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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2012)
Opinion Portland Black Pride 2012: A Family Event T hey say it doesn’t get much hotter than July, well this June is burning up because Portland Black Pride is bringing the heat. That is why the theme for Portland Black Pride 2012 is FIRE! With nearly ten events spanning from June 6 to June 10, Portland Black Pride 2012 is guar- anteed to be a year to remember. Portland Black Pride strives to showcase and celebrate the cultur- al and social contributions of Black/African American Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) people in Port- land and across the country. It is important that we provide space in our Portland community for LGBTQ Black/African Americans and allies to come together to socialize, network, learn, and con- tinue to build a more vibrant community. In 2011 it seemed like Portland Black Pride was on the risk of not happening. PFLAG Portland B LACK P RIDE Khalil Edwards Black Chapter members, an organ- ization that provides support, education, and advocacy to the LGBT Black/African American community along with family and friends of LGBT Black/African Americans, knew that the tradition of Portland Black Pride was a nec- essary tradition that needed to continue. In 2011 PFLAG Port- land Black Chapter partnered with Portland Black Pride to bring the celebration back with a bang. Hosting over ten events over the course of a week the 2011 Port- land Black Pride celebration was one of the most successful years ever! “Most favorite [event] was the Pride Parade. Great energy, I felt the love and acceptance. Black, and proud, and out.” During the Pride Parade we marched down the street en masse with our vibrant Portland Black Pride t-shirts that read, “Gay and Black is Beautiful.” The t-shirts were such a hit that they even made it on to the evening news. This year we have another full slate of events happening all week long and will again march in the Wednesday, June 6 with a show and Hip Hop Party leading up to our official kick-off party and open-mic showcase the following Thursday evening at the same location. This year we are adding a Hip Hop/RnB Concert and Party featuring performances from top local artists. While it is important Portland Black Pride portlandblackpride@gmail.com PFLAG Portland Black Chapter www.pflagpdx.org huge Pride Parade on June 17, joining PFLAG Portland and PFLAG Portland Black Chapter, this year’s chosen Grand Mar- shall! Portland Black Pride will kick things off at the Local Lounge on for Black Pride to create spaces to socialize it is also vital that we create spaces and formats where we can come together to dialogue, share ideas, learn, and discuss the issues relevant to our community. This year Portland Black Pride will host the first Portland Black Pride Summit including work- shops and a roundtable discussion of topics such as faith in the Black community, and the intersections of multiple identities. Last year we ended our celebra- tion with our Families of Color Day Out picnic in the park. Par- ents, children, friends, and family from many diverse communities, sexual orientations, gender identi- ties, and racial backgrounds came together to dance, play cards, gather resources, enjoy food and enjoy each other. The energy at the park that day was so special that we decided to host the event again this year, on June 10, to enjoy good music, good food, fun games, and family and friends! Check out our full schedule of events on Facebook: Portland Black Pride Read the rest online at www.theskanner.com Stopping the Violence: Street Culture vs. Church T he Rev. Marvin Winans’ remark, “I refuse to be afraid of us,” in the wake of the robbery attack on him by four young Black men at a neighbor- hood gas station on Linwood and Davison, carries a moral truth. It is a statement deeply rooted in the belief that we cannot throw our children away or become prison- ers in our own communities, afraid to go out because young B LACK L OYALTY Bankole Thompson Black males have become tigers in the hood, on the prowl for their next victims. I refuse to accept the notion that there is nothing else we can do, and that the solution is to dump Detroit and move out as quickly as you can. While such reasoning is politically expedient and the com- mon sense thing to do in a state of fear, it is not the answer to the growing socioeconomic ills facing our community. It is not the answer to halt the violence in our town. To conclude that the best way to deal with the escalating violence in Detroit is to move out of the city is a defeatist attitude grounded in a weak notion that, in fact, we can no longer be problem solvers. Therefore, we should run away from the problem. What happened to our resilient spirit? Read the rest online at www.theskanner.com We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans. It is our primary goal as a labor union to better the lives of all people working in the building trades through advocacy, civil demonstration, and the long-held belief that work- ers deserve a "family wage" - fair pay for an honest day's work. A family wage, and the benefits that go with it, not only strength- ens families, but also allows our communities to become stronger, more cohesive, and more responsive to their citizens' needs. Our family wage agenda reflects our commitment to people working in the building trades, and to workers everywhere. In this small way, we are doing our part to help people achieve the American Dream. This dream that workers can hold dear regard- less of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious beliefs. The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Representing more than 5.000 construction workers in Oregon State. Do you want to know more about becoming a Union carpenter? June 6, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 5
