Page A4 3>lje Jlortlanò ®bgerucr O pinion Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer The Portland Observer E D I T O I -I n -C H i e r . P C itu n te u il is h c k Charles H. Washington D il s a o ! Paul Neufeldt USPS 9 5 9 -6 8 0 I lf m E d it o i Established 1970 Michael Leighton 4 7 4 7 NE M artin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 9 7 2 1 1 December 24. 2003 D is M a s a u f » Mark Washington R i s iiit io s • i M id t o i l Kathy Linder k r o r t r r Jasmee R. Cuti P ostmaster : Send address changes to Portland Observer P0 Box 3 1 3 7 , Portland, OR 97208 Periodical Postage paid In Portland, OR ■ Subscriptions are $ 6 0 .0 0 per year 5 0 3 -2 8 8 -0 0 3 3 • FAX5 0 3 -2 8 3 0 0 1 5 • EMAIL: I subscriDtion^Dortlandobserver.com ads@oortlandobserver.com The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 1996 THE KIRTLAND OBSERVER ALL RIG H TS RESERVED, REPRO D U CTIO N IN W HOLE O R IN PART W IT H O U T PERM ISSIO N IS PR O H IB ITED . The Portland O bserver-O regon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication--» a member of the National Newspaper A ssociation-Founded in 1885. and The National Advertising Repre sentative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver. 'VHstx-A • «K'vWlW A H A *n r HOLIDAYS Our Travelodge is centrally located near the Portland Convention Center. A c c o m m o d a tio n s in c lu d e 4 3 q u a lity, clea n , q u it g u e s t ro o m s w ith k in g / q u e e n b e d s a va ila b le. W e o ffe r o u r g u e st a c o n tin e n ta l b re a k fa st, g u e st lau n d ry an d a m p le p a rk in g fo r y o u r c o n v e n ie n c e an d an in d o o r steam sa u n a fo r y o u r e n jo y m ent. W e h a v e S a te llite TV, o u r ra tes a re rea so n a b le, w e o ffe r s p e c ia l d is c o u n ts to se n io r c itiz e n s a n d h o n o r A A A d isco u n ts. N o n -sm o k in g an d h a n d ic a p ro o m s are av a ila b le to o u r g u est u p o n req u est. a 1■5® Tra rcjc)dge •z 1506 N E 2 nd A ve . P o r tla n d , O R 9 7 2 3 2 (5(13) 2 3 1 -7 6 6 5 by B en D ib / M inuteman M edia 1 0 5 6 5 @ h o te l.c e n d a n t.c o m The Holidays are coming, so come enjoy a nice quiet evening at Travelodge Portland Convention location. Based on availability. Must mention this ad at time of reservation. Good th ru ¡.4.04 Our Growing Health Crisis for Kids Advertise with diversity in <LI|‘ ^ a r t l l t n h © b s e r u e r We can prevent obesity in children Call 503-288-0033 or email: ads@portlandobserver.com by B eknicf . P owei . i . J ackson T here’s a new threat to our chil dren, which will shorten their lives. Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health * A program of the African American Health Coalition Inc Sponsored by the COC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Wellness Within REACH Activity Calendar All classes are free of charge! Tues M on Matt Dishman 77 NE boti Salvation Army 5325NWÜWS. W ed T h u rs Stretching Body StretchingBody St.lpt.ng Scooting 10:00-11:00am 7 8am Los 7 8am Lois Addo Salsa Wain Aerobics h i Chi Water Aerobics 630-7:30*« CLASSES F U i 630-730*m CLASSES PULL Henrv Walmg List Available Lyles Waitog List Available w Wild Oats Warirt 3535 NE 15tk Sat F ri African Dance Yoga Body Conditioning 7:30-B30*m 7:30-8:30*« 930-1030am O'Rotrke O'Roarke Nickerson Peñada Park Walking bron* Woods Whiaka Track 42di Uaftwerih Aerobics Aerobics Aerobics Aerobics Aerobics 6:00 - 7:00 AM 6:00-73)0*0 6DO-7DOAM 6DO-7.-flO*m 6:00 -7:00 AM Pierce Keller Pierce Keller Pierce Motes to Humboldt 530-620*« Moves to Humboldt flementan on 530-620*0 1/5/04 branvrlle 6:30-730*m 63fl-7:30*o Niricrswo Nickerson Hementarv on 1 /5 /ft ’ Wl Management Wl. Management Condi boning Conditioning II Conditioning MM) lODOam 6:00 7:00am 93M)-I0:00ao Hasan Hasan Hasan Hnbott Aerobics Aerobics 6dN)-7:00*m 6:00-7 1)0*0 4915 N. Ktler Kelin Begins 1/5/04 Begins 1/5/04 law Impact Omrd. 12kiUñsw lh 7:15-8:15*0 1___— - 4b tilaaville Nicknson Wt. Management DadeTs Memorial 530 620*o 6:30-730*m Ekwñry * * ll...a tis, infertility and strokes. And all o f this is preventable. O ver the past generation M adi son Avenue has found out that children are very susceptible to television advertising and fast food com panies have targeted our chil dren for special attention. This, coupled with the num ber o f m oth ers now in the job market, has meant that more children are eating more junk food more often, more junk food and 25 percent few er veg etables and fruit. In addition, more children are drinking soft drinks instead o f milk and some school cafeterias have succum bed to pre paring the high calorie, high fat, low fiber foods that children crave. At the sam e time, as children watch more and more television, they are less likely toexercise. Those who sit at com puters also are not moving. And many school districts, facing financial difficulties, have cqt back on physical education classes. All o f this means that our chil dren, especially children o f color, are in real danger. etables, fruits and milk. Exercise regularly with our children and grandchildren (it w on’t hurt our health either). Get our churches, mosques and temples to start exer cise programs for our youth. Limit the am ount of television our chil dren watch each week. Get our schools to get rid o f soft drink ma chines and get healthier foods in school cafeterias and make sure Stop feeding our children junk food, high carbohydrate diets and soft drinks and instead feed feed thei them more vegetables, fruits and milk. According to the American Dia that recess and physical education betes A sso ciatio n , ch ild ren as is back in the school day. young as four are now being diag Type II diabetes could become nosed with diabetes and the dis the most dangerous disease to at ease is approaching epidem ic pro tack ourchi Idren since polio. There’s portions in our teens. Many o f the not a vaccine that can prevent this teens that now have diabetes have disease, but there are lifestyle diseases once reserved for older changes that can. It’s up to us. For Americans such as high blood pres the sake o f our children and our sure and high cholesterol. children’s children. Let’s get busy. This can all be prevented. Stop Bernice Powell Jackson is the feedingourchildrenjunk food, high executive minister for justice and carbohydrate diets and soft drinks witness ministries for the United and instead feed them more veg- Church o f Christ. MMMMM Taxation Without Representation 1230*0 700N Portbnd Halen Averne Chrafiaa Church (Cpa) 126 NE Aiata I ’ m not talking about guns or people snatching them from the streets. I' m talking about obesity— the fact that our children, especially chil dren o f color, are too fat and are therefore reporting alarmingly high rates o f the type o f diabetes (Type II) normally found in adults. This will mean that our children and grandchildren will face more com plications from diabetes, in cluding hypertension, blindness, kidney disease and earlier death. It also means they will be more sus ceptible to heart disease, colon, stom ach and breast cancers, arthri Aerobics LranviKe r > i _______ - • - » ....— —- .1. — 503-413-1850. Please receive approval from your doctor before beginning exercise class. African American Health Coalition, Inc. 2800 N Vancouver Ave . Suite 100 • Portland OR 97227 • Phone. 503-413-1850 E-mail kdempsey@aahc-portland org • Web www aahc-porlland org Congress treats majority black city unfairly by U.S. R ep . E i . eanor H olmes N orton done unequal treatm ent for any A m ericans, especially Americans who fight our wars and pay their taxes. To inform the country of their undemocratic predicament, the Dis trict will hold its own first-in-the- nation primary on Jan. 13. The vote will dem onstrate to the world the untold story that stains our dem oc racy— that residents o f the nation’s capital are A m erica’s last second- class citizens and to ask for the help they need. D.C. is a majority black city, but all w ho live there are equally un equal. The Congressional Black Caucus and our congressional al lies have endorsed the No Taxation W ithout R epresentation Act to give D.C. residents equal represen tation in Congress. E-mail or phone your Senators and Representatives. Tell them you will be watching to see if they sign on to cosponsor the bill to assure dem ocracy at home first. A fter4()yearsofcivil rights laws, are A m ericans throughout our country equal? The answer m ay surprise you. Some Americans stand out as far less equal than others. Surprisingly, these Americans live closest to the seat o f American democracy. They are the citizens o f the D istrict o f Colum bia, our nation’s capital. Polls show that m ost A m eri cans think D.C. residents have are fighting and dying in the w ars the sam e rights as o th er A m eri in Iraq and A fghanistan as they cans. H ow ever, the citizens w ho have in every w ar our nation has live in the n a tio n 's capital have fought, beginning with the R evo no senators and th eir house rep lutionary W ar — the one fought resen tativ e cannot cast a vote for to elim in ate taxation w ithout rep them on the floor o f C ongress. re sen tatio n . Y et, D.C. residents pay m ore than The frustration o f living with any state except C onnecticut in unequal rights is especially cruel U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes the taxes they pay to support our when few Americans even know Norton is from Washington, D.C. governm ent. about it. D.C. residents are certain and is a member o f the Congres At this mom ent, D.C. residents that Americans would never con sional Black Caucus.