History Revealed
Chief ranger tells
story o f local
Buffalo Soldiers
R a is in g Y o u n g M e n
Local poet, educator
and single mom sorts
out the issues
See Metro section, inside
‘City of Roses'
Volume XXXVI, Number 32
Sheehan Kicks Off Protest
A nti-w aractivist
C indy Sheehan
c o n tin u e d h e r I
p r o te s t
near |
President Bush’s
ra n c h
in
for
I Crawford, Texas.
W h a J* On Tuesday, she
released 18 bal
loons with post
cards saying she
w anted to meet with the presi
dent. S ee sto ry , page A2.
-.c
* ° o t.
Bush Adviser Guilty
A
fo rm e r |
W hite House
a d v i s e r |
pleaded guilty
to th e ft F ri
d a y , b rie fly
breaking into
te a r s as he |
tried toexplain
why he m ade phony returns at
discount departm ent stores while
earning $160,(XX) a year as a top
aide to President Bush. See sto ry , |
p ageA 2.
Interest Rate Stays Put
W iththeeconom y losingm om en- J
turn, the Federal Reserve halted
the longest unbroken stretch o f
interest rate increases in recent
history T uesday - a reprieve for |
U.S. Tries to Stop Killing
A s e rie s o f b o m b in g s an d
shootings in Iraq killed at least 33
p eo p le T u esd a y , m ost in the
Baghdad area, as more A merican
soldiers patrolled the streets o f |
the capital in a m ake-or-break bid
to quell sectarian violence. See
sto ry , page A2.
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www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Wednesday • August 9. 2006
Self Enhancement Turns 25
e Review
m illions o f borrow ers after more
than tw o years o f rate pain.
See .Metro section, inside
Celebration
Sunday at
Unthank Park
Self Enhancem ent, Inc. will host
a “25 Years o f Soul” celebration
Sunday, Aug. 13, at the SEI center
and adjoining Unthank Park, 3920
N. Kerby Ave. Local neighbors and
the greater Portland com m unity is
invited to share in the free festivi
ties from 1 p .m .to b p .m .
T he 25,h anniversary event will
feature activities for kids, a catered
barbecue cookout provided by NW
Natural, contests hosted by Jam m in’
95.5, and giveaw ays and free hair
cuts provided by Terrell B randon's
B arber Shop.
The main stage will feature live
entertainm ent by Portland’s lead
ing soul singer, Liv W arfield, the
popular 10-piece band Soul V acci
nation and perform ances by the
SEI drum line and choir.
As part o f the silver anniversary
cam paign, SEI has constructed a
photo journal by local photogra
pher Julie Keefe, highlighting 25
program alumni sharing their com
pelling success stories and posi
tive results from their participation
in SEI. The photo project will be
featured at the alumni booth, and
SEI alumni will enjoy a special hos
pitality area on the balcony o ver
looking U nthank Park.
From aone-week basketbal I camp
in 1981,SEI h asev o lv ed in to a full-
s e rv ic e o r g a n iz a tio n , g u id in g
underserved youth, especially A f
rican A merican and m inority chil
dren, in realizingtheir full potential.
W orking with schools, fam ilies
and partner com m unity organiza-
photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
L ifelong P ortland r e s id e n t Tony H o p so n m e n to r s local yo u th a t S e l f E n h a n c e m e n t. Inc., th e year-round e d u c a tio n a n d so c ia l se rvic e
program h e fo u n d e d 2 5 y e a rs ago. SEI will h o n o r its silver a n n iversa ry o n S u n d a y with a ‘2 5 Y ears o f S o u l' ce leb ra tio n a t its north
P ortland c e n te r a n d a d jo in in g U nthank Park.
tions, SEI provides support, guid-
ance and opportunities for children
and young adults ages eight to 25.
SEI provides num erous year-
round services at the center, and
has successfully evolved to offer:
a charter m iddle school (SEI Acad-
em y); in-school services (academ ic
m entoring and tutoring) in 11 Port-
continued
on p age A 6
Israeli Threat Grows
Israel shut dow n south Lebanon
with a threat to blast any moving
vehicles, as ground fighting in
tensified near the Israeli border,
airstrikes killed at leas, 19 civil
ians and Arab governm ents called
for a full Israeli w ithdraw al as a
condition o f any ceasefire.
BP Pipeline Corroded
Shares in oil giant BP dropped
and crude oil prices soared M on
day as the com pany prepared to |
shut down its
P ru d h o e Bay
o ilf ie ld
in
A la s k a , th e
biggest oilfield
in the United
States, follow ing the discovery o f |
a corroded pipeline.
Fewer Hurricanes
H u rric a n s e a s o n s h o u ld be
slightly less active than originally
predicted, federal forecasters said
Tuesday. T here have been only
three tropical storm s and no hur
ricanes so far, bu, A ugust through
O ctober are typically the most
active m onths o f the season.
<
Native American Family Center Opens
Whitaker site thought to have
been a historic native village
by S arah B i . oint
T he P ortland O bserver
The dust is settling at a new
fam ily cen terfo rth e Native A m eri
can Youth A ssociation, as staff
and com m unity settle into the
form er W hitaker- Lakeside M iddle
School in northeast Portland.
T raffic zoom s by the 20,(XX)
square-fee, building that faces a
bleak industrial stretch o f C olum
bia Boulevard, but cultures collide
w hen visitors circle the building -
where 20 acres o f wetlands and the
Colum bia River Slough beg to be
explored.
throughout, but NAYA has spent
a busy sum m er painting and trans
forming the space.
The change com es at an oppor
tune time for the growing organiza
tion, even though their relocation
follow ed som e unsettling experi
ences at its form er headquarters on
North M ississippi Avenue.
T h e M is s is s ip p i n e ig h b o r
hood’s new bars, restaurants and
s p e c ia lty sh o p s tr a n s f o r m e d
N A Y A ’s former home intoadistricl
that becam e culturally, if not al
ready physically, inaccessible to
many in the native com m unity.
Kids have learned that math and
science have nothing to do with
them, hut the reality is our people
have been doing math, science and
technology fo r thousands o f years,
in a different way.
— Nichole Maher, NAYA executive director
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The best part - N A Y A ’s new
M aher said some business ow n
site is thought to have once been a ers took an unfriendly stance with
historic M ultnomah Chinook N a the non-profit's presence, and rac
tive A merican village.
ist graffiti was left on the cen ter's
“T he site has historical and c u l van las, year. Even so, she said
tural significance to,he native co m they had great relationships on the
munity, and w e'v eal ways incorpo avenue and left with no bad feel
rated w etlands restoration and en ings.
vironm ental sciences into our c u r
NAYA has received a warm w el
ricu lu m ," said N ichole M aher, com e from its new Cully neighbor
NA Y A 's executive director.
hood. an area m idw ay between
Evidence o f the iconic school Interstates 5 and 205. The central
that once served generations of location increases accessibility to
northeast P ortland kids lingers the estim ated 38.IXX) Port land-area
/
photo by S arah B i . ount /T hl P ortland O bserver
John A n d erso n a n d o th e r s u m m e r c a m p p a rticip a n ts clim b in to a N ative A m erica n Youth A s s o c ia
tion van a t th e n e w NAYA Family C e n te r in n o r th e a s t Portland, b e fo re h e a d in g for a field trip d a y o f
clim bing n e a r F o rest Grove.
natives, w ho make up the ninth
largest Native American com m u
nity in United States.
“W h at's great about this loca
tion is we serve a lot o f people who
live in N ortheast, St. Jo h n 's, outer
Northeast and Southeast, Parkrose
and G resham ," she said.
NAYA formed as a grassroots,
parent and volunteer-run organiza
tion 32 years ago, and has grown
significantly since 1990. The new th ere's been other native organiza
center, with a staff o f nearly 50. tions that have expressed an inter
continues to o ffe r youth and family est in sharing the building.
services, housing and jo b place
NAY A 's future alternative high
men, and cultural identity and edu school will target the country’s most
cation for P ortland's native co m impoverished ethnic group. Half of
munity, and will open a high school Portland's Native American popula
at the site in the fall o f 2007.
tion lives 2(X) percent below the fed
The organization has a five-year eral poverty level, and Native youth
lease at the W hitaker site, which
continued
on page AS
they 'd like to make perm anent, and