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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 2015)
April 22, 2015 The Page 3 INSIDE Week in Review page 2 This page Sponsored by: L ocal N ews Achieving for Public Good Rev. T. Allen Bethel named ‘Ecumenist of the Year’ pages 6-7 O pinion S ports page 8 The Rev. T. Allen Bethel, se- nior pastor of Maranatha Church in northeast Portland, is being honored for his outstanding work in the faith community and for his advocacy of good public policy. Bethel will be named “Ecu- menist of the Year” on May 7 at the Ecumenical Ministries of Or- egon Annual Community Awards and Celebration Dinner. The award is presented in recognition of leadership and commitment to fostering the love of Christ Rev. T. Allen Bethel through ecumenical dialogue, witness and ministry. In addition to leading Maran- tha Church, a diverse and histor- ically African-American congre- gation for over 15 years, Bethel is president of the Albina Ministeri- al Alliance, the largest ecumeni- cal organization of churches and ministers in north and northeast Portland. The AMA’s Coalition for Jus- tice and Police Reform works to assure oversight to the Portland Police Bureau. In 2005, the group called for and helped to obtain a U.S. Department of Justice inves- tigation into the patterns and pol- icies of the Portland Police Bu- reau regarding lethal force. The coalition continues to meet, hold vigils, and call for more open investigations of deadly force shootings by the Portland Police Department. Bethel also serves on the faculty of North Portland Bible College and Warner Pacific College, and he has led mission teams to Haiti and St. Kitts. Urban League Hires Homegrown Leader M etro page 9 pages 10-13 C lassifieds C alendar F ood page 14 page 15 page 16 Former Oregon press secretary to guide organization A new era is beginning for Portland’s premier civil rights organization with new leadership from a homegrown attorney who is steeped in political experience. Nkenge Harmon Johnson takes office as the President and Chief executive of the Urban League of Portland after serving in the Obama administration and as a press secretary for former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber. Her hus- band, attorney Erious Johnson, is the Director of Civil Rights with Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s office. Harmon Johnson becomes the fourth woman CEO to lead the Portland Urban League, a non-profit that oversees support services and resources for the dis- advantaged in Portland’s black community and other populations. “I’m honored and delighted that the board of directors and support- ers of the Urban League of Port- land have entrusted me with this opportunity,” Harmon Johnson said. “I am pleased to join the ded- icated staff, board, and supporters Nkenge Harmon Johnson in continuing our mission to shape a community that works for all of us; east, west, north and south.” Raised in northeast Portland and Salem, a product of Catlin Gabel School and Harriett Tub- man Middle School, she received a Bachelor of Science in Busi- ness Administration from Florida A & M University, and a Master of Business Administration from Trinity University in Washington, DC. She earned her Juris Doc- torate from Howard University School of Law. She is a member of the Oregon State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar. Politics has played an import- ant role in Harmon Johnson’s professional career, having served as a staff member in communi- cations, campaigns, constituency outreach and legislative matters for U. S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-Texas), U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabe- now (D-Mich.); and the Demo- cratic Congressional Campaign Committee. From 2010 to 2013, she took on an important respon- sibility for President Obama’s Ad- ministration as a Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representa- tive with national and internation- al public affairs responsibilities focused on the Americas and Chi- na. In her home state, she served under Gov. Kitzhaber as Commu- nications Director from January to July 2014. Her departure came after she raised ethical concerns over the conflict between state matters and private matters relat- ing to the governor’s mate Cylvia Hayes and her unofficial role as First Lady. Harmon Johnson succeeds Mi- chael Alexander, who retires on May 8 after leading the Urban League of Portland since 2012. Her selection was announced last week and the organization threw a small welcoming party Thursday night to allow the community to meet her. She will work with Al- exander until his retirement for a seamless transition.
