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
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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
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Hours:
Locatedat315NE
Wygant, 1 block
south of NE
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westofNEMLK
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parking available
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M O U N T HO O D
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