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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2015)
News Models continued from page 1 Most of the women Forster captured in black and white in 1975 are in their 60s now, though some have passed away. Others have moved out of state, and a few could not be lo- cated. Forster said prints of the few who hadn’t been found were placed on a table in the hope that someone may recognize them. The women who remain in Portland — Debbie Hicks, Patsy Andrews, Rosa Bletson-Washington and Sue Chiles — took to the runway with style and confidence. Those not present from the original shoots included: Mariam Fletcher, Sophia Gentry, Melinda Hicks, Barbara Garnett, Terry Napper and Jackie Allen. Hicks called the experience “incredible.” Despite losing contact, the women’s comradery remained. “It was as if we had not missed a beat. The girls were on cue, and we didn’t even have a rehearsal,” Hicks said. According to Hicks, all of the women from the Forster’s original shoot were a part of a now-defunct Northeast Port- land-based modeling troupe called the “Golden Girls.” “We ate together, we did these shows all over the state of Oregon — on the coast, up in the mountains, here in the neighborhood, so we pretty much got a chance to know each other and each other’s moves,” Hicks said. “[The reunion show] proved that nobody’s lost anything.” Hicks said when she heard people were looking to find them this past summer she was both surprised and elated. “Most of us weren’t looking to be big-time models,” she PHOTO BY BRUCE FORSTER ‘It was as if we had not missed a beat. The girls were on cue, and we didn’t even have a rehearsal’ The top floor of the North Portland library became a runway Sept. 27 during a fashion show reuniting a group of African American models Portland photographer Bruce Forster worked with in 1975. The models were reunited this summer after The Skanner News published a feature about Forster’s shoot and a call to the community. said. “We were just having fun, and pursuing a sort-of-kind- of dream here in Portland. If we made something of it, that was great. If we didn’t, that was great. We just wanted to give back to the neighborhood.” Hicks said she has no ambition to walk the runway, only to act as a resource for young women who are considering a career path in modeling. “I don’t know if our babies under- stand what true beauty is anymore, and how important it is for them to actually love themselves. If I could interest just a handful of girls in what it really means to be successful I’d really be satisfied,” Hicks said. Several other women, who weren’t a part of Forster’s original shoots back in 1975, also joined the runway, round- ing the Sunday afternoon celebration. All the models were styled by Yollanda Nins-Johnson. “The overall thing was the joy of being together and the joy of being back together,” Forster said. “It was just so much fun to hear them getting ready and putting on their makeup, and just jiving with each other. It just got a lot of spirits up,” he said. Alzheimer’s continued from page 1 yloid deposits in their brain but haven’t de- veloped memory loss. Another requirement is that study needs to be diverse. Every fifth participant needs to be a minority or the study can’t move forward. This brain health intervention is especial- ly important because Black people are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as White people. African American patients are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage of the dis- ease with fewer treatment options and worse health outcomes. A report from the Alzheimer’s Association called the high rate of disease among Afri- can American people an emerging public health crisis. Social science studies have shown low participation in medical research among Af- rican Americans. Most studies mention the 40-year -long Tuskegee experiment as a reason to mistrust medical experiments. Starting in the 1930s, U.S. Public Health Service lied to hundreds of African American men, who were told they were simply being treated for “bad blood,” a colloquial term applied to various illnesses, including syphilis, anemia and fa- tigue. awareness of clinical trials, miscommuni- cation by researchers and economic or time constraints. Attitudes about medical experiments are slowly changing. A 2011 study conducted in Boston showed that African Americans are Black people are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as White people The two-thirds of study participants who had syphilis already were never told their specific diagnosis, and were left untreated for the course of the study. The experiment, which ended 43 years ago, fundamentally changed the rules for clinical studies with the passage of the 1974 National Research Act. But the betrayal still casts a shadow over medical research. Other barriers to getting diverse peo- ple into research studies include a lack of more likely to participate in a clinical trial if they have been previously exposed to re- search. At the Friday meeting, there will be an information session about the A4 study and then an ice cream social. Rice plans to share his experiences volunteering for clinical re- search trials. He has been part of seven stud- ies so far. “Word of mouth travels faster than news- papers and TV,” Rice said. “When you have business ownership among African Ameri- cans. “Black community development should encompass a range of possibilities, not only individual, but also collective and commu- nity ownership,” Bates said. “Historically Blacks have shared collec- tive values of putting down roots, creating number of Black homeowners in the city. The article notes that Blacks owned 4,199 homes in Portland in 2012, down from 4,626 in 2010 and 5,044 in 2000. That same report said that behind Native Americans, Black people were the sec- ond-most denied group when it comes to home mortgages in the County — a startling a friend who has been through it and is will- ing to share with you, or a loved one who has been through it and willing to share with you, that is a plus right there.” There are future plans to visit the Holly- wood Senior Center in inner Northeast Port- land, as well as attending the Charles Jordan Community Center meeting for Grandpar- ents Raising Grandchildren. He would like to convene in East Portland to reach those who have been displaced by gentrification. Rice said volunteering for clinical trials is a way to give back to the community and contribute to a large body of research. “What I want people to understand is that when you take a clinical trial you’re helping your loved ones, not only of your race, but you’re helping everybody,” he said. To receive notice of upcoming infor- mation sessions or to participate in the A4 Study, contact study coordinator Allison Bianchi at (503) 494-7615, or email adre- search@ohsu.edu. Housing continued from page 1 she said the housing market in the state will continue to be unstable. “I think that, until the laws are changed are changed to protect the community, I think we’re just throwing our good money into bad,” she said. Roberts also added that the $20 million Mayor Hales pledged towards affordable housing in North and Northeast Portland has yet to come to fruition. Other advocates and civic organizations in the Black community have realized the spe- cific toll the rising cost of living has had on African-descended populations in the city for some time now. In the Urban League’s updated “State of Black Oregon” report, released earlier this year, Portland State University Professor Lisa K. Bates noted displacement as an is- sue largely rooted in the lack of home and Behind Native Americans, Black people were the second-most denied group when it comes to home mortgages in the County multi-generational opportunities and build- ing communitywide prosperity.” An article penned by the Portland Tri- bune’s Steve Law this year noted the falling 14.7 percent in 2012. The Skanner reported this summer that despite only accounting for 7 percent of the county’s inhabitants, African Americans have disproportionately high rates of home- lessness compared to other races, making up 24 percent of Portland’s homeless popula- tion. Despite disproportionate housing rates for Blacks and other people of color in the city and county, the proposed $30 million plan makes no mention of focusing on race in its efforts. For the past two months, the cities of Port- land and Gresham, along with Home For- ward and Multnomah County, have been hosting fair housing assessment meetings that are free and open to the public across the metro area. During the last meeting it was noted that East 82nd Avenue, an area many low-income groups have migrated to in the past decade, is already seeing signs of gentrifying, as are other East County neighborhoods. October 7, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 3
