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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2015)
www . theskanner . com a ugust 19, 2015 P ortland and s eattle V olume XXXVII, n o . 46 For The Skanner website scan this QR code cents Pacific NW The Skanner News presents our new regional edition, featuring more news and local information. C hallenging P eoPle to S haPe a B etter F uture n ow Black Dining Event 25 PIE CONTEST Portland’s Black Restaurant Weekend takes place Aug. 28 By Donovan M. Smith Of The Skanner News See RESTAURANTS on page 3 INDEX News .....................1,2,8 Opinion .......................6 Calendars ................3,4 A & E ...........................5 Bids/Classifieds ............7 PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED A ugust is Black Business Month, and during the weekend of Aug. 28 one Portland woman is encouraging the city at large to support one of the many Black-owned businesses in town. Bertha Pearl first heard of Black Business Month after reading an article highlighting the nationwide celebration in the San Fran- cisco Chronicle. “I saw the article and saw that they were doing a Black restaurant day, and I thought it was a good idea,” Pearl said. “So I put it out on my Facebook page, and a friend of mine said, ‘Well, somebody should do an event page, and I said, ‘I can do that.’” Pearl created an event page for the Aug. 28-29 weekend a little more than a week ago, and within a few days, more than 2,100 people liked the event. Though officially Black Business Month already highlighted restaurants earlier in the year, Pearl said she was compelled to make the Portland event last the weekend. Pearl, who is White, says she believes ev- eryone should support Black businesses. “I’m excited about trying these [business- es] not just for one day, or one weekend, but throughout the year. For me this is kind of like creating awareness. I don’t believe something like this is a one-day thing. When you find a restaurant that you love, you don’t just go to it one day. You keep going back,” Pearl said. Two San Francisco men, John William Templeton and Frederic E. Jordan (both entrepreneurs themselves) , founded Black Business Month in 2004, in an effort to in- crease visibility and cash flow for Black en- trepreneurs. “We started this because Black businesses just get ignored by everybody, and this is our month to say no, just think about [shopping with us,” Templeton told The Skanner. “Af- rican American businesses are more likely Mahilet Mesfin, 16, celebrates after winning the annual pie-eating contest at the Rainier Valley Heritage Festival Aug. 15. The pie-eating contest, which was sponsored by the Lakewood Seward Park Community Club, followed the annual Rainier Valley Heritage parade and was one of numerous activities during the festival. Seniors Can Now Age in ‘Villages’ Virtual villages will ensure aging people can stay home with support By Arashi Young Of The Skanner News A ccording to a 2011 AARP study, nearly 90 percent of people over age 65 want to live in their homes as they age. But, health issues, the loss of mobility and the need for help with home maintenance can threaten that independence Throughout the Portland area, there are seven virtual retire- ment villages in development that will enable people to age in their own homes with the help of an online network. The Skanner News spoke with Patt Opdyke and Margaret Bald- win who are creating villages in the Portland area. Opdyke spear- heads the North Star Village which serves neighborhoods in North Portland, the city of Lin- nton, Forest Park and Sauvie Island. Baldwin organizes the Northeast Village PDX, which covers neighborhoods north of the Banfield expressway, from the Concordia neighborhood to 122nd avenue. They said older people will need help with “honey-do” tasks such as flipping mattresses or climbing ladders to change light bulbs or clean gutters. “It’s those little tasks that, if a person can’t do them, life can become difficult. But if you have someone doing them, then you can remain living in- dependently very comfortably,” Opdyke said. The village movement was created so seniors could have access to help without giving up their independence by living in a nursing facility. In a virtual retirement village, services are brought to the elderly in their homes. Villages are networks that connect seniors with com- munity resources, home health care agencies and volunteers. Baldwin said this model is more efficient and cost effective because it connects seniors only to services they need instead of paying for full retirement care. “It’s a much less expensive option than going to a retirement See VILLAGES on page 3 Peace Fest Aims to Empower Youth Former Sen. Avel Gordly to speak at the Aug. 23 event at Benson By Arashi Young Of The Skanner News Y oung musicians, singers, spoken word artists and dancers will all con- verge at Benson Polytechnic High School to perform in the name of peace. The Black Women for Peace organization are holding their fourth annual Peace Fes- tival at the high school at 3 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 23. Former State Sen. Avel Gordly is slated to give the welcoming address. The event is free and open to the public. This years’ theme is “Do you care about me?” Organizer Regena Warren said the theme was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. All of the festival perfor- mances were in part inspired by the theme. “We asked (the artists), when you hear the phrase, ‘Do you care about me?’ what comes to mind for you?” Warren said. The event will feature performances from companies such as the Kemba Shannon Dance Center Rainbow Group, the Perform- ing Arts Youth Ensemble choir and the Cun- ningham Dancers ballet troupe. There will also be spoke word performances from art- ists like Tyler White, Montrell Goss and Jes- se Jones. All of the entertainers are between See PEACE on page 3
