November 1, 2017 The Skanner Page 3
News
asking the critical ques-
tions. This interview has
been edited for space and
clarity.
The Skanner News: In
your own words, how
would you describe “OR-
IGIN OF EVERYTHING”?
Danielle Bainbridge: I
think the show is really
an intersection of edu-
cational television and
entertainment for peo-
ple who have curious
Kornhaber Brown had
proposed a show to PBS
Digital Studios and they
were looking for an his-
torian to fill another type
of programming, similar
to the other educational
programs they already
do for PBS. I publish oth-
er creative projects and
I had my CV online. So
I got a call from a wom-
an who was organizing
casting for them and she
asked if I would be in-
The show is really an inter-
section of educational tele-
vision and entertainment
for people who have curious
minds
minds and want to know
more about unexpected
histories. We try to pres-
ent a lot of information
and research every epi-
sode —and we try to pack
in everything that we
can. But I think it’s also
skewed towards giving
people shorter and more
condensed histories so
that they’ll be encour-
aged to look things up on
their own later. So it’s an
unexpected take on an
unexpected topic.
We get a lot of feedback
from high school teach-
ers, but I’ve also gotten
messages from college
professors who use the
videos in class. And then
I also have a number of
fans who say, “I’m a re-
tiree and watch these be-
cause I want to keep my
mind active.”
It turns out our de-
mographic is very wide
open. It’s PBS, so all the
episodes are kid-friend-
ly. It’s definitely content
that you can feel free
and happy to watch with
your entire family.
TSN: How did this host-
ing opportunity present
itself to you?
DB: The producers at
Children
terested in coming in to
talk. Over the course of
several weeks I was do-
ing interviews and had
a screen test, and I got to
know the producers bet-
ter.
We got along really
well, which was encour-
aging. Then on my birth-
day, I got an email in the
middle of a lecture, while
I was trying to focus on
my students.
It popped up and said,
“We want to hire you!”
And I thought, yes, birth-
day win!
TSN: Do you have much
experience in television
presenting?
DB: It’s a funny story.
I’m actually a theater
major (laughs). That’s
the big reveal that people
don’t know.
I was a theater under-
grad major and I was on
the speech and debate
team when I was a kid,
starting at about age 11.
So being able to be on-
stage and collaborate
with other people helped
me develop those public
speaking skills.
Read the rest of this story at
TheSkanner.com
Roland Martin to
Speak at Black Parent
Initiative’s 8th Annual
Parent Symposium
News One Now Host and managing editor Roland Martin will be the
keynote speaker at the Black Parent Initative’s 8th Annual Parent
Symposium, which takes place Nov. 4. The symposium takes place from 9
a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Concordia University, 2811 NE Holman St. Martin will
speak again from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Maranatha Church, 4222 NE 12th
Ave. Speakers include Rep. Janelle Bynum, Kimberly Porter, Lionel Clegg,
Sidney Morgan, Valarie Pearce, Javelin Hardy and Cobi Lewis. For more
information or to register, visit www.TheBPI.org/symposium.
Census
cont’d from pg 1
and also notes tracts with popula-
tions that are traditionally hard
to count.
In 2010, some rural Oregon
counties were in the hard-to-
count range; several tracts in
the Portland metropolitan area
meet the hard-to-count criteria
as well. And within those tracts
in the metro area, reseachers
note, there are higher percentag-
es of populations that are hard to
count, including communities of
color.
Between 60 and 80 percent of
households in East Portland’s
Rockwood neighborhood re-
turned paper census forms, for
example. In those households
that were counted, 12 percent of
the tract identified as Hispanic
(regardless of race), 19 percent re-
ported their race as Black (alone
or in combination with other rac-
es), 11 percent reported their race
as Asian and about 1 percent iden-
tified as Native American or Alas-
ka Native, with another 1 percent
reporting their race as Native Ha-
waiian or Pacific Islander.
“There are really two major
ways that being undercounted
impacts communities,” said Ca-
sey Goldvale, policy and research
analyst at Georgetown Center on
Poverty and Inequality.
The first is that census counts
impact political representation
— including the number of Con-
gressional seats in a state, as well
as the number of representatives
on school boards and in state leg-
islatures.
“
Being under-
counted can
mean that a
community’s
presence is not
recognized
For communities of color in
predominantly White areas, be-
ing undercounted can also mean
the powers that be — including
government agencies and com-
munity-based organizations —
don’t appropriately tailor ser-
vices to the demographics of their
community.
“Being undercounted can mean
that a community’s presence is
not recognized,” Goldvale said.
The second way undercounting
hurts communities is that direct-
ly or indirectly, decennial Census
data determines how about $700
billion in federal funding is al-
located to states and municipali-
ties. That includes assistance for
nutrition and child care, hous-
ing vouchers, matching dollars
for Medicaid payments as well
as funding for supplemental nu-
tritional assistance (SNAP) pro-
grams, the national school lunch
program and Head Start.
“It’s a pretty long list,” Goldvale
told The Skanner.
In April, the Trump administra-
tion’s proposed budget included
$1.5 billion for the U.S. Census
Bureau, calling it a $100 million
increase – but it’s actually $140
million less than the $1.64 billion
increase requested for 2017.
Normally, in the years leading
up to the 10-year Census count,
Census funding is increased,
Goldvale said. The Washington
Post reported in April that late
in a decade, funding for the Cen-
sus Bureau sometimes doubles.
And Goldvale notes that trend
happens regardless of who holds
power in Washington.
“It’s normally quite a significant
rampup and the past few years,
Census funding is flatlining. This
is also the year when they’ll be
hiring people to go out and count
people who don’t self-respond,
and that hasn’t happened,” Gol-
dvale said. “It’s definitely one of
the biggest issues when it comes
to having quality data produced
in 2020.”
Read tmore at TheSkanner.com
cont’d from pg 1
racist past are evident in its recent up-
tick in hate crimes.
Furthermore, recent debates on fed-
eral immigration policies — such as the
future of Deferred Action for Child-
hood Arrivals – will likely prove to agi-
tate the outcomes for families and their
children.
“I think we’ve got to engage immi-
grant communities and communi-
ties of color in the discussion around
where the solutions are,” continued
Hunt. “Then we could begin to unrav-
el some of this long-standing, genera-
tional trauma and barriers that exist in
Oregon for immigrants and children of
color.”
As an organization of the Annie E.
Casey Foundation’s nationwide net-
work KIDS COUNT, Children First for
Oregon produces statewide and coun-
ty-level data out of Oregon.
Hunt points to the progress that has
been made in the state’s education
systems through adopting culturally
relevant curriculum. Those steps, said
Hunt, were the result of communities
of color voicing the need for such pro-
gramming.
“
gon lives in a low-income household,
nearly two in three African Ameri-
can (63 percent) and American Indi-
an (64 percent) do, and more than two
in three Latino (67 percent) children
I have faith that with those conversations –
and with the engagement of our diverse com-
munities – we can make significant progress
“There’s not a single silver bullet for
these types of complex issues that our
whole country is struggling with,” said
Hunt. “But in Oregon, I have faith that
with those conversations — and with
the engagement of our diverse commu-
nities – we can make significant prog-
ress forward. We are not in a hopeless
position.”
“Race for Results” findings on eco-
nomic disparities:
• While more than one out of three
(33 percent) White children in Ore-
live in low-income households.
• Nearly two in three (63 percent) of
African Americans and of American
Indian (64 percent), and more than
two in three (67 percent) of Latino
children live in low-income house-
holds, compared to one of three (33
percent) White children in Oregon.
• Nearly three out of five (57 percent)
of immigrant families live on less
than $49,000 per year compared to
two out of five (40 percent) of U.S.-
born families in Oregon.
PHOTO VIA WWW.CENSUSHARDTOCOUNTMAPS2020.US
“
cont’d from pg 1
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROLANDMARTINREPORTS.COM
Bainbridge
A new map shows census tracts that may be
harder to count in the 2020 decennial census
count. Tracts with higher populations of people of
color – including tracts in East Multnomah County
— may be at particular risk, researchers say.