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February 22, 2006
BLACK HISTORY MONTH and the American Experience
Finding Rewardsin Old Town
co n tin u ed
fr o m F ro n t
Still, T hom as has found a way to balance his
outreach with som e business and keep his
entrepreneurial instincts sharp. He devotes one
day a week to his business-consulting firm
W P&C Services, Inc He also has developed a
partnership between five churches including
hisow n, N E C om m unity Fellowship.
Thom as is also involved with the O ffice of
Neighborhtxxl Involvem ent and the Portland
Police Bureau, w orking to identify a group ot
fam iliar faces that cycle through the police
d ep artm ent and the m ission. T he bureau
brainstorm ed strategies to end the cycle of
these repeat offenders, dubbing them "Old
T ow n’s 35 Most W anted."
Thom as has earned the trust o f many offend
ers by simply talking with them, offering them
fixxl and clothing. He said he purposely leaves
out the Bible lessons and hellfire sermons,
focusing instead on "grace-based" ministry.
If we can minister to them in their brokenness,
he said, they'll know who is there to help them
when no one else will.
In his partnership with staff and volunteers,
Thom as has realized that addiction d o esn 't
discrim inate based on class. After encounter
ing addiction and grief in hisow ncom m unity, he
earned certifications in addictions counseling.
He plans to start a G enesis Process program
that he says will help others in the com m unity
and churches tackle the spiritual, em otional,
physical and mental aspects o f people’s lives,
whatever the addiction.
“People do n 't realize that even healthy people
have lingering addictions," he said. "M y vision
is to take what w e' re teaching in the program and
photo by I saiah B ouie /T he P ortland O bserver
offer it to our com m unities and churches who
Portland Rescue Mission plays an important role in Old Town, a major
need healing.”
hub for the city's homeless.
The Oregon Historical
Society sits along the
downtown Parks Blocks.
Inside, it's not difficult to
spend a day exploring the
exhibits or researching
archives. Local history
can also be explored by
visiting much o f the
museum s collection
online at www.0HS.org.
photo by I saiah
B oi ie /T he
P ortland O bserver
Where Black History Never Ends
co n tin u ed
fr o m F ront
community, andenvironment. Creator W il
liam Toll “exam ines the tensions between
social classes and ethnic groups, and the
subsequent em ergence o f residential pat
terns and a governm ent.”
A section titled Focus on Oregon H is
tory “provides teachers, students, and
the general public a sense o f the diverse
people and events that com prise the his
tory o f O regon.”
The A frican A m erican History Page is
an excellent place to explore the experi
ence o f the state’s first black citizens.
The co llectio n begins in O re g o n 's
younger days, painting a bleak picture of
racial injustice on account o f early set
tlers. Subsequently, the site celebrates an
em erging African Am erican com m unity
w ho knew they m ust earn basic rights
b e fo re g a in in g c o m m u n ity re sp e c t.
Beatrice Morrow Cannady ( 1890-1974)
was am ong the state's early, bravç
A frican Am erican arrivers.
Information about Asian Pacific his
tory follow s the first large group o f
Chinese im m igrants to arrive in the
Pacific Northwest in the early 1850s.
A focus on w om en’s history in O r
egon features Abigail Scott Duniway,
s is te r
to
D a ily
O re g o n ia n
editor Harvey Scott. D uniw ay was a
n o v e lis t, n e w s p a p e r p u b lis h e r ,
teacher, pioneer, milliner, and suffrag
ist.
O H S also has a bilingual exhibit.
O ur W ays: History and C ulture o f
M exicans in O regon. The site docu
ments the M exican presence in O r
egon, dating back to the Spanish ex
plorers o f the 1600s.
OHS is located at 1200 S.E Park Ave.
For more information call 503-222-1741.
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PROJECT N2 30,149
Eugene, Oregon, m ight not be the firs t place people
attracted to Eugepe by the reputation and expertise of Molecular Probes.
think of when they think biotech, but it is becoming an important link
A Lottery funded grant helped convince them to stay and grow the
in the chain of scientific discovery thanks to the arrival of Invitrogen.
business there. Ultim ately, Invitrogen w ill invest $15 m illion in Lane
A leading producer of products and services to advance medical research,
County and create 65 new jobs as they continue to work to fu lfill
Invitrogen has been involved in some of the most significant scientific
their mission to improve the human condition through innovations in
breakthroughs of the last two decades, including completion of the
science and technology. The Invitrogen grant is just one of thousands
Human Genome Project and advancements in cancer treatment. They
of projects funded by Lottery profits. Since 1985 more than $4.2 billion
expanded their operations to Eugene in 2003 when they purchased
in Lottery profits has gone to economic development, education, parks
Molecular Probes, a pioneer in fluorescent imaging. Invitrogen was
and watershed enhancement across the state. itdoesgoodthings.org
Lane County
4# F *
i Walls, Research & Development Program M anager, In vitro g e n
OREGON
LOTTERY
It does good things
Lottery garnet are bated on chance and should be played lor entertainment only.
/
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