February 28, 2018
Page 3
INSIDE
The
Week in Review
This page
Sponsored by:
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p hoto by w omen F irst t ransition anD r eFerral C enter
A new grassroots organization, WomenFirst, uses peer support to help women of color and others
from disadvantaged groups overcome societal challenges like poverty, hunger, homelessness, and
domestic violence.
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
M ETRO
O PINION
C LASSIFIEDS
C ALENDAR
pages 8-10
Empowering Women
Mentorship
group celebrates
first graduates
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pages 12-13
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WomenFirst, a grass-roots
organization helping women re-
build their lives and gain sup-
port through peer mentorship,
will host a public celebration on
Saturday, March 3 for their first
graduating class from a 12 week
women empowerment group,
called “I Love Me.”
The group places a special em-
phasis on helping women of col-
or overcome the challenges that
come with the stereotypes and
prejudices they face in society.
Former State Sen. Margaret
Carter, who was the first black
woman elected to the Oregon’s
Legislature in 1985 and retired
from the Senate in 2009, will be
the event’s guest speaker. Having
overcome tremendous odds to
carve a path of success herself,
Carter came to Oregon from Lou-
isiana as a single mother of five
in 1967 with no job, nowhere to
stay and struggling to make ends
Shannon Olive
meet.
“As we celebrate Black His-
tory Month, we honor the oppor-
tunity to be better stewards of
the privileges we gained, create
awareness for all people, high-
light the best of black history and
culture, and honor the historic
leaders of the black community,”
said Shannon Olive, WomenFirst
founder and president.
Group members help each
other tackle issues such as pov-
erty, hunger, homelessness, gen-
der wage gap, violence against
women, poor treatment of wom-
en in prison, access to rehabilita-
tion centers, and human traffick-
ing/sex slavery. In coordination
with the WomenFirst Transition
and Referral Center, they also
support women prisoner reentry,
women in recovery, and those
seeking any transformation in
their lives
Life skills, community sup-
port, and referrals to resources
for personal and professional de-
velopment are cultivated in the
organization, whose full name is
WomenFirst Transition and Re-
ferral Center.
A new “I Love Me” 12 week
women empowerment program
will be open to incoming mem-
bers starting March 22 at the Mir-
acle Central Apartments where
members will restore a path of
empowerment by learning to love
and value themselves.
The community is invited to
join the “I Love Me” graduates
at Saturday’s event, scheduled
to begin at 3:30 p.m. at Curious
Comedy Theatre, 5225 N.E. Mar-
tin Luther King Blvd. Tickets are
$5 in advance and $10 at the door.
More information can be found at
rebuildwomenfirst.org or email
lovingyoufirst@yahoo.com.
Oregon Moves on Gun Control
People convicted of stalking
and domestic violence or with re-
straining orders won’t be able to
buy or own guns or ammunition
in Oregon under a new gun con-
trol measure that was passed last
week in the Oregon Legislature
and is now headed to Gov. Kate
Brown who plans to sign it into
law.
Brown told a Senate panel that
the anguished voices of victims,
especially in the wake of the re-
cent school shooting in Florida,
must be heard, saying the bill will
help keep guns out of the wrong
hands. The bill earlier passed the
Oregon House.
“Closing the ‘Intimate Partner
Loophole’ is an important step to
keep Oregonians safer, and keep
guns out of the wrong hands,”
Brown said.
One of the senators who backed
the bill, Floyd Prozanski, remem-
bered how his sister had been shot
dead by an enraged boyfriend.