21.8 million people around the world, and currently an esti mated 36.1 million people are liv ing with HIV. The disease has created some 12.1 million orphans in Africa, out of a global total of 13.2 million AIDS orphans. Children of Uganda was origi nally founded to teach orphaned children the songs, dances and stories that were in danger of being lost. In Uganda, the ensemble in cludes approximately 30 young people who live and study in one of several orphanages in and around Kampala. The Tour of Light gives 20 of the most talented of these performers an opportunity to share their stories in the United States. “Traveling with Children of Uganda has allowed me to see the United States and tell American children about my country and culture,” says Emmy Anguyo, 17, a veteran o f the “Tour of Light” in 1996,1998 and 2000 who is in the 11“1 grade and lost both his par ents to AIDS. “I want to tell America that no matter what hap pens to you in life, there is always hope.” Join this distinguished panel as they consider the challenges and strategies for protecting citizens during times of tighter budgets. The panel will also discuss the controversy over racial profiling versus protecting civil rights. Panel Members: • • • • • • Vera Katz - Mayor of Portland, Oregon Jerry Brown ~ Mayor, Oakland, California Michael Brown, ~ Mayor of Riviera Beach, Florida Randy Daniels - former Secretary of State, New York Shirley Franklin ~ Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia Kwame Kilpatrick ~ Mayor of Detroit, Michigan Admission is free. No registration or reservations are necessary. Lawsuits Seek Slavery Reparations For more information, call Tim Hall at (503) 823-6926 Moderator: Robert Bobb NFBPA Board President Companies accused of profiting from slavery for two centuries (AP) — A woman whose an cestors were slaves sued three companies for allegedly profiting from slavery for nearly two centu ries — a long-simmering concept that could pick up steam if more blacks are allowed to join the law suits. Plaintiffs’ lawyers said the law suits were the first to seek slavery reparations from private com pa nies. They were filed against the Aetna insurance company, the FleetBoston financial services group and railroad giant CSX on behalf of the 35 million American descendants o f African slaves. At a new s conference an nouncing the lawsuits last week, Deadria Farmer-Paellmann said she spent five years researching the topic after writing on her law sçhool application that her dream was to build the case that would win slavery reparations. The three suits, which seek un specified damages, claimed that as many as 1,000unidentified cor porations may have benefited from slavery between 1619 and 1865. The lawsuits seek class-ac tion status and could be expanded to include more companies. Any damages won from the lawsuit would be put into a fund to improve health, education and housing opportunities for blacks, said attorney Roger Wareham, one This is not about individuals receiving checks in their mailbox. — D e ad ria F a rm e r- Paellm ann * of a group of lawyers who pre pared the lawsuits. “This is not about individuals receiving checks in their mailbox,” Wareham said. In a statement, Aetna said: “We do not believe a court would per mit a lawsuit over events which— however regrettable — occurred hundreds of years ago. These is sues in no way reflect Aetna to day.” CSX said the lawsuits had no merit and should be dismissed. F le e t sp o k e sm a n Ja m e s Mahoney said the company had not seen the lawsuits and had no comment. CSX said it was named as a defendant because slave labor was used to construct portions of some U.S. rail lines “under the political and legal system in place more than a century before CSX was formed in 1980.” Farmer-Paellmann said Aetna, in particular, was cooperative in her research, but that changed when she started speaking pub licly about planned litigation. Com pany docum ents show ed one-third of A etna’s first 1,000 policies were written on the lives o f slaves, she said. Farmer-Paellmann said the fil ing was victory enough for one day. “I feel confident that something good will come of all of this,” she said. Portland Meadows Settles Waste Lawsuit (A P)— Portland Meadows, the city’s thoroughbred racetrack in north Portland, and two environ mental groups settled a Clean W ater Act lawsuit last Thurs day over manure runoff from the track into the Columbia River. The groups had sued af ter Portland M eadows and the Environmental Protection Agency were already in talks about solving the surface water runoff problem created by about 900 horses typi cally stabled at the site. Heavy rains had leached manure into the Columbia Slough, an area already heavily polluted from the Port o f P o rtla n d an d o th e r sources. W astewater typically es caped the track grounds and flowed into the river several times a year. In a consent agreement with the EPA, the track agreed to divert its storm drains to the city of Portland’s sewage system at a cost of $750,000, said Arthur McFadden, president of Magna Entertainment Corp., the com pany that ow ns Portland Meadows. The company also agreed to pay a $100,000 fine to the U.S. Treasury in a civil penalty. Advertise with diversity in A series of informal sessions with Oregon Health & Science University faculty and staff that address health care issues of interest to the neighborhood. OHSU. Where Healing, Teaching and Discovery Come Together. Healthy Aging for 40+ Healthy Chats are good for you! Com eto these free, very informal 6611 RE Martin Luther King Bhd Portland, Oregon 97211 503-240-4198 • One-Bedroom Apartments with Full Sized Kitchens and Living Areas • Planned Activities, Laundry Facility, Conference & Meeting Room, Elevator and Library • Conveniently Located to Shopping, Restaurants, Pharmacy, and Medical Offices W ednesday, A p ril 1 0 ,1 0 :3 0 - 11:30 a.m . Westmoreland's Union M anor — 6404 S.E. 23rd Ave., Portland types of health care An Overview of Pediatric Scoliosis issues. OHSU faculty Ronald Turker, M.D., assistant professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation, OHSU School of Medicine, presents a concise tour of the curved spine, who gets it, and what can and cannot be done about it. offer sound advice on timely topics at four locations around the Portland metro area. W ednesday, A p ril 10, 7 - 8 p.m. OHSU Health Center-Beaverton — 2935 S.W. Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton (north end of Beaverton Mall) The chats run for one hour with time for questions and answers. Call 503 494-0060 to register, as seating is Alberta Simmons Plaza William Gaynor, M.P.A., OHSU Center for Healthy Aging, shares current information about “aging well.” A baby boomer turns 50 about every eight seconds in the United States. We cannot stop the passage of time, but we can determine to a great extent how we age. sessions that address all programs. for Seniors 62 years and older ^ilnrtlanö (Ohserner call 503.288.0033 or email: ads@portlandobserver.com Parking is free for all Affordable Quality Retirement Living < r iir Developing Hormone-Based Therapies for Multiple Sclerosis Bruce Bebo Jr., Ph.I)., assistant scientist, Neurological Sciences Institute at OHSU, discusses how the severity of MS attacks fluctuates with changes in sex hormone levels. Bebo is studying the potential of sex hormones as a treatment for MS. W ednesday, A p ril 17, 7 - 8 p.m. OHSU Family Health Center-Richmond — 3930 S.E. Division St., Portland limited. Low Back Pain Treatment: Exercise as an Alternative For more information, visit our Web site at www.OHSUhealth.com under "Lectures & Events," or call 503 494 0060. Healthy Chats We participate in most HM 0 and PPO insurance plans OHSU is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. www.OHSUhealth.com Nels Carlson, M.D , assistant professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation (health promotion and sports medicine), OHSU School of Medicine, offers a valuable overview of the causes of low back pain, evaluation measures and treatment options. Thursday, A p ril 18, 7 - 8 p.m. St. Barnabas Episcopal Church — 2201 S.W Vermont St., Portland, Grafe Hall (Old Parish Hall)
