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Committed to Cultural Diversity
M etro
March 7. 20 0 7
Local Rap Group
Hosts NBA Party
Sec Sports, page B6
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C a le n d a r
Summer Job Fair
Thursday, M arch8 from lOa.m.to 1 p.m.,
MHCC College Center, 26<XX) S.E. Stark
St. in Gresham, will host the first ever
Summer Job Fair.Opportunitiesavailable
for summer employ ment and summer re­
cruitment, contact 503-491 -7432 for more
information.
What Happened to Pluto?
Monday, March 12 at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. at
the Mt. Hood Community College Plan­
etarium Sky Theater, located beneath the
campus library, you can explore Pluto the
‘dwarf planet’. Seating is limited, admis­
sion $ 1. Visit starstuff.com for more infor­
mation.
Camp Fire Party
Saturday, March 17, from noon to 2 p.m..
the Camp Fire USA Portland Metro Coun­
cil will host their97th birthday party with
fun for all ages. Activities include live
entertainment, games, prizes, music, and
even birthday cake. Call 5O3-224-78OO for
details.
Ruth Pitts-London brings a voice to civil rights and justice issues in her new community o f Gresham.
photo bv
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
End the War Now Rally
Sunday, March 18, at 1:30 p.m. at the
South Park Blocks, local residents will
mark the 4th anniversary of the Iraq War
with a peaceful march through down­
town Portland. Call 503-230-9427 for more
information.
Spring Beach Cleanup
Saturday.March24,from lOa.m.to 1 p.m..
thousands of volunteers are needed to
help restore the coastline to a pristine
condition. Volunteers can call 8(X)-333-
7658 or visit solv.org to register.
Zoo Teens Needed
The Oregon Zoo needs 3(X) high school
students for the summer to assist in edu­
cating zoo visitors. If you love animals
and teaching others, call 503-220-2449.
Spring Break Art Journeys
Monday, March 26 thru Friday, March
30, the Portland Art Museum hosts the
instructional art series for children ages
7-12. Contact 503-226-2811 or visit
portlandartmuseum.org, for more infor­
mation.
Used Book Sale
Wednesday, March 28, from 8 a.m. until
6 p.m., the Multnomah County Library
used book store at 216 N.E. Knott St. will
celebrates its 19th anniversary by offer-
ingall used merchandise at 55 percent off.
Ghana Women's Art Exhibit
WSU Vancouver. 14204 N.E. Salmon
Creek Ave., hosts a powerful West Afri­
can art exhibit with guest lecturer and
well-known Ghanaian art historian Nii
Quarcoopome. The gallery hours are
Monday thru Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9
p.m. and Fridays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more
i n format i on, cal 1360-546-9580.
Life After High School
Monday, April 9. from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
PSU’s Smith Ballroom, will host the Ca­
reer and Educational Opportunities Fair,
a venue for local businesses, trade ap­
prenticeships. summer work programs
and educational organizations to present
careeropportunitiesavailable within their
organizations. For more information call
503-230-9427.
Fostering Diversity
Thursday, April 2 6 thru Friday. April 27,
Mt. Hood Community College and Port­
land State University, will host the two-
day conference to address critical diver­
sity-related issues in the Portland and
Gresham communities, with educational,
business and cultural leaders. Call 503-
4 9 1 -7254 for more information.
Community Support
The African American Health Coalition,
a non-profit that touches the lives of
millions of African Americans each year,
reminds you to support your community
organization. All donations, grants, and
gifts are tax deductible. For more informa­
tion, visit aahc-portland.org.
NAACP Voice forEast County
New chapter forming in Gresham
by S arah B lount
T he P orti ani ) O bserver
13 years ago Ruth Pitts-L ondon
m oved from N ortheast 19'1’ Avenue to
outer east Portland - not because she
w anted to, but because gentrification
made it difficult to afford housing and
living costs in her close-in neighbor­
hood.
But moving meant leaving the heart
o f the city 's African American com m u­
nity.
"B eing out there, 1 had no resources,"
Pitts said. "M y church and family were
here |in northeast Portland].”
Since then, many m inorities have
joined Pitts in relocating to East County
and Gresham , and as a result have af­
fected the dem ographics of a once pre-
dom inantly-w hite area. One exam ple of
that change is the formation o f a new
NAACP Branch in Gresham.
Pitts-London became interested in
opening the branch in 2002 when, as a
state-registered childcare provider, she
took a foster care issue to the NAACP
Portland branch and encountered an
understaffed office that was unable to
resolve her issue. She served as branch
secretary at the time, but decided to step
down to open a chapter closer to her
home.
“This is important because people in
Gresham are not used to dealing with
minorities," she said.
The Gresham-Territorial Branch istech-
nically in its planning stages, but volun­
teer staff members are now serving resi­
dents of East County.
To become a chartered branch they
must have 100 members, and must estab­
lish a youth chapter and college chapter.
The branch is also in need of volunteer
attorneys and a permanent office loca­
tion.
“W e're looking for businesses to do­
nate available space for lease or rent.” she
said.
A college chapter at nearby Mt. Hood
Community College is in the works and
youth are encouraged to join or help es­
tablish their own chapter.
Meetings are held the third Saturday of
each month at the Midland Library, 805
S.E. 122nd Ave.
To become a member one must live or
work in the Gresham area and pay $30
annual membership dues. If you are inter­
ested in joining or more information, cal'
Pitts-London at 503-772-5059.
Stopping Domestic Violence
Men at the
core of change
Dr. Christopher
Huffine lends his
support to Bradley-
Angle House ’s
"Allies for Hope"
domestic violence
eradication
campaign.
BY N lA DlYG
F or T he P ortland O bserv er
Changing the destructive ways of relat­
ing to their loved ones is the aim of a new
domestic violence eradication campaign.
The Bradley-Angle House’s “Allies for
Hope" enlists the proactive support of
business and professional men and mir­
rors the three-year-old "Bridges of Hope:
B u siness and P rofessional W om en
Against Domestic Violence” campaign,
earning support of psychiatrists like Dr.
Christopher Huffine. formerly of the Men's
Resource Center.
“If you’ re not part of the solution, you’ re
part of the problem,” he said. “Our goal is
to help men realize that domestic violence
is a much larger problem than the physical
abuse."
Gary (not his real name) has first hand
experience in the violence and conse­
quences of causing harm to another per­
son.
A tall, articulate man in his early 40s, he
speaks candidly about his own experi­
ence: He was arrested two years ago on a
domestic violence charge involving his
then live-in partner ofmore than four years.
An argument escalated into a physical
altercation. He taunted her to call the po­
lice. So she did.
“I don't remember all the details," he
said. "I was intoxicated that night, but that
was not always the case when I became
abusive.”
Gary pushed his girlfriend down on the
floor and pushed her face into the carpet.
PHOTO
BY NlA DlYG/
T he P ortland
O bserver
The incident, which landed him in jail
for 28 days for resisting arrest and assault­
ing an officer, as well as the domestic
assault charges, was the wake-up call he
needed to change his life.
“I always realized I had a violent tem­
per." he says, "but I didn't realize how
deep and big the issues were, nor did I
Healing Roots Center Opens
The Bradley-Angle House, the first
domestic violence shelter established
on the West Coast, is celebrating the
opening of the Healing Roots Center, a
multicultural drop-in center a, 5432 N.
Albina Ave.,just south of Killingsworth
Street.
The facility is a new program for
African and African American women
and children affected by domestic vio­
lence. Funding comes from the United
Way of the Columbia-Willamette with
support from mental health experts at
LifeWorks Northwest and Nappy Roots
Press, the group founded by Oregonian
columnist and local African American
activists. Renee Mitchell.
The partners hope that by working
together, they can raise awareness and
create communities in which domestic
abuse and sexual violence are not toler­
ated.
realize how much I was hurting my self as
well as those closest to me."
He grew up in a family where his parents
were emotionally abusive to each other
and often physically abusive to him and
his brother. Seeing the same dysfunc­
tional behaviors in the homes of his rela­
tives. he grew up believing that it was
normal.
In April 2005, he began 15 months of
co u rt-m andated w eekly sessions at
H uffines Allies in Change Counseling
Center and four months of weekly outpa­
tient alcohol treatment. He soon began to
realize not only the depth of his problem,
but more importantly learned how to deal
with life in a new way, using the tools he
continued
on page H6
Diabetes Support Group
Legacy Emanuel Hospital hosts a diabe­
tes support group the first and third Thurs­
days of every month, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.,
in Room 1027.
Bradley-Angle House
The Bradley-Angle House needs volun­
teers to help its outreach against domes­
tic violence. Women of color and bilin­
gual women are encouraged to call. For
more information,call 503-282-9940.
J
Bike Safety
Fair at PCC
In a bike friendly city like Portland,
it’s im portant to be safe on the roads.
T h a t's why Portland Com m unity C ol­
lege is hosting an event to teach kids
and their parents the value of bicycle
safety.
The Bicycle Safety Fair will be held from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 24 in
front of the Public Service Education Build­
ing at the PCC Cascade Campus in north
Portland.
Children aged 16 and younger attend­
ing the event will receive a free bicycle
helmet (while supplies last) and get to
navigate a bicycle safety course. Attend­
ees w ill also have the chance to tour vari­
ous emergency response vehicles pro­
vided by several area police and fire agen­
cies. and the PCC Student Association of
Firefighters.
Plus, there will be a raffle for two
children's bicycles complete with match-
3
ing helmets to benefit the PCC Criminal
Justice Club.
Students from the school' s 9 -1 -1 Emer­
gency Com m unications program will be
handing out and assisting w ith KidPrint
packets for parents. The packets con­
tain a stamp pad. fingerprint sheets and
a photo as tools to assist law enforce­
ment in finding lost or m issingchildren.