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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2012)
local news Diabetes honored continued from page 1 and 74 have diabetes as well as one in four Black women over the age of 55. According the American Diabetes Association, these disparities are reflected in the complications from the disease as well. Blacks are 50 percent more likely than non Hispanic whites to develop diabetic retinopathy, which is associated with blind- ness. Similarly, blacks are 2.6 to 5.6 times more likely to suffer from kidney disease with 4,000 new cases of End Stage Renal Disease each year. Lastly, Blacks are 2.7 times more like- ly to suffer from lower limb amputations. According to Yoder, The American D i a b e t e s Association has been putting on these Expos since 2002. She says the first one was held in Phoenix, Arizona and was well received and well attended. Since, the Expo has expanded to cities all across the US. Yoder says attendance continues to grow in Portland. This year, she says the organi- zation is expecting over 5,000 attendees. She says there are 65 exhibitors and a variety of activities available. Jesse Wornum of the biggest loser will be opening the doors at 8:45 a.m. and then sharing his personal story of how he’s learned to manage his diabetes. Attendees can sign up for the “Walk with Jesse” Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes Team in the American Diabetes Association Experience. There Expo will also feature healthy cooking and active living demonstrations. The healthy cooking stage will feature presentations Ivy Manning, Chef Bill King ad Chef Tamara. According to Yoder, it will address issues like snacks and cooking on a budget. The active living stage will feature presentations f r o m C U RV E S , D e A n n e Hardy and Stephanie Knoll. Topics will include “Circuit Training”, “Zumba: Shake Your Booty”, “Don’t Be Square, Just Dance” and “Sit & Be Fit”. Some of the resources available to atten- dees will include the aforementioned free hearing screenings, a panel on finding help and a senior pavilion, according to Yoder. There will also be an “ask an expert” area where attendees can have one on one ques- tion and answer sessions. African-Americans are 1.6 times more likely than non Hispanic whites to have Type 2 diabetes Portland civic leader John Canda, left, chair of Connected, received the Drum Major 2012 rosa Parks Award at the Sixth Annual “Living the Dream” at the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church last weekend. here he is pictured with Portland mayor candidate Charlie hales. Lastly, the Expo will be holding a speaker series in both English and Spanish. The English speakers include Michael Fulop, Elizabeth Stephens of Providence Medical Center, Andrew Ahmann of the Harold Schnitzer Diabetes Health Center, Dan Root of Oregon Sleep Associates, Michelle Grove of the Portland Clinic and Steven Tillet. Spanish speakers include Leda Garside, Ruth Dallas and Lucrecia Suarez. Some of the topics the speakers will be covering include diabetes burnout, the rela- tionship between sleep disorders and Type 2 diabetes and the necessity of having a dia- betes team, or a set of doctors to handle par- ticular complications from the disease. “It teaches people how to maintain their diabetes so they don’t lose a foot or a toe,” says Yoder. “The lack of inclusion and economic par- ity in the private sector, along with lack of access to capital, severely limited options for Black Americans to generate or create wealth five decades ago. The same problem exists today,” Green said. “Our strategy is to tell the story of the Innovation Economy, its challenges and opportunities, in a manner that’s easy to understand, using three core pillars: · STEM (science technology, engineering and math) education and workforce devel- opment Entrepreneurship, especially high-growth entrepreneurship Access to Capital and Capital Formation. Our approach is to follow the solution pro- vided by Dr. Martin Luther King. We seek to connect the disconnected and develop strong relationships across the racial and economic divide. Unfortunately, as Green explained, Black Americans have been excluded from the wealth creation strategies that have worked well for other Americans. And unemployment has remained twice as high in Black communities as in White – the same as during Dr. King’s lifetime. “Today we see the economic consequence of decades of isolation and disconnect due to White businesses and majority corporations keeping Black busi- nesses and entrepreneurs at arm’s length. With few opportunities to connect to those in our society generating wealth, Black America has lagged in its ability to compete and thrive economically, and the wealth gap has widened. As President Obama has said, “it isn’t class warfare, it’s math.” Nationally Green’s organization is part- nering with Rutgers Business School, CNN, Open Government TV and a growing group of potential investors, entrepreneurs and educators. The University of Portland host- ed a screening of a CNN documentary on the issue. At the breakfast, Patrick Quinton, executive director of the Portland Development Commission, said the PDC will be interested in supporting the initiative as it develops. After getting inspired by Green’s speech, scholarship sponsors presented awards worth $1000 each to about 20 students, who had graduated from local high schools. Some students have received multiple scholarships through the foundation, help- ing them as they progress through college and university. Wrapping up the event was the Skanner Publisher, Bernie Foster. As well as thank- ing all the sponsors and volunteers who made the event possible, he urged legisla- tors to make sure that federal resources help those who need it most. recently under a broad interpretation of the term “collective garden.’’ And a new law could open the door to a statewide dispensary boom, especially in some larger cities, such as Bellevue, that have refused to allow them. ``I don’t think it’s fair that Seattle and Tacoma have people coming from all over the place to purchase marijuana in their jurisdiction,’’ Kohl-Welles said. The bill sets off what is likely to be a big year for marijuana-policy debates. Lawmakers are expected to send to voters in November an initiative that would legalize and tax recreational-marijuana sales. Whether lawmakers have the stomach — or the time — to legalize dispensaries is unclear in a session already crowded with a budget deficit of roughly $1.5 billion and a gay-marriage proposal. Police oppose dispensaries, and federal authorities recently raided some shops. Cody, who has invested about $20,000 in Herban Legends, said he is patient, if nerv- ous. ``We’re still in this limbo,’’ he said. ``As time goes on, more people will come on board. Things take a while, and they should.’’ After Gregoire’s partial veto of a 2001 bill that would have set up statewide regulation of dispensaries, storefront shops gravitated to perceived safe havens, particularly Seattle. Event continued from page 1 The convention center staff served up crab patties, topped with poached egg in béar- naise sauce and a waffle. Portland Community Media and the North Portland Multimedia Training Center recorded the event live for broadcast on Channel 30. Madam Wendy Jackson led the singing of the Black National Anthem ‘Lift Ev’ry Voice’ and also delighted the audience with the classic, “I’ve come too far to turn back now.” Pastor Crayton Jackson of Daniels Memorial Church of God in Christ gave the invocation and the benediction. the Skanner’s news editor, Lisa Loving, presented the Drum major for Justice Award 2012 to Karanja Crews, a teacher and the inventor of Journey to Freedom. Journey to Freedom started out as an interactive game designed to engage Black students through teach- ing the history and culture of African Americans. From that small beginning Journey to Freedom has become a program that works especially well with young Black men to encourage reading and promote academic success . Accepting the award, Crews said he stands on the shoulders of those who came before him, not just Martin Luther King Jr, and other national civil rights leaders, but also the local heroes who blazed the civil rights trail in Portland, people like Avel Gordly and Ron Herndon. Green, a former CNN journalist, now lives in Oregon. He blogs for the Huffington Post, but his main focus is the America 21 Project, which he co-founded with economic development expert Johnathan Holifield and biotech entrepre- neur Chad Womack. The project aims to link Black Americans to the structures that create wealth in America. (You can find out more at the website, blackinnovation.org) Black Americans have been excluded from the wealth creation strategies that have worked well for other Americans Read the rest of this story online at www.theskanner.com Pot continued from page 1 Legislators, still pained by the veto but pressed by cities to fix the mess, are prepar- ing to try again. A hearing is scheduled Wednesday on SB 6265, a bill proposed by medical marijuana’s champion in Olympia, Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, to legalize nonprofit dispensers and kick regu- lation to cities. If passed, the plan could clear a legal haze hovering over storefront shops. Although not explicitly allowed under state law, they have operated via legal loopholes, most Read the rest of this story online at www.theskanner.com January 18, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 3
