WWW . ThESkANNER . COM
O CTOBER 26, 2011
P ORTlAND , O REGON
V OluME XXXIII, N O . 52
25
CENTS
i nSiDe
Gem of the Ocean
page 6
Women’s Reentry
page 8
Worship in Pink
C hallenging P eoPle to S haPe a B etter F uture n ow
Wealth in
Black
America
page 9
Honoring Carter
Mike Green keynotes
The Skanner News’
2012 King Breakfast
by helen Silvis
of The Skanner News
photoS by Dietrich williamS-mott
F
asten your seat belts. It’s time to blast
off and power up into the innovation
economy. Set your course for a 21st
Century where Black Americans have the
power to create wealth and jobs.
That’s the message from Mike Green, co-
founder of The America 21 Project and the
Black Innovation and Competitiveness
Initiative. (BlackInnovation.org) Green will
be the keynote speaker at the Skanner
Foundation’s 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. Breakfast.
“All of the net new jobs in America have
been created by companies that are 5 years
old or younger: essentially they are start-
ups,” Green says. “They are fueled by angel
investors and venture capital, but Black
folks are not in any part of that equation.
That’s a problem because it means we have
no wealth creation and no job growth.”
As a journalist and later as a blogger for
the Hufington Post, Green learned a lot
about how the technology sector works —
and doesn’t work for African Americans.
When he left journalism to start his own
educational technology business, he soon
realized he was a rare breed.
“I saw very few people who looked like
me,” he said.
Green wrote a four-part series on the
Innovation crisis in Black America, and
found two like-minded allies: economic
development guru Johnathan Holifield and
biotech engineer Chad Womack. The three
realized that what was missing was that
nexus of investment and tech startups.
“We saw this disconnect. So what are we
going to do about it?” Green says. “And
nobody was doing anything so we felt if we
don’t do something then nobody will.”
They formed The America 21 Project to
bring wealth and job creation into African
American communities, using the same
angel and venture capital investment model
Dietrich Williams-Mott, former Margaret Carter Skill Center student Tamiko Phillips and Carter smile for a photo at the
special celebration of the former state senator’s legacy at Portland Community College last week. The school, which
is marking its 50th anniversary year, rechristened its technology building as the Margaret Carter Technology
Education Center.
PCC Marks 50th Year in Community
Lawmaker, education advocate gives name to tech center
F
ormer
State
Sen.
Margaret Carter has
been honored as the
namesake of the Portland
Community College Tech -
nology Education Building, in
ceremonies marking the col-
lege’s 50th anniversary.
Officials there say it is the
first time in PCC history that
one of its buildings has been
named for a woman.
On hand for the event was
Gov. John Kitzhaber; U.S.
Reps. Earl Blumenauer and
Kurt
Schrader;
former
Margaret Carter Skill Center
student Tamiko Phillips (who
is
now
attending
the
University of Nevada at Las
Vegas on a scholarship); and
Oregon Historical Society
Director Kerry Tymchuk.
“It is our great honor to
name one of our buildings for
Senator Carter,” said Cascade
Campus President Algie
Gatewood. “She has spent her
adult life working and advo-
cating for the people of North
and Northeast Portland. I
don’t think one can find a
more committed proponent of
education, nor a more dedicat-
ed champion for members of
traditionally underrepresented
communities.”
Officials said Carter’s histo-
ry with the school goes back
almost to its opening.
“Portland
Community
College has been the access
and success to the renewal of
my life,” she said. “I began
my renewing journey with
PCC as a student in the fall of
1968. After completing my
master’s degree, I interned as
a student in the spring of 1973.
The rest is history.”
“Sen. Carter’s history with
the college and the campus is
deep and abiding,” said
Gatewood. “And it’s only fit-
ting that we name a building
in her honor.”
Carter eventually became
the first African American
woman to be elected to the
Oregon Legislature, in 1984;
she was elected to the state
Senate in 2000.
She currently works as the
See carter on page 3
See wealth on page 3
inDeX
News .................2,3,10
Opinion ..................4,5
A & E ......................6,7
Church ...................8,9
Books.......................11
Bids/Classifieds ........11
Back and Neck Pain: Finding Treatment
Specialist says too many people spend years avoiding help
by lisa loving
of The Skanner News
B
rain surgeon Dr. Warren Roberts
recently spoke to community mem-
bers about why they should seek out
specialized help for back and neck pain –
instead of suffering with it, sometimes for
years, to avoid going to a doctor. He says
many of his patients regret not seeking
attention sooner rather than letting it make
their lives miserable. On the staff of The
Aspen Spine and Neurosurgery Center affil-
iated with Legacy Meridian Park Medical
Center, Dr. Ward spoke with The Skanner
News about what causes neck and back
pain, what can fix it, and why so many peo-
ple don’t
an important event. Can you talk about that?
Dr. Warren Roberts: The topic was neck
pain evaluation and management. This was
a talk focused on the community, and to go
over the many causes of neck pain as well as
the appropriate evaluation and treatment
options for people with neck pain. The
underlying message is to avoid patients
The Skanner News: You recently spoke at
See pain on page 3