WWW . THESKANNER . COM
J ULY 4, 2012
P ORTLAND , O REGON
V OLUME XXXIV, N O . 27
CENTS
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Have a Safe Fourth
C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW
Harold
Williams
Dies
25
PROTEST
P
JERRY FOSTER
ortland businessman, youth advocate
and public servant Harold Williams
Sr. has passed away after suffering a
stroke last week. A towering figure on the
Portland landscape for more than 50 years,
PHOTO BY
Civic leader helped
change the face of
higher education
Harold Williams
Williams many achievements include serv-
ing as Oregon’s first Affirmative Action
Director, reporting to Gov. Bob Straub.
A celebration of his life will be held 11
a.m. Thursday, July 12, at Portland Commu-
nity College’s Cascade campus, 705 N.
Killingsworth St. in the gym. The public is
invited to share their recollections and sto-
ries.
A Portland Community College board
member since 1990, Williams was a lifelong
champion of education. Representing Zone
2, which includes Cascade campus,
Williams helped steer the college through a
period of unprecedented expansion. The
growth of the college brought new educa-
tional and training opportunities to North
and Northeast Portland. In 2010, his work
for the college was recognized with the
Pacific Region Trustee Leadership Award.
“This is a sad time for us all,” said PCC
District President Preston Pulliams.
See WILLIAMS on page 3
INDEX
News ..............2,3,9,12
Opinion ..................4,5
A & E ......................6,8
Bids/Classifieds ...10,11
Former students – and prospective students – at the Harriet Tubman Young Women’s Academy staged a silent protest
in front of the school Monday afternoon, as the building was closed down for the last time by the Portland Public
Schools District. Clockwise from left, Jada Commodore, 11; Priscilla Kitanga, 11; M’Kya Bettega, 11; Lydia Chiton, 9;
Gloria Kitanga, 9; and Chiarka Bettega, 9, all taped their mouths shut and wrote the letters ‘by PPS’ over their mouths
to signify the criticism that district officials voted to fast-track the school closure and denied its community a full
public process.
Want to Braid Hair? Get Licensed
New effort to change state laws keeping women out of business
By Lisa Loving
Of The Skanner News
A
mber Starks just wanted
to volunteer to braid the
hair of African Ameri-
can and Native American girls
in foster care; both groups are
over-represented in the system,
and carers are desperate for help
with the kids’ culturally-specific
hair needs.
But despite the solid backing
of the Oregon Department of
Human Services, Starks isn’t
allowed to do it because it’s
against the law.
So she’s taking it to Salem –
and she’s already got the atten-
tion of lawmakers ready to craft
new legislation.
“Currently the state of Oregon
requires anyone who’s going to
do hairdressing – that means
touching the hair for any reason
– to attend the cosmetology pro-
gram, which is 1,700 hours
specifically just for hairdress-
ing,” Starks says. “So that’s
what is required, if you want to
braid hair, put hair in a ponytail
– even volunteer to do hair or
put it in a ponytail.”
What’s more, standard beauty
schools don’t teach Black hair
care. So getting licensed by the
Oregon Board of Cosmetology
takes a couple of years, thou-
sands of dollars and involves
learning about hairstyling
chemicals, heat equipment and
more — practices that Starks,
and other natural hair champi-
ons, never plan to use.
Starks says that not only are
the state licensing rules a barrier
to African and African Ameri-
can women who want to build a
career around creating braids,
twists and curls, but it’s also a
barrier to the natural hair move-
ment itself – which is promoting
healthier living by getting away
from chemicals and hot irons.
See BRAIDS on page 3
PAL’s East Portland Youth Center Grows
Problem: Fifty teens show up, but center can’t fund evening meals
Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
T
he PAL Youth Center, at 424 N.E.
172nd Avenue at Glisan St., is a
bright spot in East Portland’s strug-
gling Rockwood neighborhood.
With free lunches, a large gym and an
enthusiastic, young staff group, the center
has been attracting around 200 youth every
day – including some of the city’s poorest
and most “at-risk.” But with a dilapidated
building, a tight budget and no extra money
to feed the 50 or so teens who flock to
evening basketball, PAL is scrambling to
meet the need.
“The energy out here in the last few
months has just gone through the roof,” says
Jay Williams, the rangy Portland State Uni-
versity graduate, who took the helm of the
club last year.
“We have 185 kids who believe in every-
thing we do, because they have a voice in
everything we do.”
These teens don’t always feel safe in their
neighborhoods, Williams says, but they can
feel safe at PAL.
“Whatever they want to do, I will make it
See PAL on page 9