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Minority & Small Business Week
photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver
Marcus Branch of Portland (right) presents Portland Observer
Publisher Mark Washington with a personalized copy of Detroit
journalist Al Allen’s book “We’re Standing By.” Branch met
with Allen, a longtime TV anchor and reporter, at the National
Association of Black Journalists Convention in Detroit where the
book was signed, last month.
Honored by Fellow Journalist
Book shares
experiences of
black anchor
Say “Al Allen” in Metro Detroit,
and people smile, thinking of the
cheerful reporter who greeted them
through their TV screens every
morning… broadcasting live from
frigid freeway overpasses, crime
scenes, celebrations, and just about
anywhere.
Al Allen’s iconic voice and face
on the Fox 2 Morning Show, as well
as evening and radio newscasts be-
fore that, provided big city news in a
hard news town for 50 years.
He delivered firsthand accounts
of history-in-the-making events, in-
cluding Detroit’s 1975 riot and the
funeral procession for Rosa Parks in
Washington, DC.
“We’re standing by,” Al said
countless times into his micro-
phone, telling his producers back at
the station that he and his camerap-
erson were ready to go on live TV
before millions of viewers.
Now, in this unique memoir, Al
reports on his own life, sharing his
story with his trademark, tell-it-like-
it-is style that’s rooted in old school
journalistic integrity.
With each chapter reading like
one of his fast-paced news reports,
We’re Standing By offers an exclu-
sive peek through the human lens
of this iconic newsman. It reveals
how he saw things, while covering
big city murders and mayhem, su-
perstars and scandals, or breaking
news events. He even shares some
behind-the-scenes bloopers.
Al also reveals that there’s much
more than the man with the micro-
phone; he’s a devoted husband and
family man, father, and grandfather.
And with courage and a commit-
ment to mentoring, Al continues
to help blaze new trails for African
Americans and people of color in
the news industry.
The book was recently shared
with Portland Observer publisher
Mark Washington.
We’re Standing By will make
you laugh and cry, as you speed
through the legendary life story of
this Motor City icon.
C LASSIFIED /B IDS
United Way is
hiring an
administrative coordinator to
support its Early Learning Team.
Bilingual skills in Spanish/
English are required. This is a
full-time, non-exempt position,
working primarily out of the
Early Learning office in Aloha
but also United Way’s Portland
office. Hiring range: $34,347-
$41,217, DOE. To review the
competencies required and to
apply: www.unitedway-pdx.org/
about/careers by 10/19/18.
EOE
Metro runs the Oregon Zoo,
Oregon Convention Center,
Portland Expo Center and
Portland’5 Centers for the Arts
and provides services that
cross city limits and county
lines including land use and
transportation planning, parks
and nature programs, and
garbage and recycling systems.
Visit oregonmetro.gov/jobs for
current openings and a link to
our online hiring center.
Metro is an Affirmative Action /
Equal Opportunity Employer
October 3, 2018
NFL Pro Bowler Michael Bennett (center) and Grammy award-winning artist Maclamore
(left) team up with editor Jesse Hagopian (right) to purchase copies of the book he co-edit-
ed “Teaching for Black Lives” for free distribution to middle and high school teachers in the
Pacific Northwest.
Writings to Humanize Education
‘Teaching for
Black Lives’ a
handbook for
caring
Three-time
NFL
Pro
Bowler Michael Bennett and
Grammy award-winning art-
ist Macklemore have teamed
up to purchase and distribute
copies of a new, widely-ac-
claimed book, “Teaching for
Black Lives” to middle and
high school social studies and
language arts teachers in the
Pacific Northwest.
The book is a collection of
writings meant to aid educa-
tors and humanize blacks in
curriculum, teaching, and pol-
icy, while also connecting les-
sons to young people’s lives.
Professor Dyan Watson, a
teacher in education at Lewis
& Clark’s Graduate School of
Education and Counseling, is
one of the book’s three edi-
tors.
“I have two black sons. For
me, this collection is about
their survival, and the survival
of children like them through-
out the United States,” said
Watson. “Teaching for Black
Lives is a handbook for all ed-
ucators, students, and families
who truly care about black-
ness and the intersections of
learning, teaching, and race.”
Watson began her profes-
sional career as a GED in-
structor for young mothers
in Portland and then taught
social studies at Sunset High
School in Beaverton. There
she developed and taught the
first African American history
course, and helped create and
implement a school-within-a-
school program for freshmen
and sophomores.
“This is the book I wish I
had coming up in school, but
it never existed,” said NFL’er
Bennett. “Now we have the op-
portunity to educate thousands
of youth about the black histo-
ry that was too often missing
from my schooling—from the
building of the White House, to
the role of black youth in social
movements, to organizing for
restorative justice today.”
“Teaching for Black Lives”
arose from a Black Lives Matter
at School movement in which
thousands of teachers have fo-
cused lessons on conversations
surrounding black history and
identity, restorative justice, and
institutional racism.
“With everything from histo-
ry, to poetry, to visual art, these
lessons will help educators af-
firm the lives of their Black stu-
dents and create deeper dialogue
in our schools about the strug-
gles and contributions of Black
people that all students need to
learn,” said Macklemore.
The book demonstrates how
teachers can connect curricu-
lum to young people’s lives and
explore how classrooms and
schools can be set up either to
reproduce racism or challenge
it. It has received critical ac-
claim from educators, activists,
and publications around the
country.