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Committed to Cultural Diversity
March 28. 2 0 0 7
Mac! Hot Ballroom
M etro
Jefferson High School’s film
festival e vent fa r Aprii
Set* Arts & Entertainment section, inside
^ o rtta n h ODhscrucr
r i o n i m u n it y
C a le n d a r
African
Immigrants
United
Lawmaker Feedback
State Rep. Chip Shields o f District 43,
w hich enco m p asses inner north and
northeast Portland, will be available to
m eet with constituents at Reflections
betw een 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Friday
M arch 30th. The popular neighborhood
coffee and gift shop is located at 446 N.E.
K illingsw orthSt.
Coalition pools
resources
Black Museum Action
Thursday, March 29, and Thursday, April
5. at6:30p.m ., the Black M useumcom mit-
tee will be m eeting at King Neighborhood
Facility, 4 8 15 N.E. Seventh Ave., to es­
tablish the foundations structure. To be
involved, visit blackm useum oforegon
@ yahoo.com or cal1503-284-0617.
Spring Break Art Journeys
Currently thru Friday, March 30, the Port­
land Art M useum hosts the instructional
art series for children ages 7-12. Contact
5 0 3 -2 2 6 -2 8 1 1 o r v isit p o rtla n d a rt
m useum .org. for more inform ation.
Zoo Spring Break Fun
Through April 7, the O regon Z oo will
host tropical island fun and events for
spring break. For more inform ation, call
5 0 3-226-1561 orvisitoregonzoo.org.
Undivided Rights
Tuesday, April 3, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m..
the Bread and Roses C enter. 819 N.
K illingsw orth St., will host the weekly
roundtable discussion “W om en o f Color
O rganize for Reproductive Justice." For
more inform ation call Radical W om en at
503-240-4462.
Healthy Kids Fair
Saturday, April 7, from 10a.m . to 2 p .m ..
Legacy Emanuel Hospital: Atrium, 501 N.
G raham , will host the 23rd annual fair to
introduce children to the hospital and
caregivers. Scheduled activities include:
egg hunts, photos with the E aster Bunny,
healthy kid checks, and much more. This
is a free event.
Rabbit Romp
Saturday, April 7, from 9 a.m. to3 p.m..the
O regon Z o o ,4001 S.W. Canyon Rd., will
host an Easter egg hunt every 20-m inute
for children ages 3 - 10 years old with a
special hunt for toddlers 2 and under.
V isit oregonzoo.org or call 503-226-1561
for more inform ation.
photo by N ia
D ivg /T he P ortland O bserver
Supporting Workplace Rights
Providence Hospital food service worker Scarlet Allen (right) and Emanuel Hospital housekeeping worker Shirley
Clark join in song to help Providence support staff employees win a fair vote for collective bargaining rights.
Hundreds of community members and hospital workers gathered for the March 21 Candlelight Vigil for Fairness
march, sponsored by the Service Employees International Union.
T he num ber o f Africans living in P ort­
land and Southw est W ashington is on the
rise and a special coalition has form ed to
respond to the grow ing concerns o f this
community.
The African Com m unity Coalition of
Oregon was created to unite such a di­
verse com m unity o f im m igrants and refu­
gees from various countries across the
sub-continent. The culture, lifestyles and
politics o f each country may have sepa­
rated them at home, but as citizens o f the
Pacific N orthw est they find com m on
ground in their pri­
orities and goals.
ACCO recently
partnered with the
A m eriC orp Links
program and w el­
com ed “ M obiliz­
ing the M asses"
coordinator Carol
Littleton in their
efforts to provide Carol Littleton
outreach. Littleton
has spent much o f hertim e raising aw are­
ness about the organization and increas­
ing membership.
Board president Basko Kante believes
that to bring about change and progress.
A fricans must organize themselves.
“ It's time African com m unities com e
together," he said. "B ecause it is tim e we
began to do for ourselves and pool our
r e s o u r c e s to g e th e r , c re a tin g b e tte r
chances and choices for African people in
the Portland com m unity."
Kante. originally from G hana, West
Africa, said there are many challenges
am id the success o f the Pan-African orga­
nization. Established in 2005 as a501 (c)(3)
organization, some o f its initial goals were
continued
on page B5
African American Council
Your in vited on the third T uesday o f each
month from 5:30p.m .to6:30p.m . when the
A frican A m erican A dvisory Council
meets at the King Facility. 4 8 15 N.E. Sev­
enth Ave. Call 503-823-<XXX) for more in­
formation.
Life after High School
M onday, April 9. from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m..
P SU ’s Sm ith Ballroom , will host the C a­
reer and Educational O pportunities Fair,
a venue for local businesses, trade ap ­
prenticeships. sum m er work program s
and educational organizations to present
career opportunities available within their
organizations. For more inform ation, call
503-230-9427.
Elephantastic
Saturday and Sunday, April 14 & 15, the
Oregon Z oo invites guest to celebrate
Packy the elep h an t's 45th birthday, ac­
tivities include special perform ances by
P ack y 's pachyderm -pals, with cake for
everyone at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Free with
zoo adm ission.
Fostering Diversity
T hursday. April 26 thru Friday, April 27.
Mt. Hood C om m unity C ollege and Port­
land State University, will host the two-
day conference to address critical diver­
sity-related issues in the Portland and
G resham com m unities, with educational,
business and cultural leaders. Call 503-
4 9 1 -7254 for more information.
Community Support
T he A frican A m erican H ealth C o a li­
tion, a n o n -p ro fit that touches the lives
o f m illio n s o f A frican A m ericans each
year, rem inds you to support y our c o m ­
m unity o rg an izatio n . All donatio n s,
g rants, and gifts are tax d ed u c tib le. For
m o re in f o r m a ti o n , v is i t a a h e -
p o rtla n d .o rg .
Bradley-Angle House
The Bradley-A ngle House needs volun­
teers to help its outreach against dom es­
tic violence. W om en o f color and bilin­
gual w om en are encouraged to call. For
more information, call 503-282-9940.
S'Ite
Building
a Resume
Youth get
job-ready at
Pasta Bangs
by N icoi . e R onai . H ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
An electric red sign and photos of mostly
w om en custom ers decorate the entrance
to Pasta Bangs. The faces look happy.
M aybe it's from the libations from the bar
or the hefty sauced pasta they ate or
maybe it's because they got a double
bang for their buck.
C ustom ers at Pasta Bangs not only get
to eat well but they get to help out kids that
look like Damian Ochoa.
Ochoa, 19, isa cu te full-bodied Filipino
kid and a graduate of Open M eadows
A lternative School in north Portland. The
restaurant staffer is also a rapper, showing
off his 21 tattoos.
He pays homage to his parents who
have both died, with a tattoo his father on
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P or i land O bserver
Pasta Bangs owner Polly Bangs has a laugh with one of her workers Damian Ochoa, who is now on staff after working
with the Pasta Bangs job readiness program.
his right arm and one o f his m other on his
left.
In 2004 Polly Bangs, a former social
worker, opened Pasta Bangs at 3950 N.
M ississippi Ave. The neighborhood is
riddled w ith gentrification, but she is more
than just another white person opening a
restaurant in the hiMtd. Bangs gives a
chance to some kids who may not other­
wise get one.
It started when Bangs read an article
about English C h ef Jaime O liver and his
Fifteen Foundation, a chef training pro­
gram for at risk youth or homeless youth.
“That was my light bulb m om ent." said
Bangs, who w orks with agencies like O ut­
side In and Open M eadows, where Ochoa
was a student.
Four young people are hired by Bangs
every three to six months. T heir tasks
include doing basic labor like sw eeping,
mopping, bringing bread to custom ers
and light food preparation. She has had
more than 5(1 kids in the program and hired
three including Ochoa.
“It's the hardest thing to let them go,"
said Bangs, "Il's a nice home base for them
to com e in and say hi.”
What Bangs enjoys about helping d is­
advantaged youth is giving them a first
chance that many other teenagers could
take for granted.
“Some o f these kids may have drug
problem s or mental health issues which
can hinder their success." said Bangs.
“ They just need a chance."
O c h o a sa y s he tra n s fe rre d fro m
Roosevelt High Schixtl to Open Mead
ow s because o f the alternative school's
jo b R kus w ith tw o days each week in the
classroom and the other two spent out in
the com m unity. O choa graduated last year
and works full-time now at Pasta Bangs.
With many restaurants tailing across
the country, having enough clientele to
support philanthropy efforts can prove
difficult. Pasta Bangs pays ha If o f its teen ­
agers' salaries and the other halt is paid by
sponsoring organizations.
The custom ers are aware when they
com e into the small restaurant that the
service they are getting is also providing
a service to the com m unity. <)n each table
has a happy hour menu and inform ation
on the youth w orking program on the
continued
on page US
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