I
Committed to Cultural Diversity
C e le b ra tin g Blac k I lis to ry M onth
February 2. 2005
Super Bowl
Kicks Off Sunday
M etro
Patriots picked fo r repeat, but
Eagles area't acting like underdogs
Æbr sportiani» (Observer
See story, page B6
SECTION
Getting Rid of Stress
“Breaking the Cycle o f Stress,”
a free seminar, will be held on
Thursday, Feb. 3 from 7 to 8:15
p.m . at A n an d a, 4855 SW
W atson, Beaverton. No regis
tration required.
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
KingJr. Blvd.Form oreinform a
tion, call 503-285-2484.
Love the Pooch
Problem pooch classes are a must
take for anyone who may be new
to the world o f pet parenthood
or is interested in considering
adopting a new friend. Come to
the Oregon Humane Society to
find out why y our dog does those
silly little things. M eetings are
every first and third Saturday of
the month at 11 a.m. For more
information, call 503-285-7722.
Women in NAACP
W omen in NAACP meets from
10:30a.m. to 1 p.m. the first Sat
urday o f each m onth at the
American Red Cross Building,
3131 N. Vancouver. F o rq u e s-
tions, call 503-249-6263.
PCC Skills
Learn how to build a W eb-based
business in a three-w eek class
from 6 to 9 p.m . T uesdays
through Feb. 8 in Room 130 of
Mt. Tabor Hall at Portland Com
m unity C o lle g e ’s S outheast
Center, 2305 S.E. 82 Ave. Cost is
$49. For more inform ation, call
503-788-6265.
African American Read-In
T he N in th A n n u al A frican
American Read-In will be held
on Sunday, Feb. 6 from 2:30 to 4
p.m. at the North Portland Branch
Library. G uestreaders will share
works by African Am erican au
thors. For more information, call
503-988-6280.
AIDS Awareness
A lbina M in isterial A llian ce
sponsors a bi-monthly Support
and Education group for Afri
can Americans living with HIV/
AIDS at M aranatha Church at
4222 NE 12th Street. The first
group will meet Thursday, Feb.
10 at 7 p.m. and will continue
every second and fourth Thurs
day of the month. For more infor
mation, call Elnathan Hudson at
503-285-0493ext. 217.
Sustainable Food
A w orkshop 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 Com 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.
Business Meeting
Join North/Northeast Business
A ssociation m eetings on the
first Monday of each month from
6 to 8 p.m. at Albina Community
Bank, 2002 N.E. M artin Luther
King Blvd. Morning networking
meetings are the third W ednes
day o f each month from 7:30 to 9
a.m. a t‘he 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.
Preschool Open House
T illam ook C oo p erativ e P re
schools holds its open house on
Saturday, March 5 from 10a.m. to
2p.m.at935N.E33 Ave. Financial
aid i s a vai lable. For more i nforma-
ti on, call 503-234-1691.
Aquatic Fitness
Providence has a full schedule
of fitness classes including w a
ter exercising at the Providence
Aquatic Center,4805 N.E. Glisan.
Fora schedule, call 503-215-6301.
Promoting HIV/AIDS Awareness
around w ith HI V o r A ID S , not aw are they
are sp read in g the d isease to people they
care ab o u t.”
M any people o f co lo r think o f H IV /
A ID S as a gay w hite m a n ’s d isease, but
“T hat is d en ial,” acco rd in g to Saadat,
w ho notes that in A frica it is a “black
heterosexual disease - an equal o p p o rtu
by N eil H eilpern
nity d isease.”
T he P ort land O bserver
“P eo p le o f co lo r have
A s m a ll a rm y o f
alw ay s been rep resen ted
P o rtlan d ’s health p racti
in th e n u m b e rs,” ad d ed
tioners, social service agen
Hill, both in the gay co m
cies, support groups, and
m u n ity an d the stra ig h t
faith com m unity m em bers
co m m u n ity .
are gearing up for a new
He said A frican -A m eri
phase in the w ar against
can m en on “th e d o w n
H IV /A ID S.
low ” - m en w ho have sex
An inform ational battle
w ith o th er m en but d o n ’t
field know n as N ational
necessarily identify as b e
Black H IV /A ID S A w are
ing gay o r bisexual - a r e in
ness and Inform ation D ay
denial.
w ill be open to the public
“T h ey m ay be putting
on M onday, Feb. 7, from
th em selv es and th eir p art
5 to 8 p.m . at S elf E n
ners at risk,” he said. “T hey
hancem ent Inc., 3920 N.
may be m arried and present
K erby A ve. T he ev e n t’s
th em selv es as h etero sex u
them e is “G et educated.
als. T h e ir fem ale partners
G et involved. G et tested. ”
are n ot aw are o f the risks
K athleen Saadat, m an
they face.”
ager for the com m unities
“H o m o p h o b ic fears in
o f color initiative for the
th e A f r ic a n - A m e r ic a n
C ascade A ids Project, said
co m m u n ity place a stigm a
discussions during the ses
on g ay s,” he added, “and
sion m ight help overcom e
that drives people u n d er
fears associated w ith the
ground ab o u t honesty and
disease.
their sexual o rien tatio n .”
“People need to be m ade
A ccording to the U .S.
aw are o f the virus itself,
C enters for D isease C o n
how it is spread, how to
trol and P revention, A fri
take preventive m easures
can
A m erican s m ake up
photo bv N eil H eii . pern /T he P ortland O bserver
against getting the virus
County health department workers Dita Rhodes (from left), David Zambrano and Stephan Herrera o f the
ab o u t 12 p ercen t o f the
and the im portance o f g et
Brother-to-Brother program, push for greater African-American awareness ofHIV/AIDS.
U.S. population w hile ac
ting tested to d eterm in e
co u n tin g fo r h a lf o f the
w hether they have the virus and w hether
new H IV cases rep o rted in 2001.
treatm ent is n eeded,” S aadat said.
A ID S is the leading cau se o f death
A ccording to Larry Hill, an HIV co m
am
ong A frican A m erican w om en ages
HIV and AIDS are impacting more people o f color, encouraging a wide variety of
m unity developm ent specialist with the
25-34 and A frican A m erican m en, ages
people and organizations to join the fight against the disease. People wanting more
O regon D epartm ent o f H um an Services,
35-44. E stim ates p roject the m ajority o f
information, counseling or confidential testing, can contact any o f the following
the HIV rate in O regon is m ore prevalent
new HIV infections in teenagers and young
organizations:
in A frican-A m ericans than o th er groups.
adults 25 and younger, w ill be in A frican-
F or H IV testin g call M ultnomah County Health Department at 503-988-3775 or the
“O ne o f the biggest keys in this w ork
A m ericans.
Oregon AIDS Hotline at 1 -800-777-AIDS.
is people d o n ’t have all the inform ation
F or H I V/AIDSservicescallCareLink at503-223-5907, Partnership Project at 503-230-
A sim ila r tren d e x is ts in M u ltn o m a h
they need. E ith er they have pieces or they
1202 or the Albina M inisterial Alliance at 503-285-0493.
C o u n ty . D H S o ffic ia ls n o te th a t A fri
are m isinform ed about w hat puts them at
F or v o lu n teer o p p o rtu n ities call the Cascade AIDS Project at 503-223-5907. the
can A m e ric a n s m ad e up 6 .8 p e rc e n t o f
risk and how they can spread the risk o f
Multnomah County Health Department at 503-988-3030or the African American Health
continued y f on page H5
H IV , ” Hill said. “A lot o f people w alk
Coalition a t503-413-1850.
‘Get educated’
event Monday
atSEI
African Americans made up 6.8 percent of
the county population in 2002, yet comprised
11 percent o f the county's total new AIDS cases.
HIV/AIDS Testing, Resources
Diversifying
City Hall
Adams turns to
multicultural team
by J aymee R . C uti
T he P ortland O bserver
P ortland’s new est C ity C o m m issio n er
is com bating perceptions that he is a C ity
H all insider w ho adds little diversity to the
current all-w hite, m ale panel.
Sam A dam s turned those criticism s
upside dow n w hen he announced new
hires to sta ff his office.
T he group is rich is ages, ethnicities,
sexual orientatio n s and professional ex
periences. A m ong them are N ative A m eri
cans, Latinos, A sian A m ericans and a
biracial m an w ho is A frican A m erican
and C aucasian. T he youngest staffer is in
his 20s and an o th er is co m in g out o f
retirem ent. T he group boasts 6 0 years o f
public sector w ork, 50 years o f private
sector w ork and 10 years o f nonprofit
experience.
“T he first facto r w as the ability to get
the jo b done. A m ong those qualified to do
the w ork, choo sin g those w ho reflected
the broad constitu en cy o f Portland w as a
factor," said T om M iller, A d am s' new
c h ie f o f staff.
Finding C ity Hall “o u tsid ers” w as also
a priority for A dam s, w ho is the ultim ate
“ insider” as form er M ayor V era K atz's
ch ie f o f staff.
“T hese are g et-it-d o n e peo p le w ho
photo by
M ark W ashington ZT he P ortland O bserver
A multicultural team drives the office of new Portland City Councilman Sam Adams (right), the former chief o f sta ff to Mayor
Vera Katz. Pictured (standing, from left) are Tom Miller. David Gonzalez and Maria Thi Mai; (seated from left) are Greg
Leiher, Maria Lim, Jesse Beason, Warren Jimenez and Mary Jo Markle.
share my passion for Portland and for
shaking up C ity H all,” said Adams. “ I am
the City H all insider so I w as looking for
hard w orking outsiders: I found them .”
T he em p lo y ees include Jane A m es,
sta ff representative; Jesse Beason, staff
representative; M ary Jo M arkle, staff fel
low ; D avid G o n zalez, office manager;
W arren Jim e n e z , s ta ff rep resen tativ e;
M aria Lim. receptionist; T om M iller,chief
o f staff; M aria T hi M ai, sta ff representa
tive; G reg L eiher, public advocate liaison;
Terry R ichardson and G ordon Johnston.
B eason, w ho is half A frican A m erican,
is a L ew is and C lark C ollege graduate
w ho has w orked as the public outreach
specialist for M etro regional governm ent
and w as cam paign m anager for form er
m ayoral candidate Phil Busse.
Beason jo in s the talents o f a form er
executive d irecto r o f an econom ic d ev e l
opm ent agency, a law yer, a schools ad
vocate, a nurse, a retailer, a state parks
planner, and a retired lab o r leader.
“O ne o f the strengths o f this sta ff is its
d iv ersity ,” said A dam s. "It inclu d es a
range o f political o utlooks, and E nglish,
Spanish and T agalog speakers. It includes
p e o p le o f A fric a n -A m e ric a n , A sia n -
American. European-A m erican. Iaitinoand
N ative A m erican ethnicity. T hey reside in
north, n o rth east, so u th east and so u th
w est P ortland.”