Portland observer., January 16, 2019, 2019 Special Edition, Image 1

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
New Legacies and
Allies in King’s Path
‘City
of
Roses’
Volume XLVIII • Number 3
2019
Special
Edition
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • January 16, 2019
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
D anny p eterson /
t he p ortlanD o bserver
photo by
Sam Sachs, creator
of the non-profit The
No Hate Zone, has
successfully pushed
for local and state
governments to adopt
equitable hiring
practices inspired by
the Pittsburg Steelers’
“Rooney Rule,” which
compelled NFL teams
to interview at least
one ethnic minority for
leadership positions.
Sachs most recently
was successful in
getting Multnomah
County to adopt a
version of the rule,
called The Gladys
McCoy Standard,
named after the
first elected African
American woman
to serve and later
chair the Multnomah
County Board of
Commissioners.
‘No Hate Zone’ breaks bread and barriers
Safe Space Creator
promotes diversity
D anny p eterson
t he p ortlanD o bserver
Sam Sachs has been battling racism his entire life.
By promoting equity and diversity through his work
as a former Army veteran, football player, law enforce-
ment officer, and later as Human Rights Commissioner
for the City of Portland, he’s made a name for himself.
by
He’s spearheaded an effort for local and state govern-
ments in Oregon to adopt variations of an equitable
hiring standard, for example, known as The Rooney
Rule, in which at least one ethnic minority must be in-
terviewed for leadership roles.
Sachs, who has a bachelor’s degree in Black Studies
from Portland State University, was an intern for for-
mer state Sen. Avel Gordly, the first African-American
woman to be elected to the Oregon State Senate, during
her last term in the late 2000s. He’s also helped in the
effort to eliminate Native American Mascots in all Ore-
gon K-12 schools.
Monthly dinners with members of law enforcement
and people of color, aimed at improving community re-
lations, was also initiated by Sachs and Noho Marchesi,
Sach’s friend and owner of Noho’s Hawaiian Café at
4627 N.E. Fremont St. Marchesi provides the space and
meals free of charge for the dinners. The restaurant dons
Sachs’ No Hate Zone decal in its window, a signifier
that the restaurant is a safe space for those escaping vi-
olence and discrimination from white supremacists and
other hate groups.
C ontinueD on p age 11