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World Affairs Council
Hafez A l-M irazi, the W ashington
Bureau C h ief for A l-Jazeera will be
speaking in Portland at a W orld
A ffairs Council M onthly H eadline
Forum event on T hursday, July 25,
noon tim e at the G overnor Hotel,
S.W. 10'h and Alddf. He will be d is
cussing the role o f A l-Jazeera as an
instrument o f dem ocracy in the Arab
world. Call 503-274-7488.
East Portland Nibble
On Saturday, July 20, the East P ort
land Com m unity C enter hosts their
annual East Portland N ibble. This is
a fun, fam ily-oriented sum m ertim e
event that includes m usic, dance,
fine art exhibits, petting zoo and
other activities. Event is from noon
time until 8 p.m. at 740 S.E. 106,h Ave.
Admission is free. Call 503-823-3450.
Adopt-a-Pet Fair
W hat do pets, vets, m usic, horses,
mascots and microchips have in com
m on? They are all featured at the
O regon Humane S o ciety ’s 6'h an
nual Adopt-a-Pet Fair. It will be held
July 2 7 - 2 8 at 1067 N.E. Colum bia
Blvd. Call 503-285-7722 or visit
w w w .oregonhum ane.org.
Pearl District Farmer’s Market
Rounding out the w eekly schedule
is the Thursday evening farm er's
m arket, now in its second year in the
c ity ’s trendy Pearl D istrict, betw een
N.W . Flanders and G lisan St. The
m arket will stay open until Sept. 12,
from 4 -8 p .m .
Lead Poisoning
Prevention Workshop
The most com m on sources o f lead
poisoning are found in and around
homes. Come to a w orkshop and
learn about the effects and sources
o f lead poisoning; how to test for
lead; and prevention tips. The class
will be on Saturday, July 24, from
6:30 p.m .- 8 p.m. at 422 N.E. Alberta.
Call 503-284-4962 to register.
Soul Chain
Links Soul
Sisters
Family finds livelihood
happiness in craft
by D avid P lechl
T he P ortland O bserver
The first link in the Soul Chain is mom. The next couple
o f links are sisters, Mona McDonald and Phyllis Black.
From there, come all the friends, family, and other artists
that have helped them along the way.
Crocheting is there life, bu, it all began with their mother
Audrey, that very first link.
“My mother is the master behind all o f it,” says
McDonald, who owns the clothing store with her sister
Phyllis, “actually, she taught us how to crochet.”
Mona was about eight years old. She remembers being
curious, but also thinks her mother probably pushed her
and her sister just a bit.
“I told them, all little girls should know how to knit,” said
Audrey, “1 just taught them the basics and their imagina
tions went wild.”
From those humble beginnings, no one foresaw that
they would eventually open a clothing store called Soul
Chain at 2324 N.E. Alberta St., showcasing a collage o f
finely crafted handmade tops, dresses, hats and bikinis.
Only a couple years ago, McDonald was totally burnt
out, frustrated with jobs and overbearing bosses; She
wanted to go into work for herself, even though she didn ’t
have any idea o f what she wanted to do. And, she hadn’t
crocheted in over twenty years.
“1 am a spiritual person, so I began to pray,” she
explains, “Lord, whatever it is you want me to do, I’ll do
it. 1 picked up a needle. I made a sweater, and it was
beautiful, so I thought, this is what I am supposed to be
doing,”
Meanwhile, sister Phyllis and a girlfriend were thinking
about opening some kind o f shop. The pieces were falling
into place. Black was already crocheting hats, gloves and
scarves and selling them out ofher mother’s home. McDonald
painted and did interior design work on the side. Between
them, they figured they had their bases covered.
continued
'y f
on page .46
Mona McDonald crochets a dress at the handmade clothing store she owns with her sister Phyllis
Black on Alberta St. called Soul Chain.
photo by D avid P i . ec hl /T he P ortland O bserver
Hollywood Senior Center
The H ollyw ood Senior Center, lo
cated at 1820 N.E. 4O'\ will be having
a show ing o f “ Harry Potter and the
S o rcerer's Stone” on Friday, July
26,1 p.m .T he centeralso holds regu
lar book discussion groups. Call the
center for Ju ly ’s selection and m eet
ing time. N ew com ers are alw ays
welcome. Call 503-288-8303.
Neighborhood
Petition Saves
Tree
Dave Duncan signs a
neighborhood petition that
ultimately saved this tree
from being cut by the city.
The construction of a new
bus stop platform will
eliminate two o f the three
trees on the block in front of
the Starry Rose Coffee Shop
on Alberta St.
Domestic Violence Exhibit
A pow erful display o f life-sized fe
male silhouettes tells the story o f
O regon women who lost their lives
through dom estic violence. There
will be a view ing and a program at
The Bahai Center, 8720 N. Ivanhoe
St., from 10 a.m .-4 :3 0 p.m. on Satur
day, Aug. 10. Call 503-289-1472.
Blue Lake Park Events
M etro’s Blue Lake Regional Park
offers N aturally for Kids, a sum m er
events program forchildren to learn
how to make nature crafts at the
Clatsop picnic shelter, from 10 a.m. -
11a.m. on W ednesday, July 17. Kids
can create their own w ildlife scene
from clay. The park is located b e
tween M arine Dr. and Sandy Blvd.,
ofTN.E. 223"1 Ave. Call 503-797-1850.
Trauma and Transformation
The T rauma Relief o f Services o f the
N orthw est in Beaverton is present
ing a w orkshop on innovative ap
proaches to resolving trauma. There
will be a main pre-conference on
Aug. 2 1, a main conference on Aug.
22 - 23 and a post-conference. Aug
25 - 28. Registration is necessary.
Call 503-526-0838.
photo bv
D avid P i . echl
New Business Center Opens for Minority Entrepreneurs
Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs expands with facility serving Gresham
The Oregon Association o f Minority
Entrepreneurs has just opened the doors
to their new 8,000 square foot Rockwood
facility at 18725 S.E. Stark, serving small
and large businesses in Rockwood and
Gresham.
Fred Meyer is donating the facility,
which includes the old “Satellite" restau-
I
rant and several vacant storefronts, for
10-years, rent-free.
The new facility will be an incubator for
m inority-ow ned, women-owned, and
emerging small businesses - housing as
many as eight businesses.
OAMF. officials said the site will also
host an incubator “without walls," which
I
means its services will also be available to
businesses not physically housed within
the facility. Current potential tenants
include a beauty salon business, bakery
and public agency.
OAME has been in the forefront o f
promoting and developing minority people,
places, and clusters. A main outcome in
this program will be to provide individuals
the support and access to common re
sources. which will lead to ownership,
wealth, and jobs for the community.
Formorc information, contact Kristine
Leibrand, Gresham Business Assistance
Coordinator at 503-618-2854 or Jorge
Guerra, OAME director at 503-249-4477.
I