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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 2018)
August 22, 2018 The Skanner Page 3 News cont’d from pg 1 people who identify as Black or African American. Since then William “Dub” Travis III, the owner of Dub’s St. Johns and Devra Beth have taken over pro- motion and organization of the event. It includes a fully fleshed out website describing different kinds of cuisines and listing restaurants relevant to each theme day. Last year Travis told The Skanner that the 2015 event didn’t result in a notable increase in business, but subsequent events have boosted business for Black- owned businesses in the area. For more information, visit http:// iloveblackfood.com/support-black- restaurants-week-2018/. (Friday and Saturday). On Saturday and Sunday Dub’s St. Johns will open for breakfast starting at 9 a.m., the Black Street Bakery vegan pop-up bak- ery will sell sweet and savory pastries at Jade District Night Market from 5 to 10 p.m. On Sunday, two restaurants – Naija and Epif — will host pop-up din- ners prepared by Black chefs (reserva- tions are required). Support Black Restaurants Week started in 2015 as Black Restaurant Days, a Bay Area event imported to Portland by a local woman named Ber- tha Pearl, who created a Facebook event and published a map with local busi- nesses owned or partially owned by Greenway cont’d from pg 1 this month. The bureau has a detailed slideshow presentation on- line for viewing at your con- venience, with a chance to leave feedback. Find that slide- show at http://openhouse.jla. us.com/lloyd-to-woodlawn-2. Those without computer or smartphone access can call PBOT directly and share your views of the greenway plan at (503) 823-5185. Many are concerned that the proposed greenway would clog the streets around Albi- na Head Start at Northeast Fremont and 7th. It’s a major intersection with the organi- zation’s main office and a large childcare facility. So far several observers around the city are publicly suggesting that the 7th Ave- nue route is most popular, but it’s still not too late to weigh in on the decision by filling out a comment form online or call- ing PBOT directly. The work is scheduled for completion over the next few years. “Our online open house will be available on the project web site through Aug. 31 and we plan to have more meet- ings and other opportunities for people to engage,” PBOT spokesman Dylan Rivera told The Skanner. The Greenway Project would Centralia take one street that connects the Woodlawn neighborhood to the Lloyd District -- whether that’s Northeast 7th or North- east 9th or some combination of the two has not yet been of- ficially decided -- and create a slower transportation corri- dor for pedestrians and bikes by adding traffic features including crosswalks, a few “green boxes” painted on the street for cyclists at intersec- tions, a new roundabout and potentially a closed-off turn- around on Northeast 7th that dead-ends on a tiny park. Outreach is slow “ We plan to have more meetings and other opportu- nities for peo- ple to engage While PBOT has held meet- ings and forums since Febru- ary, the word on the proposed project has been slow to reach households of color. Local boosters hope more families will participate before it’s too late. “When I first heard about it I thought it wouldn’t happen,” PHOTO COURTESY OF PORTLAND CENTER STAGE Restaurants said Dar- cell Dance, who lives on Northeast 9th Avenue and works on Northeast 7th Portland Center Stage at The Armory’s 2018-2019 season launches with the Tony Award-winning Avenue. musical “The Color Purple,” adapted from Alice Walker’s classic novel about the sisterhood, If Northeast resilience and self-empowerment found in a community of Black women living in rural Georgia in 7th is slowed the early 20th century. “The Color Purple” begins preview performances on Sept. 15, opens on Sept. for the green- 21, and runs through Oct. 28 on the U.S. Bank Main Stage. Timothy Douglas directs the production, way project joined by music director Darius Smith, who will bring the Grammy Award-winning score to life. it will force Felicia Boswell (pictured) stars in the production as Celie. For more information visit www.pcs. more traffic org/purple. onto Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard difficult for people -- frankly, cess like a hawk. and other nearby streets, she Herndon runs an organiza- low-income people who are said. tion that serves parents and trying to use the services of “Everybody I’ve talked to staff from all over the area, Head Start,” he said. thinks that is crazy,” she said. which means literally hun- More PBOT Outreach “There is a disconnect here.” dreds of vehicles need to pull Rivera said the bureau is con- Dance said she never re- up to its doors every weekday. tinuing to build its relation- ceived any mailing or notice He says putting the green- ships with churches, Albina on her door about the pro- way on Northeast 9th Street Head Start and other organi- posed changes, but that now makes more sense because it is zations, to make sure the word she is better informed she is already residential. gets out on issues but also op- trying to make sure others are “When they came here to portunities. as well. talk I took them right outside For example PBOT last year So far she has attended a and we walked up to the cor- awarded grants to a dozen lo- forum at SEI and chatted at ner -- the main thoroughfare the PBOT table at Good in the for Head Start is right there cal organizations for street- scape and parks projects led Hood, but Dance is concerned on the corner,” Herndon said. by neighborhood residents, that already the Northeast 7th “If they restrict traffic, it will Avenue option is being consis- force hundreds of cars onto organized by Living Cully, NAYA Generations, the Urban tently described in public as King and into the neighbor- League PDX, Rosewood Initia- the most popular. hoods -- and it’s already over- tive and more. Albina Head Start Director crowded. Ronnie Herndon says that’s Read more at TheSkanner.com “This would make it more why he is watching this pro- ‘The Color Purple’ to Launch Portland Center Stage’s 2018-19 Season cont’d from pg 1 George Washington was born Aug. 15, 1818 in Virginia, the son of a White mother and a free man of African de- scent. The family story says that the birth mother gave George to a White couple, Anna and James Cochran, to be taken out of Virginia and raised as a free man. The Cochrans adopted George and started moving to free states. First they moved with the child to Ohio, then they settled in Missouri. But in 1850, the terms of Missouri’s new statehood made it a slave state; so the whole fam- ily decided to move again to avoid the chance that George could be captured and enslaved. In 1850, Washington and the Co- chrans headed across the Oregon Trail together. They arrived in Oregon, but decided to continue north towards Se- attle, settling where the Chehalis and Skookumchuck Rivers meet. Because they were White, the Co- chrans were able to file a land claim. Af- ter the Washington Territory became independent of the Oregon Territory in 1853, George was able to buy the land from his adoptive parents because the new territory did not make it illegal for ant stop along the railroad; it became a boomtown for transporting local- ly-produced timber, coal and dairy products to the rest of the world. Centralia was officially incorpo- rated in 1886. Mary Jane died at age 49 in 1889; George Washington was 88 years old when he passed away in 1905. George was known to help desti- tute families with groceries or rent —George Washington money; he also donated more of his family’s land for municipal features African American people to own prop- such as parks and a library. erty. Mittge says the most important thing Washington’s genius emerged years people should know about George later, when he realized that his family‘s Washington is that his personal motto land was on the path of the soon-to-be- was “Peace and Plenty.” built Northern Pacific Railroad; that’s “He wanted everyone to have that, when he decided to turn it into a small and he generously helped people by city. George filed a plan with the state, giving them work, food, clothing and then he and Mary Jane mapped out more,” Mittge said. their town and named its streets (the “I also love this quote that we have new bronze statue of Mary Jane shows from him as he talked with his wife and her holding a Centralia map and point- step-son about his commitment to help- ing out the streets). ing their neighbors, even if it meant By 1872 Centralia was an import- personal sacrifice: ‘I want to do right “ I want to do right by my fellow men. And if I do, I’ll never lose anything by it CENTRALIA HISTORY: Medal of Honor Local military history buffs should start plan- ning your trip to commemorate the life of Dexter J. Kerstetter; a World War II US Army veteran and the first son of Centralia ever named as a US Medal of Honor recipient. He is buried about 70 miles north of his hometown, in the military graveyard at Tahoma National Cemetery, 18600 SE 240th St, Kent, WA. In 1945, Kerstetter served in Company C, 130th Infantry Regiment, 33rd Infantry Divi- sion, and is credited with leading his platoon to capture a key location in the Philippines. He had served as a cook’s assistant for his en- tire career until suddenly grabbing a weapon and leaping into action during an attack on his comrades’ position. Kerstetter died in a boating accident in 1972, where contemporary accounts say he gave up his life to save someone else. by my fellow men. And if I do, I’ll never lose anything by it.’” View more photos at TheSkanner.com