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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2015)
#SK40YEARS October 28, 2015 The Skanner 40th Anniversary Issue Page 39 40 Years of Service 1975-2015 The Skanner’s Journey: The Present By Helen Silvis Special to The Skanner News L ife has changed over the last four decades. The election of Pres- ident Obama gave us renewed hope. Local heroes—far too many to name—inspire us every day. “ could fill volumes. Arguably Black people in the Pacif- ic Northwest had more political clout three decades ago than we do today. Certainly we had more representa- tion in state and city government. Fortunately we do have support- ive organizations such as the Urban The legacy of those injustices can’t be wiped away simply by declaring the playing field is now equal Over the years, The Skanner has League, Portland African American been at forefront of those changes. Leadership Forum, the Black United We wrote about community cam- Fund, the Center for Intercultural paigns for justice and equity as they Organising, the Albina Ministerial happened. We mapped gentrification and report- ed on the school to prison pipeline. We advocated for equity in policing, the courts, education, hiring, development and small business contracting. We covered those efforts in depth. That’s because for The Skanner equity is not just a passing trend: it’s our mission. Changes are underway in the Pacific Northwest. City leaders in Portland and Seattle are making efforts to right historic wrongs. Nevertheless we only have to look around and it’s clear our work is not over. The State of Black Or- egon report, released by the Urban League of Portland in 2010—re- vised and re-released this year—showed inequality persists in every area of life. The Communities of Even kids turned out for the protests as Seattle educator Jesse Color reports released Hagopian and his colleagues at Garfield High School sparked a over the next three years nationwide boycott of high stakes tests that galvanized families underlined that message. to support teachers Concentrated poverty, lack of stable housing, limited business opportunities and Alliance and the Immigrant and Ref- disparities in health, education and ugee Community Organization--as employment continue to blight lives well as grassroots activists such as and hold back youth of color. And we Black Lives Matter and Don’t Shoot November 5, 2013, Ed Murray elected mayor of Seattle Portland. But from slavery to Jim Crow, for 400 years, Black Americans were ter- January 4, 2014, “Kids, Jails rorized and murdered with impunity. and Reform: New Report Black families were separated and destroyed. In the Northwest, sunset Gives Justice Advocates Hope laws, lash laws, segregated schools, for New Ideas” White-only businesses and the ca- sual racism of institutions excluded Black people from the cultural and economic October 28, 2015, The mainstream. Skanner publishes its 40th The legacy of those injus- Anniversary special issue tices can’t be wiped away simply by de- claring the playing field is now equal. Lasting change won’t happen until a child born to Black par- ents has the same chance to succeed as any other child. That day is not here yet. But until it is, The Skanner will be working to make that When Oregon Gov. Kate Brown served as Secretary of State, she made voting rights a dream a real- centerpiece of her policy; as governor she signed the ‘Motor Voter’ law ity. Oden-Orr Law congratulates Bernie and Bobbie Foster on The Skanner News’ 40th anniversary. Since 1975 it has indeed lived up to its mission statement of “Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” and informing the community. Congratulations. ‘Black Lives Matter’ protesters disrupted the Bernie Sanders for President rally in Seattle, prompting the candidate to push racial equity and justice platforms to the front of his political agenda
