Committed to Cultural Diversity
www.portlandobserver.tom
Ebony Carvings
M etro
Forestry Center hosts
rare collection
See story in Focus, page B3
JJortkinit (íDt
__________________________ SECTION
o m m Ll nity
a le n d a r
Matt Dishman
Ten Minutes with the Mayor
Promotes
M a y o r T o n i Potter w ill meet
Parkrose, Argay and surround
ing neighborhood residents on
Saturday, M ay 6 from 9 a.m. to
11:30a.m. at Beale Street N W BBQ
Restaurant, 10721 N.E. Sandy
B lvd. A ll surrounding neighbor
hood residents are invited; sign
ups begin at 8:30 a.m. and fill
quickly. For more information, call
Carmen Rubioat 503-823-3578.
Healthy Lives
Partners with African
American Health Coalition
Health Fair at Portsmouth
Attend the Community Health Fair
at Portsmouth M id d le School,
5 103 N. W illis Blvd.. Saturday May
6 from noon to 4 p.m. The fa ir w ill
o ffe r free blood pressure, blood
-
by L ee P eri . man
T he P ortland O bserver
t a
W i®' - •
O n e c o u ld say the M a tt
Dishman C om m unity Centerand
the A fric a n -A m e ric a n Health
C o a litio n have a sym biotic rela
tionship.
i
sugar, lead, vision and body mass
index screenings; diabetes edu-
cation services, bike safety and
other health-related inform ation.
f e i
/J
''J e ■
PCC Art Beat Festival
r *
■w
The art beat goes on at the 19lh
Annual A rt Beat festival at all
Portland Community Col lege cam
cess to local, regional and na
tio n a l artists, plus visual art, I
dance, music, theater and literary
events. This event is free and
open to the public.
0AME Luncheon and
Tradeshow
The Oregon Association o f M i
n o rity Entrepreneurs (O A M E )
presents the 18"' Annual Entre
preneurship Luncheon and Trade
Show, M ay 11 at the Oregon Con
vent ion Center. Trade show is
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the
luncheon is from noon to 1:30 |
p.m. in H a llC . For more in fo rm a
tion, call O A M E a t 503-249-7744.
Bird Festival
photo by I saiah
B ouie / T he P orti . anii O bserver
Kristina Booker trains with Garland Brown Sr. at Matt Dishman Community Center. 77 N.E. Knott St.
event is tree and open to the pub
lic; fo r more inform ation, visit
w ww .audubonportland.com .
Walk For Mothers Day
Join the F ifth Annual M aking
Strides Against Breast Cancer
W alk, Sunday, M ay 14, begin
ning at 9:30a.m . at 1875 SW Park
Ave. and continuing a five -m ile
route to the PSU campus. For j
more inform ation, call the A m e ri
can Cancer Society at 503-795-
3 9 4 0 o r sig n up o n lin e at
w w w .cancer.org/strideson line.
Loaves and Fishes Lunch
Seniors, jo in the Cherry Blossom
Center Loaves and Fishes fo r
lunch, Monday through Friday
from 11:30a.m. to 12:30p.m. Each
meal includes salad, bread, bev
erages, yo u r choice o f tw o en
trees and dessert, fo r the sug
gested donation o f $2.75 as able.
Cherry Blossom Center is in the
East Portland C om m unity Center.
740 SE 106"’. For more inform a
tion, cal IT amara or Steven at 503-
256-2381.
Stroke Community Forum
Providence Hospitals present the
Stroke C om m unity Forum as part
o f N ational Stroke Awareness
M onth. Tuesdays, May 23 and 30
at 7 p.m. The events are free; the
M ay 23 forum is at Providence
Portland Medical Center am phi
theater, 4805 N.E. Glisan. and the
M ay 30 forum is at Providence St.
Vincent Souther Auditorium , 9205
S.W. Barnes Rd. To pre-register
and fo r more inform ation, call the
Providence Health Resource Line
at 503-574-6595.
community service
The center at 77 N.E. Knott St.
helps the coalition achieve its
m ission on im proving the health
o f local residents and the A A H C
helps the Portland Parks and Rec
reation fa c ility stay true to its
Dishman Director Nelson-Furman
said. The rooms are used for “ ev
erything from an indoor park for
very young children to hip-hop
classes."
The older part o f the building
may not be as chic as more mod
ern athletic facilities but, Nelson-
Furman said. " It has such a com
m unity feel that other mega-cen
ters don’ t have."
The A frican American Health
C oalition was founded in 1989 by
roots as a com m unity resource.
a group o f A frican Americans in
O rig in a lly b u ilt in the 1920s as the health held profession who
Thomas Lam b E liot School, then were concerned by disproponion-
closed in the late 1940s, it began ately-high death rates by African
a new life in 1951 as the Knott Americans from "preventable”
Street C om m unity Center. A new diseases such as “ heart attacks,
E lio t School was later built three stokes and m ajor chronic i l l
blocks to the west and renamed nesses," in the words o f A A H C
fo r Harriet Tubman.
president Corliss McKeever.
In 1970. the Knott Street center
It has gone on to provide a
was renamed in honor o f M alt m ulti-pronged effort to promote
Dishman, an A frican American healthier liv in g through advo
com m unity leader. It has been cacy, education, and providing
not o nly a headquarters fo r box facilities assisted by a grant from
ing and w restling com petition, the federal Center fo r Disease
but one o f the few anchors o f Control and Prevention. For in
public pride in an often neglected stance, it holds education and
and forgotten com m unity.
support meetings fo r diabetes
In 1993, it became something s u ffe re rs e ve ry T h u rsd a y at
more. In that year, financed by a Legacy Emanuel Hospital.
bond measure, the Portland Parks
Its "Spice II D pi Healthy C ixik-
Bureau added a state o f the art in g " classes teach people how to
sw im m ing pool and associated do healthy eating and cooking
facilities. The rest o f the center “ in a culturally appropriate way,”
has a gym . weight room, crafts A A H C ’ s Keith Dempsey said.
puses, M ay 8-12. The festival
offers students com m unity ac
Celebrate International M ig ra
tory B ird Day at the Oaks Bottom
M ig ra to ry B ird Festival, Satur-
day.M ay I3 fro m 10a.m .to4p.m .
at S ellwood Park, ju st south o f
Oaks Bottom W ild life Refuge. The
I
room , and classrooms that serve
a number o f functions.
“ Y o u name it, we do it,"
Finally, through its "W ellness
continued
on page B5
Letter Carriers Help Stamp Out Hunger
Annual event returns
Saturday, May 13
I
I \
Local residents are encouraged to place non-perishable
food donations by your m ailbox in the morning on Satur
day, M ay 13 and help the National Association o f Letter
Carriers Stamp out Hunger.
Close to 3,000 letter carriers throughout Oregon and
C lark C ounty w ill jo in w ith lettercarriers across Am erica to
collect the donations from their postal customers during
the annual event — the largest one-day food drive in
Oregon and in the nation.
Letter carriers d e live r mail to homes in every com m u
nity, and we know the people along our routes." said L.C.
Hansen, president o f N A L C Branch 82. “ We see first hand
the need lo r food donations to help fight hunger."
Nonperishable food such as tuna fish, peanut butter,
soups, stews, c h ili, canned fruits, vegetables, beans, rice
and pasta are requested. Do not include glass items,
homemade items o r previously opened containers.
Letter carriers w ill collect the donations along their
routes and trucks w ill pick up the food and deliver it to the
Oregon Food Bank.
Last year’ s e ffo rt by the lettercarriers generated more
than 1,3-m illion pounds o f food throughout Oregon and
southwest W ashington.
"H u n g e r rem ains a huge p roblem in Oregon and in
the nation, notes Rachel B ris to l, executive d ire c to r o f
Oregon Food B ank. “ Last year, one in fiv e people in
continued
on page HS
Portland Postal worker Carol McConanchie does her part in picking up donations o f nonperishable food in the
Stamp Out Hunger food drive sponsored by the National Association o f Letter Carriers. Local residents can help
by placing food donations by your mailbox in the morning on Saturday, May 13.
Farmers Market Ready for Second Year
Next to Kaiser on
Interstate Avenue
A rich variety o f q u a lity fresh local pro
duce. baked goods, cut flow ers, artisan
cheese, meat and fish w ill he available to
the public when the Interstate Farmers
M a rk e t opens its second season on
Wednesday. M ay 10.
T h e m a rk e t sets u p s h o p each
W ednesday through Septem ber, fro m 3
P ^ - u n t il 7 p.m . across the street fro m the
K aiser Permanente Interstate Campus on
"T h e y g ive consumers the chance to
meet the people w h o g ro w the fo o d and
N o r,h In,ers,a,e A ve n u e next to O ve r-
to get the freshest foods money can buy.
Vancouver Youth to
Explore Careers
1.(Kai youin w in get ncip cxp lo rin g careers
w h e n W a s h in g to n S la te U n iv e r s ity
Vancouver hosts a Pre-Em ploym ent and
Career E xploration Youth conference from
8:30a.m . to 5 p.m Saturday. M a v6 .
I opics include preparing fo r summer em
ploym ent. exploring careers, becoming an
inventor, being prepared fo r life in the real
w orld, reverse engineering, college 101, fo-
continued
on page 116