Portland observer., June 24, 2015, Image 13

Diversity in the Workplace
June 24, 2015
Page 13
Solidarity with Charleston
C ontinued from F ront
Theologian and civil rights
activist Rev. Osagyefo Sek-
ou, who is coming to Portland
this Monday to speak about the
dangers of police violence and
racial tensions throughout the
United States wrote to his social
media followers on Thursday,
“Dear God: They kill us in your
house.”
Similar sentiments were
shared by thousands of people
across social media, with many
asking: where are black peo-
ple to congregate or seek hope,
faith, healing, or justice, in a
time when acts of terrorism pre-
vent them from even turning to
churches for sanctuary?
Portland leader of the NAACP
Jo Ann Hardesty met with the
Portland Observer the day after
the shooting, originally to dis-
cuss Sekou’s upcoming visit and
the panel both leaders would be
on. The conversation could not
help from shifting to the devas-
tating events of the shooting the
night before.
“It is a community failure,”
said Hardesty of the entire event.
“That doesn’t happen in isola-
tion. I find it incomprehensible
that a 21-year-old would possess
such hate. We are collectively
responsible for that. That is not
an accident.”
Hardesty, like many leaders,
knew she would be asked to re-
flect on an attack that she had
scarcely come to terms with, and
she tried to prepare herself and
measure her words to respond
to questions, just as they would
come whenever any other racial-
ized story hit national news.
“It’s not an isolated inci-
dent,” she said. “It’s really part
of a system that we have all had
a hand in creating. My compas-
sion goes out to those nine peo-
ple who lost their lives and their
devastated community members
who are left to pick up the piec-
es. These people were connected
to their community.”
Giovanni McKenzie, a young
black activist and founder of a
Portland non-profit that focus
on LGBT youth, Queer Inter-
sections, echoed the sense of
fatigue.
“This act of terrorism should
be a wake-up call for white
America to understand the im-
pact of all its words and ac-
tions,” he said. “I live in a world
where I constantly have to prove
that my life matters.”
McKenzie expressed his
tiredness of hearing media de-
scriptions of the serial killing
suspect as a ‘lone gunman,’ with
some commentators speculating
that mental illness could have
made him ‘snap.’
A vigil was held at the Beth-
el African Methodist Episcopal
Church in northeast Portland on
Thursday evening, where hun-
dreds of community members
and faith leaders of all back-
grounds came to show solidarity
for the Charleston victims and
survivors.
The African-American pas-
tors asked for many things –
that the community hold hope
strong, that they drive out hate
from their communities and
that they invite forgiveness and
peace into their hearts.
But there was also another cry
that was echoed by leaders out-
side the vigil: That white com-
munity members would reach
out to fellow white people and
guide them through discussions
of race, and teach them about so-
cial justice and the dangers and
history of white supremacy.
Hardesty hoped for this as she
finished up her coffee outside
a Stumptown cafe in southeast
Portland.
“White people can take this
opportunity to talk to other
white people,” she said. “I think
that the best that can come of
this is that everyone will talk to
their children and make sure that
people are having conversations
in places they find most com-
fortable about race. And maybe,
people will re-engage in their
local NAACP chapters, people
will find a civil rights organiza-
tion near them and reach out, re-
alize these organizations are still
important and we still have so,
so much work to do.”
Free Fishing Event for Kids
Young fish enthusiasts are
invited to come fish at the 25th
annual Junior Fishing Clinic on
Saturday, June 27 from 9 a.m.
to 2 p.m. at Trillium Lake on
the Mt. Hood National Forest,
about 3 miles east of Govern-
ment Camp.
The clinic is free and intend-
ed for kids 13 and under, but
young adults and parents will
also find it fun and interesting.
There will be prizes for biggest
fish caught and first fish caught,
as well as raffle prizes through-
out the day.
Children
should
bring
lunch, warm clothing, a rod
and reel if possible, and a cool-
er to bring home their catch of
the day. Limited quantities of
rods and reels along with bait
will be provided.
The clinic is sponsored by
the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife, area mer-
chants and the Mt. Hood Na-
tional Forest. For more infor-
mation, call the Zigzag Ranger
District at 503-622-2006.
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