April 27, 2016 The Skanner Page 3
News
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them about the air, how
they’re feeling, what
they’re doing.”
Alomran said she and
Martin don’t intend to
ask “hard questions,”
but instead want to get a
sense of neighbors’ per-
ceptions and reactions
to the revelations about
contamination due to
emission from glass man-
ufacturers in the area.
We want to ask them about
the air, how they’re feeling,
what they’re doing
Ideally they would like
to film interviews and
also get footage of resi-
dents going about their
everyday lives, including
time spent with children
if they consent to having
their children filmed.
They plan to wrap the
project in about two
weeks and said it would
be ideal if people inter-
ested in participating
Holler
— the former in close-in
Southeast Portland and
the latter in North Port-
land had been emitting
known
carcinogenic
chemicals. Environmen-
tal advocates say inves-
tigators were aware of
contamination from the
factories since at least
2009, though both man-
ufacturers changed their
practices this year.
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) welcomes volunteers to take part in the Powell Butte Eco-Blitz, a scientific survey of the wildlife
found in PP&R’s 612-acre Powell Butte Nature Park. The event will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 21 at Powell Butte Nature Park,
16160 SE Powell Blvd. Volunteers will survey amphibians, butterflies and birds and help contribute to the scientific knowledge of
Portland’s ecological diversity. No experience is necessary. The event is free and open to all ages. Volunteers should arrive at least 15
minutes before their chosen time slot. To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/powell-butte-eco-blitz-tickets-20899280310. For
more information, contact Emily Lytle, Portland Parks & Recreation, (971) 352-2044 emily.lytle@portlandoregon.gov.
cont’d from pg 1
PFLAG Portland Black Chapter will
host a screening of the film from 6 to
8:30 p.m. Saturday at First AME Zion
Church in North Portland.
This free screening will be followed
by a discussion panel featuring the Rev.
Cedric A. Harmon, the executive direc-
tor of Many Voices, a Washington, D.C.-
based nonprofit focusing on the Black
church and LGBTQ justice.
Khalil Edwards, the PFLAG Portland
Black Chapter coordinator, said the
film screening is needed to bring about
discussion and outreach between faith
leaders and the queer community.
“We know that the relationship that
the Black, lesbian and gay, bisexual,
transgender and queer community
have with our faith community is one
that comes with different challenges,”
Edwards said.
Edwards noted many of these chal-
lenges came to light when PFLAG Black
Chapter partnered with the Urban
League of Portland to research the “Lift
Every Voice” report in 2012. The report
focused on the experiences of Black
Prince
Powell Butte Eco-Blitz
queer residents in Oregon.
Many focus groups were held to re-
search the report. These groups spent
a lot of time talking about questions of
faith, and participants said queer peo-
ple did not feel fully accepted in their
faith communities. People felt pushed
“
music ministry, but are unable to be
true to themselves.
They describe being bullied by family
members for not conforming to strict
gender roles, being kicked out of their
homes and having frequent thoughts of
suicide.
that welcome LGBTQ people.
Pastor Steven Sawyer was part of
The Vision Church, and will be on the
discussion panel at the film screening.
Sawyer told The Skanner News that the
Black church will often accept queer
believers — as long as they hide their
sexual orientations.
“One of the biggest things we strug-
gle with, especially with the African
American church in general, is ‘don’t
ask, don’t tell,’” Sawyer said. “It’s that
notion that this can be a loving place
for you, but if you just don’t tell us any-
thing.”
Edwards said this attitude has been
changing through faith outreach. He
said there are a number of fully-af-
firming churches in the area such as
Ainsworth United Church of Christ,
First AME Zion and St. Philip the Dea-
con Episcopal. He said these church-
es have gone through an intentional
process to become welcoming to the
LGBTQ community.
‘Holler’ shows a number of LGBTQ youth who
are alienated from both their families and
their family churches
out, ignored and they had to endure
slurs, Edwards said.
This prompted PFLAG to start their
faith outreach program to work with
religious communities to be more ac-
cepting of LGBTQ parishioners.
“Holler” shows a number of LGBTQ
youth who are alienated from both
their families and their family church-
es. All the youth featured in the movie
describe themselves as being Chris-
tians, but they struggle with finding a
safe place to practice and be affirmed.
Many hide in plain sight as part of the
Hannah, a lesbian portrayed in the
film, said that she pretended to be
straight to please her mother and to
have a safe place to sleep at night -- but
she couldn’t keep up with the façade.
“Two years ago, I was engaged. I was
not in love with this dude at all,” she
said. “It was horrible. I actually felt like
I was a prostitute.”
The documentary also highlighted an
affirming faith community, The Vision
Church, in Atlanta. This church, head-
ed by Bishop O.C. Allen III, is part of a
national fellowship of Black churches
generously, but quietly, to a variety of
causes – some high-profile, others less
so.
The Rev. Al Sharpton told the New
York Daily News Thursday that in 2012,
gracious,” Newell said.
Laura Niemi, the program manager
for the city’s community gardens pro-
gram, was not able to say whether the
Boise Neighborhood Association had
Read the full story at TheSkanner.com
cont’d from pg 1
Newell said.
Karis
Stoudamire-Phillips,
who
serves as treasurer and finance chair
for the neighborhood association,
said the grant was made before she
got involved in the early 2000s — but
confirmed that when she started han-
dling the organization’s finances, there
were still funds in its account she was
told were from a grant from Prince
and that were specifically earmarked
for neighborhood greening projects.
Stoudamire-Phillips created a grant ap-
plication process for small projects in
that category.
According to Newell, someone who
served the neighborhood association’s
board at the time helped secure the
funds, though she wasn’t sure of the ex-
act details regarding who made contact
with the Minneapolis-based recording
artist.
The story North Portland neighbors
have shared is similar to others that
have surfaced in the last few days por-
traying Prince as someone who gave
“
After the neighborhood association received
the gift, they sent Prince a thank-you letter,
and later they sent a progress report
Prince approached him to offer finan-
cial assistance to the family of Trayvon
Martin after the unarmed teen was
killed by neighborhood watch volun-
teer George Zimmerman. Insider Lou-
isville reported that in 2001 he gave
$12,000 to help Louisville’s African
American-specific Free Public Library.
Newell said after the neighborhood
association received the gift, they sent
Prince a thank-you letter, and later
they sent a progress report detailing
how funds had been disbursed.
“I don’t remember what his exact re-
sponse was, but I remember that it was
approached the city about water ac-
cess at the Fargo garden, due to the fact
that paper records from may have been
lost or recycled. The department did
briefly investigate opening a garden at
North Fargo and Borthwick in 2010, but
the project didn’t go anywhere.
Newell said the occasion of Prince’s
passing made her realize there are
probably few people left in North and
Northeast Portland who remember the
artist’s generosity toward a struggling
community.
“I just think we ought to, as a commu-
nity, honor a man who was so generous
©SCOTT PENNER / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / CC-BY-SA-3.0 / GFDL
“
could get in touch with
either of them by Mon-
day to schedule inter-
views. Those who wish to
participate should email
s o m m e r m @ u o re g o n .
edu) or nalomran@uore-
gon.edu to schedule an
interview.
Earlier this year, it
was revealed that Bull-
seye Glass Factory and
Uroboros Glass Factory
PHOTO COURTESY OF PORTLAND PARKS & RECREATION
Air
Prince playing at Coachella April 23, 2008.
with his money,” Newell said. “Hearing
the news, I realize this was not an isolat-
ed incident. In fact, this was the kind of
man he was. His music was a gift from
God and he gave back to the world.”