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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 2003)
Committed to Cultural Diversity www.portlandobservcr.com A p ril 16. 2005 C a I c n d a r School Board Candidates to Speak at Forum o m in u n i t y Alberta Art Hop Participants Wanted The Alberta Art Hop is a one-day festival to celebrate the arts and culture scene in the vibrant Alberta Street Community. On Saturday, May 10 the street w ill open up for music, dancing, the ater, art and great food. There w i 11 be art exhibitions, a shrine con test, live music, a parade and hands-on art projects for adults and children. Volunteers, artists and performers are still needed. For more information, call 503- 493-7246. Public invited to Tuesday session with 23 candidates Future policies governing local schools are at stake in an upcoming election to four open seats on the seven-member Portland School Board. Area residents will have an opportunity to discuss the issues facing the district dur- ing a public forum with all 23 candidates C andidates will have one m inute to an running for the board on Tuesday, April 22 sw er each question. A fter the questioning from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Board Room at the rounds are com plete, candidates will then Blanchard Education Service Center, 501 N have an opportunity for a one-m inute clos Dixon St. ing statem ent. The ev en in g ’s form at will encourage C andidates have been asked to include candidates to express their ideas on finan their position on Ballot M easure 26-48, the cial m atters, educational goals, com m unity proposed M ultnom ah County incom e tax responsibility and establishing com m unity for schools and social services, in their cooperation and partnerships. Event spon closing remarks. sors have drafted four questions for each The forum will be videotaped forreplay theme. on C able Channel 28. For a broadcast sc h ed u le , go to w w w .p p s .k l2 .o r.u s / depts/tvservices/index.shtml and click on "B roadcast S chedule.” Ballots for the election will be mailed to voters on or about April 30 and must be received by election officials by 8 p.m. on May 20. The forum is co-sponsored by The League o f W om en V oters, Southw est Neighborhoods. Inc., Community and Par ents for Public Schools and the Portland Schools Foundation. These are the kinds o f kids teachers and principals love to have. They are role models to other kids, showing that yOU Can Overcome any amount Of adversity, ’ -R o o s ev e lt High School Principal Andy Kelly Online Adopt-a-Pet The Oregon Humane Society has put a new1 twist on on-line person als. With just two clicks, those looking for a loving pet can find it with the dog, cat, rabbit or rodent o f their choice by logging on to www.oregonhumane.org. Those interested in pet adoption can scroll through photos o f all the pets available for adoption at the northeast Portland shelter and read pet profiles that are expanded daily. Alternative Medicine Classes Portland C om m unity C ollege will feature a non-credit lecture series that explains how natural m edicine can help you rely on w holesom e cures to prevent ill nesses as well as heal them. N a tu ro p a th ic p h y sic ia n Dr. Suzanne Lawton will lead a se ries o f six lectures during which students can discover p racti cal, safe and natural approaches that can be incorporated into the home. Each lecture will be held from 5 :30 p.m. to 7:30p.m . W ednesdays through May 7 at Tigard High School, 9000 S.W. Durham Rd. Cost is $ 14 for indi vidual lectures or $66 for the series. For m ore inform ation, call 503-538-9774. photo by A D yn am ic D uo Brothers overcome obstacles for acceptance to prestigious universities Ladybug Nature Walks Parents can discover the natural world with their pre-schoolers every Friday at 10 a.m. at Hoyt Arboretum. A naturalist will hand out m agnifying glasses, bug boxes and other tools to explore the soil, water, bark, flowers and animals in Portland’sparks. There is a $2 charge for each child, but adults are free. BY J a YMEF.R. C lIT I T he P ortland O bserver When it came time for Roosevelt High School seniors Omar and Abdulhamid Abdullah to choose their career paths, both o f them sharply avoided politics— an arena that almost destroyed their family in Africa. Just four years ago, the young men escaped civil war o f their native Ethiopia and fled to a Kenyan Kate Spade Visit Kate Spade, one o f A m erica’s leading accessories d esigner and style-m akers, will celebrate the latest addition to the Kate Spade Beauty collection ‘C las sic Pearls at N o rd stro m 's at W ashington Square from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 17. Shoppers will be able to have a b o ttle o f th e new p erfu m e autographed by its originator. Earth Day Bike Blast On Tuesday, April 22 from4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kaiser Permanente’s Interstate South Medical Office, 3500 N Interstate Ave., there will beaCom munity Bike Blast incel ebration o f Earth Day. The event will feature free bike checkups and minor repairs, discount prices on Bell bicycle helmets, dem on strations on helmet fittings, live entertainment and free refresh ments. Homes for Pets Wanted The O regon Humane Society is extending its outreach efforts to area pet stores this m onth. To help the H um ane Society bring hom eless pets into the com m u nity, call 503-285-7722, exten sion 204. R on W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver After leaving war-torn Ethiopia four years ago. brothers Abdulhamid (left) and Omar Abdullah have found success at Roosevelt High School in north Portland. Despite their school being graded a low performing school, Omar will attend Stanford University next year and Abdulhamid received a full- ride scholarship to Willamette University. refugeecam p with theirm otherandfoursiblings. The family started their lives over in Portland after receiv ing sponsorship from friends in the city, and all six children enrolled in Portland Public Schools. They regret leaving their il I father behind, who died o f a heart condition, before joining his family in Portland. If someone had told the brothers that they would have the opportunity to enjoy the bliss as permanent United States residency, both said they would never have believed it. But today, thrilling futures await them after gradu ation. Omar w as accepted to Stanford University and Abdulhamid was awarded a full-ride academic schol arship to Willamette University. Both plan to study biochemistry and eventually attend medical school. Neither said they have concerns about encounter ing prejudice as practicing Muslims in today’s heated political climate. “I feel like I am where I belong,” Omarsaid. “America is a country o f great opportunity.” His brother Abdulhamid agrees. “We don’t have to worry about the government," he said. “This is the best country in the world.” Both brothers regret the m edia's portrayal o f Roosevelt as a low-achieving school and the negative image o f the Portland Public Schools as a district failing to educate its students during a budgetary crisis. continued on page BS Planners Push Growth in St. Johns OAME Trade Show Coming Soon Residents say they want the village’s atmosphere protected Native American businesses will be highlighted this year L ee P erlman T he P ortland O bserver The 15th annual Oregon Association o f Minority Entrepreneurs Luncheon and Trade Show is scheduled for May 8 at the Oregon Convention Center. The OAME event will feature more than 140 booths and nearly 3,000 visitors. It is designed to provide networking op portunities, information and business opportunities with and for minority- owned companies, while allowing an opportunity to sample their di verse prod ucts and services. Each year, OAME gives special focus to a di fferent local ethnic business group. This year's ethnic focus is Native Ameri can businesses. The year's keynote lun cheon speaker will be H Mara Cohen. by The future o f St. Johns could see more room for people, businesses and industry. But so far, local residents have found anything but a consensus in a St. Johns and Lombard Plan that intends to regulate development and unite the north Portland community. So far, some residents have complained about the plan's call for multi-story apart ments, multi-family properties and low-in- come housing. Jane Bogus o f the St. Johns Neighbor hood Association said there's reluctant continued on page BS 4 Nancy Morgan shares her work at a Write Around Portland reading last week at Broadway Books. Write Around Portland is a group that encourages traditionally suppressed groups to find their voice through writing. Local Residents Find Voice Through Writing by L ee P erlman T he P ortland O bserver A young single parent from ( olumbia Villa reads lines from her novel in progress. A local man reads his poem about his I wizard o f Oz, a psychiatrist who helps him return from the land o f schizophrenia to his normal state o f Kansas. continued on page BS
