August 12, 2009
tElji
{Jortlanò (Dhseruer
Celebrating Diversity
in the
Page A5
Workplace
M oving Forward for Justice, Equality
Where do we
go from here?
by R ea . D r . L e R oy H aynes J r .
Does the election of
Barack O bam a to the
office o f President o f
the U nited States o f
America mean that the
d re a m o f M a rtin
L uth er K ing Jr. has
been fulfilled? Does it
m ean that racism has
been elim inated in America and
the struggle for justice, freedom
and equality is over?
There are many w ho would
say that the struggle for civil-
rights and equality has been
w on and there is no longer any
need for civil rights organiza­
tions like the NAACP, South­
ern C hristian Leadership C on­
ference or the Urban League -
that A frican A m ericans have
arrived — that the final chapter
on racism and the vestiges o f
Jim Crow has been written. But
is this true?
We m ust acknow ledge that
President O bam a’s election is
one o f the g reatest historical
events in A m erican history. It
represents the m atur­
ing o f a great nation to
fu lfill its d e stin y in
o vercom in g the h o r­
rendous history o f sla­
very, Jim C row and
other injustices.
To m a n y A fric a n
A m ericans who lived
through the second class citi­
z e n s h ip , ly n c h in g , c h u rc h
bom bings and day-to-day rac­
ism that denied their humanity
- the election o f Barack Obama
as our country’s 44th president
was a dream that they believed
w ould not happen in their life­
time.
This pivotal event carried the
hopes, prayers and dream s o f
our fore-parents w ho traveled
the m iddle-passages on slave
ships, endured the horrors o f
slavery on plantations and ex ­
perienced the world o f A m eri­
can apartheid for another 100
years. Yet, K in g 's dream for
A m erica is bigger than any one
h is to r ic a l f ig u re , ra c e o r
achievem ent.
The struggle for civil rights
racism in America.
T h is h is to ric a l m o m e n t
moves us forward tow ard cre­
ating a ju st and equal society
where people will be judged by
their character and not by the
color o f their skin. Yes! W e've
Yes! We've come a long
way in America, but there is
still some distance to cover
and equality did not stop with
the h istorical p assage o f the
1964 Civil-Rights Bill and the
1965 Voters Rights Bill. As great
as the election o f Barack Obama
was to the nation and to A fri­
can-A m ericans in particular —
as well as other people o f color
- it does not fulfill King’s dream
for a free, ju st and equal soci­
ety. Rather, it brings us closer
to writing the final chapter on
come a long way in America, but
there is still some distance to
cover in o rder to truly fulfill
K ing's dream o f the beloved
community.
The battle is not over for fair,
ju st and equal rights for people
o f co lo r an d p oo r p eo p le in
America. The battle is not over
w hen A frican-A m ericans are
three times more likely to live in
poverty than whites.
Harvest Beat to Uplift Lives
namic performance.
Sebe Kan (m eaning “Serious
Sound” ), a renow ned 11 -m em ­
b er W est A fric an drum an d
dance perform ance troupe, will
also enchant guests with their
sp irited style and sh o w m an ­
ship.
Em ceed by KINK FM ’s arts
and culture guru, Inessa, the
Africa Bridge Harvest Gala will
be a night rem em bered by all
who attend as an uplifting cel­
ebration o f com m unity and A f­
rican cultures.
Tickets are $75 and available
by
v is itin g
africabridgegala.com.
Celebrating
the power of
community
M oving to the rhythm o f the
harvest beat, the greater Port­
land com m unity is invited to
attend A frica Bridge, a harvest
gala to benefit the lives o f or­
phans and children in Tanzania
im pacted by HIV AIDS.
The event is scheduled Sat­
u rd ay , A u g .29 at 5 p.m . at
Nelson Farms on Sauvie Island,
14825 N.W. Gillihan Rd.
G uests will enjoy an exhila­
rating night o f A frican music
and drum m ing, an outstanding
A frican-infused harvest dinner
by C harles Stilwell o f D evil’s
F ood C aterin g and inspiring
m essages from Barry Childs,
founder and executive director
o f Africa Bridge.
O bo Addy, a G hanian drum
m aster since age six and key
originator o f the seminal m usi­
cal m ovem ent now know n as
W orldbeat, will delight the au­
dience with a rhythm ically dy-
The battle is not over when
there still is racial disparities
b etw een A fric an -A m erica n s
and whites in health care; when
stark inequities still exist in our
educational system ; our eco ­
nomic system; and injustice still
exists in our criminal justice sys­
tem and law enforcem ent.
The recent arrest o f the noted
scholar and Harvard University
professor, Dr. Louis Gates, while
en te rin g his ow n ho m e and
charged with the crim e o f “dis­
orderly conduct” is a case that
reaffirm s that the battle against
racism and in eq u ality is not
over, but continues. It dem on­
strates very clearly that even
with an African American in the
m ost p o w erfu l o ffic e in the
country, and in the most pow ­
erful nation in the world, that
no m atter how high you climb
in your profession or position
or up the economic ladder - you
still are affected by racism and
inequality in Am erica if you are
an African Am erican or a per­
son o f color.
Yet, today’s battle is not lim ­
ited to correcting the injustices
and inequalities caused by rac­
ism in America. We must not
only direct the m essage o f so­
cial justice to those who con­
tinue to perpetuate racism, but
we must look internally.
We m ust battle against the
self-destruction of black males,
against the crim e and violence
in our community, against the
d ru g use and d ru g d ea lin g ,
against the frequency o f teen­
age pregnancies and fatherless
children, against the epidem ic
ofHIV/AIDS.
We cannot afford to neglect
either the last vestiges of rac­
ism in our society or the self-
d estru ctiv e b ehaviors w ithin
our communities.
The battle is not over.
Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes Jr. is
the pastor o f Allen Temple CME
church and vice-president o f
the A lbina M inisterial A lli-
Community Picnic to
Celebrate Cultures
Saturday event at Overlook Park
O ur United Villages is hosting an Intercultural C om m u­
nity G athering on Saturday, Aug. 15 at Overlook Park in
north Portland from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“O ur hope is that this event will inspire people to cel­
ebrate and learn m ore about the richness o f cultural diver­
sity in our com m unity,” says Linda Hunter, com m unity
outreach manager for the local non-profit community build­
ing organization.
The free and fam ily-friendly event will feature interac­
tive villages, cultural sharing conversations, m usic, food,
raffle prizes and opportunities to meet neighbors. There
will be several hands-on activities such as playing an in­
strument, taking a dance lesson, listening to a story and
trying on traditional clothing.
Everyone is encouraged to bring a bag lunch and blan­
kets and chairs. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Deejays
Ghanian drum master
Obo Addy will bring an
exhilaring night o f African
music to ‘Africa Bridge,' an
Aug. 29 benefit to help the
lives o f orphans and
children in Tanzania im­
pacted by HIV and AIDS.
will spin music from around the world throughout the af­
ternoon.
“We hope that folks will leave this event with more knowl­
edge about how to reach out to neighbors cross-culturally
and be more curious about learning and seeking cultural-
specific inform ation,” says Kate Erickson, a com m unity
outreach organizer for O ur United Villages.
For more inform ation, visit ourunitedvillages.org.
This is an invitation to visit our store! From,
Career Transitions Program at Mt. Hood
T h e M t. H ood C om m unity
C ollege T ran sitio n s program
p rov id es ca reer d evelopm ent
an d co lleg e p rep a ra tio n se r­
v ic es to sin g le p are n ts, d is ­
p laced h o m em ak ers and m i­
nority and im m igrant w om en.
P a rtic ip a n ts m u st a tte n d an
inform ation session and co m ­
plete an applicatio n to be a c ­
cep ted into the program .
I n f o r m a tio n
s e s s io n s ,
w hich w ill include training on
h ow to apply for financial aid
and prepare for college entry.
w ill take place on the M H C C
G resham C am p u s in the C o l­
le g e B o a r d r o o m , R o o m
A C 2 3 5 9 , at th e f o llo w in g
tim es: M onday, A ug. 17, from
10 a.m . to noon; W ednesday,
A u g . 26, fro m 1 to 3 p .m .;
T h u rsd a y , S ep t. 3, fro m 10
a.m . to n oon; a n d T uesday,
Sept. 8, from 10 a.m . to noon.
T h e T ra n s itio n s p ro g ra m
o ffers m any services, in clu d ­
ing peer m entoring and in fo r­
m ation about accessin g fin an ­
cial aid, scholarsh ip s and c o l­
le g e a n d c o m m u n ity r e ­
so u rc e s. S tu d e n ts w ill a lso
learn to re se a rc h an d se lect
c a re e r g o als an d to d ev e lo p
co lleg e su c ce ss skills. N o n ­
n a tiv e E n g lis h s p e a k in g
w om en w ho have acquired in­
term ed iate E nglish skills are
enco u rag ed to apply.
F or m ore in form ation, c o n ­
tact the T ran sitio n s program
at 5 0 3 -4 9 1 -7 6 8 0 , ext. 0, or
v is it m h c c .e d u /tr a n s itio n s .
F or services in S panish, call
5 0 3 -4 9 1 -6 9 7 2 .
S erving m ore than 2 7,000
students each year, M t. H ood
C o m m u n ity C ollege provides
students the education needed
for the career o f their choice.
M H C C o ffers m ore th an 60
asso ciate deg rees, certificate
p ro g ra m s a n d tr a n s f e r o p ­
tions in a w ide variety o f d is­
ciplines.
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Flowers' Chiropractic Office
2124 N.E. Hancock Street, Portland Oregon 97212
Phone: (5 0 3 ) 2 8 7 -5 5 0 4
www.emeraldforestherbarium.net
503-249-0047
Bob.erneraldforest@ integra.net
G O O D SAMARITAN
M ERIDIAN PARK
Part 33. Osteoperosis and Bone Loss Reversal
• Exercise regularly to help
strengthen bones. Talk with a
doctor to leam exercises you
can safely perform.
Consult a chiropractor if the
curvature o f your upper back
causes pain or discomfort.
Closed
Sun-Mon
THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
An ongoing senes of questions and answers about America's natural healing profession
• D evelop good body m e­
ch an ics through ex ercises to
im prove your posture.
• Eat a diet rich in calcium
and vitam in D. Y our d o cto r
might prescribe a m edication to
help prevent further bone loss.
Sat
ll:30am-4pm
EMANUEL
Dr. Billy R. Flowers
\ : I have osteoporosis and
now my back has a more
“rounded" look. W hat is this?
: You might have started
to develop a “dow ager’s
hump” or an abnormal outward
curving o f the vertebrae of the
upper back. Bones becom e
brittle with osteoporosis and
the upper vertebrae can col­
lapse on each other, causing a
rounded appearance.
To help stop and even re­
verse bone loss:
Tues-Frt
ll:30am-5:30pm
Our legacy is yours.
SPINACOLUMN
/
Hours:
Locatedat315NE
Wygant, 1 block
south of NE
Alberta St */i block
westofNEMLK
Blvd.fOff-street
parking available
across the street
from our store
M O U N T HO O D
SALMON CREEK
LEGACY MEDICAL GROUP
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