AUGUST 24, 2016
25
CENTS
Portland and Seattle Volume XXXVIII No. 47
News ..........................3,9,10,12 A & E .................................... 6-8
Opinion ...................................2 Millennials ......................9
Calendars ........................... 4-5 Bids/Classiieds ....................11
CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW
TAKING THE PLUNGE
This weekend marks the second annual Black
Restaurant Day — an informallevent meant to drum
up support for Black-owned businesses.
Some business owners
say promotion helped —
others, not so much
By Arashi Young
Of The Skanner News
T
he second annual Support Black
Restaurant Days happens this
weekend — with more than 6,600
Portland-area residents having re-
sponded on Facebook they intend to be
at the event
According to the Facebook event page,
another 3,600 people said they might
support these establishments and an
additional 10,000 people have been in-
vited , so more than 20,000 potential
diners have been informed.
But how many people have actually
AP PHOTO
See RESTAURANTS on page 3
Turkey made its irst major foray into Syria this
week.
World News
Briefs
Turkey sends tanks into
Syria, Earthquake in
Italy and more
page 12
Kam Reviews Film About
Barack and Michelle
Obama’s First Date
page 7
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
Supporting
Black-
Owned
Restaurants
People cooled of in Lake Washington when summer inally arrived in Seattle in the third week of August. In a summer marked by a lack of hot days, the
temperature broke a record Aug. 19, hitting 95 degrees in Seattle.
SOAR Ofers Alternatives for Black Students
Program to ofer cultural education, tutoring, homeschool support
By Christen McCurdy
Of The Skanner News
M
ore than 50 par-
ents,
educators,
children and other
community mem-
bers crowded into the base-
ment of a North Portland
church Saturday, traveling
in 100-degree heat to learn
more about the School of
African Roots — which a
coalition of community
groups is organizing in or-
der to help Black students
succeed in school.
Organizers are con-
cerned about low gradua-
tion rates among African
American students in Port-
land Public Schools, and
want to help improve the
success of students with-
in the system — as well as
providing support for fam-
ilies who choose to home
school.
A year from now, or-
ganizers hope to have a
year-round school. But
for now, SOAR will ofer
ater-school and weekend
programs ofering cultur-
al education, tutoring and
support at the Abbey Art
Center at 7600 N. Hereford
in Portland.
Groups including the
All African People’s Revo-
lutionary Party, the Black
History Legacy Project
and the Black United Fund
— as well as educational
institutions like Portland
Community College and
Portland State University
— are all listed as sponsors
of SOAR.
Organizer
Ahjamu
Umi told the crowd SOAR
builds on a centuries-old
tradition of Black-focused
educational projects —
and cited schools created
by Marcus Garvey and the
Black Panthers as exam-
ples.
“We don’t believe edu-
cation is about getting a
degree and making more
money. If you’re in school,
it’s because people 50 years
ago fought and bled for the
right for you to be there.
No matter how smart you
are, you’re born in debt,”
Umi said.
In addition to ofering
programs in Black histo-
See SOAR on page 3
Walidah Imarisha Leaves for Stanford
Author and activist relects on her time in
Portland — and hopes to stay engaged
By Arashi Young
Of The Skanner News
W
riter, historian and activ-
ist Walidah Imarisha has
been a ixture in Portland
for more than a decade. She
is also known for her poetry, spoken
word performances and for holding
the monthly vigil for Keaton Otis,
who was killed by Portland Police in
2010.
Recently she authored a nonic-
tion book focused on criminal jus-
tice issues, “Angels with Dirty Faces:
Three Stories of Crime, Prison and
Redemption.”
Imarisha has taught writing and
poetry to a variety of ages and groups
within many communities,  includ-
ing working with the African Ameri-
can group in McLaren Youth Correc-
tional Facility.
She also created an Oregon Black
History timeline in partnership with
Oregon Humanities and Portland
State University’s Black Studies De-
partment. This research has brought
national attention to what has been
described as Oregon’s racist, White
nationalist history.
See IMARISHA on page 3
Walidah Imarisha