^ J o rtla ttò (0 b sem er
P age 6
December 30, 2009
Y earin Review
The Portland Observer looks back at some o f the top stories o f 2009
First black President
marks eventful year
Dixion's Rib Pit
between 19th & 20th on Alberta Street
503-753-0868
*'
*
"
jTrJwur
Hours
11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Tueday thru Saturday
Sunday after 3:00 p.m.
Dinners $9.50
Sandwiches $8.50
And Soul Food
Try us once you 'll come back again
P —— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1
Americana Music Brunch
DADDY MOJO'S
1501 NE Fremont
Every Sunday
1ÜAM-1PM
Steve Ulrich
& Friends
10% O ff Table w ith this ad
k
7 don't really
think race
matters. '
continued ¿ ^ J r o m Front
□
ing for an overhaul of the nation’s
healthcare system. The nation still
faces high unemployment; is em
broiled in wars in Iraq and Af
ghanistan; and its budget deficit
is mounting.
In the state that helped push
him over the edge to victory in the
D em ocratic Party prim aries,
Obama’s young presidency has
changed the way some Orego
nians think about their country.
For others, it has confirmed what
they knew all along.
“I think that there is a shift in
perspective,” says Melissa Kerry,
a conservation coordinator for
Portland Public Schools.
Kerry said having Obama in
charge has allowed more innova
tive ideas to spring up. She thinks
that cities have better opportuni
ties to take initiatives with re
source conservation and more en
vironm entally-oriented design,
knowing that they have a partner
in Washington.
— Matthew Cheramy
‘Country
has made
incredible
strides ’
— Geoff Kelly
Sitting at a bus stop on North
east Martin Luther King Jr. Boule
vard, Dennis Hudson says that he
feels nothing has changed. Hold
ing a plastic bag with a hand set in
a cast, he explained that he feels
Your Care
E 3 eav erto n T o y o ta
• R u s s A u to F in a n c e
NORTHWEST
Our First
Priority
Connection
Dr. Marcelitte
Failla
Chiropractic
Physician
We are located at
1716 N.E. 42nd Ave.
Portland, OR 97213
t Between Broadway and Sandy Blvdj
Looking for a Car, New or Used?
C o n ta c t T im W ils o n at 503-550-3841
T im .W ilson@ B eavertonToyota.com
• Automobile accident injuries
• Chronic headache and joint pain
• Workers Compensation injuries
Call for an appointment!
(503)228-6140
that not enough is being done for
people in the U.S., and too much
for immigrants and people over
seas.
“There’s a lot o f people here
that need help,” Hudson says.
“You can’t get housing if you
have a record.”
Walking up the same street
while carrying bags of food. Huey
Martin and Rita Pierce are still
clearly in Obama’s corner.
“He is making change,” says
Martin. “ But it’s a long process,”
adds Pierce.
We love you Barack Obama,”
exclaims Martin before scurrying
along.
A few blocks over on North
east A lberta Street, M atthew
Cheramy explains that, for him,
Obama’s election didn’t change
the way he sees his country. In
stead, he sees the election of the
first African American president
as a fulfillment of the rapid change
the U.S. has undergone in recent
decades.
“ I don’t really think race mat
ters,” he says.
Geoff Kelly says that having
Obama as president signaled to
him that the country, or at least
parts of it, had made incredible
strides on racial progress.