www . THeSKANNeR . COM
J uLy 20, 2011
P ORTLAND , O ReGON
V OLuMe XXXIII, N O . 38
25
CeNTS
I NSIDE
Nelson Mandela
page 4
Books
page 6-7
Derek Luke
C hallenging P eoPle to S haPe a B etter F uture n ow
Teen
Finally
Found
page 10
NA ACP
Vaughn Remains are
Confirmed, Family
Plans Funeral Services
By The Skanner News Staff
T
he remains found on Rocky Butte last
week are definitely those of missing
teen Yashawnee Vaughn, and the
Oregon State Medical Examiner says she
died from a gunshot to the head.
The announcement Tuesday came after a
tragic four-month odyssey of activism and
organizing by the girl’s supporters to press
murder suspect Parrish Benette to tell police
where the body could be found.
The Oregonian reported that 16-year-old
Benette’s lawyers gave the information to
police, who called in searchers and secured
the remains.
Police officials declined further comment.
Facebook pages honoring Vaughn are
flooding with tributes to her and her family,
as well as planning memos for further
events linked to the case.
Vaughn’s family and friends are gearing
up for a Tuesday night vigil from 6-9 p.m.
near the rose-studded memorial for Vaughn
on Rocky Butte at 92nd Ave. They are call-
ing on supporters to observe a moment of
silence during that time if they cannot
attend. Today is her grandmother Renelda
Hayes’ birthday.
Also scheduled are a benefit concert this
Friday night at Mt. Calvary Christian
Church from 9 to 11 p.m. to help raise funds
for the teen’s burial.
The church is at 126 NE Alberta St. All
ages are welcome, and the show is hosted by
stand-up artist Rissa Riss.
Services are set for Saturday, July 30 at
1pm at Portland City Bible Church, Rocky
Butte, 9200 NE Fremont. All are welcome
and services are by the Terry Family Funeral
Home.
“Yashanee Vaughn / Bonnie B, you’ve
touched so many lives and we’ll never for-
get you,” one Facebook supporter wrote
Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve failed you as a
community, because we provided the
atmosphere for violence and I apologize for
At the 2nd Annual NAACP Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser, Jerome Kersey (Ambassador for the Portland Trail Blazers)
posed with NAACP President LC Oddie, Dr Cynthia Harris, Malaya Mc Gant, NAACP Vice President La Verne Stroud
and a few friends. All raffle prizes were donated by the Portland Trail Blazers office. The group’s general membership
meetings are held on the 4th Saturday of each month at the PCC Cascade Campus, Technology Building Room 225.
Free Math Tutoring for Local Kids
Former School Board member creates service to boost brains, fun
By Lisa Loving
Of The Skanner News
M
ath is not only good for
you, but it’s fun – and
a free summer tutoring
program for kids aged first
through fourth grade aims to
unlock the doors of knowledge
for as many people as are will-
ing to step through.
Former Portland School
Board member Derry Jackson’s
company Sankofa LLC offers
math tutoring and technology
training to people of all ages
See VAughN on page 3
INDEX
News ..............2,3,8,10
Opinion ..................4,5
Books......................6,7
Bids/Classifieds ..........9
Mondays through Thursdays at
its headquarters, 3802 Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The free one-on-one tutoring
for grade-schoolers is at
Reflections Coffee Shop at 446
NE Killingsworth St., Mondays
through Thursdays from 11 a.m.
to 2 p.m.
“Math is a thinking exercise
and when we look at the data we
notice something profound: kids
that are good at math are good at
almost every other subject,”
Jackson says. “The beauty is
any student can benefit from
math and see benefit in all other
areas because it teaches them
how to think.”
Sankofa is also hosting tech-
nology training in computer sci-
ence, using coaches one-on-one
with participants.
“Our coaches are made avail-
able to assist students interested
in learning about various
aspects of technology and com-
puting, from building computers
to programming, networking
and desktop publications,”
Jackson said. This summer the
company will be giving away
free
computers
to
“eligible/proven/deserving
attendees.”
Math tutor Evelyn Hyman, a
pre-med Biology student at
Concordia University, says an
important part of the math pro-
gram is to get rid of the fear and
stress most people associate
with the subject.
“When kids realize math isn’t
hard they have fun with it and so
that’s the exciting thing for me,”
she says.
Other coaches currently
See MAth on page 3
Oden-Orr Named Director of NAMC-O
The construction equity group plans to expand membership, services
Lisa Loving
Of The Skanner News
B
oosting a new effort in equity in con-
struction contracting in the Portland
metro area, the National Association
of Minority Contractors’ Oregon chapter
this week announced attorney Melvin
Oden-Orr is its first-ever executive director.
The appointment, which was made on an
interim basis, represents a bold move for-
ward for the group, which recently played a
significant role in the city’s creation of new
guidelines to address decades-old racial dis-
parities in how it spends taxpayer dollars for
infrastructure construction and improve-
ment.
“I think that the organization is at a criti-
cal stage in its development and I think I
have something to offer to help it move to
the next level,” Oden-Orr says. “For those
certified firms out there who think that they
have particular issues that are not being
addressed, we welcome their involvement
in our efforts – as well as anyone who sup-
ports equity in public contracting.”
A specialist in business law with a back-
ground of expertise in historically disadvan-
See NAMC-O on page 3