Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, June 12, 2013, Page 2, Image 2

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    Page 2
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lune 12, 2013
Proper Burial for Abandoned Girl
A new born girl found dead on May 28 in
a north Portland recycling center will be
soon be laid to rest with a proper burial,
thanks to several prom inent com m unity
members and assistance from a crime victim ’s
fund.
Described by police as African-American or
of mixed raced, she weighed 5 % pounds and
was breathing at birth, according to the state
medical examiner’s office.
No one has come forward to claim or identify
the child.
Arranging for a gravesite memorial service
are Marci Jackson of Portland’s Crisis Response
Team, Antoinette Edwards of the city’s Office
of V iolence Prevention and Joyce Harris, of the
African American Alliance.
The three women are also working to educa­
tion the public on the resources available under
Oregon’s Safe Haven law. If a mother cannot
care for her child, she can bring the infant into
a Safe Haven location and leave the baby with
a responsible adult no questions asked and
without the threat of arrest.
Safe Haven locations include a medical facil­
ity, fire station, police station, birthing center,
and hospital.
Week in
The Review
PSU Student Attacked
A female student was attacked on
Portland State University’s campus
Saturday afternoon. Nate Justin
Wheeler, 40, was arrested at his
home in northwest Portland at 3:40
a.m. Tuesday. He faces two counts
of first degree sexual abuse.
rwmiciae in uresnam
21-year-old Andreas Prince Jones
was gunned down outside an apart­
ment on 191st and Burnside Street
Saturday. Police are calling this a
gang-related shooting. The suspect
has been described as a black man
in his early 20s, with 2 inch
dreadlocked hair, between 5 feet 11
inches and 6 feet 1 inch tall, and
approximately 160 pounds.
Downtown Cross Burning
Hannah Rice
Royalty Calls on Madison
New Roses at Peninsula Park
The planting o f nearly 3,5 0 0 new, hardy and disease-resistant roses take
bloom at the Peninsula Park Rose Garden in north Portland. The roses
were planted last winter in advance o f the park’s centennial and a commu­
nity celebration slated for Thursday, June 27.
Black Fatherhood
creates a norm.” “It was expected.”
His documentary uses a host of
examples to outline how fatherhood
has been defined in the past, how
roles have been melded and shifted,
and attempts to explain how ex­
amples of the past can serve as
models for the future.
One example of tradition used
prominently in the film comes from
Africa, specifically the idea that it
takes a whole group of people to
look out for and care for a child, also
known as “It takes a village,” men­
tality.
“If you look at traditional African
societies and some of the family
systems they used to sustain them­
selves, I think that’s the best ex­
ample you can use today to inspire
black people,” he said.
c o n t i n u e d f r o m front
So he began creating “The Black
Fatherhood Project” in search of
some explanations, without know­
ing what all the answers he would
find. He went into the community
and interviewed an array of African-
American fathers, about their expe­
rience and why they have become
such an anomaly.
Thierry himself comes from a long
line of patronage; he can trace a line
o f his own fathers and grandfathers
that have been present in the lives
of their children seven generations
back.
O f his own lineage of fathers, he
said, “I think it’s just critical to have
that unbroken link, it sets an ex­
ample for the next generation and
}Jnrtlani> (Dhserber
P ublisher :
E d ito r :
Established 1970
Mark Washington
M ich a el L eig h to n
E xecutive D irector :
Rakeem Washington
C reative D irector :
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O ffice M anager /C iassifieds :
A dvertising M anager :
Lucinda Baldwin
Leonard Latin
A new queen has been crowned in the Rose City.
Madison High School senior Hannah Rose was chosen
as 2013 Queen of the Portland Rose Festival Saturday. The
17-year-old is the first person to receive this honor from
Madison in 39 years.
Rice plans to pursue a career in theatre, education, or
psychology. She is a two-time state semifinalist in speech
and debate, a section leader in her school choir, and copy
editor of the Madison newspaper.
All selected princesses of the Rose Festival Court will
be awarded a $3,500 scholarship through the Randall
Group.
An Aloha High School graduate,
who went on to earn a bachelor
degree in journalism and communi­
cations at the University of Oregon
and a master’s degree in mass com­
munications and media studies at
Howard University, Thierry said he
had a “plethora” of role models grow­
ing up.
He points out that often times if
a father is present it is likely that
there will be more males around to
help guide and support a child which
can be beneficial for both genders.
That is not the reality for many
African-Americans coming up to­
day. According to the Census Bu­
reau, 64 percent of African-Ameri­
can children live in fatherless homes.
And according to Thierry the num­
bers are only growing worse.
His theory is that the cycle ab­
senteeism is much less a result of
a lack o f desire and much more
likely the result of centuries of
USPS 959-680
bad m essaging and the system ­
atic separation of many black
m ales from their families.
In the wide spectrum of infor­
mation targeted at black males, “fa­
therhood wasn’t included in that,
and I think eventually we began to
buy into that, he said.
Even after the endless months
o f research, interviews, and film­
ing, Thierry says his movie ven­
ture does not provide an ultimate
answer to increasing the number
o f black fathers but provides a
wealth of insight into how the dis­
parity began, which he hopes will
provide some stepping stones to
remedying families across the na­
tion.
“The Black Fatherhood Project,”
premiered in February. Thierry
says he will be removing the movie
from his website soon, but it can
still be viewed for free by visiting
blackfatherhoodproject.com.
-----------------
Police are looking for a man who is
being accused burning a cross on
the sidewalk of W est Burnside
Street and Broadway. He has been
described as a white male, 30-50
years old, 6 feet tall, medium build,
brown hair, possible beard, wearing
a hat and blue jeans.
Wants Straight Answers
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a critic of
'BHHH government domes-
■
grams, warned Di-
P
1 rectorofNationalln-
te llig e n c e Jam es
S_j| Clapper on Tuesday
that he must give “straight answers”
about the extent of spying on Ameri­
cans. Wyden made it plain that he
doesn’t think Clapper offered up
the whole truth in a March hearing
before Congress.
Nelson Mandela Hospitalized
Former South Af­
rican p re sid e n t
Nelson M andela
w as in se rio u s
condition T u es­
day being treated
in intensive care
for a recurring lung infection. The
94-year-old was hospitalized on
Saturday. He became particularly
prone to repertory problems during
his 27-year imprisonment during the
country’s apartheid-era
49ers Stadium Death
Tuesday morning a subcontractor
was accidentally killed while work­
ing on the San Francisco 49ers new
stadium. The man was at the bottom
o f the elevator shaft, when another
w orker accidentally dropped a
counter weight, killing him.
4 7 4 7 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211
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