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January I I, 200b
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Page B 11
e J ¡ i / o n _____
Bridging the Gap in Health Disparities
Health director
sees progress
by K haya D arko
T he P ortland O bserver
Local officials are w ork
ing to end the uneven d istri
bution o f health care in the
Portland area and the resu lt
ing suffering from illness and
d isease.
A c c o r d in g to L illia n
Shirley, M ultnom ah County
H ealth D epartm ent director,
social and econom ic d iffe r
ences have led to the health
d is p a r itie s fo r g ro u p s o f
people, m ostly along e c o
nom ic and racial lines.
But Shirley sees progress
since Rev. Martin Luther King
Jr. called for equality for all
Americans in a fight for ju s
tice that included medical care.
Shirley said the success of
two prominent medical doc
tors on the national stage
would not have been possible
without King and others in the
civil rights movement.
She pointed to Dr. David
S atcher and Dr. Joshlyn E l
ders, tw o physicians o f color
who both becam e Surgeon
G eneral of the U nited States.
T heir achievem ents in m edi-
c in e h e lp e d m a in s tr e a m
Dr. David Satcher
Lillian Shirley (right) draws on a supporting staff to complete her work as Multnomah County Health Department
Director, including (from left) Latricia Tillman , Steve Bullock, and Sen. Ave! Gordly.
Dr. Jocelyn Elders
A m e ric a see the p o sitiv e
c o n tr i b u ti o n s th a t b la c k
A m ericans are m aking in our
country.
“ Dr. S atcher is a hero of
my public health co m m u
S atch er, E ld ers and King
comes from their leadership.
Shirley said.
“You need a Dr. King or a
Malcolm X to get to a place of
trust,” she said.
nity,” Shirley said, citing him
for leading the fight against
tobacco and ending the need
for a rising num ber o f lung
cancer clinics.
As Surgeon General, Sat
cher was willing to go after
the tobacco industry for health
damages. He fought the can
cer deaths that the tobacco
industry brought upon people
all over the world.
"Dr. Satcher brought atten
tion to tobacco issues, and due
to that, today there are tougher
laws against the tobacco in
dustry,” she said.
The success in people like
Dr. King’s ‘Beloved Community’
Local leader
embraces the
well as Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr.’s legacy for civil rights and
the world at large.
She deeply noted Dr. King’s
message for a "Beloved Com
munity" and urged everyone
by K haya D arko
that we need to do more to take
T he P ortland O bserver
care of each other.
Sen. Avel Gordly reflected
"Beloved Community,” is the
recently upon the passing of simple notion that what is im
civil rights icon Rosa Parks as portant is that all people need
message
embrac ing and their basic needs
met.
Gordly has modeled herself
around this notion and puts forth
an endless effort to serve her
Portland community. Recently,
she took a temporary assign
ment with the MultnomahCounty
Health Department.
continued
"E verybo dy c a n be G reat
B e c a u s e A n ybo d y C a n S e r v e "
Martin Luther King Junior
Rosa Parks (right) and other african american citizens o f Montgomery, Ala. take
their first bus without concern for racism following desegregation.
|P? fn*re-or 19, 1956
Hri'H iK. . ['l.u liUS a','OOa.S,;‘l OI!t>
T h i a i a a h i s t o r i c w eak b e c n u o o o o p r o . - n t i o n o n b u s e s h a a now
b o o n Jo o l* u * a d u r . e o n s t i t u t i o r . n l .
W i t h i n a fe w d a y
t.h « S uprom o C o u r t
E fnndnta wJ 11 r e n c n
t a n n e r y on fl y o u w i l l b a ro - V o n jtU n K
lu titjj,
’riila
». 'U uu i l l a trs im c h u a rcs| o r u lb l ll b ’/ p T main
t a i n i n g , i n f a c e o f w h a t c o u l d b e so r.o u n p l e a s a n t n e s s , a e a l r *and
l o v i n g d l p n l t y b - A . f i t t i r v Poori c l t i sian a n n d merw e r a o f c u r R a c e .
If
llw are J 3 v l o l o n c o i n w o rd o r
i t r u s t n u t uo o u r p e o p l e who
corjm i t i t .
F o r y o u r h e l p a n d c o n v e n i e n c e th e f o l l c w i t w out » . o a t i o n a i r e m a d e .
W i l l y o u r e a d , s t u d y a n u r x - m o r l r c th e m ac t h a t o u r n o n - v i o l e n t -lo-
t o r r r i n a t i o r . mn> n o t b e >r. s r v o r e d .
F i r s t , acrw»
I » u g ro d tio n s :
1.
!l«,t <11 w h ite p j
i - h :- .’ G p p o t’ U t o in t o * r a t e d b u a a o . A o o o p t
• *
f’o c d w lX l o n t h e D a r t o f m a n y ,
Tlur who jo buM 1 .. now f o r »,h«i u sft o r n i l p e o p le » T ak a a v a c a n t a e i l .
P ra y f o r ’u b la r ic u a n o o m I t / o u r a w l f t v ev»»'iplote n o n - v i o l e n c o
l i . w o rd a n d a c t i o n i s
ou »nfcor th o h u e .
Ilo ro n fii r a t e t h e c n l r d i m i t y o f o u r M c n t’ ^ n o r y p n n p l a i n y u r
a c tio n s .
I n a l l t h l n r a o b s e r v e o r d i n a r ;. r u l e s o f e o u r to o y and «ood b o n o v l^ r,
t h a t t h i a .’ . n e t a v l o t ir y f o r H e flru e a a l o r . o , h u t l o r a I J
M o n t" n ir« ry -n r: t h r
u t h . Do n o t b o a n t l Dc n o t 'nr«. 1
ho q u i v t b u t f : i u : i ' _ , i r o u d , b u t n u t u r r o r m t ; J o y o u a » b u t r o t
b o i e t'•o U O .
lie l o v i n g a n r u r h i n nh.Tnrb» «v1 I e n d u n d n r s u « r 'i ? r z n r ? u r h t o t u r n
u n oiu>tn> I n t o a f r i e n d .
2»
3»
J |.
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6.
7»
ft.
Now f’o r oomn a p o c l f i e
s u r , ’«* s ♦ i o n « ?
1.
T he b u 3 . r i v e r i s i n c h a r g e o f t h e b u . • nd h a n t > o n l n n r u c k v d t o
ohJey t h e lo ,w .
A s . ujm t h a t ho w i l l e o e p e r e t e Jr) h o l p i n f l y o u
o c c u p y nr.y v a c a n t c e n t .
2.
Do n o t n - . i l b u r u t e l , a i t b y m w h i t e p e r s o n * u n l o a d t h a r o l c n o
o th e r s e a t.
3.
I n n t t t l n r h wn h y n p o r a o n , v h H « n r c o l o r e d . Bay wMav I ” o r
*' h
, v. a i t «
th ia •
on c u u rle i
U • I f e u r o o d , b n o t e u r o c b a c k . I f n u a h u I» do i >t p u s h b o c k .
• I f s t r u c k , Io n o t s t r i k e b c k , b u t e v i d e n c e
n v r ni>J f o c c l w i l l
a t u l l tim e a ,
> . I»i ftn.v o f ip i n c ? ie.'it ,
t a l k a s 1 ’ 1 l a an ¡ o a a i b l o » a n d e lw a y a
r n a q u i e t t o n e . I c no*, r a t uf f r c * . y o u r s e c t ! .’.» p o r t n i l c a r i o u s
i n c i d e n t s t o t h o bu© e n v o i » .
t • F o r t h e f i r s t ferw d a .. t r
ti
: • >.
• • ■ w it , i
io n » i n
w h o se n o r - v l o l o n o e • .u h a v e o o i i f i d e n s e . Y ou c a n u p h o l d o n e « r , . t ' w r
b y a p ln r .e e o r a p r n y o c .
7» I f u iv jth n f- o v rw u n
1 u b u lru * n u l v a u * d o n o t a r i s e t o ♦*© t o
iis
l e f 't n a e , b u t pr*uy f o r t h e o p p r * ‘».»e ■ - u d u s e m r-tu l an d
p ir ltn a l
f o r c e t o c a r r y o n t h e n t r n y p 1 f* **r»r J u c t . l c e ,
’ • A c c w l i i b t o , o u r cw • i. ' t l t y «n<. . r a o n u 1 1 1. , d o n o t b<’ a f r a i d
t o e x p e r i m e n t w i t h now a n d c r o a t l v o t o e i r . l q u o r f o r n o h i e v l n r
r e q o n c l 1 i e t . i o n a n d *» - » r i« l c h a r g e ,
7.
I f y o u f u e l y o u c a n n o t t a k e i t . w a lk f o r a n o t h e r w nek u r tw o .
4e h a v e o e n f l r i e n e c i n o u r p e o p l e ,
GOD bL £S S YOU ALL.
< i
i
ik e E oznaoH B inr ijcfhpvkmisnt a s .- jcxatiok
t ic n . v , ti . l . K i n a , j . i . , f j D 'i i b . M
n e e rev . w. .i. p o u X t .
Flier Used to Avoid Conflict:
The Montgomery Improvement
Association circulated this flier to help black Americans in Montgomery, Ala. make the
integration o f public buses as peaceful and smooth as possible.
I
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