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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2017)
Page 4 July 26, 2017 Prodded Tech Increases Diversity Some job gains made; more progress needed Showdogs is a full service salon. We do baths, all over hair cuts, tooth brush- ing, nail trims, soft claws, flea treatments, mud baths, and ear cleaning. We also have health care and grooming products to keep your pet clean in between visits. Show Dogs Grooming Salon & Boutique 926 N. Lombard Portland, OR 97217 503-283-1177 Tuesday-Saturday 9am-7pm Monday 10am-4pm Yo dawg is gonna look like a show dawg and your kitty will be pretty. A prodding of local tech com- panies to hire a more diverse workforce is gaining some trac- tion. The lastest “TechTown” report by Prosper Portland, formerly the Portland Development Commis- sion, shows an increase in hiring women and minorities in high tech jobs, but also reveals there’s still progress to be made. Since TechTown’s 2015 launch, 21 Port- land companies have joined the pledge “to collectively advance workplace diversity and inclu- sion.” The new report shows an in- crease of women and minority employees since last year. While women and men of color have made gains in hiring for higher-up positions, the leadership and man- agement jobs for women of color have seen no growth. 75 to 90 percent of the survey takers reported that their compa- nies are fostering an inclusive en- vironment. Prosper Portland, which leads Marcelino Alvarez the diversity initiatives for Tech- Town, has added an action council and new trainings as ways to help companies improve the way they welcome new hires and recruit and retain more people of color and women in the industry As Marcelino Alvarez, found- er and CEO of Uncorked Studios commented and a participant in “TechTown,” commented, “The positive results are gratifying, but clearly we have more to do. I hope more companies will join this ef- fort to make our industry more inclusive, welcoming and repre- sentative of all Portland commu- nities.” Creating Positive Images c ontinued froM P age 3 After completing the three-year training program, Frison became involved with the Albina Mural Project, which was a public art project featuring the works of local black artists that was hung from the walls of the Albina Hu- man Resource Center. “None of them had official training,” Frison said. “While I was going to art school, I learned how to do stuff with graphic de- sign, and drawing stuff on a large scale. If it hadn’t been for me, the project probably wouldn’t have worked too well.” Frison was responsible for the creation and design of two of the Albina Mural Projects signature pieces, including one piece called “Civil Rights,” which illustrated marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy. He says that the other mural he de- signed, “Black Cowboys,” was inspired by his own upbringing in the Southwest. He says “Black Cowboys,” showcases the role of African American ranchers in Texas and New Mexico. “A lot of people think that black people didn’t do anything on the farm except pull cotton,” Frison explained. “But my family, we were real cowboys.” The Albina Mural Project only lasted eight years before the par- ticle board that it was painted on degraded to a point where the artwork was no longer recogniz- able. Frison says that only one of his three murals in Portland sur- vives to this day, on the inside of a church on North Dekum. President Obama’s first na- tional campaign inspired Frison to return to his craft after a brief hiatus. His work since the Obama presidency began has focused on civil rights leaders and other prominent black figures, includ- ing pop-culture icons such as Prince and several portraits of the Obama family. “During the time that Obama started running, I said to myself, ‘that’s going to be our next pres- ident,” said Frison. “Ever since then, I’ve been drawing a lot of historical black people.” Frison’s work will be displayed at the GreenHAUS Boutique and Gallery for the next several weeks, starting with Saturday’s public re- ception with the artist at the gal- lery from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Prints and original copies of his artwork will be available for sale.