Page A3
December 19, 2007
Volunteers Prepare Food Boxes
|Jortkuth (OhskWVk'YEstablished 1970
USPS 959-680 _______________________________
4747 NE Martin Luther King. Jr. Blvd.. Portland. OR 97211
For annual
holiday giving
Almost 2()0 volunteers have gath
ered in a north Portland w arehouse
in the past few days to pack and
d eliv er4,(XX) holiday food boxes to
disadvantaged residents.
Each box o f the Portland Police
B ureau’s Sunshine D ivision held
all the fixings o f a traditional holi
day meal.
T he annual "Pack N ights” and
“D elivery D ay” are alw ays bus
tling, festive affairs that attract
volunteers o f all ages— individu
als, groups, students, families.
T he Sunshine D ivision operates
year-round to provide tem porary
relief not only to Portland individu Holiday food boxes are sorted for the disadvantaged at the Sunshine Division warehouse.
Thanks to generous donations ages, and distributes an average o f 503-823-2116; for information about
als and fam ilies who lack essential
emergency food relief, call 503-823-
food, but also to 30-som e other o f food and finances from both 750 tons o f food every year.
For information about volunteer 2119 or email the organization at
food-relief agencies in live coun individuals and corporations, the
nonprofit agency receives, m an ing with Sunshine Division, call m ail@ sunshinedivision.org.
ties.
C ascade
C onnections
by
D r . A lgie C. G atewíxid
There is no more significant determinant fo r
one a economic success - and everything which
flows from that success - than education.
the world.
Earning a degree reaps financial
rewards, to be sure, but this new
concept of self is something that is
Dear Santa Claus: For Christ education.
There is no more significant de beyond price. This can be particu
mas this year, I want every young
black man to have an education terminant for one’s economic suc larly true for black men, many of
and a good job. I want the number cess - and everything which flows whom for generations have been
of young black men with a college from that success - than educa denied the pow er to choose the
degree to outnumber those who tion. Earning a two- or four-year path before them. Education helps
are in prison. 1 want every young degree, or especially a graduate to fuse ambition with the tools nec
black man to assume his rightful degree, is the one factor that can essary to get you where you want
to go. Education is the
place in his family, his community trump all the obstacles that
co n fro n t black m en -
one true way forward from
and his nation.
the bonds, both literal and
You can handle that, can’t you, whether those obstacles be
intergenerational poverty,
figurative, that have pre
Santa?
vented black men from
Unfortunately, it will take more institutional racism, or even
attaining their collective
than a jolly man in a red suit to a shortage of self-belief.
birthright.
make this Christmas wish list come
When you em bark on
true. Black men, for a whole range the road to a college de
O f course, the trans
of reasons, have for generations g ree , you also b eg in a Dr. Algie C.
formation I describe here
found th e m se lv es o v e rre p re voyage o f self-discovery. Gatewood
is available to everyone,
not just black men. I men
sented in the criminal justice sys W hatever you ultim ately
tem and underrepresented in busi choose as your field o f study, the tion black men because they are the
ness, in the halls of academia, and e d u c a tio n a l p ro c e s s b ro a d e n s most at-risk group of people in the
as family men. It will take a con your aw areness o f history and nation - at risk of everything from
certed effort from all corners of clarifies your u n d erstan d in g o f chronic incarceration to chemical
our society - including from black society. M ore im p o rta n tly , the d ep en d en cy to an early death.
men them selves - to undo the educational process cry stallizes According to a 2(X)6 Harvard Uni
legacy of the past.
your perception o f yourself, and versity study, high-risk urban black
But at the top of my wish list is helps you to realize the options at males can expect to live as many as
one thing that can come true - and your disposal and the pow er you 15 years less, on average, than
it’s the key to everything else: have to choose your own path in members of lesser-risk populations.
Education on Top of Wish List
Ask Deanna'.
A n advice
colum n
know n fo r
reality based
subjects!
m e out. W e broke up and now I
d on’t have m oney and my kids are
going to be so hurt. How do I ex
plain and m ake this up to my ch il
dren on C hristinas? —Michelle B.;
Decatur. Ga.
Dear Michelle:
Dear Deanna!
I’m a single parent and 1 never have
enough m oney to buy gifts for my
children. I m ade a m istake this year
by spending the money I had saved
and have had a relationship. I spent
m oney on dinners, new clothes and
my boyfriend thinking he w ould be
around for the holidays and help
The calendar do esn ’t change and
Christinas continues to com e on
the same day every year. T h ere’s
no excuse for your selfish behav
ior. A lthough the holiday should
be spiritual instead o f m aterial, you
still set your kids up for heartbreak.
Y ou p u t a m an b e fo re y o u r
ch ild ren 's happiness and now they
have to suffer. You need to hustle
and find a charity or church to help
you and get your act together as
What better tool than education
to break this cycle?
This is not to say that the many
factors which put young black
men at risk are the result of their
own individual choices. Far from it
- the historical record of inequity
between African Americans and
the majority population is copi
ous and detailed. But the right
kinds o f individual choices can
help black men to overcome these
obstacles, and it starts with the
choice to stay in school and go to
college.
Give yourself and your family
the best possible gift this Christ
mas, young black men. Make the
choice to get an education. Don’t
let cost or anything else deter you.
There is more financial aid avail
able than you might think, particu
larly at community college, and
classes can be scheduled to fit
your life. If you make the right
choice now, this Christmas - and
every one to follow - will be mer
rier for you, your children and
your grandchildren.
Dr. Algie C. Gatewood is Presi
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GRAND OPENING
Swan Garden
6228 N. Interstate Avenue
Monday - Saturday
11a.m. -10 p.m.
Daily Specials
dent of Portland Community
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503-285-6250
the New Y ear com es around.
Dear Deanna!
one foot before the other and then
keep on trucking. Y ou’ve managed
to llush away your dead weight and
expose your naysayers all in one
breath. All you have to do is « top
negativity as soon as it starts, do the
things you want to do and put your
self first in most situations. Hope
fully you’ll reflect happiness and
confidence that’ II make the people in
your circle jum p on the bandwagon.
If not, smile and keep it mov ing.
I am going to m ake iny last New
Y ear’s resolution in 2008. I’ve d e
cided to live to the fullest, elim inate
negative people and put m yself first.
The m om ent I made this announce
ment. the people I thought were
friends laughed at me and my family
thought the idea was a joke. I was
shocked that they laughed and hurt
because .1 see how they really feel
about me. How to 1 enforce my new Ask Deanna is written by Deanna
resolution know ing I have to start M. Write Ask Deanna! Email:
with family and friends first? — askdeannal@yahoo.com or 264
Carolynit; Omaha. Neb.
Dear Carolynn:
Y ou’re getting the idea o f putting
S. LaCienega Blvd. Suite 1283
Beverly Hills. CA 90211. Website:
www.askdeanna.com
cYlew ^Yjeai s
FEATU RING
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EoiroK-ns-CHui, Pi uusunc Charles H. Washington
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C reative D irector : Paul N eufeldt
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'Cary Sim m s'
W ITH S P EC IA L G UESTS: THE BEYONS
lira Hammond - Sherman Davis - James Tims -
Thurtis Channel - Jeddy Beasley - Donnie MacPherson)
MONDAY, DECEMBER 31,2007
ROSE G AR D EN C R O W N ROYAL ROOM
(/rce parking)
DO O RS OPEN AT 8:30 PM
Up Io 60 free door prizes Happy Hour (8:30-10:30)
’ RESERVE YOUR TABLE NOW
TICKETS: $35.00 PER PERSON
($40 Per Person & $75 Per Couple At The Door)
Tickets Available At:
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Reflections /A Step A hove / Me 'Raes
INQUIRIES
jeflckiss74<a. tnsn. coin
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Swan Lounge
£
%
Sun.- Thu. 11a.m.-12 a .m.
Fri-Sat 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.
*
Free food with cocktail
Every Friday - 9 p.m.-11 p.m.
Newly Remodeled
Restaurant & Bar
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