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Minority & Small Business Week
September 27. 2006
African American Contractors in Solidarity
advocating for more subcon
t r a c t o r p a r ti c ip a ti o n a n d
w orkforce diversity on pub
licly funded projects.
The favorable relationship
now enjoyed with Tri-M et and
the associated benefits derived
for the African American com
munity and other minorities on
the Interstate Light Rail project
came as a direct result of the
assertive actions and advocacy
o f African American subcon-
Advocacy
group has been
reactivated
A group o f 30 local African
A m erican c o n tra c to rs have
identified a critical need for ad
vocacy and solidarity by rees
tablishing an active chapter of
the National Association o f Mi
nority Contractors.
One of the major benefits of
the group is to realign local A f
rican American contractors with
national major corporations and
partners to create more consis
tent long term work opportuni
ties and relationships.
The reestabl ished chapter has
the distinction o f being the only
chapter in the Northwest and
would have broad influence in
establishing new programs and
initiatives
O ver the last several years it
has become increasingly clear
that in the absence o f an orga
nized effort, African American
contractors will continue to face
a precipitous decline.
The record shows that fewer
certified African American con
struction firms are now operat
ing effectively in Oregon since
the late 70’s while the industry
has grown to be a major eco
nomic engine for Oregon. This
is significant because of the long
held notion that the African
American construction industry
is a definitive barometer o f the
economic health of the local
African American community.
The African American con
struction industry has long been
tractors.
During the Interstate Max
project, the African American
s u b c o n tra c to rs re ta in e d a
$50,000 fund to provide funding
for com m unity projects and en
couraged the Prime Contractor
to also find ways to give back to
the community.
The National Association of
M inority Contractors - Oregon
(NA M CO ) was a key instru
mental entity in initiating the 1996
regional disparity study used to
formulate equality programs at
the City of Portland and several
governmental agencies.
In addition, for several years,
NAM CO served as the primary
supportive resource agency for
African American contractors
seeking technical assistance,
networking, and industry related
training in an environment they
trusted. Several local contrac
tors have also maintained their
relationships with the national
N AMC office organization dur
ing the localchapter'sdormancy.
For more information, con
tact chapter organizers James
Posey at 503 936-0277 or via
em ail at posej@ com cast.net;
S ta c e y D ra k e E d w a rd s at
staceydrakcedwanls@yahoo.com;
F ay e
B u rch
at
fm burchpr@ aol.com : or on the
web at the National Chapter
W ebsite nam cline.org.
James Posey
an advocate for economic equal
ity and the leadership and those
participating members seek op
portunities for themselves and
other minority contractors.
Currently the chapter is hav
ing dialogues with Legacy Health
System and Kaiser Permanente
realizing some com m itm ents
made to erase long standing bi
ases in their subcontracting pro
grams andestablished historical
precedents for newer programs
creating economicopportunities
for African Americans and other
minorities.
The group is also participat
ing in the A frican A m erican
A lliance organized presenta
tions to the Portland D evelop
m ent C om m ission about the
lack o f access and opportu
nity for the A frican A m erican
com m unity to PDC projects,
e m p lo y m e n t an d h o u s in g .
M em bers are also discussing
the im pact o f prevailing wage
on m inority contractors, and
Annual Wellness Village
Health Disparities Conference
P oor health affects everyone
so join us for two great events
because a healthy community starts with you!
Friday Oct. 20th, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
2nd Annual
Health Disparities Conference:
We Can Make a Difference
Ambndge Event Center (formerly Portland
Convention Center)
300 NE Multnomah Street
For com m unity m em bers, health care
providers, anil policy makers to generate
Saturday Oct. 21st, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
11th Annual Wellness Village
at The Blazers Boys & Girls Club
5250 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Free health services
and activities
at the W ellness Village include:
solutions to health disparities in O regon.
Health Screenings & Services
Keynote address by Dr. Joy Leary:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
“Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome”
• 10:30 a .m .-11:00 a.m . Registration
(SI50 for lunch and the workshop)
• 11:00 aan.-llJO aan. State o f Black Health
Report by ( hvgnn State DI IS
• 11:30 a .m .-1:00 p.m . Lunch
& Keynote Address by Dr. Leary
• 1:00 p.m .-2:00 p.m . W orkshop by
Fred Miller, “African American Health:
The G inn ]... the Bail... and the Ugly”
Flu shots
D ental
Vision
Hearing
D iabetes
Massage therapy
HIV7 & ST D screenings
And m ore
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