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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 2020)
December 9, 2020 The Page 3 INSIDE L O C A L N E W S Week in Review M ETRO page 2 ‘Safe Moms, Safe Babies’ page 6 Free diapers and baby supplies are made available to young families impacted by COVID-19 with the help of Jane Stockbridge, one of the interns working at the Mother and Child Education Center, 1515 N.E. 41st Ave., a home that was converted into a free resource center for pregnant moms and new mothers. It is one of four Northeast Portland organizations receiving donations of over 2,000 diapers and baby supplies to be distributed to families impacted by COVID-19, the wildfires and economic hardships. Supplies go to families impacted by COVID-19 Arts & page 8 ENTERTAINMENT page 11 O PINION C LASSIFIED /B IDS pages 10 USPS 959 680 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 PO QR code P ublisher : e ditor : a week for pregnant moms and mothers. White said the center has been able to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic by fol- lowing public health safety pro- cedures and operating from the open space of the center’s front porch. The other organizations re- ceiving baby donations are the Genesis Fellowship Church Food Pantry, Friends of Seasonal & Service Worker and the Northeast Emergency Food Program. The help was made possible because of the efforts of another nonprof- it, the National Urban Housing & Economic Community Develop- ment Corp. (NUHECDC) which launched the “Safe Moms, Safe Babies” drive to provide free dia- pers, baby wipes, shampoos, talc- free powders, baby washes, and lotions to needy families. Carlene Jackson, NUHECDC Board President, said the help is badly needed, citing the more than 400,000 Oregonians who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus outbreak. “This is a bit beyond NUHEC- DC’s usual mission of fighting poverty by providing affordable housing, free skill training, and job placement, but we are all feeling the pain and impact of the coronavirus and wildfires, Jack- son said. “It is important for us to step up to the plate and be part C ontinued on P age 9 Dynamic Justice Activist Joins PSU Established 1970 The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or per- sonal usage without the written consent of the general man- ager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication--is a member of the National Newspaper Association--Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amal- gamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association by M iChael l eighton P ortland o bserver e ditor Four northeast Portland orga- nizations have received donations of over 2,000 diapers and other baby supplies for distribution to families impacted by COVID-19, the recent wildfires and other economic hardships. “This is a huge blessing. Just one box of diapers goes a long way,” Maura K. White, executive director of the Mother and Child Education Center, told the Port- land Observer. Working out of a converted home at 1515 N.E. 41st Ave., the Mother and Child center is small, a grassroots nonprofit staffed mostly by volunteers that provides free resources 6 days Mark Washington, Sr. Michael Leighton Office Mngr/Clasfds: Lucinda Baldwin C reative d ireCtor : Paul Neufeldt o ffiCe a sst /s ales : Shawntell Washington CALL 503-288-0033 • FAX 503-288-0015• news@portlandobserver.com ads@portlandobserver.com• subscription@portlandobserver.com Postmaster: Send address changes to Portland Observer, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 Walidah Imarisha to lead Center for Black Studies Walidah Imarisha, Portland author, teacher and criminal jus- tice activist, has recently been hired full-time by Portland State University’s Black Studies De- partment as an assistant professor and the new director of the Cen- ter for Black Studies. Ethan Johnson, who chairs the Black Studies Department, said the activist and writer is a wel- come addition to his department. “She is a super dynamic person and I am so pleased to have her in Black Studies,” Johnson said. Imarisha has also taught cre- ative writing in the masters of fine arts program at Pacific Walidah Imarisha Northwest College of the Arts, at Stanford University, Portland State University and Oregon State University. She also cre- ated the Oregon Black History Timeline, available on YouTube, exploring key moments in Ore- gon black history. She also continually connects with people who are incarcerated in Oregon, connecting with Black leaders within the prison system. Her years of volunteer activism in the state’s prisons led her to write “Angels with Dirty Faces: Three Stories of Crime, Prison and Redemption,” which won the Oregon Book Award in 2017.