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February 8. 2006
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH and the American Experience
Grass Roots Bookstores transcend labels
The installation of windows marks the
first days o f business for “In Other
Words, " a bookstore for and about
women at its new location at the
corner of Killingsworth and North
Williams Avenue.
photo by I saiah B oi nJ
T he P ortland O bserver
Ingredients for life
photo by
SAFEWAY Ö
S arah B i . ount /T he P ortland O bserver
The Black Rose Collective has transitioned from a free porch to
a bookstore and political information shop on North Mississippi
Avenue. Many o f its books feature Portland writers and publish­
ers, making them a rare find at many traditional booksellers.
continued
from Front
a meeting space free for community
use. The plan is to build partner­
ships and offer reciprocity dis­
counts to its neighbors like Ethos,
North Portland Bike Works and the
Alberta Co-Op, Burns said.
She hopes the bookstore will fit
into the neighborhood's busy ac­
tivist scene that focuses on race
and ethnicity.
“ It’s our intention to use fem i­
nism to effectively impact m ulti­
issue social activism ,” she said.
“ It’s a criticism o f feminism that
race and class aren ’t on the front
burner, but where I stand person­
ally, it’s all facets of the same
fight.”
The Black Rose Collective is
former “free porch" turned political
information shop at 4038 N. Missis­
sippi near Shaver Street. Since its
humble beginning as a jumble of
free clothing, food and household
items, the collective remains dedi­
cated to a principle of providing
services, not turning a profit.
“All we do is try to make enough
to pay our rent,” col lecti ve member
Genevieve Moore said.
The house next door is the Mis­
sissippi Avenue Co-op, an eight-
bedroom communal living space
serving as an alternative to the
renter/owner status quo. It was
during one of their monthly meet­
ings that a member proposed the
idea of expanding their free porch
into an infoshop. About a year later,
with help from the Portland Alli­
ance of Collective Workers, the
Black Rose opened.
The tiny shop is a collection of
political, feminist and anti-racism
hooks, exclusively from indepen­
dent presses. These books are a
rare find in traditional bookstores,
and a local section spotlights Port­
land writers and publishers.
The collective’s six members,
plus a handful of volunteers, run
the shop from noon to eight p.m.
Tuesday through Sunday. The
collective also keeps a growing list
of at least 100 people willingto lend
a hand with future projects, includ­
ing plans to create a community
mural in the near future.
Forum on Living
Wage Jobs
at Safeway this Valentine's Day!
Lawmaker addresses local issues
State Rep. Chip Shields will
host a series o f com m unity fo­
rums over the next several weeks
spotlighting issues for residents
in his inner north and northeast
Portland House D istrict 43. The
forums will cover living wage jobs,
the w ar in Iraq, health care and
schools.
“At this critical time in Oregon's
history, it is more important than
ever that we come together as a
community to share ideas and con­
cerns on these vital issues,” Shields
said.
The forum on living wage jobs
will be heldon Wednesday, Feb. 15
from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Oregon
Association of Minority Entrepre­
neurs, 4134 N. Vancouver, with
guest Tom Chamberlain, president
of Oregon AFL-CIO and Sam
Brooks, chair of OAME.
Iraq War: A Local Response will
take place March 8 from 6:30 to 8
p.m. at Emmanuel Temple Church,
5 123 N. Michigan with guest State
Rep. Paul Holvey, w hose son
served in Iraq.
The meeting on health care will
be held on March 22, also from 6:30
to 8 p.m. at Irvington Village, 420
N.E. Mason St. with guests State
Rep. Mitch Greenlick. chief peti­
tioner for the statewide health care
initiative HOPE for Oregon Fami­
lies and Corliss McKeever, presi­
dent and C EO of the African Ameri­
can Health Coalition.
The schools forum will be held
April 5 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the
Irvington Elem entary gym, 1320
N.E. Brazee with guest Shannon
Cam pion of Stand for Children.
Dozen
Roses
Gaiorade
14 Stems Are A
Dozen Hoses Say
It Best
Settled
Doritos
Tortilla Chips
Korbel. M artini &
Rossi or Rodney
Strong
B iv o s L c iT O M Lucerne
Large Eggs
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Marie Callender's
Meals
12 lo 21-or
Selected /¡tuen«
General M ills
Cereal
10 75 Io 15 0 /
Selected var>ei>es
Club Price $1 66 ea
SAVE up to $7 59 on 3
S ignature S oups
Nabisco Oreo Cookies
or Graham Crackers
12» 18 or
(¡L a
Robert Marshall
Ocean Spray
Cranberry Juice
13-07
Salvation Army Captain to Speak
Captain Robert Marshall of the
Salvation Army will be the featured
speaker when the Allen Temple
Joshua Men present their third
Annual M en's Day Program under
the theme “Christian men Wear
God," on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m.
at Allen TempleCMEChurch,4236
N.E. Eighth Ave. The public is wel­
come.
Marshall has served as an of­
ficer and pastor of The Salvation
Army for the past 10 years. He was
appointed to serve as Captain in
charge at the Portland Mrxire Street
Corps
BUVONB.cn ONE
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Cottonelle or
Scott Bath Tissue
1? Double Roil or
1000 Sheet Ron
Club Price $5 00 ea
SAVE up to 17 99 on ?