Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2015)
Fellowship T he theme, “If Not You, Then Who? Be the Change,” kicks off the 9th Annual Y.O.U.th Summit, coming up Feb.6 - 7, at the Blazers Boys & Girls Club, 5250 NE MLK Jr. Blvd. The Youth Talent Show- case is Feb. 6, starting at 6:30 p.m. Summit registra- tion is Feb. 7, starting at 11 a.m. with workshops begin- ning at 12 p.m. The event provides men- torship, encouragement, and training opportunities for young people and adults of all ethnicities in the Port- land area to cultivate their budding leadership and organizing skills. The summit also showcas- es youth talent with prizes that reward them for having the courage to perform. “There is no other oppor- tunity like this in the Pacific Northwest,” says Imani Muhammad, award-win- ning community activist and founder of Youth Organized and United to Help (Y.O.U.th), organizer of the annual Y.O.U.th Sum- mit. “We are focusing our empowering workshops and activities through the lens of Hip Hop, which is a culture and ideology that is woven into almost every aspect of an urban young person’s life.” Muhammad founded the first Y.O.U.th Summit in 2007 in response to the inner Northeast Portland shooting death of 14-year- old DaVonte Lightfoot, a Benson High School stu- dent and one of Muhammad’s former stu- dents. The summit provides an atmosphere for youth and adults to experience a high level of reasoning and “edu- tainment” while also exploring the five elements of Hip Hop. Again this year, the Y.O.U.th Summit – in part- nership with the Boys & Girls Club of Portland Met- ropolitan Area – is also providing an occasion for parents to celebrate their black children, whether bio- logical, adopted or foster, as a counter narrative to the reality that black life in Happy 103rd Zelma Scarborough, wife of the late Naymon Scarborough, founder of Scarborough Oil, celebrated her 103rd birthday on Jan. 22, 2015. Many relatives and friends celebrated a birthday dinner with her. She was born in 1912 in yazoo City, Mississippi, the fifth child of 10 siblings. Her daughter, Phyllis, and Jon, along with her granddaughter, Chris, and brother, O.D. spend time with Zelma, watching sports, mainly the Trail Blazers. Zelma is a member of the Good Shepherd Church. Portland and around the country is often devalued. In partnership with the Y.O.U.th Summit, the “My Black Sons & Daughters Are Worthy” project, organ- ized by creative revolutionist S. Renee Mitchell, will offer the com- munity an empowering, community-based art per- formance using music, movement, song and poetry, written by Portland parents, all intended to express love for their children. The Regional Arts & Culture Council funds this celebra- tory project. ty, and alumni. For most of Salih’s life, he has been crit- ically engaged in a number organizations, struggles, and movements that attempt summit include the Univer- sity of Oregon Journalism and Communications Department, which is com- mitted to more sustainable The Y.O.U.th Summit – in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Portland Metropolitan Area – is also providing an occasion for parents to celebrate their black children, whether biological, adopted or foster The summit’s keynote speaker is Salih Muham- mad, a 22-year-old graduate of the University of Califor- nia Berkeley and executive director of the Afrikan Black Coalition, a statewide collective of Black Student Unions that seeks to organ- ize, mobilize, and empower black students, staff, facul- Page 10 The Portland and Seattle Skanner January 28, 2015 PHOTO COURTESY SCARBOROUGH FAMILY 9th Annual y.O.U.th Summit: Training, Encouraging, Celebrating to elevate the condition of humanity and young people across the United States. Concluding the Y.O.U.th Summit will be a “Be The Change” concert, featured local talent Mic Crenshaw, Blacque Butterfly, RoseCity Mischief, Talilo, and DJ Grimrock. Key sponsors for the outreach outside of its downtown Portland campus in order to build capacity for community storytelling. Other sponsors include KBOO Radio and the Amer- ican Friends Service Committee. For more information and to register go to www.port- landyouthsummit.org.
