#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