Local News
Hank
Big Float 3
continued from page 1
Portland Exposition Center, Consultant,
Legal Assistant to State Representative
Michael Fahey Sr. and Animal Control
Director. In 2000, Hank returned to
Spokane as the City Manager and Interim
City Administrator. In an attempt to retire,
he returned to Portland, however, everyone
he served on the Board of Directors. He
never tired, especially if it was something
that he believed in. He always gave 150
percent, touching many lives through vari-
ous organizations, including The Center for
Airway Science, Oregon Assembly for
Black Affairs, Project Pooch, Multco Cred-
it Union, Board of Bar Governor’s,
Oregon State Bar, Rosemont School,
Mainstream Youth Program Inc, Gar-
lington Center, Federal Judicial
Council, Multnomah County Citi-
zens Budget Advisory Committee,
Treasure for Blacks in Government,
Oregon Adult Prison Authority,
American Civil Liberties Union,
Independent Police Review, Oregon Youth
Prison Authority, Citizens Review Commit-
tee (CRC) and the Oregon Affiliate Repre-
sentative for the ACLU.
who knew Hank knows that didn’t happen.
He became a mortgage broker for Discover
Mortgage for several years before finally
retiring (again).
His retirement however, consisted of very
little gardening. He continued to be a force
in the community by contributing his time
and talents to many organizations for which
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Talks
PHOTO BY THE SKANNER NEWS
In 1981, Hank brought all
of his energy and ideals to
Portland
Some 1,700 Willamette River-lovers grabbed inner-tubes and life vests and
jumped in last Sunday for Big Float 3. The event is designed to encourage
more recreational uses of the Willamette as water quality has improved
after construction of the Big Pipe and bioswale street features around the
city.
continued from page 1
event brings together an array of significant
Civil Rights milestones that all happened in
quick succession over the past few weeks:
The U.S. Supreme Court’s strike-down of
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965;
the Court’s nullification of the Defense of
Marriage Act, paving the way for same-sex
marriage around the United States; and
Zimmerman’s acquittal in Martin’s death.
The Tuesday night event poses these
questions:
What are the connections between these
seemingly
separate
events?
Why should these setbacks in our quest for
justice
matter
to
Oregonians?
How do we channel our confusion, frustra-
tion, passion, and even anger into a broad
movement
for
social
change?
“A lot of our allies might think African
Americans are the people who are primarily
affected by the Voting Rights Act,” she said.
“We wanted to raise it up because we think
it is a critical rail of foundation for all our
rights as citizens in America.
“The right to vote, to vote for democratic
Marriage Act, where there was a lot of joy,
jubilation, celebration, communities all
over. And then came this striking down of
the key underpinning of the Voting Rights
and it stayed only for a moment in the pub-
‘We saw that there was an important
conversation that needed to be had – a critical
conversation as community’
ideals, the right to exercise your participa-
tion, your civic engagement, in crafting and
working towards the country we all deserve
— we didn’t think it was elevated enough,”
she says.
“And truthfully, it came just after the
appropriate striking down of the Defense of
lic’s attention.
“We want to talk about that and how we
have to make ‘together’ be about unity.”
At the Portland schools Equity Depart-
ment event Aug. 6 at Jefferson High School,
local youth groups will feature prominently,
including Self-Enhancement Inc., SEI;
cialize in a single sport.
For example, he says young basketball
players play the equivalent of an NBA
schedule because of the rise of the AAU
scene.
One thing Blassingame has noticed with
the increased specialization is that serious
injuries are more prevalent today.
He says playing multiple sports helped
prevent injuries and develop athletes’ bod-
says first, you have to learn how to proper-
ly lift your own body weight. Then you can
transition to properly lifting the bar and
progress from there.
It also goes back to nutrition, he says.
As a body builder, he is required to stick
to a strict meal regiment and pay careful
attention to how he conditions. Blassingame
thinks other athletes could learn a lot from
body builders.
EMBODI; the Robotics Program; the Youth
Aviation Program and more.
Audience members will have a chance to
discuss the topic in a safe environment
under the guidance of small group dialogue
facilitators provided by Uniting to Under-
stand Racism, the City of Portland’s Inter-
group Dialogue Program and Resolutions
Northwest.
RACE TALKS 2 is an off-shoot of the
highly acclaimed RACE TALKS: Uniting
to Break the Chains of Racism, An Oppor-
tunity for Dialogue held monthly the second
Tuesday of each month in the McMenamins
Kennedy School Gym, from 7-9 p.m.
RACE TALKS 2, sponsored by Portland
Public School’s Office of Equity, is held in
Jefferson High School’s Cafeteria, 5210 N.
Kerby Ave. between Killingsworth &
Alberta in the Cafeteria, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Body
continued from page 1
it doesn’t let me just stop learning,” says
Blassingame. “It helps me grow as a trainer.
When you specialize in one thing, I think
your knowledge base kind of slows down.”
He grew up around body builders and
began weight training and conditioning
around the age of 15. His uncle had weights
in the attic and he started working out as a
fluke. He soon took a liking to it.
“That first time—Feeling that soreness
turns a lot of people off but for some reason
I kind of liked that feeling,” says
Blassingame.
The early strength training and condition-
ing helped give him an advantage when he
got into sports in high school. He noticed
he was in better shape than his peers and
that helped propel him to be a three sports
star at Jefferson.
Blassingame went on to play basketball
at Umpqua Community College and won
co-defensive player of the year.
Although basketball was his favorite
sport, he says he was more gifted in football
and track in high school. However, he did-
n’t have anyone to steer him towards put-
ting more of his efforts into either of those
sports.
Blassingame notes that the climate around
high school sports is different today. Back
in his day, it was the thing to be a multi-
sport athlete. Now, many more athletes spe-
Blassingame notes that the climate around high
school sports is different today. Back in his day, it
was the thing to be a multi-sport athlete. Now,
many more athletes specialize in a single sport
ies.
“You have more injuries now because
women and guys specialize in one sport in
which you’re continuously utilizing the
same muscle groups and a lot of women and
guys, they don’t do their homework as far as
retraining the muscles that they’re breaking
down,” he says.
It’s a tricky era for athletes, but
Blassingame suggests finding someone to
teach proper lifting form and technique. He
“I like to say, ‘Train like an athlete, but eat
like a body builder and you’ll have less
injuries,’” he says. “You’re only going to
run or play as good as that fuel you put
inside you. If you put a low grade of fuel
inside yourself, you’re going to play at a
low level.”
Despite the questionable eating habits that
tend to go along with teenage life,
Blassingame says many of the young ath-
letes he works with are receptive to his mes-
sage.
Ultimately, his goal is to instill good
habits in all of the young people he works
with so they live healthier lives.
“My biggest message to a lot of kids is
that it’s not that I’m trying to make you a
better athlete,” says Blassingame. “I’m try-
ing to make you a better, healthier human
being after high school, after college so you
at least have this knowledge to fall back on.
“A lot of kids respect me because I prac-
tice what I preach.”
Blassingame trains twice a day. To per-
form well, he says body builders need to
have 5-7 meals a day, portioned out by
grams depending on their size.
Since he began competing, he had to stop
playing basketball. High impact cardio,
which includes interval running, eats at the
muscles in the long run, so he and body
building peers do low impact workouts like
walking on the treadmill, the StairMaster
and the elliptical machine.
“What I’m doing now is lifesaving,” says
Blassingame. “I’m preserving my body
with all the work that I’m putting in versus
taking that constant pounding every day.”
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July 31, 2013
The Portland Skanner Page 3