Page A3
A p ril 29. 2009
National Urban League CEO Visits Portland
Talks up group’s relevance
by J ake T homas
T he P ortland O bserver
“W e’re a historic brand; al
m ost a hundred years old,”
said Marc M orial, the presi
dent and chief executive o f
ficer of the N ational Urban
L eag u e, “O ne o f the c h a l
lenges that h isto ric brands
have is to keep evolving.”
M o ria l w as in P o rtla n d
M onday to help the U rban
L eague stay relev an t and to
tout his o rg a n iz a tio n ’s new
report "The State o f Black
A m erica 2009: A M essage to
the P r e s id e n t,” w h ich a r
gues that A frican A m ericans
s till fa c e d a u n tin g c h a l
lenges although a black man
is p resident.
During a press conference
at the Portland Urban League,
the former New Orleans mayor
discussed President O bam a’s
accom plishm ents in his first
100 days o f office, citing his
p a ssa g e o f th e e c o n o m ic
stimulus bill, a ban on torture,
and the extension of health
insurance to children.
T h e h o u s in g c r is is and
growing gap between the rich
and the poor was also a topic
taken up by M orial.
“A frican A m ericans’ eco
nomic condition is so tied to
their race that it’s hard to sepa
rate the tw o,” said Morial.
He asserted that the gap be
tween the rich and the poor
was unsustainable.
“ A n a tio n d iv id e d e c o
nom ically is a nation th a t’s
divided socially. Is a nation
th at’s divided politically. It’s
a nation that has a d ifficu lt
tim e com peting in the w orld
eco n o m y , and th a t is why
closing the d ivide is im por-
Dear Deanna!
w ithout it m inorities could be
left behind, creating a green
e c o n o m ic d iv id e o r e v en
green apartheid.
He hopes that the National
Urban League will become a
major green jobs trainer. It’s al
ready provided this service for
18,(XX) people in 2007, he said.
Morial also pointed to new,
younger CEOs o f local chap
ters, like P ortland’s Marcus
Mundy, as a way o f keeping
relevant.
He hopes that young people
will want to work to alleviate
poverty and other social ills and
will see the Urban League as a
vehicle to do that.
“ W e’re w o rk in g hard to
make sure w e’re relevant to a
new generation,” he said.
Urging people to take care
o f th e ir h e a lth and th e ir
children's health was also an
issue brought up.
W hen asked w hat M orial
was doing personally to ini
p ro v e h is o w n h e a lth he
stated that he had sworn off
red meat for the last 20 years
“Now that doesn’t mean 1
n ev er touch red m e a t,” he
added, to laughter.
The criminal justice system
also came up during the con
ference. M orial, a lawyer by
training, said that a big part
of the reason why the U S. is
a le a d in g in c a r c e ra to r o f
people is because defendants
often d o n ’t get a fair shake
because they can 't afford the
best lawyers.
“The crim inal justice sys
tem is in sham bles,” he said.
M orial w as proud o f his
o rg a n iz a tio n ’s work on n a
tional legislation to help ease
inmates back into mainstream
society. He was also heart
ened by Sen. Jim W ebb’s (D-
Virginia) efforts to reform the
prison system.
on each other. You have to
decide how much time you have
to babysit w hile they play
games. Take control of your
relationship and put your sister
in her place. Your boyfriend
needs to know your expecta
tions as you give him your ver
bal thoughts on dealing with
your sister. If he doesn't be
have erase him and remember
that boyfriends without rings
come and go, but sisters are
always around.
be abused, cheated on and we
broke up anyway. I want to get
my boyfriend back and I’m not
sure what todo. I’ve apologized
but nothing seems to work. —
Heartbroken and Torn; San
Diego, Calif.
shouldn’t have anything else to
do with you. Your apology is
nice but look at it from his side
as you expect him to return after
being with another man. Get
over it, learn from your mistakes
and if he comes back, fine and if
not, keep it moving.
after hours, you can call the
police as a guarantee for a good
nights sleep.
1 have an issue with my loud
neighbor. She is so rude and
disrespectful and has no regards
for the rest of us in the apart
ment complex. W e’re forced to
listen to her loud music, she has
company coming in and out and
her place is always one big
party. Several of us have joined
together asked her to tone it
down but she laughs and says
she can do as she pleases as
long as she pays her rent. What
other options do we have to
deal with this headache? - A n
noyed; On-Line Reader
Dear Deanna!
Dear Annoyed:
You can file a complaint and the
first stop should be the on-site
manager’soffice. If this resource
isn’t helpful then you should
contact the management com
pany. Yes, your neighbor pays
Urban League has increased its
foreclosure counseling ser
vices 1Ü fold to help people
cope with the housing crisis. He
also touted his organization’s
work in job training, particularly
green jobs and expects them to
become a m ajor part o f the
economy as environmental is
sues take on increasing impor
tance.
“Jobs are created when so
ciety wants to solve a prob
lem," he said.
Morial highlighted how part
of the federal stimulus pack
age went toward w eatheriza
Marc Morial
tion services, and the league
tant for the nation," he said. was there to partner with sev
A reoccurring topic was the eral cities to provide them with
importance of keeping the Ur readily trained workers.
“Going green should mean
ban League relevant. He said
helping
people benefit from
that this can be done by fo
cusing on the pressing issues going green,” said Morial, ex
of the day, and bringing in plaining how participation in
a
new
e n v iro n m e n ta l
new leadership.
Morial pointed out that the workforce is crucial because
rent but you pay as well and are
entitled to a decent amount of
peace and quiet. Once this is
done, boundaries should be
established. On another note, if
she violates the noise ordinance
My sister hates my boyfriend
because she feels he doesn’t
treat me right. My boyfriend
doesn’t like her because he feels
she is too nosey. They always
argue, try to embarrass each
other and do dirty things to
each other. I’m at the breaking
point after my sister stole acheck
from his checkbook and cashed
it. On the other hand, my boy
friend told her boyfriend that
she was cheating. Where do 1
draw the line with them before
someone gets hurt? —G inaC.;
Charleston, S.C.
Dear Gina:
Almost like school kids you
would think they have a crush
Dear Heartbroken:
The story never changes when Ask Deanna is written by Deanna
one thinks the grass is greener M. Write Ask Deanna! at the
on the other side. However, in email askdeannal @yahoo.com
your case, you had a crew tell or 264 S. LaCienega Blvd. Suite
ing you what to do but you 1283 Beverly Hills, CA 90211.
chose not to listen. It serves Website: >wiv. askdeanna. com
you right and your ex-boyfriend
Dear Deanna!
I broke up with my boyfriend for
another guy and now 1 realize
this was a mistake. I had a good
man and I should've listened to
my family and friends as they
told me I should’ve stayed with
him. I was seeking thrills and
excitement. This caused me to
Advertíse with diversitly in
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Mother Lizzie Joshua Day
Local role
model
celebrated
Porthaven Care Center, in
cooperation with the Oregon
Healthcare Association’s Senior
Wish Program, is celebrating
“Mother Lizzie Joshua" for her
lifelong service and dedication
to the north and northeast Port
land community.
Joshua is a great role model
for past and present times. She
moved to the Portland area in
the 1930s and started building
ships and religious communi
ties.
Together with a group of dedi
cated community members, she
founded several churches that
Lizzie Joshua is being honored as a role model for her
many years as a foster parent and mentor.
Portland Community Colleg«
JOB FAIR
are still thriving in the Portland
area. Her home was always
open to people who needed
food, clothing and support to
get their lives on the right path.
As a foster parent, she pro
vided homes and raised many
children.
“You have to respect children
to be respected by children”
was the advice she gave par
ents over the years.
Church representatives and
som e o f the c h ild re n that
“Mother Joshua" raised will be
joining her in the celebration of
her extraordinary accomplish
ments on Saturday, May 2 at 2
p.m. at the Porthaven Care Cen
ter, located at 5330 N.E. Prescott
St.
For more information, call
Jodi Burroughs at 503-317-7685.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009 Í1 AM 3 PM
Cascade Campus Gymnasium
- All job seekers welcome
- Free admission and parking
Prepare before the fair by going to
w w w .p c c .e d u /c a s c a d e jo b fa ir
Cascade Cam pus Gym
70S N K illingsw or 1h St.
P ortland OR 97217
your future
Served by Tn-Met buses » 4 and »72
at the H K thngsworth Max Station
Tutu’s Portland Speech Live on Radio
» you rt«#d
particípale m W*» event contact *»*
Office for Student s with OutaíHM»» at
Oregon Public Broadcasting
will air a special live broadcast
o f A rc h b ish o p E m e ritu s
Desmond Tutu when he pre
sents a speech at the Univer
sity of Portland on Monday,
May 4.
Presented by the Ecumenical
M inistries of Oregon, Tuto’s
speech entitled "Transforma
tive Power of Reconciliation in
Society" will begin at approxi
mately 7:30p.m.
For years. Archbishop Tutu
has been a, the forefront of the
crusade to fight racial injustice
in South Africa.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
In 1986, he was elected as ers can tune in to hear the en-
503 977*341 <v 503 ? « • 4 0 7 2 (TTY)
befo*« or by the dele 04 28 fi9
the Archbishop of Cape Town tire speech live on OPB Radio,
and in 1996, he was appointed FM91.5
by President Nelson Mandela
to chair the Truth and Recon- ,!
ciliation Com m ission which |
in v e stig a te d hum an rig h ts
violations that occurred dur
ing apartheid.
Tutu is a recipient o f the
Nobel Peace Price, the Albert
today.
Schweitzer Prize for Humanitari- Í
anism, the Gandhi Peace Prize,
Create your own
and has au th o red several
books.
p a th w a y to success with an
Tickets to the May 4 event
undergraduate business degree
are sold out. However, listen-
Karen Mapp
Wednesday, May 6 from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. at PCC’s Moriarty Arts and Hu
m a n itie s
b u ild in g ,
705
N.
Killingsworth St. Lunch will be pro
vided.
Mapp will offer strategies to help
families work more closely with their
schools and teachers.
To RSVP for the workshop, con
tact Candice Ysasaga at 503-916-
2000, extension 71582 or email
cysasaga@ pps.kl2.or.us.
(Comcast
Tomorrow's
LEADERS
are in our classrooms
from Marylhurst University.
Learn more at our
Expert Helps Parents Connect
Student achievem ent increases
when families are invested in their
children's schools. To help fami
lies make that connection, Port
land Public Schools and Portland
Com m unity College are hosting a
workshop with Karen Mapp, lec
turer at Harvard G raduate School
o f Education and form er deputy
superintendent at Boston Public
Schools
The free session will be held
P tc ttic C o « . l Frwtl
*5
OPEN HOUSE
Thursday. May 7
•
6:30 p.m.
BP John Administration Bldg, Rm 200
“ M u ry lh u n r I n it in ir y ’i Biw ncM
For more information or to RSVP;
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w w w .m a ry lh u rB t.e d u /le a d e r»
10 tnites south of Portland on Highway 43
& Leadership degree r.< i u client for
working odulu. ( kiNncs ure cum» n u n tls
scheduled m ith r im in g . u r r k m J and
onlin»*ckiw < A , <i h o y pru /cw o n u l. I
appreciate a fnugnun th u i allows me to
h u k in a family, work u n J school "
M A R Y IH U R S T
az
U N IV E R S IT Y
in t u i r i v z i u i t i f t tlM fl 1893
— Serenu StouJumirc