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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2016)
SEI Academy to Close Tax on the Sweet Initiative wants to tax sugary drinks for kids’ benefit QR code for Portland Observer Online Services will transfer to re- opened middle schools See Metro, page 9 See Local News, page 3 ‘City of Roses’ Volume XLV Number 27 www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • July 6, 2016 Established in 1970 Committed to Cultural Diversity Photo by M ark W ashington /t he P ortland o bserver Carolyn Leonard, an inspiring school administrator, educator and community activist, is honored for a lifetime of work to promote peace and equality, taking the torch of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run international relay as it moves on a 10,000 mile journey through Portland on its way to Canada and other destinations. Spreading Cultural Harmony Local leader promotes peace and tolerance by C ervante P oPe t he P ortland o bserver Over the course of her career, Caro- lyn Leonard has worked to spread cul- tural harmony and tolerance at home and around the world, most recently making stops in Tanzania, India, Ethiopia, the Do- minican Republic and Mexico to promote peace. The inspiring leader and longtime Portland Public Schools administrator, educator and community activist, joins peacemakers Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Pope Frances and many others in receiving the international Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Award. The honor was bestowed on Leonard when the organization’s Peace Run torch relay made its stop in Portland June 18 on a journey across eight different countries and over 10,000 miles to recognize indi- viduals on an international level that have made waves in the ways of peace and equality, to which Leonard has dedicated much of her life to. “I just was at the right place at the right time,” Leonard says of her worldly, altru- istic opportunities. “It’s been amazing and it’s been a gift from God, because I cer- tainly didn’t have anything to do with it. I just tried to remain true to what I believe.” The native Oregonian comes from a black and American Indian background, which she says aided in her ability to look past skin color as a barrier of acceptance, despite the state’s former and present ra- cial gap. “I grew up in an environment where you try not to draw differences between you and other people,” Leonard says. “Any day you have to be able to release what you have learned. You have to be prepared to let go and embrace truth. That’s what I’ve spent my time doing, re- telling the truth for what it is.” Holding various positions with Port- land Public Schools over the last 44 years, Leonard has used her background in mul- ticultural education to cultivate minds in ways outside the classroom, though she’s also taught at nearly every educational lev- el in over 20 public and private schools. C ontinued on P age 4