June 15, 2016 The Skanner Page 3
News
daughter, Jenelle Jack,
has chosen to keep her
grandmother’s
dream
alive by organizing and
educating
Oregonians
about this too-oten over-
looked part of history.
The Skanner News
spoke with Jack about the
story behind the Oregon
celebration,
carrying
on her grandmother’s
had dementia and Alz-
heimer’s so she handed it
over to my cousin, Doris
Rush.
And then with grand-
ma, she passed in Octo-
ber. I know that June-
teenth was her baby as
well as her food program
with the Church. In her
last couple of days I just
told her, “Grandma, don’t
Juneteenth is not a hot topic,
but it is history and I think it
is important that everyone
knows this part of history
dream and her hopes to
bring the community
together. This years’ cel-
ebration will take place
June 18, from noon until
7 p.m. at Legacy Emanual
ield at the corner of NE
Williams and Graham
streets. This interview
has been edited for space
and clarity.
The Skanner News:
What is the history be-
hind the Juneteenth Ore-
gon celebration?
Jenelle Jack: My grand-
mother is from Musk-
ogee, Oklahoma. She
moved to Portland in
1945 and was working
in the shipyards. Back in
Oklahoma they celebrat-
ed Juneteenth every year,
but during Juneteenth
up here in Oregon, she
asked, “Is there a celebra-
tion?” and she said that
nobody knew about it.
So, she went to the
supervisor and asked
during their lunch break
if they were able to cele-
brate Juneteenth and he
said yes. Ever since then,
she started celebrating
Juneteenth here in Ore-
gon and trying to make it
aware to everybody.
TSN: How did you come
to organize the Portland
Juneteenth celebration?
JJ: A couple of years
ago I helped her out with
Juneteenth and then she
started getting sick. She
Pride
worry, we’ll make sure
that Juneteenth still con-
tinues here in Oregon.”
My cousin Doris’ mom
passed away in February
and so I just took over. I
know what she is going
through because of what
I went through with los-
ing Grandma. Now both
matriarchs are gone.
It is hard, but I think
me working on June-
teenth has helped with
my grieving process. My
grandmother lived with
me until she passed away.
TSN: What goes into
putting on this event?
JJ: It’s a lot. With being
my irst year, it is a lot.
And the time we had to
put it together wasn’t
enough. But, with a death
in the family, we got to
push for it. We got a lot
of my cousins to help out.
It was just reaching ev-
eryone.
There was a lot of peo-
ple that we talked to that
weren’t aware of what
Juneteenth was. Reach-
ing out to them and get-
ting their support, we
made them aware and
gave information out
about Juneteenth, which
interested them into get-
ting to know more and
helping us out in the ef-
fort.
Read the rest of this story at
TheSkanner.com
The Boise and Eliot neighborhoods in North Portland are getting a new public space, and to welcome the community into the courtyard.
One North is throwing a summer gathering in the style of a classic neighborhood block party. On Saturday this event will celebrate the
past, present, and future of the North Williams/Vancouver corridor with music provided by Ural Thomas & the Pain, Farnell Newton &
the Othership Connection, and Andre St. James (Sponsored by R&H Construction). There will also be art presented by The Black Williams
Project and historic walking tours given by neighborhood historian OB Hill (pictured). Also performing and contributing to the Summer
Party will be groups such as the Life Change Church, KairosPDX, The Center, Art in the Alley provided by the Boise Neighborhood
Association, The Williams/Vancouver Business Association, and the North/Northeast Business Association. Also on hand will local food
and drink provided by New Seasons Market, Las Primas, Bread & Honey Café, and Whole Bowl. This free event takes place from 2 to 6
p.m. at the Courtyard at One North, located at N. Fremont between Williams and Vancouver.
Poverty
cont’d from pg 3
“For the past six years, Paul
Ryan and House Republican bud-
get policies have made life worse,
not better, for lower income
Americans. Assaults on health-
care, housing, food stamps, and
education have slowly eroded es-
sential assistance,” said Rep. Earl
Blumenauer (D-Oregon) said in a
statement to The Skanner News.
“Ryan’s latest proposal continues
this downward spiral, and would
accelerate the dangerous efort to
establish block grants, making it
easier to further cut and reduce
these critical and lifesaving pro-
grams.”
“We feel like it is a deeply lawed
proposal. It’s great that the speak-
er is thinking about poverty and
Congress intends to address pov-
erty but this is not the way to do
it,” said Jef Kleen, a public poli-
cy advocate for the Oregon Food
Bank.
The plan recommends stronger
work requirements under the
Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families program, expanded
work requirements for those on
housing assistance, as well as a
call for states tailor programs
individually. The plan does not
mention changing Social Secu-
“
Right now, SNAP budgets are elas-
tic, meaning they change depend-
ing on the state of the economy.
Ryan’s plan would fund food as-
sistance programs using a block
grant model, which has the poten-
tial of depleting funds during an
For the past six years, Paul Ryan and
House Republican budget policies have
made life worse, not better, for lower
income Americans
rity speciically, but does call for
increased access to 401(k)s, basic
banking services and retirement
planning services that work for
low and middle-income people.
For more information on plan re-
quirements, visit http://abetter-
way.speaker.gov/.
One change that stood out to
Kleen is that Ryan’s plan would
change the way supplemental
nutritional assistance programs
– also called SNAP – are funded.
economic downturn and leaving
struggling families without this
form of assistance.
While one of the philosophical
tenets of the plan is to reward
work, Kleen said programs like
SNAP have a history of liting
people out of poverty, so cutting
them doesn’t square with avail-
able research.
Read the full story at
TheSkanner.com
cont’d from pg 1
do massacre, Pride Northwest and the
Q Center of Portland will hold a candle-
light vigil in honor of those who died.
The vigil will take place from 7 to 9 p.m.
Thursdayat Q Center on N. Mississippi
Ave.
There will be beefed up security this
year as well. Acting Portland Police
Chief Donna Henderson has asked for
“
One North Celebration
ble threat” to LGBTQ communities in
Oregon, but they urge people to report
any suspicious activity to law enforce-
ment.
Porta said Pride NW organizers have
been actively working with their secu-
rity oicials and the Portland Police
Bureau to provide a safe place to cele-
brate. She said PPB has been very en-
We’re not going to hide, we’re not going to run,
we’re not going to be victims
an increased police presence during
Portland Pride Week events. The Port-
land Police Bureau will perform extra
patrols around LGBTQ-friendly bars
and nightclubs.
The Orlando shooting is being inves-
tigated as an act of domestic terrorism.
The FBI Portland Division issued a
statement saying there was “no credi-
gaged and proactive at reaching out to
the community.
“Pride is typically safe to begin with --
the festival and the parade -- but we are
in active communication and planning
to ensure that continues to be the case,”
Porta said.
Portland Mayor Charlie Hales re-
leased a statement Sunday morning
asking for the people of Portland to
come and show their support of the
queer community.
“I’m calling on all Portlanders to hold
our LGBTQ community close, and come
out in a show of force against terroriz-
ing people because of who they love,”
Hales said. On Monday, Hales removed
the Oregon state lag from city hall and
replaced it with a rainbow lag to honor
the victims of Orlando.
Porta said discussions in the com-
munity are split between people being
worried for their personal safety and
wanting to come together to grieve.
She said the overwhelming response is
from those who want to stand up and
defend their right to love freely and
openly.
“We’re not going to hide, we’re not
going to run, we’re not going to be vic-
tims,” Porta said. “We are going to cel-
PHOTO BY MIKE KRZESZAK (CC BY 2.0) VIA FLICKR
“
cont’d from pg 1
PHOTO COURTESY BOISE/ELIOT ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
Juneteenth
Organizers of Portland Pride events are reeling
after a mass shooting killed 49 people and injured
53 more at a LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Fla., but
say they are determined to forge ahead with this
year’s Pride festivities. In this photo from 2012, a
Multnomah County vehicle joins that year’s Pride
parade.
ebrate each other, we are going to cele-
brate our community and we are going
to celebrate Pride.”