March 30, 2016 The Skanner Page 3
News
cont’d from pg 1
emerging writers se-
lected by a committee of
writers, academics and
editors.
Jackson spoke with
The Skanner News about
the award, the meaning
behind the novel and
his plans for the future.
Here are excerpts of the
interview, edited for
space and clarity.
The Skanner News:
What was most important to
me is to be in a family of writ-
ers who I respect and want to
be like
Congratulations on the
receiving the Whiting
award.
Mitchell Jackson: Yeah,
Thank you.
TSN: What does it
mean to you to [receive
an award] for an autobi-
ographical novel?
MJ: I didn’t necessarily
think of it in terms of be-
ing awarded for an auto-
biographical novel.
I just thought of it as
being awarded for the
work, just the novel it-
self.
What was most im-
portant to me is to be in
a family of writers who
I respect and want to be
like. If you look at who
has won it before, it is
such a grand list of writ-
ers — just to be connect-
ed to them in any way is
an honor.
TSN: What does your
novel, “The Residue
Years,” mean to say about
the relationships be-
tween Black mothers and
their sons?
MJ: That they are es-
sential -- especially in
the era I grew up, when a
lot of fathers were either
absentee or less present
than they should have
been.
The mothers tended to
be the backbone. And not
just mothers, but grand-
mothers and aunts kind
Sanders
In my particular case,
I was much older than
my youngest brother -- I
was 10 years older than
him. I really felt the re-
sponsibility to keep him
away from the problems
that we were having, and
make sure that he could
do well in school and
didn’t fall into the same
kind of traps I saw myself
falling into.
I would take him school
shopping and pick him
up from school.
If he got in trouble in
school, I would go sit
in his class with him —
some of the things that a
dad would do, or what I
would imagine that a dad
would do, some of the
things that I do now for
my son.
TSN: The novel is set
in the ‘90s in North Port-
land. What it is like for
you to see the changes to
that neighborhood now?
MJ: It is both heart-
ening and it makes me
a little sad and nostal-
gic. I remember having
lunch with Sam Adams,
the ex-mayor. We were
talking about Alberta
Street and Northeast
Portland and Killing-
sworth and he told me
that he lived in that area.
Read the full iinterview at
TheSkanner.com
Easter Choir
About 60 children from the community participated in Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church’s Easter children’s choir March 27. With
the assistance of adults and chaperones from the community, children were fitted for robes in February and rehearsed throughout the
month of March for the Easter performance.
Dock
cont’d from pg 1
All agree it’s never been used
for its intended purpose. City
officials thought yacht owners
would tie up vessels there to go to
games at Memorial Coliseum or
perhaps fish off the side.
That’s never happened, because
there’s never been security, fish-
ing is prohibited there and also
because experts agree the wave
action can damage yachts.
Meanwhile, Daimler Corp.,
with its U.S. headquarters in Port-
land and new $150 million manu-
facturing plant at Swan Island, is
moving to create a nice outdoor
amenity to make its employees
happy after paying out record
fines for racial and other discrim-
ination claims.
But as more and more people
are enjoying swimming in the
river, the issue of towing the dock
to Swan Island and giving it over
to the multi-national truck manu-
facturer is causing ripples.
In part that’s because there
are so few docks or river access
points near the downtown core,
and the one place where swim-
mers have been able to hang out
— the Holman Dock south of the
Hawthorne Bridge — is going to
be towed away for the rest of the
“
ple use it but that it will be closer
to an emerging green space and
hiking trail in North Portland.
Part of the problem is that the
dock is owned and operated by
the Portland Bureau of Transpor-
Daimler’s management is encouraging
employees to testify at the Oregon State
Marine Board hearing in support of
moving the dock for their use
summer while the sediment un-
derneath is capped against pollu-
tion.
Public testimony taken by the
Oregon State Marine Board in
February showed that yacht
owners and other river fans sup-
port keeping at least part of the
dock where it is, in anticipation
of future use for swimmers and
non-motorized boaters.
Daimler supporters argue that
towing the dock to Swan Island
won’t necessarily mean more peo-
tation — which is upfront about
not wanting to manage a river
amenity.
PBOT wants Portland Parks &
Recreation to run the dock in-
stead.
At a public hearing in February
on the proposal by Daimler to
take over the dock, Daimler em-
ployees talked about what a nice
addition the million-dollar struc-
ture would be to their corporate
campus.
Read more at TheSkanner.com
cont’d from pg 1
son, Bernie seems like the candidate
that is speaking most to my experiences
and is talking the most about bettering
my life as a Black young person,” com-
munity organizer Llondyn Elliott told
The Skanner while waiting outside for
Sanders’ address. “And he is on, I guess,
the gay radar also. And so he speaks to
multiple levels of myself, whereas oth-
er candidates might only speak to one
of them or probably not any of them.”
Specifically, Elliott mentioned Sand-
ers’ proposed policies on higher edu-
cation — including tuition-free educa-
tion.
“For me, I didn’t go to college because
I figured it would be too expensive. I
figured that I didn’t have enough mon-
ey to go where I wanted to go and go to
the school I wanted to attend,” Elliott
said.
Last August Sanders drew a record
crowd at Moda Center. The 19,000-ca-
pacity venue was packed then as it
was Friday, and it was estimated that
thousands more were turned away or
stayed outside to watch his speech.
A Seattle event the day before drew
national attention and controversy af-
ter two protesters associated with the
Black Lives Matter movement took the
stage and asked for a moment of silence
for Michael Brown on the first anniver-
“
paign racist.
He also promised to demilitarize po-
lice, hold cops accountable when they
break the law and make sure police de-
partments reflect the diversity of their
communities — and said the United
States must “rethink the so-called War
on Drugs.”
Friday’s
event
was
also the site
of one of the
most
mem-
orable
and
widely cov-
ered moments in Sanders’ campaign so
far.
A bird swooped into the auditorium
near the stage, catching his attention
and then, briefly, perched on the name
tag on his podium.
“I think there’s some symbolism
here,” Sanders said. “It doesn’t look like
it, but that is a dove asking us for world
peace.”
Bernie seems like the candidate that
is speaking most to my experiences
and is talking the most about better-
ing my life as a Black young person
sary of his death.
Sanders spoke on racial justice at
several points during his address in
Portland, saying American people are
“too smart” to support a candidate –
namely Republican frontrunner Don-
ald Trump — who has insulted Latinos,
Muslims, women, veterans and African
Americans throughout his campaign.
Sanders called Trump’s birther cam-
PHOTO BY ARASHI YOUNG
“
of made up for our loss
of male figures.
I hope it says they are
essential and that even
when the relationship
is damaged, you have to
find a way to repair it.
TSN: It sounds like
your novel also speaks
about the responsibil-
ities of sons who raise
their brothers.
MJ: Absolutely, yeah.
PHOTO BY KEN BERRY
Jackson
Supporters packed Moda Center Friday to see Sen.
Bernie Sanders talk, part of a string of Northwest
dates in advance of the Washington caucuses.