December 7, 2005
Page A 6
Call to Action on African American Health
continued
African Americans because of scan
dalized mistreatments and experi
ments on minority populations from
past decades.
Dr. Joy Leary, author o f Post
Traumatic Slave Syndrome, said
from Front
in r e g u la r h e a lth f a c ilitie s ,”
Norwood-Knight said.
Emmanuel Temple Church Pas
tor C.T. W ells and the other local
leaders all urged Smith to take ac
tion to ensure federal funding for
community-based solutions.
“Prayer alone does not resolve
the health disparities people face,”
W ells said.
Corliss M cK eeverof the African
American Health Coalition said ste
reotypes about African Americans
in health facilities where they are
not represented create paranoia for
all parties involved and can led to
healthcare mistakes.
She said an example is a patient
being overdosed with medicine in a
hospital because of a misconcep
tion that a higher dose is needed for
African Americans.
There is also the fear of being
used as guinea pigs for a lot of
Prayer alone does not
resolve the health
disparities people face.
-B is h o p C.T. Wells
these fears create less black partici- rising number of blacks that are
pation for current health trials.
being incarcerated. He further added
African American health dispari- that people who suffer mental health
tie s fo r Oregon are at Dar with those conditions and are being ignored
PHOTO BY
Moment of Silence for Rosa Parks
from Front
munity also took time out to remem
ber Parks during a memorial service
at Emmanuel Temple Church in
north Portland.
Many, including prominent fig TriM et G eneral M anager Fred
ures in the community attended the Hansen, Portland Mayor Tom Por
event, including Sen. Margaret ter, and Bishops A. A. Wells andC.T.
Carter, Dr. Rev.T. Allen Bethelofthe Wells of Emmanuel T empie Church.
May P arks’ spirit and legacy
A lbina M inisterial A lliance,
Oregon’s First Lady Mary Oberst, live on.
Tobacco Prevention Network Started
A new health coalition wants
you involved with anti-tobacco
efforts.
Local residents are encouraged
to attend the first meeting of the
African-American Tobacco Pre
vention and Education Network to
be held Thursday a, noon at Talk
ing Drum Coffee Shop and Book
store (formerly Reflections) at 446
N.E. KillingsworthSt.
The meeting is an opportunity to
participate in a community-wide
effort to reduce smoking and expo
sure to secondhand smoke, accord
ing to Y ugen Rashad, the coalition’s
program coordinator.
Rashad said the focus of the
network is the high prevalence of
tobacco use in the African-Ameri-
and tend to self medicate by way of
alcohol or drugs, leading to in
creases in crime and homelessness.
Sen. Smith said he emphasized
with the concerns brought to him.
“1 lost a son to mental illness,” he
shared with the group, agreeing
that mental illness is a health issue
and that health organizations need
to cross-train health providers in
both physical and mental illness.
Smith also agreed that funds are
vital to fight against these health
disparities and that he was going to
take back to W ashington D.C. with
him the cries of the community. He
said the governm ent must put
people first.
“The health disparities issue is a
fight I am very passionate about,”
he said.
K h AYA D a RK o / T h E PO R TLAN D OBSERVER
Dr. Rev. Leroy Haynes o f Allen Temple Church and Bishop A. A.
Wells, founder o f Emmanuel Temple Church, lend support to a
forum on healthcare inequities.
M
continued
at the national level, therefore it is
an American problem, she said.
Dr. Norwood- Knight said men
tal health in the African American
community also is not being ad
equately addressed, leading to a
If You were the Owner
or Beneficiary o f an Industrial
Life Insurance Policy Issued by
Am erican National Insurance Com pany
and
are African-American or H ispanic
You may be en titled to additional death or
surrender benefits
These additional benefits are being provided as part o f a m ulti-state regulatory settlem ent
betw een A m erican N ational Insurance Company and the insurance regulatory authorities
o f the states in which A m erican N ational does business.
T he settlem ent only applies to industrial life insurance policies w ith a face am ount o f
$1,000 o r less, issued by A m erican N ational betw een 1936 and 1939 (A frican-A m erican
and H ispanic), and betw een 1948 and 1964 (A frican-A m erican only), and w here a
surrender or death benefit was paid since D ecem ber 31, 1959. To find out if you are entitled
to additional benefits, you must act by D ecem ber 31, 2005 by calling our toll-free number:
1-866-229-9685
Yugen Rashad (left) and Calvin Henry help launch the African-
American Tobacco Prevention and Education Network.
can community. Discussions will
also focus on possible solutions to
creating a healthier community.
Smoking-related diseases kill
45,000 African-Americans each
year. About 27 percent of African-
American adults in Oregon smoke
compared to 21 percent of the gen
eral population. Black American
men are at least 50 percent more
likely to develop lung cancer than
white men.
Or write to:
Am erican N ational Insurance Com pany
P.O. Box 1900
G alveston, Texas 7 7 5 5 3 -1 9 0 0
■More information is available at www.regulatorysettlement.com
In Loving Memory
Fannie Lee Smith
Fannie Lee (Robinson) Smith went
home to be with the Lord on Nov. 30,
2005. She was bom Nov. 16,1910 in
Anniston, Ala., the daughter of
Mose Robinson and Rosie Dale.
She accepted Christ at an early
age and was baptized at Mt. Olive
Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.
She married Sanders Smith and
moved toOregon in 1944. The family
joined Mt. Olivet Baptist Church three
weeks after arriving in Portland.
Sister Smith loved the Lord
and served him in the church
and hercom m unity. She was a
Sunday school teacher for
many years and sang in the
Chancel Choir for over 40 years.
Her love and passion for youth
resulted in herorganizing the Ameri
can Baptist Girls Guild at M t. Olivet.
She also served as Guild camp di
rector for over two decades. She
was a member of the church’s Lott
Carey Circle and was ordained a
deaconess under Rev. John H. Jack -
son. She served with American
Baptist Women and Church Women
United on both local and state lev
els. She was a member of the na
tional Council of Negro Women
and the Federated W om en's Clubs
and many other civic and service
organizations.
In 1965, she trained at the Uni
versity o f St. Louis and became one
o f the first A frican-A m erican
women employment specialists for
continued
from Front
All this follow s the fact that in
1804, Lewis and Clark, accom pa
nied by a slave only know as
“Y ork,” set out on an extrao rd i
nary jo u rn e y o f e x p lo ra tio n .
T heirs was not merely a physical
trek to the Pacific and back, but a
journey o f the mind set in motion
by a president im patient to learn
as m uch as he could about the
G et th e F lu S h o t,
N ot th e F lu .
the state of Oregon. She worked for
SEP and the Youth Opportunity
Center. She helped many people;
especially African-American youth
find employment.
She was an active member of
OASIS. She attended Wednesday
morning Bible study and was an
inspiration to all who knew her.
A lm o st ev e ry o n e c a lle d her
“Gramma Fannie or Miss Fannie.”
Many young women loved to spend
time with her because
of her strong faith and
the wisdom. Her love
of God was evident to
everyone. She was a
reminder to us all that
God does not have a
retirement plan.
Sister Smith leaves to cherish her
memory,daughters Helen Britton and
Angela Branch of Las Vegas, Nev.,
and Rosie Tabb of Portland; sons;
Edward and Moton Smith of Port
land; grandchildren Joyce DaSilva,
Trecoslyn Collins, Patricia Britton,
W inston Branch and T ’Neshia
Branch all of Las Vegas, and William
Henderson (Monica),Terri Hamilton
(David), Anthony, Timothy and
Ebony Smith of Portland; 19 great
grandchildren, 6 great great-grand
children and a host of nieces, neph
ews and friends.
Her husband Sanders Smith,
daughter Mary Ann Smith and
grandson Sanders Smith preceded
her in death.
North A m erican continent. Two
hundred years later, their expedi
tion inspires new journeys o f the
mind.
For teach ers, students, and
lifelong learners, the bicenten
nial o f this historic event is an
opportunity to becom e immersed
in President Thom as Jefferson’s
spirit o f discovery and to learn
more about the views of those
w ho already lived in the West.
Flu Shots arc Covered
for People with Medicare Part B
For Information, call 1-800-MEDICARE
or visit www.medicare.gov
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