News
Breakfast
PdX Blood drive
continued from page 1
‘I was asked, why are you
going to Portland? Because to
me this is a trendsetting city.
Portland represents progress’
–Benjamin Chavis
me this is a trendsetting city,” Chavis said. “Portland repre-
sents progress.”
Chavis specifically cited immigration reform as part of
the Black agenda nationwide, as well as prison reform. But
one area was especially key in his analysis.
“Education is the single most important thing that can
lead to success in a person’s life,” Chavis said.
Many college scholarships were awarded by sponsors at
The Skanner News Martin Luther King Breakfast, includ-
ing:
Kaitlan Purkapile, Pacific NW Regional Council of Car-
penters, attends Portland State University;
Selam Wako, Portland Development Commission, attends
the University of Oregon;
Shaniece Curry, University of Oregon, attends University
of Oregon;
Dayja Curry, Oregon Lottery, attends the University of
Oregon;
Hanna Atenafu, Oregon Health and Science University,
attends Oregon State;
Christine Trinh, Providence Health Systems, attends
Georgetown University;
PHOTO COURTESY RED CROSS
Also honored was the Oregon Historical Society for its
project digitizing all The Skanner News print and digital
photo archives. Kerry Tymchuck, director of the Society,
accepted the award.
Chavis’ speech touched on King’s legacy in the areas of
voting rights, education, incarceration, entrepreneurship
and spirituality.
“I was asked, why are you going to Portland? Because to
In honor of Black History Month, the American Red Cross encourages African American donors to
give blood to help ensure a sufficient blood supply. Blood from a donor with a similar ethnic
background as that of the patient is less likely to cause complications, particularly for those
patients whose chronic conditions require repeated transfusions. Sickle cell disease is one such
chronic condition affecting as many as 100,000 people in the united States. All blood types are
currently needed to help maintain a diverse blood supply, especially types O negative, A
negative and B negative. To learn more about donating blood and to schedule an appointment,
visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-REd CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Gabriel Gutierrez-Aragon, City of Portland, attends De La
Salle North Catholic;
Victoria Trinh, Family Care, attends De La Salle North
Catholic;
Ashleigh Miller-Hayes, Home Forward, attends Seattle
Pacific University;
Veronica Medhanie, Pacific Power & Light, attends Port-
land State University;
Cameron Retherford, Turner Construction, attends Texas
Tech;
Henry Sissac, Wells Fargo Bank, attends University of
Iowa;
Michelle Carr, Wells Fargo Bank, attends Kent State;
Luis Sosa, The Skanner Foundation, attends De La Salle
North Catholic;
Marneet Lewis, The Skanner Foundation, attends Warner
Pacific.
NAACP
continued from page 1
a Youth Council, and celebrating a century
of service to this community. Initiatives
which follow will come from aspirations of
inspired members.
TSN: What challenges are you facing?
Hardesty: The spontaneous reactions of
so many have been encouraging. I’m actual-
ly humbled when folks respond to the
board’s campaign– to immediately recruit
101 new members– with, “How can I
help?” I see relief in people’s eyes, as if
their hopes are finally going to get serious
attention in an organized way.
One challenge has been to get folks to
understand that right from the beginning
NAACP has been inclusive; membership is
open to all races. We face big challenges
externally. Racial injustice has a way of per-
petuating itself in a community that thinks
itself progressive and occupying a post-
racial era. I’m hoping one result will be to
make sustained civil rights advocacy attrac-
tive to influencers who already have serious
demands on their time. We’ll need folks
who understand advocacy training, eco-
you to return, now as the group’s headship
is pretty major. What’s the significance of
your return to the NAACP, particularly in
the position you’re in now?
I see relief in people’s eyes, as if their hopes are
finally going to get serious attention in an
organized way
TSN: Last time you were involved with
this organization more than a decade ago
there was some major internal turmoil. For
Hardesty: Frankly, I was embarrassed by
some choices Chapter 1120B was making.
Realizing the need for a powerful NAACP
is as vital as it’s ever been, I re-connected
two years ago. I began to understand that,
not only was the group failing to wield
influence as the U.S. Department of Justice
sought help in the most significant Portland
civil rights initiative in a generation. The
chapter’s lack of organization and leader-
authored Carlos’ autobiography with the
Olympian titled ‘The John Carlos Story:
The Sports Movement That Changed The
World’.
“John Carlos’ fist on that Olympic stand
in 1968 sent a message to the entire world
that Black people were done being second
class citizens and weren’t just going to go
nomic development, city planning
processes and legislative policy. I’m com-
mitted to leadership development. We’ll
need those who’ve achieved success to help
elevate those who’ve been on the downside
of power.
ship had a negative impact on initiatives
sought by the Alaska-Oregon-Washington
State Area Conference as well. I thought,
“Not on my watch.” I’m unwilling to sit on
the sidelines and allow this institution to die
or be co-opted.
When I served as first Vice President in
the
late
‘90s,
we
campaigned
against Willamette Week, over a cartoon
they published which we perceived as
racist. Chapter 1120B called upon advertis-
ers to pull ads until Willamette
Week printed an apology in their paper.
Within a week we won our demand. That is
the power the NAACP has, when it operates
as intended. I hope it’s significant that folks
who’ve known this power will return to full
participation. I want to be one among many.
Read the rest online at
www.theskanner.com
Carlos
continued from page 1
into the national spotlight; and the caught-
on-camera chokehold of Eric Garner in
New York City have sparked conversations
across the country.
Carlos will discuss these issues alongside
fellow panelists, Aretha Basu and Marissa
Jenae activists in the Black Lives Matter
movement, Jesse Hagopian contributing
author and editor of “More Than a Score:
The New Uprising Against High-Stakes
Testing educator at Garfield High School
and advisor of the school’s Black Student
Union who made national headlines when
he led pupils in protest of current standard-
ized testing requirements; Gerald
Hankerson, president of the Seattle-King
County NAACP, and Dave Zirin who co-
‘We’ve seen in cities across the nation young
people with their hands up are again revealing
injustice in the American justice system’
Students from Garfield High School’s
Black Student Union, whose work has
included staging a walkout following the
non-indictment in Garner’s death, will host
the event.
represent the United States and propogate
the image of a free society,” says Hagopian,
one of the night’s panelists, “similarly today
we’ve seen in cities across the nation that
young people with their hands up are again
revealing the injustice in the American jus-
tice system.”
Hagopian calls Carlos a “lifelong pursuer
of social justice” and says the lessons the
69-year-old will share will help galvanize a
“new civil rights movement” in Seattle.
Carlos will be on hand following the
event to autograph copies of his autobiogra-
phy ‘The John Carlos Story: The Sports
Movement That Changed The World.’
For more information on the event, con-
tact
Jesse
Hagopian
by
phone
206-962-1685
or
email
him
at jesse@rethinkingschools.org.
A page
for the event of Facebook includes more
details on the event.
January 21, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 3