www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
October 3. 2007
Local Musicians Raise Voices
Art Alexakis and other local musicians to
kickoff a ‘Voices fo r Silent Disasters'
concert series to help world humanity
See A&E, page C2
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Help the Hungry
The Oregon Food Bank desperately needs
your donations of non-perishable foods
and or funds. To find out how you can
help, call 503-282-0555.
Friends of the Library Sale
Beginning Friday, Oct. 5 through Sun­
day Oct. 8, this fundraiser event, at 3016
S.E. Division, is to support the public-
library system. V olunteers are also
needed; for m ore inform ation call
5 0 3 -2 2 4 -9 1 7 6 or v isit fo lad m in
@europa.com.
Carousel Horses on Display
Beginning Saturday, Oct. 6 through Jan.
31, the World Forestry Center Discov­
ery Museum will present a magnificent
display of antique hand-carved wooden
animals; for more information, call 503-
288-1367 or visit worldforestry.org.
Free Brown-Bag Lectures
Portland Community College will kick
off the lunch and learn lecture series, at
4040 N.E. Tillamook St., beginning
Monday, Oct. 8, with "Feng Shui Made
Easy” featuring guest speaker Kristin
Havnaer. A different topic and guest
speaker will be featured each Monday
throughout October, at noon for the lunch
hour. For more information, call 503-
614-7308.
Weatherization Workshops
Tuesday, Oct. 9, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.,
the Community Energy Project will host
free educational workshops to self-weath-
erize your home, at St. John's Commu­
nity Center, 8427 N. Central St.: qualify­
ing participants will receive a free weath­
erizing kit. Free weatherization is avail­
able for seniors. Call 503-284-6827 to
register.
Literacy Volunteers Needed
The Volunteer Literacy Program at Port­
land Community College-Cascade needs
volunteer tutors to provide free individu­
alized instruction in basic literacy, En­
glish-language and math skills. Contact:
503-244-3898orvisiloregonliteracy.org.
Citizens Left
Hoping
^ « ÍÜ
for More
(5 0 3 ) 2 8 8 - 8 1 2 3
After mayor visits
grassroots coalition
by R aymond R endi . eman
T he P ortland O bserver
Community members hoped for more
when MayorTom Potter fulfilled his prom­
ise to visit the Black Citizens Coalition.
Even in the midst of firing John Canda,
a respected gang-prevention coordinator,
and ending controversial drug-free zones.
Potter stuck to the safe topics of schools
and housing.
By largely avoiding a public-safety dis­
cussion. he also sidestepped issues re­
lated to the Portland Police, the only one
of the city’s departments for which he is
solely responsible.
More than two-dozen citizens packed
into the coalition's small office on Martin
Luther King Jr. Boulevard expecting to
hear about the m ayor's future plans for
community policing. Potter forced Canda
to retire the day before, and someone
wrote “gangs” on the bulletin board with
a few other topics the group wanted to
discuss.
Instead of any hard-hitting promises,
they got a series of rosy messages inter­
spersed with the m ayor’s philosophy on
city improvements.
Education dominated the proceedings,
which Potter seemed to enjoy, as he pref­
aced everything with "the City of Port­
land doesn't run the school districts inside
the city’s boundaries.”
With responsibility off of his shoul­
ders, he expounded on the importance of
maintaining trade-school programs such
as those that are struggling for funding at
Benson High School.
"W e’ve forgotten that not everybody
goes to college,” he said, “but in the last
IO-15 years, schools have increasingly
seen their jobs as preparing kids for col­
nd S e I g S b O r JÓ o DS
photo by
M vrk W vsihm . ton /T hi P or i lam ) O bserver
Willie Brown o f the Black Citizen s Coalition of Portland Neighborhoods (right) welcomes Mayor Tom Potter to a
grassroots meeting with residents to discuss issues important to the local African-American community.
lege."
Potter then encouraged the community
to hold the schools accountable, saying,
"They’re talking about your children, so
you should be able to be engaged.”
The message visibly resonated with the
attendees in a few ‘am en's and heads
nodding, but not everyone was satisfied.
One coalition member by the name of
Vernon Baker interrupted with a direct
question: "What do we do to ensure that
our kids, once they gel through school, are
going to have the level of education to
succeed?"
Baker became one of many attendees
making not-so-subtle attempts to redirect
the mayor’s attention to policy adjust­
ments the city could make, such as when
Willie Brown, the coalition's executive
director said, “We need to devise some
other ways to reach kids.”
Rather than examining the ways that
the city reaches out to disadvantaged
youth. Potter took them literally by pledg­
ing to relocate his office for a week in
January to Jefferson High School so that
people wanting to do business with him
during that time “can see for themselves"
what goes on there. Additionally, he en­
dorsed a "training center for those com­
munities that need them most along MLK."
The reference to the symbolic street
flowed into the mayor’s second-favorite
topic for the meeting, the Portland Devel­
opment Commission, which has been re­
ceiving scrutiny by the entire council since
a referendum this past May gave the city
more say in its budget.
He repeated a statement that he had
made earlier in the month during his “de-
continued
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on page 85
Hispanic Heritage Month
In honor of National Hispanic H eri­
ta g e M o n th (S e p t. 1 5 -O ct. 15),
M ultnomah County libraries will cel­
ebrate the culture and traditions of
Spanish-speaking nations with bilin­
gual programs and special events. Visit
m ultco lib .o rg /ev en ts/h isp an ic for a
com plete listing o f events.
Help Loaves & Fishes
The Two Rivers Loaves & Fishes Cen­
ter, 9(X)9 N. Foss St., needs volunteer
drivers for meals-on-wheels to ensure
that homebound seniors in St. Johns re­
ceive nutritional meals and a bit of com­
panionship. Call 503-988-4088 to help.
Making Education the Top Priority
First-generation scholar represents PSU
by R aymond R endi . eman
T he P ortland O bserver
Carmen Anderson described herself as
a “school addict” for the first time in her
life recently. The confession came easily
compared with everything else she has
confronted.
Hoping to represent older, nontradi-
tional students and student-parents at Port­
land State University, Anderson accepted
a position this month as the college’s
student ambassador.
Anderson admits that she experienced
"all the stereotypical things that happen to
young women when they're not doing
what they're supposed to," including teen-
Craftsman Workshops
The Northwest Woodworking Studio is
registering participants for fall work­
shops, classes and lectures. Explore wood
craftsmanship and learn the art by visit­
ing northwestwoodworking.com or by
calling 503-284-1644.
Volunteer for Crisis Line
Want to make a difference in your com­
munity? Volunteers and advocates are
needed for the Portland W omen's Crisis
Line. The needs include on-call advo­
cates to respond in person or over the
phone, outreach and educational efforts,
and fundraising and administrative du­
ties. Call 503-232-4176 for more infor­
mation.
Fall Swimming Lessons
The Portland Parks will be offering
fall swimming lessons for all ages, at
various pools throughout the Portland
metro area. For rates, registration and
information, contact 503-823-5130.
African American Council
You’re invited on the third Tuesday of
each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. when
the African American Advisory Council
meets at the King Facility. 4 8 15 N.E. Sev­
enth Ave. Call 503-823-0000 for more
information.
Tax Help in Rockwood
VITA tax aide for low-income families
will begin to assist clien ts at the
Rockwood Community office, 18709
S.E. Stark. Clients are seen by appoint­
ment only. Appointments will be made
on Wednesdays only from I p.m. to 5
p.m., by calling 5O3-8I6-I53O.
photo by
R aymond R endi . eman /T he P ortland O bserver
Carmen Anderson wears a uniform while she gives tours around Portland
State University and represents the student body at dinner functions
attended by visiting dignitaries.
I
age motherhood and drug use, even though
her aunt and uncle tried to provide a
supportive home. College wasn't even on
her radar before the age of 30.
"I had never really thought about
going to school or enrolling," she says,
"but after I had my second child, I
figured that some kind of degree was
the only way for me to really get ahead
and get skills where I’d be able to take
care of my children.”
As her first child was diagnosed with
autism, Anderson entered college to ma­
jor in the teaching of special-ed children,
but soon found that the root of the prob­
lem lay in the upbringing of these chil­
dren. Citing her own experience with an
alcoholic father and a mother who over­
dosed in '96, she says, “I'm really more
interested in family pathologies and things
that shape kids, and I think that being a
kids' counselor doesn't help a lot unless
you fix the family.”
She plans next fall to start graduate
school, where she hopes to refine her
skills in helping families recover from
difficulties and enter the process towards
decent jobs.
"They're just getting out of the prison
system, getting out of rehabilitation cen­
ters, and they're getting their children
hack and wanting to make things different
in their lives," Anderson says. “I'm hop­
ing to push higher education as an initia­
tive in a way to facilitate bettering your
life.”
During her activities as representative
of the college, Anderson vows to get more
people aware of the resources available,
especially for student-parents. She says
she wouldn't have found out about all the
college offers if she hadn't happened to
take a class with the programming director
of the student-parent center.
"There's tons of opportunity here, it's
just a matter of how much you go for the
opportunities," she says. "There could be
more community events here on campus
or in the Park Blocks where there could be
more resources."
continued
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on page 85
Basko Kante
Africa Fest
to Promote
Understanding
First celebration
Saturday at New
Columbia
A cultural event and community
gathering filled with food. music and
more will take place Saturday at A f­
rica Fest. an African community gala
gathering from IO a.m. to 6 p.m. at
New Columbia. 4625 N. Trenton Ave.
"It's time African communities
come together and address the grow­
ing needs ol the African refugee and
immigrant in the Portland area" said
Basko Kante of the Pan-Alrican Com­
munity Organization, the primary spon­
sor of the event.
Kante. originally from Ghana in West
Africa, has lived in Portland for over 30
years and iscommitted to working with
African refugees and immigrants, com­
munity organizations, city officials and
others in an effort Io raise money and
consciousness to the local issues and
continued
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on page 85