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
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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.
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