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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 9, 2007)
www. port landobserver. corn Committed to Cultural Diversity May 9, 2 0 0 7 Jesus Walks, Mom Talks M etro Mother o f Kanye West reflects with her own hook years* See Arts & Entertainment, inside •'com m unity service <r'"' ^Jortlanb OObserucr _______ SECTION /n o m mu nity C a 1 e n d a r B Healing Revival Wednesday, M ay 9 through Friday, May 11. at 7 p.m., the A lle n Tem ple C M E Church, 4236 N.E. 8th Ave., welcomes the com m unity to a ‘ Spring R e viva l’ fo r re newal, recovery and rejuvenating o f the spirit. For more inform ation, call 503-287- 0261. Stamp Out Hunger Saturday, M ay 12, the National Associa tion o f Letter Carriers w ill he collecting nonperishahle foods to benefit the O r egon Food Bank N etw ork. Walk For Mom Sunday, M ay 13, the Am erican Cancer Society hosts the 6th annual M aking Strides Against Breast Cancer: W alk fo r M om benefiting breast cancerawareness. The w alk begins at 9:30a.m. at 1875 S. W. Park Ave. For more inform ation, call 503- 795-.3940orvisitcancer.org/stridesonline. Help Loaves & Fishes The T w o Rivers Loaves & Fishes Center, 9009 N. Foss St., needs volunteer drivers fo r m ea ls-o n -w h e e ls to ensure that homebound seniors in St. Johns receive nutritional meals and a bit o f com panion ship. Call 503-988-4088. “Say Hey, NW!” Thursday, M ay 10, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.. Partners in Diversity, 224 N .W . 13th. host the quarterly reception to welcome new professionals o f co lo r relocating to Oregon and Southwest W ashington. For m o re in fo r m a tio n , e m a il nakash i mav @ mac .com. photo by R aymond R f . ndleman /T he P ortland O bserver Interim Jefferson High School Principal Cynthia Harris is nurturing leaders for the north Portland school, including student Akela Auer (right) and teacher Andrew Kulak (left), who has taught English at Jefferson for seven years. Harris’ New Vision for Jefferson Lents Home Buying Fair Saturday,M ay 12,from 10a.m. to 2 p .in „ at the K e lly Elementary School, 9030 S.E. Cooper St., acom m unity fa ir w ill provide inform ation on home buying. Three $5,(MX) down payment assistance grants w ill be raffled o ff. For more inform ation, call 503- 7 8 8 -8 0 5 2 , e x te n s io n 105 o r v is it rosecdc.org. With Dudley gone, school seeks democracy Open Meadow Arts by R aymond R endleman Thursday, M ay 17, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.. students o f Open M eadow A lternative Schools invite the fa m ily , friends and the com m unity to share their music, art and poetry, at the W ater P ollution C ontrol Lab com m unity room, 6543 N. Burlington A ve. Basketball Classic P ortland O bserver Jefferson H igh School’ s top-down management style may have left w ith Principal Leon Dudley. The strongest voice fo r inclusiveness at the north Portland school is now D u d le y’ s boss. Jefferson and W ilson Cluster D irector and Interim Jefferson Principal Cynthia Harris. The school adm inistrator, who tried to shield D udley from media scrutiny earlier this year by forbidding unapproved ac cess to the school, is now pushing ac countability as a replacement fo r D udley's For 35 years, Harris worked as a public- school teacher and adm inistrator fo r the diverse and integrated districts o f the east San Francisco Bay area, where she was praised fo r sticking to a vision that de manded measurable performance improve ments. authoritarian style. "T here’ s not a one-tim e q uick fix to anything,” Harris says. "W e have to be gin to model a different message w ith the rules we put in place, w ith the sta ff we hire, w ith the clothes we wear, w ith every th in g .” A fte r w orking in Portland fo r less than a year. Harris readily admits that her learn ing curve has been steep w ith a segre gated Jefferson. “ I ’ ve been seeing a lot o f research lately that the black A frican-A m erican male stu dent is different, and he requires a d iffe r ent approach," she says. "Each com m u n ity is different, so we need to learn from ourselves." As evidence fo r Jefferson's newfound democracy. Harris cites w eekly sound- offs in the school's C o m m u n ity Room, where all students, faculty and sta ff are invited to discuss the decision-m aking process w ith her and other adm inistra tors over free pizza. “ In schools that need to grow , the process needs to be listening to the continued on page H6 Saturday, M ay 26, at SEI, 3920 N. Kerby, you invited to encourage and support high school athletes compete in the Port Brandon Roy Celebrates NBA Honor land Interscholastic League Basketball Classic. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. w ith tip- o ff at 3 p.m. Proceeds to benefit the Joyce Washington M em orial Scholarship Fund. Blazer is league’s Rookie of the Year C all M a rk W ashington at 503-288-0033 fo r more inform ation. ( A P) -- The Portland Tra il Blazers rec ognized early on thatguard Brandon Roy's last name was an acronym fo r R ookie o f the Year. Roy lived up to it, leading all rookies w ith averages o f 16.8 points. 4.0 assists and 35.4 minutes in 57 games, and on M ay 2 he was awarded the N B A 's Eddie Gott I ieb Staying Healthy Tuesday, M ay 22, Tuesday, June 5, and Wednesday, June 6, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.. the N orth East Health Center. 5329 N.E. M L K B lvd., w ill host the forum discuss ing issues o f men and young men's health. A g ift card w ill be given to all males attending. Call 503-988-3387. extension 22242 fo rm o rc inform ation. Ceramics Potteiy Sale Tuesday, M ay 29 through Thursday, M ay 3 1, the PCC Rock Creek campus. 17705 N .W . S p rin g ville Rd., ceramics g u ild w ill hold its semi-annual pottery sale in the art gallery and atrium in B u ild ing 3. For more inform ation, call 503-848- 0272. International Night Friday, M ay 18, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Portland State U niversity w ill host the 31st annual event celebrating the stu dent d ive rsity at PSU. The event w ill be held in the Smith Mem orial Student Union cafeteria. I825S .W . Broadway. C all 503- straight year. Roy was the P a c ific -10 Conference’ s Player o f the Year his senior season at Washington. He was drafted w ith the sixth o v e ra ll p ic k by the M in n e s o ta T im b e rw o l ves. then traded to Portland for the draft rights to Randy Foye. The 6-foot-6 guard was honored as the W est's Rookie o f the M onth in January, February and March. He also made the A ll-S ta r game's rookie squad. He scored at least 20 points 16 limes, including a career-high 29 against Utah on A p ril 4. "T h is is a proud day fo r the city, the franchise, and Brandon, whose perfor mance this past season speaks volumes to the direction w e’ re headed as a franchise." Blazers general manager K evin Pritchard T rophy. He received 127 out o f 128 first-place votes (638 points) from a panel o f sports w riters and broadcasters. T o ro n to ’ s A n drea Bargnani finished second w ith 264 points, and M em phis' R udyG ay was third w ith 93 points. “ It's rare to see a rookie step in, assume a leadership role and become a go-to guy as Brandon did this past season." T ra il Blazers coach Nate M c M illa n said. "B ra n don is a phenomenal young talent and has a chance to become a very special player in this league." Roy is the third T ra il Blazer to w in the a w a rd ,jo in in g G e o ff Petrie! 1970-71 (and Sidney W ic k s (1971-72). The Blazers finished 32-50, with 11 more wins than in the previous season, but they failed to make the playoffs fo r the fourth said. “ Both on and o ff the court, Brandon has demonstrated the m aturity and poise photo by M ark W asiiington /T he P ortland O bserver Portland Trail Blazer guard Brandon Roy celebrates receiving the NBA Rookie of the Year trophy during ceremonies at Self Enhancement, Inc. in north Portland last Wednesday. The Seattle hometown star is joined by his girlfriend Tiana Bardwell, his newborn son Brandon Roy Jr. and his mother Gina Roy. o f a veteran." In his N B A debut Nov. I in his home tow n o f Seattle. Roy scored 20 points. He fo llo w e d that w ith a 19-point game at Golden Slate. " I love Brandon Roy. I love his game. I le 's so smooth and carefree. It seems like he never turns the ball over," Denver's C arm elo A nthony said earlier this season. "H e sure doesn't seem like a rookie in this league. He's going to be The One in Port land." 725-4094 o r visit ois@ pdx.edu fo r more inform ation and ticketing. African American Council Y o u ’ re invited on the third Tuesday o f each month from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. when the A frica n Am erican A d viso ry C ouncil meets at the K ing F acility, 4815 N.E. Seventh Ave. C all 503-823-0000. Community Support The A frica n Am erican Health C oalition, a n o n-profit that touches the lives o f m illio n s o f A frica n Americans each year, reminds you to support your com m unity organization. A ll donations, grants, and gifts are tax deductible. For more inform a tion. visit aahc-portland.org. i County Chair Responds to Racial Disparities S arah B lount T he P ortland O bserver budget plans to restore fiscal responsibil ity to the county w h ile paying closer at tention to the most disadvantaged resi dents. In other words, his county budget pro posal includes actions to reduce racial and ethnic disparities, but at the same tim e he wants to cut m illio n s o f dollars from pro grams that affect m in o rity residents. N ew ly installed M ultnom ah County Board C hair Ted W heeler has unveiled Wheeler has outlineil $ 15 m illio n in cuts to county services over the next year. Yet minority programs slated for budget cuts by School-based programs stand a chance o f losing $3.8 m illio n : that w o u ld mean goodbye to Touchstone, a program that helps low-incom e and m inority fam ilies by providing u tilitie s and warm clothes fo r children, as w ell as com m unity assistance, domestic violence and counseling. W heclercallsexisting racial disparities a “ major problem among A frica n A m e ri cans and increasingly Latinos. N ative Americans and Asians."and he acknow l edges that his plan Io cut Touchstone was a very tough decision to make. " A lot o f county employees w ill lose their jobs over this," he said. "B u t to return the county to fiscal stability w e’ re going to cut a lot o f popular programs." He said there are many great leaders w ith in the Touchstone program , but that the program lacks focus and is continued y^ on page H5 1 t