Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, January 17, 2007, Page 3, Image 3

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January 17, 2 0 0 7
Page A3
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TAKE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
TO
THE NEXT LEVEL!
A
Cherrell Edwards o f Portland appears on MTV for the network's ‘Think HIV' campaign.
Activist Addresses Health
con tin u ed
fro m F ront
ages 25 to 34.
“I'm a consum er, and I haven't
found a place that delivers cultur-
ally-specific services," Edw ards
said.
C o llectiv e C are S ervices helps
w om en by referring them to health
agen cies, ed ucation and training
w orkshops, ch ild care, jo b skills
b uilding and food resources.
She draw s on personal experi­
ence to help women build their self­
esteem and understand the nature
o f their risks.
“So m any tim es w om en d o n 't
think th e y ’re at risk because they
are in a m onogam ous re la tio n ­
sh ip ," she said. O ften w e leave
the resp o n sib ility up to o u r p a rt­
ners to p rotect us, and I think it's
im portant for w om en to realize
som etim es we have to teach our
m en. W e say 'H e ’ll pro v id e the
c o n d o m ,' but w ho teach es him
how to use it, check the e x p ira ­
tion date and w hen to get an o th er
one?”
C ollective Care is dedicated to
black women, but as Edw ards has
spent time in the com m unity, espe­
cially w hile filming a docum entary
over the summ er, she has redevel­
oped the organization to include
families.
" I ’ve seen e q u a l n eed s for
wom en, men and youth," she said.
For her, educating the black com ­
m unity hinges on a cultural appli­
cation, and she believes the ap ­
proach should be rooted in social
and spiritual support.
“ It starts with the church, a place
o f refuge," she said. "That is the
foundation o f the fam ily.”
Beyond social help. Edwards
provides mental support to indi-
viduals with HIV.
“ W hen a person becomes HIV
positive it's easy for them to lose
hope,” she said.
"M en tally they suffer before
they even have physical symptoms.
D epression sets in ...th e y d o n 't
think they can lead a norm al life,
and they can. O ur goal is to help
them becom e self-sufficient w ith­
out being dependent on the sys­
tem."
E d w ard s is cu rren tly o p e ra t­
ing C o llec tiv e C are S erv ices out
o f her hom e, but she is looking for
an o ffic e and v o lu n teers to help
w ith recru itm en t, ch ild ca re , lit­
eracy sk ills b u ild in g , public rela­
tions and m ark etin g and a d m in is­
trativ e w ork.
Y o u ca n fin d m o re a b o u t
h er p ro g ra m , and c o n ta c t
in fo rm atio n , at w w w .co llectiv e
c a re se rv ic e s.o rg .
TRI-MET
Investing tu
Purtlantf. f uture
PI)(
PORTLAND
DEVELOPMENT
CO M M ISSION
y X Portland
< 0 / Com m unity
-
College
Event: Doing Business with Local Public Agencies
Where: PCC Central Campus, 1626 SE Water Ave, Portland
When: Tuesday, January 23, 2007, 8:30 a.m. to 1 30 p.m.
Who should attend: Minority, Women & Emerging Small Business Owners
Information: Greg Wolley, 503.823.6860, gwolley@ci.portland.or.us
To register: Gale Hussey, 503.823.5057, ghussey@ci.portland.or.us
HIV Awareness Weekend at PCC
Eshe means life, and a celebra­
tion prom oting health in the black
com m unity takes place Saturday,
Jan. 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
and Sunday, Jan. 21 at Portland
Com m unity College Cascade C am ­
pus.
The event location has moved
from the C enter for S elf E nhance­
ment to the PCC Student Services
building.
Participants can engage in a se­
ries o f free workshops for HIV aware­
ness and prevention and attend
health screenings and a teen sum ­
mit. A com plim entary soul food
luncheon will be served, with enter­
tainm ent from the SEI Drum Line.
Ages 13 and up are welcome,
and an arts and crafts room will be
available for small children.
Eshe W eekend sponsors include
B rothcrto Brother, African A m eri­
can AIDS A w areness Action A lli­
ance (A 6), M ultnom ah C ounty
Health Department, Portland C hap­
ter o f the Links, and SEI am ong
many others.
For more information contact M.
Y vonne Wi 11 jams at 5( 13-284-9485.
Anti-Affirmative Action Group
con tin u ed
fro m Front
not affect their services.
“We set up our program to buffer
against this sort o f thing." W olley
said.
"W e d o n 't have hard numerical
ta rg e t g o a ls , b u t w e h a v e
aspirational goals and com panies
arc not penalized if they d o n 't reach
certain goals.”
David Fidanque is executive d i­
rector o f the A merican Civil Liber­
ties Union o f Oregon. Fidanque
said that because it is so easy to get
initiatives on our state ballots, the
ACLU has had extensive experi­
ence in fighting the interests o f
w ealthy, out o f state individuals,
including a key player in the Am eri­
can Civil Rights Coalition chair­
man. Ward Connerly o f Sacramento.
“The caution I'd give to Mr.
Connerly is to think twice about
com ing to O regon." Fidanque said.
“Folks who put up big money for
initiatives in this past cycle did n 't
do well, and I'm confident there'd
The caution I'd give to Mr.
Connerly is to think twice
about coming to Oregon.
—
m p rira n Civil
ihprtipc
- David
David Fidannup
Fidanque, A
American
Civil I Liberties
Union of Oregon executive director
be a strong and broad coalition to
oppose the type o f initiative he has
proposed elsew here."
Fidanque is referring to recently
defeated ballot measures that would
impose term limits on state legisla­
tures. limit state spending and re­
quire parental notification for teen­
age abortions.
“ W e haven’t won them all,”
Fidanque said.
"But on this issue w e'd look to
the business com m unity to step
up, and I think they would because
they understand im portance o f
having a well-educated and diverse
workforce."
W hen asked about M ichigan
ballot measure. Fidanque said his
ACLU counterparts in that state
have not had as much experience
fighting out o f state initiatives.
T here’s no question | our experi­
ence! puts us in a much stronger
position to fend o ff this kind o f
attack o f policy," he said.
“T he clear result o f m easures in
other states has been to increase
discrim ination against those who
are most vulnerable in our society.
I think the m ajority o f O regonians
understand when you attack one
group, you attack the fabric o f this
state."
Do you drive, ride, walk or bike across theǧ5 Bridge?
d e c id e y o u r fU tU l^ S
Talk with us at an Open House
It is decision time. We re looking for your
input on proposed bridge, transit and highway
improvements for 1-5.
Wednesday, January 17
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Thursday, January 25
4:30 - 7:30 pm
Battle Ground Police
Department
507 SW 1st Street
Battle Ground, WA
C-TRAN Bus #173
Oregon Association of Minority
Entrepreneurs (OAME)
4134 N Vancouver Avenue
Portland, OR
TriMet Bus #40 or #6
Saturday, January 20
9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Tuesday, January 30
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Lincoln Elementary School
4200 NW Daniels Street
Vancouver, WA
C-TRAN Bus #2 Lincoln
Former Hayden Island
Yacht Club
12050 N. Jantzen Drive
Portland, OR
TriMet Bus #6
o
Firefighters Strong Arm Heckler
Man forced to
ground, kicked
another firelighter kicked him three to ld T h e O re g o n ia n . “ O u r
times.
firefighters felt threatened."
D ei ieorge said he w as angry
D eG eorge said lie suffered a
swollen wrist, a bruised forearm because he was aw akened by a
( A P ) — F irefighters forced a 48- and abrasions on his face. "It was com motion in the lobby of the apart­
year-old Portland man totheground a n im a lis tic b e h a v io r ." sa id ment that is home to roughly 80
and kicked him during a downtown D eG eorge, whose apartm ent m an­ low -incom e residents.
confrontation captured on surveil­ ager provided him with a copy of
“ I spoke loudly," Dei ieorge said.
lance tapes.
the video.
"I was in a negative stale. My vibes
The tapes, recorded from cam ­
T he video does not include were not g<xxl.”
eras placed in the lobby o f the sound. Ft. Allen O sw alt, a spokes­
But D eG eorge said firefighters
Fairfield A partm ents in southw est man for the Portland Fire Bureau, should not have gotten rough.
Portland, show a tenant. Terry said there would be a more co m ­ "Two w rongs don't make a right."
IXT ieorge, arguing with firefighters plete picture o f what happened if he said. "Instead o f trying to calm
am i p a ra m e d ic s b efore being view ers co u ld h ear D eG eo rg e me dow n by talking to me. they
w restled to the ground.
scream profanities.
jum ped me."
W hile he was being held down
“He was being very aggressive,
D ei ieorge said he's not sure if he
by two firefighters and a paramedic. in your lace kind o f stuff," Oswalt will lileacom plam t.
f*ïd&
FUN FOR ALL AGES! Storytelling by Maureen
Pedone on 1/20. Bridge building activities for kids
with Sharon Wood Wortman on 1/20, 1/25 and 1/30.
Columbia River
CROSSING
WEB www.ColumbiaRiverCrossing.org
PHONE .360-7.37-2726 or 503-256-2726 ' "
Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese and American Sign Language translators are available
if requested three business days before each event.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information: Individuals requiring reasonable
accommodations may request written material in alternative formats by calling the Columbia
River Crossing Proiect Office at 360-737-2726 or 503-256 2726 For individuals who are deaf
or hard of hearing, call the Washington State TTY at 1 800-833-6388 or Oregon State TTY at
1800-735-2900.