(Elje lune 04, 2003 rt lattò ©bseruer Page A3 Entrepreneurs Sponsor Coffee and Issues Forum ..Quiet footsteps of economic recovery outlined ™ I f you can get $100 billion to rebuild Iraq, then you can get money fo r health care and education in this community. by J aymee R .C lti T he P ortland O bsers er I». Despite the record joblessness, cuts to health care and education and comparisons to the Great De- •, pression, state and federal politi- , cians are pointing to quiet foot steps o f economic recovery for the state. The news was delivered Friday by Marty Brantley, executive direc- , tor o f the Oregon Economic and Development Department and by . U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., at the Oregon Association o f Minor ity Entrepreneurs “Coffee and Is Piton» by J aymee R. C i yi /T iie P or it . am » O bsers er sues” forum. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. (left) meets Woody Broadnax o f the Women and minorities in small Juneteenth Association Northwest during a Friday forum at the businesses were on the agenda, Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs. but the conversation burgeoned into a pep talk to small business owners as the senator outlined a trading opportunities for his pro ness from this project," Wyden said. posed transportation bill. plan for economic recovery. He also addressed O regon’s “ I will not rest until people from health care crisis and promised to Wyden, a longtime OAME sup- porter, promised the crowd con- this room get a fair measure ofbusi- work with President Bush to secure - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. at a forum sponsored by the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs federal funds for two o f the state’s priorities: education and health care. “ If you can get $100 billion to rebuild Iraq, then you can get money for health care and education in this community,” Wyden said. Brantley introduced the idea o f a workforce bill to better train work ers for large companies, but his focus was on promoting O regon's tourism industry. He discussed marking O regon-m ade products such as wine in the direction o f Idaho’s potatoes and California’s raisins. Tourism came as encouraging words to Woody Broadnax o f the Juneteenth Association Northwest. Broadnax said he would like to attract tourists to Portland for Juneteenth celebrations. The local resident said he has got support from Wyden for mak ing Juneteenth, the day the last slaves in the United States were freed, a state holiday. Broadnax will present the pro posal to the State Legislature on June 19. For some attending the forum, W yden's very presence brought them hope. “The visit said that w e’re still on his radar screen," said Faye B urch-W ilson, ow ner o f a small consulting firm, who attended the forum. W yden said, "The people in this room have the talent to build a better Oregon. I'm going to make the federal governm ent a better partner. African American Chamber Leaders Applauded The African American Chamber o f Commerce had a lot to do with the city’s recent decision to award a five-year, multi-mi Ilion dollar public park ing contract to Star Park, a parking company in partnership with three local minority business as sociations. Officials said the contract set a milestone as the first time in O regon's history that a government agency awarded a contract o f this size that in cluded ethnic minorities without a minority set- aside program. The African American Chamber o f Commerce launched an intensive investigation into the public “Smart Park" contracts last fall and used their professional resources to initiate thejoint venture. “The African American Cham berofCom m erce wrote the book on this one," said a local govern ment employee. "They demonstrated that they had the imagination, determination and the profes sional consideration to also include the Hispanic and Philippine AmericanChambersofCommerce.” Members of the local African Ameri can, Hispanic and Philippine American Chambers of Commerce are celebrating a partnership that led to the awarding of a multi-million dollar contract to manage the city's downtown Smart Park ga rages. T u a l a t in H il l s N ature P a r k 7 kzs t 3 'V Ï1 f .► .. i Explore the sights and sounds of the Portland area. Plan your trip at trimet.org to w o rk | to p la y | to liv e TR l @ M E T See where it takes you. 4 t Community Invited to Join in the Juneteenth Parade Celebratory march will take place on June 21 The annual Juneteenth Pa rade will take place on Satur day, J une 21 and al I m em bers o f the com m unity are invited to design a float o r display with the them e ‘Living the D ream ’ to drive in the parade or walk with business, church, school or historical freedom banners. The parade, w hich leaves from the Bethel AM E C hurch at 5828 NE 8,h at Jarrett at 2 p.m ., will also feature bands, drill teams, vintage cars and other festive m archers. Those w ishing to jo in the parade should assem ble at the church at 9 a.m. w here there will be a Juneteenth Extrava ganza Raffle. For m ore infor mation, call 503-335-0855. The Juneteenth celebration w i 11 kick o ff on Thursday, J une 19 at L egacy E m m an u el Lorenzen C enter from 2 p.m. to 5 p. m. and at the Multnomah C o u n ty L ib ra ry on Killingsworth at 6 p.m. O n Friday, June 20 there w ill be a carnival at 6 p.m . at V ancouver and R ussell w ith live stage perform ances, the Red C ross M obile M useum , and food and vendor booths. T he carnival w ill co n tin u e on S a tu rd a y and S u n d ay from noon to dusk w ith a ju b ile e beg in n in g at 3 p.m . on Sunday.