AUGUST 9, 2017
Portland and Seattle Volume XXXIX, No. 45
25
CENTS
News ...............................3,9-12 A & E .................................... 6-8
Opinion ...................................2 Albina Jazz Festival ........7
Calendars ........................... 4-5 Bids/Classifieds ....................11
CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LEGACY HEALTH
UMOJA FEST
George J. Brown, M.D., Legacy Health president and
CEO, at the project’s press conference, Aug. 1, 2017.
By Melanie Sevcenko
Of The Skanner News
A
fter close to 50 years of gentri-
fying historically Black neigh-
borhoods, the city of Portland
has recently announced a new
development with the intent to heal
Portland’s relationship with its African
American community.
Beginning in the 1960s, the Portland
Development Commission bought and
razed properties it considered “blight-
See LEGACY on page 3
Ardaja Callandret, and the other cast members of the 2017 teen summer musical “The Wiz” perform a dance number from the show during the annual
Umoja Fest parade Aug. 5. The parade is part of the annual Umoja Fest African Heritage Festival & Parade. This year’s event was bigger than ever
and featured three stages showcasing music, dance and fashion, the annual heal the Hood Basketball Tournament, a youth football jamboree, family
fun village and a vendor market place. “The Wiz” will be performed at the Moore Theatre Aug. 24 through Aug. 27. The tickets are available through
Ticketmaster.
Jo Ann Hardesty to Run for Council in 2018
Former legislator, current NAACP president challenges Dan Saltzman
By Christen McCurdy
Of The Skanner News
AP PHOTO/DARRON CUMMINGS, FILE
J
In this July 8 file photo, Maine Secretary of State
Matt Dunlap speaks during a voter registration
meeting at the National Association of Secretaries
of State conference in Indianapolis. A voter fraud
commission established by President Donald
Trump could make it easier for hackers to get voter
registration information.
World News
Briefs page 12
New Hope for Lifers
Sentenced as a Children
page 9
o Ann Hardesty is run-
ning for Portland City
Council.
Hardesty, a former
state legislator and the
current president of the
NAACP Portland Branch,
launched a campaign site
last week and announced
her candidacy to local me-
dia Friday afternoon. She’s
running for position 3,
currently occupied by Dan
Saltzman.
The
announcement
wasn’t a surprise — she
has hinted at a council run
since October 2016 — but
the way she announced it
was.
According to stories pub-
lished in Willamette Week
and the Portland Tribune
Friday, Hardesty visited
Saltzman’s office and asked
him to retire and endorse
her candidacy.
“I think he was a bit
shocked by the question.
His first question was, why
him?” Hardesty told The
Skanner Monday. There
are two seats open in 2018
— positions 2 and 3 — and
positions aren’t geograph-
ically restricted, so candi-
dates can run for any po-
sition on the commission.
“My response was, [it’s]
because he’s been there for
a very, very, very long time
and it seemed appropriate
to have new leadership
there.”
Saltzman announced his
intent to seek re-election in
December. He has served
on the city commission
since 1999, making him
the most senior of its five
members.
“As I announced a couple
of months ago, I am run-
ning for re-election, and
I’ve been incredibly grat-
ified by the support I am
receiving from the com-
munity. I look forward to
the campaign,” he said in
a written statement to The
Skanner.
If Hardesty is elected, she
would be the first woman
of color ever to serve on
the council. Portland has
had just two commission-
ers of color — both Black
See HARDESTY on page 3
Black Male Achievement Looks for Mentors
Public event, Aug. 12 at Unthank Park, includes
panels, entertainment centered on role models
By Melanie Sevcenko
Of The Skanner News
B
lack Male Achievement Port-
land is hosting a community
event Saturday to gather input
on how to attract mentors for
young Black men and boys.
Under Portland’s Office of Equity
and Human Rights, BMA works to as-
sist and hold accountable city leaders
and community stakeholders in their
efforts to boost outcomes for male
Black youth.
Its strength is in its numbers, with
over 20 regional organizations rep-
resented by Black men that form the
BMA Portland umbrella. The group’s
primary work focuses on breaking
down barriers to education, employ-
ment, family stability and criminal
justice.
To accomplish its mission, the or-
See MENTORS on page 3
PHOTO COURTESY OF BMA PORTLAND
Health services and
affordable housing
are slotted for the
Emmanuel Hospital site
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
Legacy,
Partners
Launch
New Project
Participants of Black Male Achievement
Summer Youth Experience, 2016