December 26, 2018
Page 3
INSIDE
The
Week in Review
This page
Sponsored by:
page 2
Kirby McCurtis is the administrator of the North Portland Library at 512 N. Killingworth St. where a
Black Resources Center houses both scholarly and popular materials relating to the African-American
experience.
pages 7-11
Deeper Commitment
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
M ETRO
Library system to expand reach for black families
page 9
Multnomah County Library
will start the New Year with a new
two-year initiative funded in part
by a grant from Meyer Memorial
Trust to better serve and support
African and African American
families.
This initiative aims to build
momentum and capacity for the
library to enact systemic changes
that better serve black families
through community action re-
search, a methodology that helps
researchers work in partnership
with community stakeholders to
develop solutions to local prob-
lems.
Community action research
will engage with African and Af-
rican-American families to un-
derstand and address barriers and
inequities related to kindergarten
readiness and transition. Research
has shown that black children
often face disparities in school
readiness, which signal disparate
educational, economic and social
outcomes later in life.
A Meyer Memorial Trust award
of $148,000, with an addition of
$89,000 from other donors to The
Library Foundation, with support
from the Collins Foundation, will
fund this work.
The work builds on a 2011 li-
brary research grant, Preparing
African American Children for
Kindergarten Readiness, which
showed that African American
families do not always feel wel-
come and included in educational
institutions and in libraries.
This effort advances Mult-
nomah County Library’s cultural-
ly relevant service, which includes
staff, materials and programs for
five languages other than English
and for the black community. That
service also includes Black Cul-
tural Library Advocate staff, the
library’s Diversity, Equity and In-
clusion program and aligns with
the library’s organizational prior-
ities.
The initiative is led by Mult-
C ontinueD on p age 5
Free Rides on New Year’s Eve
O PINION
C LASSIFIEDS
C ALENDAR
pages 12-13
pages 14
page 15
New Year’s Eve revelers are
encouraged to think safety by
leaving your car at home and us-
ing TriMet. Rides on buses and
MAX will be free on New Year’s
Eve beginning at 8 p.m. on Mon-
day, Dec. 31, through 3 a.m. Jan.
1.
Portland Streetcar is also of-
fering free service on New Year’s
Eve. MAX trains will provide
extended late-night service un-
til about 3.a.m. Buses and Port-
land Streetcar will run on regular
weekday schedules.
To take advantage of the free
New Year’s Eve service, just re-
member, after 8 p.m., there’s no
need to tap your Hop card or buy
a ticket at the station. Just hop on
any Trimet bus, MAX train or
TriMet will offer rides for free for New Year’s Eve, Monday, Dec. 31
beginning at 8 p.m. through 3 a.m. on Jan. 1.
Portland Streetcar and travel safe- p.m. on New Year’s Eve, or after
ly to your destination.
4 a.m. New Year’s Day, fares are
For those traveling before 8 required.