October 16, 2019
Page 11
Obituaries
Early Trauma Impacted Woman’s Life
Remembering Cheryl D. James
Cheryl Dawn James, born May 29, 1953 in Port-
land, was a strong-willed, beautiful woman, lovingly
nicknamed “Sir” by her younger brothers and sis-
ters because of her orderly and exacting ways. As a
young, black girl coming of age in the late 1960s and
early 1970s, she was well aware of the injustices both
she and her family faced in the predominately white
city. She did not actively engage in the civil rights or
anti-war movements that were overtaking the news at
the time, but read the bible and loved the Lord to keep
her pulse on changes happening in society. As one of
the elder children in her family, she helped keep the
household running smoothly, assisting her beloved
mother Mary Lee with her younger brothers and sis-
ters and chores.
She was a good student at Jefferson High School,
where she graduated with honors in 1971. Her grad-
uation, however, was not an ordinary one, and events
from that time went on to define the course of her life.
After walking across the stage to receive her diplo-
ma, she was met by police officers with handcuffs.
They were there to escort her to an adult prison where
she would serve an 18 month sentence. Several months
earlier, her older brother had gone AWOL from the
Navy. On Jan. 4, 1971, four plain clothed federal offi-
cers entered the James home unannounced and without
a warrant to arrest him. She was in the kitchen pre-
paring dinner, while many of the younger James chil-
dren were gathered in the living room. Upon seeing
In Memory of
My Beloved Wife
Earnestine Banks
Earnestine Banks was born Aug. 8, 1949 and died
Oct. 6, 2019. She was the beloved wife of Rev. Wil-
lie Banks.
Viewing
will
take place on Fri-
day, Oct. 18 from
4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at
Hughes Memorial
Church, 118 N.E
Failing St. A me-
morial service will
be held Saturday,
Oct. 19 at 11 a.m.
at Solid Rock Church of God in Christ, 1705 N.E.
Dekum St.
For more information or sending flowers and
cards, contact Zeller Funeral Home at 503 287-1155
or visit Zeller.com
her 14-year old brother being choked by an unknown
white man, unable to breathe and turning blue, she
grabbed the rolling pin she was using to make biscuits.
She rushed to her brother’s aid and struck the man on
the head, releasing him from his grip. Solely an act of
protection, this resulted in a federal assault conviction.
During her incarceration, she was raped and impreg-
nated. Her case received media attention both locally
and nationally and her sentence was eventually com-
muted with the help of her attorney, Nick Chaivoe and
a defense committee comprised of concerned mem-
bers of the Portland community. But no investigation
into her prison assault was ever made.
Stalwart and strong, Cheryl moved on with her
life, working for the IRS as well as Emanuel Hospi-
tal. In the neighborhoods of north Portland and Van-
couver where she raised her family, she was respect-
ed by all for her strength and unflappability. For all
of her bravery, however, the trauma she faced in her
young life took its toll. The promise of a smart and
confident girl was inextricably hurt by the stigma and
prejudice of being a black woman in Portland and a
convicted felon. She had wanted to become a lawyer,
and to help those who faced similar obstacles, but the
harsh realities of her life got in the way. Cheryl did
the best she could, staying strong until the end.
She deeply loved her sons Morrice, Daniel, Ka-
lam, and Felton Jr., as well as her large extended fam-
ily, including many nieces and nephews that fondly
remember afternoons at Aunt Cheryl’s house and
the video games she allowed them to play when she
wasn’t playing them herself. The Temptations and
Marvin Gaye were heavily featured in her vinyl col-
lection and she would never miss a chance to dance
to “I Gotcha” by Joe Tex. Though she never married,
Cheryl was adored by her lifelong partner Felton
Thompson Sr., who worked as a driver for TriMet for
over 25 years. When he suffered a debilitating stroke,
Cheryl, though ill herself, became his primary care-
giver. Skilled as a nurse, she put aside her own med-
ical issues to care for those she loved. Cheryl was a
survivor who bravely took on whatever life dished
out until her very last breath. A GoFundMe site has
been set up to assist her family with funeral expens-
es. (gofundme.com/f/cheryl-dawn-james-memori-
al-fund) For more information about Cheryl James’
story, an article will be published in the Spring 2020
edition of the Oregon Historical Quarterly.
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