lanuary 19. 2005 Committed to Cultural Diversity Foxx Honored M etro Best actor award lends hope for Oscar See story, Focus page B2 Cl'' ^o rttan i» © bserrier SECTION tu n i u n i t y ( a l e n d a r Cultural Support Group The Albina M inisterial Alliance holds an African-American HIV/ AID S support and education group T h ursday , Jan. 20 at MaranathaChureh,4222 N.E. 12th Ave at 7 p.m. For more inform a­ tion, contact Elnathan Hudson at 503-285-0493, extension 217. Sustainable Food A workshop to explore ways to make foods affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19 at St. A ndrew C om m u­ nity Center, 4940 N.E. 8th Ave. Cost is a $ 10 donation and lunch will be provided. Call 503-221 - 1054 ext. 203 to register. Preschool Open House T illam ook C o operative P re­ schools holds its open house on Saturday, M arch 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 935 N.E. 33 Ave. Financial aid is available. For more inform ation,call 503-234- 1691. Get in Shape 'Black Panthers 1968' Exhibit captures symbols o f pride, strength Extraordinary photos of one o f the most turbulent times in recent A m erican history are currently on display with the Ruth-Marion Baruch and Pirkle Jo n e s p h o to g ra p h ic e s sa y “Black Panthers 1968,” at Reed C ollege’s Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery through Feb. 20. The free exhibition coincides with Reed College’s celebration of Black History Month. This exhibition brings to ­ gether 45 photos with a hope to expose the public to the Pan­ thers as the photographers saw them : sym bols o f pride and strength. From July to October o f 1968, noted California photographers Baruch and Jones were invited by Panthers founder Eldridge C leaver to chronicle the Black Get in shape with Portland C om ­ m unity C o lleg e’s non-credit classes designed to get you trimm ed and toned in January. W eight training: cardio circuit revs up the class for 90 minutes from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the newly built gym o f PC C ’s Cascade Campus, 705 N. Killingsworth. Cost is $89 for 10 weeks. For more information, call 503-978- 5205. The determination and strength of those attending a Black Panthers rally in Oakland, Calif, in 1968 are captured in this photograph by noted photographers by Ruth -Marion Baruch and Pirkle Jones. PCC Skills Learn how to build a W eb-based business in a three-week class from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays from Jan. 25 through Feb. 8 in Room 13 0 o f Mt. Tabor Hall at Portland Community College’s Southeast Center, 2305 S.E. 82 A ve. Cost is $49. For more information, call 503-788-6265. Business Meeting Join North/Northeast Business A ssociation m eetings on the first Monday o f each month from 6 to 8 p.m. at Albina Community Bank, 2002 N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd. Morning networking meetings are the third W ednes­ day o f each month from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Blazers Boys and Girls Club, 5250 N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd. For more inform a­ tion, call 503-249-0487 or visit www.nneba.org. Gain Computer Skills The Sun program offers a com ­ puter class for parents at King Elementary School. To register, call 5O3-916-6156cr503-319-3425. Volunteer Option If you are looking fora volunteer opportunity, check out Bradley- Angle House to end domestic violence. Bilingual women and women o f color are especially needed. For information, call 503- 282-9940. Volunteer for Hospice Kaiser Permanente offers train­ ing for hospice volunteers Tues- days and Thursdays from 12:30 to 4 p.m. through Feb. 3 with one Saturday session on Jan. 29. For more inform ation o r to register, cal!503-499-5285or503-499-5408. Get Fit, Stay Healthy! 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. M artin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more informa­ tion, call 503-285-2484. Creative Space For Dance Aurora Dance Studio, 5433 N.E. 30th(at Killingsworth), offers an array o f classes for children, teens and adults at all levels of ability. Call 503-249-0201 orvisit online at w w w .hevanet.com / auroradance for additional in­ formation. B Symbols of pride and strength are evident as women in the Black Panthers salute during the turbulent 1960s. The photograph is one of 45 images that chronicle the Black Panther movement that are on view at Reed College. Panther movement in and around Oakland, California, the head­ quarters of the organization. The work of the photogra­ phers stands in radical contrast to mass media images of the time depicting the Panthers as thugs, c r im in a ls , o r d a n g e ro u s subversives. In 1968, FBI chief J. Edgar H oover had vilified the Black Panthers as “the greatest threat to the internal security of the United States.” The images o f the photogra­ phers reflect the dignity and hu­ manity that animated the young revolutionaries, and also sug­ gest universal themes o f family, com mitm ent, and hope for the future. Stage Manager Goes International Former PCC student hired by Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet M ore than 12 years ago, Jessica Flores made a life-changing deci­ sion, jum ping from studies in ad­ ministrative justice to theater arts at Portland Com m unity College. Now, Flores has made anotherjum p and it has led to great things. She recently became the stage manager for the respected Joffrey Ballet in Chicago after six years as produc­ tion manager for the Oregon Ballet. Flores, 31, joined the Oregon Ballet as the youngest production manager in its history after working behind the scenes at PCC on the first lineup o f shows held at the then new Sylvania Cam pus Per­ forming Arts Center in 1995. Now, she takes her skills to the interna­ tional level. “ It’s definitely the next step for me,” said Flores, whose first pro­ duction will be Joffrey’s trip to the N etherlands's Diaghilev Festival. “By making the move to Chicago, I am taking it to a much higher-tiered com pany. W e’re doing a lot of in­ ternational shows for the Joffrey Ballet’s 50th anniversary.” Flores has fond memories of PCC as she helped put on the first-ever production in the new Performing A rtsC enter.builtin 1995.Theplay, Portland resident Jessica Flores prepares an exciting new adventure in her life as the stage manager for the respected Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. Flores, whose parents were origi­ “Noises Off,” offered Flores much the Portland-based company, but in her new role she will focus on nally from Portland, cam e up from o f what attracted her to theater. “My favorite memory is the open­ more specific areas such as w ork­ California to attend Portland State ing o f the new theater and working ing on ensuring the safety o f the University. She was also com plet­ ing her associate's degree at PCC. so hard to open that first show. I was dancers. when she was drawn into the world “ I enjoy the fact that by what I do the stage manager for the very first o f theater arts. affects the performance of the danc­ production and I was a part of 11 PCC "I took Introduction to Theater ers and the audience can appreci­ productions altogether," Flores said. to round out my schedule," Flores ate that," she said. “I’m helping to “I fell in love in Portland with theater recalls. “One day, the technical di­ and the opportunities it afforded. I make art." At PCC, she explains she d id n 't rector said he needed more stu­ learned a lot from PCC’s theater arts department, especially retired in­ want to be a performer herself and dents in his technical theater class naturally found technical stage or it would be canceled So, that structor Sue Parks-Hi Iden.” sounded interesting and I tried it At the Oregon Ballet, Flores, work more fascinating. “I gravitated to the backstage and fell in love.” worked on more than 35 perfor­ And now the future for Flores is mances, was in charge o f all techni­ and w asn't interested in glory,” bright as a spotlight. cal aspects o f the productions at she said. Baruch, a European-born Jew who faced discrim ination in America, and Jones, a white man from Louisiana whose family had w itnessed lynchings, said they are sharing their images with the public through a major exhibi­ tion to revel “the feeling o f the people.” C o o ley G a lle ry d ir e c to r Stephanie Snyder calls photog­ raphers' work “sensitive, aes­ thetically o u tstan d in g d o cu ­ mentary photography.” “T his exhibition does not seek to position the Panthers historically, or to draw conclu­ sions about the appropriateness continued on page 86 TriMet May Boost Fares TriM et has proposed a 5- cent fare increase to begin in April tocoverrecord high diesel prices. The transit agency uses more than 6 million gallons of diesel annually, and high prices have created a $3 million budge, deficit. The shortfall comes even after adjustments to improve fuel efficien cy at T riM et by m aking transm ission and axle adjustments, reducing engine idling and checking tire p ressu re m ore f r e ­ quently, which is saving the agency $6