JULY 12, 2017
Portland and Seattle Volume XXXIX No. 41
25
CENTS
News .............................. 3,8-10 A & E .....................................6-7
Opinion ...................................2 Martha Rivera Chavis .....9
Calendars ........................... 4-5 Bids/Classifieds ....................11
CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW
PUBLIC DOMAIN PHOTO
REMEMBERING CHARLEENA
By Melanie Sevcenko
Of The Skanner News
N
AACP branches in Portland, Eu-
gene and Corvallis are looking to
pass a policy that will improve en-
ergy efficiency in communities of
color and for people of low-income.
While Oregon is recognized as a na-
tional leader in renewable and clean
energy policies, the NAACP says popu-
lations of lesser means are not reaping
the benefits.
“The beneficiaries of our current en-
ergy policies are primarily White, mid-
dleclass or upper-income individuals,”
See ENERGY on page 3
Congressional Black Congress declines second
meeting with Trump, but some, including Al Lawson
(D-FL), beg to differ.
CBC to
Trump: No
Thanks page 8
BOOK REVIEW:
‘Book of Black
page 8
Heroes’
Charleena Lyles family gather around her coffin to say their final goodbyes at her memorial service July 10 at New Hope Baptist Church. Hundreds of
family and community members attended the service to honor the life of the 30-year-old pregnant mother of four who was killed by the Seattle police
after she called them to her home on June 18. Speaking during the service, Charleena’s father said “I love Charleena, and the police just snatched her
from my life, and I want justice. I want justice for her and mainly for her children.”
Kenton Library Launches ‘Curious Minds’
Weekly summer program teaches youth about Black innovators in STEAM
By Melanie Sevcenko
Of The Skanner News
T
his
summer,
the
Kenton branch of
Multnomah County
Library is hosting a
program that will intro-
duce young learners to the
works and achievements
of African American sci-
entists, engineers and in-
ventors.
Called Curious Minds,
the event runs from July 8
to Aug. 26, every Saturday
from 3 to 4 p.m.
For eight weeks, youth
from grades K – 5 are in-
vited to explore subjects in
STEAM (science, technol-
ogy, engineering, arts and
math) through activities
and experiments, while
learning about the Black
innovators working be-
hind the scenes.
“My goal is to let young
people know that African
Americans have always
been in STEAM fields —
and hopefully inspire
some kids to believe they
can do it too,” said library
assistant Lanel Jackson,
who designed the program.
Jackson is currently
working on outreach to
spread the word about
Curious Minds, as she ad-
mits the Kenton neighbor-
hood has changed in re-
cent years, with far fewer
school-aged children.
During Saturday’s first
session,
participants
learned about geoscienc-
es and rocks through the
work of Zelma Maine Jack-
son, one of a few Black
female geologists on the
West Coast.
Through her specializa-
tion in uranium deposits
See CURIOUS on page 3
Highlights From the 2017 Legislative Session
Bills on immigration, grand jury recordings, health pass during final week
The Skanner News Staff
they fared.
T
Housing
House Bill 2004, which would have
banned no-cause evictions statewide
and lifted the state’s ban on rent con-
trol, passed out of the House of Rep-
resentatives but died in the Senate.
(The Portland City Council banned
no-cause evictions earlier this year.)
he Oregon Legislature official-
ly adjourned last week, clos-
ing a contentious five-month
session in which Democrats
— which hold the majority in both
houses - fought over how to balance
the state’s $21 billion budget and how
to fix roads and bridges throughout
the state. Some hard-fought reforms
— including increased renter protec-
tions and environmental regulations
— failed. Other changes advocates
have sought for years, like a require-
ment that grand jury hearings be re-
corded, will finally come to pass.
Here’s a rundown of bills the Leg-
islature reviewed this year and how
Criminal Justice
House Bill 2355, which directs
the Oregon Criminal Justice Com-
mission to start recording data on
the age, race, ethnicity and sex of a
person contacted during a traffic or
pedestrian stop, passed. The bill fol-
lows HB 2002, which passed in 2015
and made profiling illegal – but advo-
cates who served on a committee cre-
PHOTO BY M.O. STEVENS (PUBLIC DOMAIN) VIA WIKIPEDIA
Communities of color
and low-income people
are left out of the green
economy
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
Diversifying
the Green
Energy
Sector
The Oregon legislature closed an eventful
session July 7, passing a landmark transportation
bill and some long-fought reforms in criminal
justice and education.
See LEGISLATURE on page 3