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October 21, 2020
A Hero for Community Health
C ontinued froM f ront
work of other churches and
community
organizations
serving African Americans in
Multnomah County. By work-
ing through the REACH net-
work, she increased access to
healthcare for her community
by bringing preventive ser-
vices such as blood pressure
screenings to other commu-
nity churches, and to increase
access to healthy foods.
“I am a helper by nature
When I know I can help, I feel
an obligation to make a differ-
ence,” Williams was quoted as
saying after the award presen-
tation this past August.
Highland Haven partners
with the Multnomah County
Health Department, a REACH
recipient, as part of the coun-
ty’s effort to reach infants,
youth, adults, and elders to
advance policies, systems and
environmental conditions to
reduce chronic disease dis-
parities. Conditions addressed
may include hypertension,
heart disease, type 2 diabetes,
or obesity and associated risk
behaviors of physical inactiv-
ity, poor nutrition, or smoking.
The program has reached
thousands of people, helping
community members improve
their physical health, manage
their mental health, and cope
with the traumas of racial in-
justice.
CDC Director Dr. Robert R.
Redfield said it was an honor
to recognize Williams for her
leadership and her contribu-
tion to advancing health equi-
ty in Oregon.
“Through local outreach
and partnership with the faith-
based community, Lessie Wil-
liams united and strengthened
efforts to improve health ac-
cess and outcomes for those
she and her organization
serve,” Redfield said.
The national award is named
in honor of Lark Galloway-Gil-
liam—the founding executive
director of Community Health
Councils, Inc. The council be-
gan in 1992 to support planning,
resource development, and pol-
icy education in response to
the growing health crisis in the
South Los Angeles area.
Ballots Returned
at a Record Pace
C ontinued froM f ront
is Multnomah County — Or-
egon’s most populous county.
Nearly 60,000 ballots have
been returned, which make
up 10.5% of the county’s reg-
istered voters. At this time in
2016, the county had received
21,452 ballots.
The avalanche of returned
the ballots within the first days
of voting has been witnessed
across the country.
As of Friday, more than 22
million Americans had already
cast ballots in the 2020 elec-
tion, a record-shattering num-
ber of early votes.
Americans’ rush to vote is
leading election experts to pre-
dict that a record 150 million
votes may be cast and turnout
rates could be higher than in
any presidential election since
1908.
In Oregon, ballots must be
returned by 8 p.m. Election
Day, Nov. 3. The state also al-
lows you to track your vote-by-
mail ballot online.
--Associated Press
Discrimination Cases Explode
C ontinued froM P age 3
and replied, “I don’t serve
Blacks.”
For Marquita Corley, 37, it
was shopping with her friends
Terra Hartley and Ramona Aus-
tin when she says she was denied
service by a Walmart employ-
ee who claimed that she could
not help them because there
were more than four people in
line, even though they were the
only people in line. The work-
er questioned why the women
were shopping in Troutdale and
another Walmart employee told
them the employee had a history
of problems with black custom-
ers, Kafoury said.
In the fourth lawsuit, Benita
Presley said she was surround-
ed by three Safeway employees
at Northwest 13th and Lovejoy
who falsely accused her of hav-
ing stolen items in her purse.
When she requested that they
look in her purse, they refused,
so she had to empty the contents
of her purse onto the floor to
prove she hadn’t taken anything,
Kafoury said. Presley described
the incident as the most humili-
ating event that has happened to
her.
In another discrimination
claim brought to the attention
of the Portland Observer, Black
resident Jayana Rushing said she
has retained Kafoury’s service
in response to what she called a
“horrific humiliating situation”
on Oct. 8 when wrongly accused
of trespassing and a prior theft
incident at a Ross store.
“I have never ever stole any-
thing in my life. I was complete-
ly mistreated and embarrassed
in front of a packed line at the
Ross Cascade Station registers,”
Rushing said.
Thankfully, she was support-
ed by mall security as well as
Portland Police.
“I waited for 44 minutes for
Portland Police to come. Just for
them to check my identity, apol-
ogize for the inconvenience and
release me,” she said.
If you have been a victim of
discrimination or have been un-
justly denied service, Kafoury
said don’t hesitate to contact his
office at 503-224-2647.