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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2011)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM D ECEMBER 7, 2011 P ORTLAND , O REgON V OLUME XXXIII, N O . 58 25 CENTS i NSiDe Working Kirk page 3 Occupy Wall Street page 5 Luck One C hallenging P eoPle to S haPe a B etter F uture n ow Birth Survey Released page 7 College FAir Midwives group works toward better health for moms, babies lisa loving of The Skanner News photo By Julie keeFe B lack mothers in Oregon often give birth alone, are afraid during their hospital stay, and rarely take birthing classes or breastfeed their babies. That’s according to the preliminary results of a groundbreaking survey of African American women on their birth outcomes, conducted by the International Center for Traditional Childbearing, with number- crunching assistance from Portland State University. The ICTC released a statement Wednesday after briefing health care profes- sionals and service providers at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. “These are issues that need to be exposed, explored and understood by the healthcare, public services and nonprofit sectors so that we can collectively work towards equity in the provision of healthcare services for pregnant and parenting Black women,” said ICTC founder and Director Shafia Monroe. The Center, based in North Portland, offers trainings and conventions around the United States focusing on increasing the number of midwives of color as well as doulas – helpers who assist new mothers with pregnancy, breastfeeding and family care, among other things. The first-of-its-kind survey of 245 Black women was launched last year to dig into the reasons why African American babies are disproportionately underweight, and why they suffer the highest infant mortality in the area — 8.6 percent, compared to 4.9 percent for Whites and Hispanics, and 7.3 percent for people of color overall, accord- ing to the Multnomah County Health Disparities Project. The Infant mortality rate measures the number of baby deaths in the first year of life, per 1,000 live births. The ICTC has been working toward the survey for several years, as part of the The U.S. Departments of Justice and Education released a joint statement Friday sketching out new guidelines for university admissions – which clearly walk a tightrope between past Supreme Court decisions and the need to encourage more racial diversity in higher education. Feds Shift on Race Admissions Local efforts give youths of color a boost into higher education By lisa loving of The Skanner News A drienne Livingston of the Black United Fund spent months organiz- ing last Saturday’s second annual BUF College Fair at Portland State University. She and her staff put togeth- er loads of materials and spe- cial assistance just to make sure as many youths as possi- ble understand all their post- high school options. But even Livingston – who has immersed herself in uni- versity admissions – was shocked at the Obama Administration’s reversal last week of his predecessor’s elimination of race as a quali- fication for college admis- sions. The U.S. Departments of Justice and Education released a joint statement Friday sketching out the new guide- lines – which clearly walk a tightrope between past Supreme Court decisions and the need to encourage more racial diversity in higher edu- cation. “Ensuring that our nation’s students are provided with learning environments com- prised of students of diverse backgrounds is not just a lofty ideal,” wrote Attorney General Eric Holder. “As the Supreme Court has recognized, the ben- efits of participating in diverse learning environments flow to an individual, his or her class- mates, and the community as a whole. “These benefits greatly con- tribute to the educational, eco- nomic, and civic life of this nation,” he said Friday. The crisis of college enroll- ment for African American students is stark: Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which have for more than 100 years graduated more Black students than any other institutions, are seeing enrollment drop-offs that threaten to shutter some cam- puses. Throughout the system of See BuF on page 3 See BaBieS on page 3 iNDeX News ......................2,3 Opinion ..................4,5 A & E ....................7,10 Obituaries..................8 Healthy Food...........11 Bids/Classifieds ........11 YouthPass Program for Kids on TriMet PPS students keep free transportation, but funds only cover this year By helen Silvis of The Skanner News H igh school students in have secured free transportation through the TriMet YouthPass until the end of this school year. That’s thanks to a deal inked this week between TriMet and the City of Portland, that will cover the program’s $675,000 shortfall. Still, the future of the program remains unclear, despite hopes that it will be extend- ed to students in and across the metro region. Multnomah Youth Commission organized support for the YouthPass, sending a letter out to school principals Nov. 27. “We had an overwhelming response,” says Todd Diskin, the mayor’s youth engagement co-coordinator, who works with the youth commission. “I received 250 emails to my office, from people in the community. They were from students, parents, and teachers. That spoke to the immediacy of the need. People really responded to this and told us it is very important.” See youthpaSS on page 3
