lune I. 2005
www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
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community service
^ lo rtlan b ffibsetuer
B
Work Begins on Children’s Bill of Rights
SECTION
o m m u n ity
a l e n cl a r
C
Drumming and Dancing
The North Star Ballroom , 635
N. K illingsw orth, hosts ongo­
ing classes on Tuesday and
W ednesday’s. T uition is ei­
ther $15 drop in fee o r$ 7 5 for6
weeks. G hanaian rhythm s will
be presented through begin­
ning and advanced drum m ing
and you can also w ork up a
sw eat at their A frican A ero­
bics class. For more inform a­
tion call 503-283-2080
Bradley-Angle Needs Help
This is an opportunity to help
through a diversity o f programs
from acrisis line to public speak­
ing or administrative assistance
to prevent domestic violence.
W omen of color and bilingual
women are encouraged to call.
For more information call 503-
282-9940.
Women Mentors Wanted
Women in Community Service
are seeking volunteer mentors
for female offenders at Coffee
Creek Correctional Facility. Men­
tors provide support and encour­
agement to women transitioning
from prison back into the com­
munity. Mentors must be female,
24or older. Training is provided.
Call 503-570-6614 for more infor­
mation.
Children’s Museum Fun
Portland C hildren’s Museum
will hold a variety o f art activi­
ties for children throughout the
month, including m edium s us­
ing m osaic, A frican arts and
culture and garden stepping-
stones. For more inform ation,
call 5 0 3 -2 2 3 -6 5 0 0 or visit
Document will help
format public policy
by K atherine
K ovacich
T he P ortland O bserver
Sometimes it’s difficult to listen to and understand what
achild is really saying when adults are going about their daily
lives.
This is why Mayor Tom Potter and Multnomah County
Chair Diane Linn recently met in northeast Portland tocreate
a Children’s Bill of Rights to serve as a foundation to work
toward the visions aimed at keeping youth safe through
public policy.
More than 130 people attended the meeting at the Matt
Dishman Community Center as a first step in the develop­
ment of the document. About 50 youth participants from
local schools made a commitment to come to future meetings
to continue this work.
Small group discussions focused on priorities o f children’s
issues, the priorities of community children, educating the
public on the resources and lack thereof for children, moti­
vating people to act, and improving access to children’s
programs through public and private resources.
"It helps us as a community to focus on the things that we
value and the rights of children,” said Elizabeth Kennedy-
Wong, policy manager for Neighborhoods and Education at
Potter’s office. “It puts us on the same page, it gives us a way
to reflect on organizing what w e're doing, a way to quantify
gaps that may exist. It gives us a way to be strategic about
how we work on children’s issues, based on what the kids
say.”
Kennedy-Wong said a lot of what goes into the document
has yet to be determined, but that the core value of the work
is that in order for youth and the community to own the ideals,
they have to create them.
“There were hundreds of ideas,” she said. “Children have
T O K - ’’
Dozens o f local youth participate in a session to craft a Children's Bill o f Rights. The recent event a t the M att
Dishman Community Center in northeast Portland also drew the attendance and support o f Mayor Tom Potter
the right to be with safe adults, to have adequate education,
to have fun, free time. There was a lot of discussion about
education. It ran the gamut from food, housing and clothing
to the right to express themselves independently."
Potter proposed the project in his campaign for mayor last
year.
“ He has consistently said that youth and children in our
community are one of the most important things we should be
paying attention to,”
to, Kennedy-W ong said. "This is one
way that we can look at our responsibilities as adults for
them. To see how well we are protecting them and getting
them engaged.”
For information about getting involved with future ses­
sions, contact Kennedy-Wong at 503-823-4277. Notes from
the m e e tin g s w ill be on P o tte r ’s w eb p ag e at
www.portlandonline.com/mayor/
yVeekencC o f
■ •
ww-w .portlandchildrcnsiniLseiun.org.
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. Martin Luther
King Jr. Blvd. For more informa­
tion, call 503-285-2484.
AIDS Awareness
Albina Ministerial Alliance spon­
sors a bi-monthly support and
education group for African
Americans living with HIV/AIDS
at Maranatha Church at4222 N .E.
12th St. The group will meet every
second and fourth Thursday of
the month. For more informa­
tion, call Elnathan Hudson at
5O3-285-O493ext.217.
Women in NAACP
Women in NAACP meets from
10:30a.m. to I p.m. the first Sat­
urday of each month at the Ameri­
can Red CrossBuilding, 3131 N.
Vancouver. For questions, call
503-249-6263.
Birth Ready
W hether you need childbirth
preparation classes, or just a re­
fresher, Providence Health Sys­
tems has a workshop for you.
Prepare for pain, take a weekend
seminar or prepare big sisters
and brothers-to-be throughout
th e su m m er by v isitin g
www.providence.org/classes or
call 503-574-6595.
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.
Parenting Classes
N ew borns do n ’tc o m e with in­
struction m anuals but parents
and parents-to-be can attend
classes through P rovidence
Health System s to learn about
a variety o f topics from pain
and childbirth to breastfeeding
to infant CPR and much more.
For a schedule o f events, call
5 0 3 -5 7 4 -6 5 9 5
or
v is it
ww w .providence.org./classes.
Supports Student M idetes
Celebration, banquet
and tournament feature
best in golf, basketball
by N icole H ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
A W eekend o f Roses, a celebration of
golf and basketball that supports local stu­
dent athletes and draws top-ranked coaches
and talent, is marking its fourth year with
consistency and pride.
Each year, the Journeys Foundation puts
on a golf challenge, a banquet and a basket­
ball tournament to showcase area talent and
build support for the non-profit's programs
helping kids.
The celebration kicks off Thursday, June
9 with a “Community of Coaches" golf chal­
lenge at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf
Club that draws some of the top coaches and
athletes in the country. An “InnerCity Play­
ers" banquet at 6 p.m. will follow the 18 holes
o f golf and conversation.
The banquet will honorGrant High School
football star Ndamuhkong “Damo" Suh, who
will be attending the University of Nebraska,
and Jefferson High School basketball star
Brian Morris, who will attend Southern
Methodist University.
Ndamuhkong “D am o" Suh
Canaan Chatman
The keynote speaker will be Oregon State
University M en's Basketball Coach John
Jay. He and 70 other college coaches from
around the country will also participate at
the golf tournament earlier that day.
On Friday, June 10, eight national Ameri-
can Athletic Union basketball teams will
arrive in Portland to compete in a three-day
quest for the “2005 Rose City Crown." The
field will include 17 of the top 25 players in the
country. Select teams will be featured during
an opening 5 p.m. “Rose City Showcase" at
Grant High School.
Competition continueson Saturday, June
11 and the championship games are on Sun­
day June 12 beginning at 6:15 p.m. Undercard
games on both days will showcase 20 of the
top youth AAU teams in the northwest.
C anaan Chatm an, regional director of
grass roots basketball for adidas A m erica,
and founder o f the Journeys Foundation,
d ire c ts this Rose F estival sanctioned
ev ent.
Chatman is a graduate of Benson High
School. He said he was fortunate to gain a
scholarship for basketball to attend Oregon
State University and University of Portland.
“It paid for me to further my academics,”
said Chatman.
Chatm an’s goals have also been consis­
tent; the mission of the Journey's Founda­
tion is to provide a foundation for student
athletes to succeed personally, academi­
cally and athletically. Each recipient has to
not only excel in athletics but also maintain
a certain grade point average and perform
community service.
With so many events at this year's W eek­
end at Roses, area residents are encouraged
to get involved as a spectator and as a
participant.
For more information, contact Chatman at
503-281-6310.
Local Media Producers Earn Success
Mother, daughter
team up for film
For more than 20 years, Lanita Duke and
her daughter Nia Gray of Grassroots News
Productions have successfully combined
social and community education and video
production. The mother and daughter team
was recently awarded the 2005 Creative
Summit Award.
T heir international award winning
video. “No Drama: Having Positive Inter­
action with the Police," tackles the som e­
times problematic confrontations between
photo by M ar k W ashington /T he P orti . and O bserver
Lanita Duke is h a lf the team o f Grassroots News minority youth and police.
The documentary was created in the
Production. She and her daughter Nia Gray have
b u ilt an award w inning m edia company. aftermath of Portland Police officers in­
volved in fatal shootings o f local African
American motorists James Perez last year
and Kendra James in 2003.
The video raises the question, “Do our
young people know what to do when
approached by the police on the street or
in a car?”
Understanding the difference between
the right and wrong way to react to a police
encounter can save lives.
“This video is a tool.” Gray said. “It is
an open door for youth and law enforce­
ment to communicate.”
“No Drama: Having Positive Interac­
tion with the Police," was funded by the
Department of Juvenile Justice and O r­
egon Youth Authority and was written
and produced by adjudicated youth based
on their personal negative and positive
This video is a tool. It
is an open door for
youth and law
enforcement to
communicate.
- Nia Gray. Grassroots News
interactions with the police.
The 11"’ Annual Creative Summit
Award competition received .J.OOOentries
from 23 countries. This unique competi­
tion rewards those truly deserving of spe­
cial recognition. Submissions are evalu­
ated based on the strength of their idea,
the quality of execution and their ability to
persuade.