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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 2011)
Page 42 lì v) M a r t in L u t h e r K in g J r . January 12, 2011 2011 s p e c ia l e d il ion Civil Rights from Your Perspective Labor Commissioner documents Oregon struggles Oregon Labor and Industries Commissioner Brad Avakian is getting the word out about a project he’s taking to publish civil rights experiences from the perspective of Oregonians who personal ly or through their fami lies lived the events themselves. “My Civil Rights Story” is an effort to document the historic and present day civil rights struggles experienced by our di verse communities. Avakian said what’s needed are aspiring writers who have a personal story to tell. “Together, we will illustrate the progress - and sometimes regress - of civil rights from those who shared the experi ence th e m se lv e s,” he said. "W hile I will provide an intro duction and conclusion to the book, g en e ra lly d isc u ssin g O regon’s civil rights history and themes, your stories will tell the real Oregon story.” “I encourage you to write about your or your family’s ex periences living and working in Oregon. Some stories will illus trate hard fought, and sometimes tragic, battles for equality. Oth ers may portray the efforts lead- ing to leaps forw ard in the progress of civil rights. Some may reflect the personal, quiet toughness of people doing what they must to survive in a culture that was not yet willing to recog nize them fully. Whatever your story is, I am interested in hear ing it.” Avakian is the paternal grand son of Armenian immigrants who fled genocide and oppression to seek a better life in America. As commissioner of the Or egon Bureau of Labor and In dustries, he enforces O regon’s civil rights laws, protecting people He is a former state represen tative and state senator from Beaverton. The personal stories submit ted for the “My Civil Rights Story” project must be received by Feb. 14. Some stories will be selected for publication in the book. Other submissions will be presented on a website for all to read. For suggestions on how to write your story, you can go to the website mycivilrightsstory.net. Submissions can be emailed Brad Avakian to brad@ mycivilrightsstory.net from discrimination in employ- or mailed to My Civil Rights ment, housing and in all public Story, 17915 N.W. Lonerock Places. Dr., Portland, OR 97229. Helping Homeowners with Repairs [N E W continued N O W D E L IV E R IN G Y o u r fa v o r ite n e ig h b o r h o o d g r o c e r ie s g ro c e ry s to re r ig h t to y o u r h o m e now line maintain the exteriors of then homes. T he p ro g ra m allow s homeowners to avoid potential code citations, loss of homeowner insurance and foreclosure while improving the appearance of lo cal neighborhoods A $5,000 community grant from State Farm Insurance is making the outreach possible. "We have made a com mit ment to work with responsible neighborhood organizations like Habitat for Humanity who share our business-oriented objective of healthy neighborhoods", said C hris Sum m ers, State Farm Agency field executive. Since 1991, Evergreen H abi tat for H um anity has w orked to improve living conditions for low-incom e Clark County resi dents. The non-profit organi zation w orks in partnership with people in need from all walks of life to develop com m unities by building safe, af fordable housing. Homes are sold at no profit with a zero percent interest rate m ortgage after the partner fam ilies com plete their sweat equity hours. d e liv e r s o r o ffic e . w w w .n e w s e a s o n s m a r k e t.c o m you click, we deliver, (or pull up for pick up • (Observer ....................................... Established 1970 USPS 9 5 9 -6 8 0 47 47 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 Charles H. Washington EniroR.Michael Leighton D istribution M anager : Mark Washington C reative D irector : Paul Neufeldt A" "" « K — from page 13 i " .»he. public,li,in, „ p c ™ „ „ „ „ J , ’ ,CT X X manager, unless the client has purchased the composition o f such ad © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. A L L RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR Founded m 'lS s T Z id T ^ N t PR° H ,B ^ ED ThC Por,'and Observer A g o n 's Oldest Multicultural Puhlication-is a member o f the National Newspaper Association- 1885. and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York. NY. and The West Coast Black Publishers Association E ditor - in -C hief , P ublisher : CALL 503-288-0033 ll a ’l 'if Qrll<mhbnmr.f<m FA X 503-288-0015 a d lS e e r llm M x r v r r . r w sehscrielienldpertlendohrcrvrr.com P o s n u s r a : Send address changes to Portland Observer, PO Box3 1 3 7 , Portland, OR9 7 2 0 8
