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