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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 2004)
Committed to Cultural Diversity www.portlandobserver.com M etro Æl" ^Iorflattb © b seru er Olympic Team Setback Doping violation makes star sprinter ineligible fo r Athens Games See Sports, page B2 SECTION o ni ill u n i t y C a l e n bom tl a r Alberta Farm Market Providing healthy, affordable, high quality food, the Alberta Cooperative Grocery offers sea sonal produce from local grow ers, ready-to-eat food and weekly entertainment. Open from 10a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, located on 1500 N.E. Alberta Street. For more information, call 503-287-4333. to B breastfeed The Sabbath Spend your weekend well at the Israelite Church o f God and Jesus Christ, 309 N. E. Wygant St., for the Sabbath. Friday ser vice begins at 7 p.m. and Satur day service is at 8:30 a.m. Fair Housing Join the Fair Housing Council on Aug. 12 foradiscussion titled Interpretation o f Fair Housing Laws at the W oodstock Library, 6(X)8 S.E. 49th Ave, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 12. Register by call ing 503-772-8825 Humane and Bazaar The Oregon Humane Society hosts a summ er craft bazaar and pet fairon Saturday, Aug. 14 and Sunday, Aug. 15 at 1067 N. E. Columbia Blvd. Jovan Young nurses her seven-month-old daughter, Denali. She recently spoke at a Nursing Mothers Counsel event, saying, “Why wouldn't! breastfeed?“ Ready for School Back to the Future School Sup plies Give-A-W ay is from 1 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 29 at the Chevron Gas Station parking lot at 3435 Martin Luther King Blvd. at Fre mont. Get supplies while they last. Call 503-890-0070. photo by M ark W ashington / T he P orti an d O bserver World of Voices Group spearheads campaign to increase nursing among minorities Sun Hak International Children’s C h o ir perform s songs from around the world from 3 to 5 p.m. Aug. 8 at Mount Sinai Freedom Assembly at 936 N. E. Beech St. Free. For information, call 503- 490-8535. With childhood obesity frequenting the headlines, one organization believes m oth ers can nip it and a variety o f respiratory Attention Bookworms! Contact the nearest public library near you and take advantage of fun summer reading programs open to all ages or take free com- puterclasses. Learn aboute-mail, w eb searching, spreadsheets, word processing and more. To leant more, visit online at http:// www.multcolib.org. Writing Seminar Free your writing spirit with a free writing workshop by Write Around Portland through Aug. 12 at locations in and around north Portland. To register or contribute, call 503-796-9224. Interest in Adoption? problems in the bud through breastfeeding. People o f color are less likely to take advantage o f this healthy and economical way of bonding with their babies, according to research from the U.S. Office o f W om en’s Health. Studies indicate that racial and ethnic disparities in breastfeeding rates are large, revealing particularly low rates among Afri can Americans. The Nursing M others Counsel o f Oregon aims to increase the number o f Oregon chil dren who are breastfed, reducing their risk of recurrent ear infections, severe diarrhea and hospitalization for respiratory diseases such as pneum onia and childhood obesity. The group spoke at a breastfeeding aware ness conference at Healthy Birth Initiative in northeast Portland last week to spread the message. continued New Director for Latino Network Latino Network Executive Director María Lisa Johnson (left) strategizes with Maria Avila, a commu nity health worker about issues affecting Latinos. National Minority Donation Awareness Month is an ideal time for people of all racial and ethnic groups to consider organ and tissue donation. Few people in the Portland area know about the critical need for organ and tissue donors. More than 85.CXX) men, women and chi Idren i n the Uni ted States are wai ti ng for an organ transplant. Almost 2,000 o f those people reside in the Pacific Northwest. Tragically, 17 people die each day due to a Stay Healthy Work For Change Community Advocates invites those interested in protecting children from abuse to become an event volunteer, event out re a c h , te c h n o lo g y e x p e rt, graphic artists or office support team member. For more informa tion, call 503-280-1388. NAACP Meetings The Portland Branch o f the NAACP holds two monthly ex ecutive committee meetings, on the second T hursday o f the month and the Thursday before the fourth Saturday of the month. General membership meetings are held on the fourth Saturday of each month. For more infor mation, call 503-284-7722. photo by M ark W ashington / T he P ortland O bserver Maria Lisa Johnson brings vision and experience ,n a unanimous decision, the Latino Net work Board of Directors appointed Marfa Lisa Johnson as their new executive direc tor. The Latino Network has been active in Multnomah County for the past ten years, bringing together individuals and com mu nity organizations to advocate for the Latino community, educate and inform public policy and serve as a force for social change. For the last two years, Johnson has served as a com munity planner, organizer and program manager for the Latino Net work. Her appointment signals a new direc More Minority Organ Donations Giving the gift o f life to people o f color A free information meeting for prospective adoptive parents is held the third W ednesday o f every month from 7 to 8:30p.m . at Belmont Public Library. 1038 S.E. 39,h Ave. For more informa tion, call 503-226-4870 or visit www.openadopt.com. Sankofaa Health Institute offers a free diabetes support group from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third Thursday at Alberta Simmons Plaza, 6707 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more informa tion, call 503-285-2484. on page B3 tion for the organization. “One of the principle goals is to work toward unity in our community. I hope to work more closely with service providers and strategize with my board to be more effective advocates to issues important to She will not only be a great asset fo r the Latino Network, but fo r all who are attempting to develop better working relations and build a bridge o f understanding with the Latino community. - Martin Gonzalez, Latino Network president Latinos,” said Johnson. Some o f the issues on the forefront, from Johnson's perspective, include access to healthcare, youth violence, education, em- ployment, immigration and civil right. Martín González, president of the board, stated that the Latino Network is embarking on a major effort to establish stronger part nerships with Latino service providers, ex pand its alliances with communities of color, and promote initiatives with public officials and administrators to respond more effec tively to Latino com munity needs. “ Marfa Lisa’s appointment will lead us in that new direction. She is highly respected for her work, brings a vision of inclusivity, and can effectively convene a broad range o f individuals to work together toward a common good," said González. “She will not only be a great asset for the L atino N etw ork, but for all w ho are attem pting to develop better w orking relations and build a bridge o f understanding with the L atino com m unity." Johnson holds a m aster's degrees in pub- continued y ^ on page B3 Luther Locket was given years o f life because o f an organ donation he received. lack o f an organ donor. For the African-American com m unity, the situation is more dramatic because over the past decade there has been a 166 percent increase in the num ber o f African Americans waiting for organ transplants. And while black people com prise 26 per cent o f individuals on the national trans plant waiting list, they only represent 13 percent of organ donors. In August, the nation celebrates Na tional Minority Donor Awareness Month, but it’s individuals such as north Portland resident Luther Lockett, who knows just how real the gift o f an organ transplant is. “It’s been 17 years since my heart trans plant, and I’m still going strong," said Lockett. “These extra years have given me continued y ^ on page B3