October 26, 2011
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What's on your list today?.
The African American Health Coalition’s 7th annual Health Disparities Luncheon draws Steve
Bullock, AAHC board chair; Steve Premberton, Walgreen's divisional vice president o f diversity and
inclusion; Corliss McKeever, AAHC president and chief executive officer; and Nate Miles, Eli Lilly and
Company corporate director o f state government affairs.
Confronting Health Disparities
The African American Health
Cpalition’s 7th annual Health Dis
parities Luncheon was held on Fri
day to bring together health profes
sionals, organizations, and commu
nity members to spread awareness
and find solutions for the health
disparities facing African Ameri
cans.
Steve Prem berton, W algreen’s
divisional vice president o f diver
sity and inclusion, was the key
note speaker. The luncheon also
marked the beginning of the an
nual W ellness Village weekend
with free health screenings and
health information for the public
that took place the following day
at the new Ambridge Center, lo
cated at 1333 N.E. M artin Luther
King Jr. Blvd.
A reception for Premberton, who
went from being a ward of the state
to his re sp ec ted ro le w ith
Walgreens, was held a night earlier
with both music and food at the
Multnomah Athletic Club.
"The overarching message that
Mr. Pem berton left with us at the
conference was a message o f hope,
a message that your beginning in
life does not define the ending
and to dare to dream of im possi
bilities," said Corliss M cKeever,
AAHC president and chief execu
tive officer.
Military Recruiters Policy Adopted
Portland school
district to. allow
counter activists
O pinion
pages 20-21
O ctober C alendar
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B
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F ood
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The Portland school board voted
7-0 Monday night to adopt a policy
that gives anti-war "counter-recruit
ers" the same access to high school
students that the military gets.
The policy is like those already in
place in Seattle, San Francisco and
some other cities.
Board members said the goal is
for students to get a balanced view
of what military service might mean,
not just the information offered by
military recruiters that high schools
have had to facilitate under a 2001
federal law.
"There is nothing in this resolu-
tion that says there is a condemna-
. \
A
Martin Gonzalez
tion of military service," said board
vice chairman Martin Gonzalez, a
primary supporter of the new rule.
"There is a desire on our part for our
students to become more educated
in the choices that they are making."
Trudy Sargent, another board
member, said her son recently joined
the Marines and will be leaving for
basic training soon. She said it was
hard to get into the Marines and
that, "for the most part, the recruit
ers are doing their job." She said the
new rule didn't seem badly needed,
but that she could live with it.
School district staff members will
write rules governing which peace
activists can recruit at schools, and
under what conditions. They also
will develop a packet for schools to
distribute spelling out students'
rights to keep their information pri
vate from the military, and what to
be aware of before signing up.
continued
on page 5