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a r t in
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i tu ek
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in g
J
k
.
January 12. 2005
2 0 0 5 s p e c i a l e d itio n .
S ports
Obituaries
Pilots Home for Thursday, Sunday Games
Portland tries to
rebound from
Santa Clara loss
University of Portland Coach
Michael Holton is the
second black coach is the
history of the of the Pilot
program.
Holton
Guides UP
Program
Two errors were made in
our Jan. 5 issue about Uni­
versity of Portland Head
Basketball Coach Michael
Holton.
Holton’s name was mis­
spelled and he was in incor­
rectly identified as the sec­
ond African American to
guide the UP program. Holton
is actually the second Afri­
can-American coach in the
history of the north Portland
school. The first black coach
at the university was Clive
Charles, head coach of men’s
and women’s soccer, who
died of prostate cancer in
2003.
We regret the errors.
The University of Portland men’s
basketball team is home this week
for gam es Thursday and Sunday
after a weekend road loss to Santa
Clara.
Travis Neisen led Santa Clara to
a 76-63 victory Saturday with a
game-high 35 points. Portland was
led by Darren C ooper’s career-best
16 points.
As a team, the Pilots (11-6) were
held to just 10 field goals in the
second half. Portland was able cut
the lead to 11 points with ju st over
four minutes remaining after a three-
pointer by Cooper and fast break
lay-up by Donald W ilson, but the
Pilots would get no closer.
“We got out-played and out­
worked," said Portland Head Coach
Michael Holton. "W e d idn’t match
their energy at the start and Santa
Clara came out hard to defend their
home court. This was a real eye-
opener for our team in terms o f ho w
good the conference is this sea­
son.”
Portland shot 39 percent for the
game, but had 10 less attem pts than
the Broncos. SCU claim ed itsdomi-
Vikings
Best Start
Since ‘70s
Joseph Taylor, Jr.
fr o m F ront
em Christian Leadership Confer­
ence.
K ing's request was denied by
the SCLC board and scholars say
R ustin's homosexuality was the
unstated reason.
All God's Children
Some African Americans do not
perceive the gay fight for equality
as on par with the black civil rights
movement. Yet many same-sex
marriage advocates feel their “sepa­
rate but equal" treatment has paral­
lels to Jim Crow laws. One o f the
major opponents o f same-sex mar­
riage has been Christian conserva­
tives.
“W e are in a climate nationally
and politically where civil rights for
every minority group is under chal­
lenge. I’m concerned that we have
the growth o f a Christian right wing
that is motivated by their own reli­
gious values and a conservative
agenda that in Oregon, they have
silenced moderate voices in our
state,” said Thorpe. “It's really im­
portant to join together with other
social justice and economic groups
to prepare for attacks as they come.”
She adds, “I actually think ask­
ing for marriage equality is a very
marching in the streets that hate
gay people but you have a zillion
who love us, too. The problem is
the people who don’t speak up
when you believe som ething is
wrong, you have your own lives
com prom ised,” Saadat said.
According to Alisa Simmons, a
board member o f Basic Rights O r­
egon, conversations are needed
with church leaders to promote
understanding.
“I’m a Christian, so I have to
have hope and fight within our
churches to have those conversa­
tions and have them more hon­
estly,” said Simmons, who is an
African-American lesbian.
P a sto r T. A lle n B eth el o f
M aranatha Church and president
o f the Albina M inisterial Alliance
spoke out against same-sex mar­
riage before the ban passed in No­
vember.
“It is definitely not a civil rights
issue. If the opponents o f (M ea­
sure) 36 want to say it’s equal Io the
v io la tio n s and d isc rim in a tio n
against African Americans, there’s
absolutely no way. Not even close,”
Bethel, who is African American,
said at the time.
For Simmons, the argument is
basic, and needs not include intel-
" We are in a climate nationally
and politically where civil rights
for every minority group is
under challenge.
- Basic Rights Oregon Executive Director Roey Thorpe
conservative thing to do but it ad­
dresses people's prejudices.”
Despite fears that conservative
politics as a threat to civil rights,
others say their churches have pro­
vided com fort during turbulent
times.
"People have a perception that
it’s the church against gays and
lesbians when there are many reli­
gious institutions that have been
on the front lines," said Rebekah
Kassell, a spokeswoman for Basic
Rights Oregon.
“T he squeakiest wheel gets the
oil and you have a zillion people
lectual or theological musings.
"W hat we are fighting for are
basic protections and rights that
are afforded to other people. I'm
not interested in a com plex discus­
sion about religion. This stuff is not
rocket science. It’s basic rights of
full human beings," said Simmons.
Saadat doesn’t deny that m ar­
riage equality will redefine the fam­
ily-
"W e’llexpand it to include more
people,” Saadat said.
Although m any say anti-gay
attitudes are rooted in fear, some
believeChristians are speaking from
November 20, 1954-
January 2, 2005
Sunrise: March 8, 1937
Sunset: January 7, 2005
Services will be held
Saturday, January 15,
2005, at 1:00P.M. at The
House of Prayer, located
at 4936 N.E. Skidmore, in
Portland, Oregon.
Rest in Peace Our
Beloved Daughter
Funeral Services: January
12, 1:00 pm at Portland
Memorial 6705 SE 14,h
Avenue
The African American Men's Club
"In the comm unity...for the community"
photo courtesy of J ason M oore
University of Portland senior Karl Aaker surveys the court on way
to a season-high 11 points against Santa Clara.
nance down low, outscoring Port-
land 30-18 in the paint. Second
chance points became a factor as
the Broncos held the advantage,
17-7. Portland was also out-re-
The Portland State Vikings won
their second and third Big Sky C on­
ference games with a 79-69 win over
Sacramento State on Thursday and
a 91-78 victory over Northern A ri­
zona on Saturday.
Seamus Box ley caught the eye of
Northern Arizona coach Mike Adras,
bounded by 19 for the game.
T h e P ilo ts w ill n e x t h o st
Pepperdine on Thursday, Jan. 13 at
7 p.m. and Loyola-M ary mount on
Sunday, Jan. 16 at 5 p.m.
w hocalledhim “the premierplayerin
the Big Sky,” scoring 25 and 18 points,
respectively, in the wins.
P ortlan d S tate U n iv ersity is
ranked 11-4, 3-0 Big Sky. The Vi­
kings have won seven consecutive
games. The last time a PSU team won
seven in a row was late in 1973-74.
Martin Luther King and Gay Rights
co n tin u ed
Nancy Ellen
Turner (Bonnie)
the convictions o f their faith that
homosexuality is morally wrong.
“I think there is resistance be­
cause there is fear and fear com es
out o f ignorance,” Saadat said. “If
we are all G o d 's children, then we
are all G o d ’s children."
AAMC Valentine’s Day Dance
Saturday, February 12, 2005
9 PM - 2 AM
Ratnada Inn at the Airport
6221 NE 82nd Avenue
Portland, Oregon
503-255-6511
Ticket Price: $20.00 per person
Dress: After 5
Dance...Music...Fun...Raffle...Food...No Host Bar
from the African-American civil
rights movement has helped her
gain perspective in the last year.
"The widespread violence and
physical threat that kept people in
their place for so long has made me
understand that people are capable
o f so much courage,” Thorpe said.
The Day After
King’s teachings have lent in­
Thorpe said waking up on Nov.
spiration totoday’seivil rights lead­
ers, who, at this moment in Oregon,
feel they are fighting for very basic
freedoms.
Sadaat said, “Dr. King was such
a great leader because he spoke
about unifying us as human be­
ings. The thing I learned from Dr.
Softball & Baseball Sign-ups
King is it’s really hard to walk your
talk but if you w antachanged world,
($85.00 per player)
you are responsible.”
- Kathleen Saadat, local African-
Peninsula Park Community Center
For Thorpe, King’sm essagem ay
American gay rights leader
700 N Portland Blvd
apply well to civil rights fights of
the moment, but his w ords are most
February 5th & 12, March 5,h 2005
3 to election results that her own valuable when taking in the big
10:00am - 2 pm
state voted to make marriage among picture.
“W hile the w ordsof Dr. King are
gays illegal brought feelings of
&
perfectly appropriate for w hat’s
vulnerability.
Portland Observer
“It goes back to the impact on happening, if we are going to use
4747 NE MLK Blvd
the human spirit," said Simmons. “I Dr. K ing's words, we have to hear
what
he
was
saying
about
a
broad
don’t feel like a full citizen, acknowl­
Hours: 10 am - 5 pm (Mon-Friday)
vision for this country that has still
edged or supported.”
“T here's an uncertainty to the not been met,” said Thorpe.
most basic exchanges during the
day, like you feel more vulnerable
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Basic Rights Oregon has joined
a national shift to redirect focus to
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According to Thorpe, the pas­
sage o f Measure 36 was such a
defeat to civil rights because in her
lifetime, she w itnessed so many
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most o f our lifetimes, w e’ve seen
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been a part o f tearing them dow n,"
Thorpe said.
2400 NE 82nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97220
She said that reading literature
If we are all
God's children,
then we are all
God's children.
Peninsula
Little League
2005
(Serving the Youth of Inner North
& Northeast Portland ages 5-15)
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