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A UGUST 7, 2013
P ORTLAND , O REGON
V OLUME XXXV, N O . 44
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C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW
Changes
Rock
NAMCO
DIATRIBE
Longtime volunteers
leave organization in
leadership shake-up
By Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
PHOTO BY BRUCE POINSETTE
T
he Oregon branch of the National
Association of Minority Contractors
has gained a new president, Andrew
Colas. At the same time longtime advocates
Faye Burch and Maurice Rahming resigned
from the board. NAMCO members and oth-
ers are asking what happened.
Last Spring, Andrew Colas took the reins
at the Oregon branch of the National Asso-
ciation of Minority Contractors. At the
same time, former board president Maurice
Rahming and longtime advocate Faye
Burch, who had just been re- elected to the
board, decided to resign.
Many NAMCO members and those who
have worked with the organization are ask-
ing what happened and why.
The resignations happened just after the
new board had been elected by the mem-
bers. Once elected the board elects its
officers. Rahming and others suggested
Burch for the position. A co-founder of the
local branch, Burch had never sought a for-
mal leadership role. But this time, she
agreed.
A vote was taken and Burch was elected in
a 4-3 split. But, after a heated discussion
–described as “hair-raising,” in an off the
record comment by a non-board member
who was at the meeting–the board decided
to hold a special meeting to elect officers.
At the next meeting, one of the board
members who had voted for Burch switched
sides, and ultimately, the board decided to
go forward with Andrew Colas as president.
Burch and Rahming resigned.
James Posey, also a co-founder of
NAMCO argues that consultants are periph-
eral to NAMCO’s mission.
“I believe the organization should be run
by contractors, not by consultants,” said
James Posey, who led the opposition to
Burch’s nomination. “She took offense to
that.”
The Obo Addy Legacy Project presented “Obo Addy’s Legacy: DiaTribe—From the Village to the Streets,” Tuesday
night at the Washington Park Summer Festival. The second performance so far linking hip hop to its African roots
was an overwhelming success. More pictures on page 6.
‘I Have a Dream’ Remembered
Portland organizers plan regional ‘March on Washington’ event
By Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
T
he historic March on
Washington for Jobs and
Freedom is 50 years old
this month. So all around the
country activists will rally to
celebrate the victories of the
civil rights movement of the
1960s, while gathering strength
for the civil rights battles that lie
ahead.
Whether you’re concerned
about racial profiling, voting
rights, the lack of jobs and eco-
See CONTRACTORS on page 3
INDEX
News ...........2,3,8,9,12
Opinion ..................4,5
A & E ......................6,7
Church ....................10
Auto.........................10
Bids/Classifieds ........11
nomic opportunities or dispari-
ties in policing, education,
justice and health systems,
organizers say this event is your
opportunity not just to remem-
ber history, but to make history.
“We are seeing an attempt to
turn back the clock on civil
rights,” says Rev. Leroy Haynes
of the Albina Ministerial
Alliance coalition. “So we feel
there is a critical need to draw
attention to racial profiling,
stand your ground laws, mass
incarceration and equity in edu-
cation and employment. These
are great issues that we still
have to challenge and deal with.
“One major goal of the Wash-
ington DC march and our
regional march here is to get
Congress to rewrite Section 4 of
the Voting Rights Act, which
was recently struck down the
Supreme Court. We need to hold
states accountable when they
attempt to suppress African
American and Latino votes, as
well as seniors and other peo-
ple.”
In Portland, protesters will
meet up at 10 a.m. on August
24th, at Terry Schrunk
Plaza before heading to Water-
front Park. The rally, speakers,
and music will begin at 1
p.m. The regional event is
planned for the same time as the
national event in Washington
DC.
Confirmed
speakers
include: Sen. Jeff Merkley,
Governor Kitzhaber and Oregon
Attorney General Ellen Rosen-
blum.
Not everyone can travel to
Washington DC, Haynes said.
Yet many people believe in
See MARCH on page 3
Warner Pacific Sophomore Dead at 20
Sudden cardiac arrest claims life of promising young student
By Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
A
t Gresham High School in 2011,
Michael Muange played wide
receiver and safety on the Varsity
football team. Nobody could have guessed
that such a strong, fast athlete had a heart
condition that would take his life suddenly
without warning.
Yet this week Muange’s family is mourn-
ing the 20-year-old, who died suddenly of
heart failure as he sat down to eat with
friends.
(A portion of the proceeds from Provi-
dence Bridge Pedal and Providence Bridge
Stride this Sunday will be donated to Provi-
dence Heart and Vascular Institute’s
PlaySmart program, which offers free heart
screenings to teenagers to help prevent sud-
den cardiac arrest, see page 2.)
A sophomore at Warner Pacific Universi-
ty, Muange hoped to build a career in
business. He had been painting a house that
day as part of his business assignments for a
program called College Pro, says his sister
Grace Muange Kambumba.
Michael was playful and fun to be
See MUANGE on page 3