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|Jnrtlanb Observer
remove ‘the culture of fear’ which
he feels is the biggest barrier to
true equality and understanding
among people.
50 Years Later
August 21, 2013
the infam ous event that captured
the nation’s attention. “The path
that this city has taken the last 50
years has been en co u rag in g ,”
c o n t i n u e d f r o m fron t
racial profiling, many of these
same issues we are dealing with.”
Haynes, 64, has worked on is­
sues o f civil rights since a youth.
He pointed to the staggering
unem ploym ent rates for African-
A m erican s in O regon w hich
stood at 18.4 percent in January,
more than three times the rate of
European-A m ericans locally.
Haynes hopes Saturday’s com­
memoration will shed light on the
close parallels of disparity many
still face even after tireless work by
Civil Rights leaders years ago.
State Rep. Lew Frederick of
Portland, who is only one of two
African-Americans in the Oregon
L e g is la tu re , sa y s o f K in g ’s
speech 50 years ago, that al­
though it was powerful, he had
seen the pow er of K ing’s words
in earlier speeches.
M ore specifically, as a child
Dr. Rev. L e R o y H a y n e s Jr.
growing up in Atlanta, Ga. during
the 1960s, he had parents that
were active in the movement.
Frederick added that there is
much work to be done to change
laws that prom ote bias, but even
more work to be done socially to
M a y o r C h a rlie H a le s
M ic h a e l A le x a n d e r
“Portland needs to understand
that racial issues are not just overt,
but under the surface as w ell,” he
said.
Urban League o f Portland’s
M ichael A lexander says the city
Portland has made progress since
A lexander says.
However he follows up by say­
ing that he is concerned that many
o f the problem s o f that era con­
tinue to affect the country at large,
particularly in politics, institu­
tio n a l p r a c tic e s , e d u c a tio n ,
healthcare, and econom ics.
Portland M ayor Charlie Hales
is inviting Portlanders to jo in the
m arch and find ways to break the
cycle o f injustices “right here in
our tow n.”
“We see deep inequities in
our com m unities, in the areas of
jo b s, econom ics, opportunity,
e d u c a tio n , h o u sin g and s e r ­
vices,” Hales said. “None o f us
should be satisfied living in a city
with such inequities.”
Hales pointed to a current ef­
fo rt to focus on b lack m ale
achievem ent in Portland. R e­
search for a federal grant to help
P o rtla n d a d d re ss the issu e s
found vast inequities facing A f­
rican A m ericans in per capita in­
com e, education, incarceration
and food assistance.
Portland’s com m em oration o f
the M arch on W ashington for
Jobs and Freedom will begin at 10
a.m. on Saturday at Chapm an
Square, downtown. People will
then m arch to W aterfront Park
where a rally will begin with vari­
ous speakers at 1 p.m.
In he Neighborhood Thoughts on the Dream
Portland recalls
King’s historic
1963 speech
by D onovan
M a rv in
J im
In g lis h
F a s u lu o
* Its a powerful speech
that everyone is going to
remember fo r the rest o f
their lives.
M. S mith
The March on Washington for
Jobs and Freedom is forever etched
into the United States of America’s
history.
51-year-old Marvin Inglish is a
native Portlander and the son of a
black panther. He remembers the
sense of pride he felt when he heard
King’s ‘I Have a Dream” speech for
the first time.
“There was a lot of racism in
Portland,” Inglish said. “It meant a
lot to me”
Jim Fasuluo says the Civil Rights
movement of the 1960s “was an
incredibly emotional and impactful
time.”
He pointed to having an Afri-
— Sierra Dawson
T a m ir
Established 1970
Mark Washington
M ich a el L eighton
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can-A m erican as president as a
remarkable accomplishment for to­
day, but says there rem ains a lot
o f work to be done in the way of
ending racism .
B ilisum a A cham yleh com es
from A frica has only been in
A m erica for about a year, but re­
m em bers hearing the speech as a
child in school and how it m ade an
im pact on her.
“I really believe in everyone be­
ing equal and being able to interact
freely,” she said.
Tamir Polk remembers his par­
ents having a particular fondness
for King’s dialogue. Moving for­
ward he believes everyone should
live out their “personal dreams” in
honor of King’s dream for justice
and equality.
Sierra Dawson says, “It’s a pow­
erful speech that everyone is going
to remember for the rest of their
lives.”
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