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