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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2013)
Minority & Small Business Week October 2. 2013 D . «, Page 27 photo by D onovan M .S mith /T he P ortland O bserver u Roy Joy, 66, works out of his office on Northeast Fremont Street in the Beaumont Neighborhood. The native Portlander known for his long list of business and civic engagements has no plans on slowing down, but he does look forward to seeing a new generation of Portlanders pass through some of the many doors he has left open for them. Let’s Get Down to Business c o n t i n u e d f r o m fron t and center supporter of a proposed Portland Convention Center head quarters hotel that would generate an estimated 3,000 union construc tion and hotel jobs, primarily in north and northeast Portland. He recently was bestow ed a ‘Bending Tow ard Justice’ award from U.S. Sen. Jeff M erkley of O regon for his efforts to help others break dow n barriers to em ploym ent, housing and other opportunities. Clean Slate, a non profit project he launched w ith out pay in 2005, has helped thou sands o f people erase delinquent traffic tickets and other m inor crim inal or civil judgm ents by fulfilling public service require m ents and paying fines. D uring its inaugural year, he was able to get the various judges, D istrict A ttorney, and Portland Police Bureau to partner with Project Clean Slate to effectively m o v e th e e n tire M u ltn o m a h County C ircuit Courthouse to a m eeting space at Portland C om munity C ollege’s Cascade C am pus in north Portland. For the past four years, he has hosted ‘Spam and V elveeta’ holi day open houses for local chari ties. Last year he held a benefit w ith M a ry W ilso n o f T h e Suprem es in front o f nearly one thousand people at the Oregon Convention Center. He plans to bring “Hitsville the M otown Re view ” for a benefit event in D e cem ber. (Tickets go on sale after O ct. 15 o r v isit his w e b site ro y jay .co m .). Jay realizes that the struggle to succeed is indeed a difficult one because of his own tribulations. From hearing the whispers of doubt from his own community to even physical threats of violence against him, he’s been no stranger to the trials of achievement. Even-so, the Portland Daily Journal o f Com merce tw o-tim e N ew sm aker of the Year has managed to persist, and serve as an inspiration for those both inside and outside of the black community. A lthough an early career stop fo r Ja y w as h o s tin g o n e o f Portland’s prem ier radio shows, he sees too m any young people looking to be professional enter tainers and sports players as op posed to ow ning their own busi nesses. Jay is not com pletely against sports and entertainm ent, but despises the im plications that can com e from pursuing them for young m inorities. “W hite folks have told me, look, we pay you guys to enter tain us,” he laments, Instead, Jay is a staunch advo cate for education as a feasible pathw ay to a successful life. “It’s up to you, not me, new generation, to re-plant a seed out there to do some more shops, retail, flowers, service business, comput ers, housing, and all the rest of that stuff,” Jay says. “We aren’t at the table ‘cause somebody told us, oh no you can’t do that.” He has participated in a multi tude o f fundraisers over the years for traditional schools with a high percentage o f minority students, such as Jefferson High School and his 1965 alma mater Roosevelt. He says it’s all about giving back to the place that raised him. “As m y m other said, never forget w here you com e from . They can pat you on the back and give you all the accolades and stuff like that; at the end o f the day baby y o u ’re still black, and you still have an obligation to your fam ily, your neighborhood, your people,” he says. And though Jay rem ains one o f the prem ier players in city politics and is a leader who was once co n sid ered a top p ro sp ect for daddy and your grandparents and running for m ayor, he knows his everybody else. So you realize, ever-aging body will not allow look, it's time for us to get some him to attend to every civic issue new folks in here,” or concern forever. He warns with an alm ost abso “Baby, after a while you start lute certainty that the next gen slowing. You start coughing and eration “has to be ready” or the w heezing and hackin’ like your city will leave them behind. Excellent Care Funeral Services One Stop Funeral Center Now-Open... Get the best package in Portland for burial. Everything you need all in one building. • Consultation • Minister • Large Sanctuary upon request and Balcony Parking Available • Cremation Limousine Service • Provided Hearst Large Kitchen Location: 126 NE Alberta St On the corner of Mallory and Alberta 2 blocks West of MLK, Jr., Blvd Call now (503) 995-8442 www.excellentcarefuneralservices.com
