H iv January 17, 2 0 0 7 Page A3 lattò ©bsertwr 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.