Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2018)
Page 2 The Skanner Portland & Seattle October 31, 2018 ® Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2017 MERIT AWARD WINNER The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 info@theskanner.com www.TheSkanner.com The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. ©2018 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS Updated daily. TICKETS ON SALE The Skanner Foundation MLK Breakfast January 21 2019 Opinion Clean Energy Measure Good For Your Health I f anyone is still looking for a reason to vote yes on the Portland Clean En- ergy Initiative (Measure 26-201), here’s a big one: to help reduce shocking health disparities between those Portlanders who live in priv- ilege and those who do not. The disenfranchised and un- der-resourced communities of Portland suffer an undue burden of premature disabil- ity, disease and death, which stems directly from the condi- tions in which they live, work and play. Low income persons suffer twice as much asthma, three times as many heart attacks and more than three times as many strokes than the economically advantaged. Among communities of col- or, especially African-Ameri- cans, birth weights are lower, infant mortality is higher and more people suffer from HIV, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. These differences in morbidity and mortality have been amply document- ed in studies by the Coalition of Communities of Color, Multnomah County Health Department and the Oregon Health Authority. To be clear, health outcome disparities have nothing to do with genetics or demograph- ics, or even so-called lifestyle choices. Mountains of lit- erature contradict the idea Patricia Kullberg, MD, MPH that people simply choose to smoke, not exercise or eat poorly. These choices are always made in the context of social, economic and psy- chological factors. What if, for example, no one markets fresh produce in your neigh- borhood? What if the nearby “ Researchers estimate that social condi- tions account for two thirds of health out- comes park is not safe to play in? What if you’ve been bombard- ed with ads since childhood about how sexy it is to smoke? Neighborhoods where low income persons, immigrants and people of color tend to live in Portland are often unhealthy. The air quality is worse. The tree canopy is sparser. The housing stock is uninsulated and burdened with vermin and toxins. Ac- cess to healthy food, public transportation or health ser- vices may be poor. Jobs are more scarce. Schools are un- der-resourced. Families move in and out; neighbors may not know each other. Social isola- tion is more common. People of color suffer the additional burdens of racism. “Weathering” refers to a pro- cess of premature aging due to the constant stress from the daily effects of racism: the repeated experience of being dismissed, disrespect- ed, diminished and denied. A weathering process may sim- ilarly affect all who are mar- ginalized, stripped of their dignity and independence, or deprived of food and shelter. Researchers estimate that social conditions account for two thirds of health out- comes; that living and work- ing conditions have a bigger impact on health and longev- ity than either clinical care or individual behavior. It is precisely this sicken- ing combination of lousy living conditions and the un- derlying burden of disease that renders the residents of Portland’s under-resourced communities more suscepti- ble to the ill effects of global climate change. The Oregon Climate and Health Profile Report (Oregon Health Au- thority, 2014) and the Climate Change Preparation Strategy (City of Portland and Mult- nomah County, 2014) identi- fy the populations at highest risk for adverse outcomes from climate change events: persons living in substandard housing, non-English speak- ing persons, houseless per- sons, people with pre-exist- ing health and mental health conditions and those who live in areas with poor air quali- ty. The ill effects of drought, flooding, extreme heat events and blankets of smoke from wildfires will fall most heavi- ly on those least able to with- stand them. The benefits of the Portland Clean Energy Initiative are targeted to low income com- munities and communities of color. They include clean en- ergy jobs and training; home weatherization; improved ac- cess to healthy food through community gardens or food buying clubs; and other com- munity clean energy projects. The effects of building healthier neighborhoods are well documented: neighbors are more likely to know and trust each other. Crime rates are lower and civic engage- ment is increased. People are more likely to volunteer and more likely to vote. They live longer and healthier lives. Is this not what all of us want for our city? If you agree, join me in voting yes on the Portland Clean Energy Initiative (Mea- sure 26-201). Politically Correct, or Perfectly Civil A t this writing, Megyn Kelly is off the air at NBC. After her horrid- ly vapid statement say- ing she didn’t see anything wrong with Blackface, she apologized the next day and even invited journalist Ro- land Martin on to take her to school. Roland did a brilliant job in explaining the history of Blackface and the way it demeans African American people, and it was great that he had the opportunity to educate, not only his odious host but also the millions who watch Megyn Kelly daily. So, Kelly tearfully apologized, and she listened to Roland and television commentator Amy Holmes as they talked about race. But does Kelly “get” why her remarks were so objectionable? Roland says she does, but I’m not so sure. She prefaced her apology by saying that she was not a “PC kind of person.” I’m not sure what that means, and what is wrong with being “political- ly correct” if it means being perfectly civil, informed, and mindful of others. If African American people say that Blackface is offensive, it’s not a big deal Megyn. It’s offen- sive. Whether you know the history or not, if members of a group say something is wrong, why not accept it? Or Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist does your White skin privi- lege allow you to determine what is offensive and what is not? This is not the first time Ms. Kelly has put her foot into racial quicksand. Confident in her Aryan-ness, she pro- claimed that Santa Clause “ Whether you know the his- tory or not, if members of a group say something is wrong, why not accept it? is White, and so is Jesus. To declare Jesus White, given his geographical roots on the African continent or in the Middle East, is to embrace a special kind of both spatial and historical ignorance. But if you are vested in the world being a narrow White oc- casion, then you are free to spew racist myths, or shall we say, “fake news.” On the Santa tip, since Santa is not a real person, but a fairy tale figment of someone’s imagination, Santa’s race is subject to the imagination. Kelly seemed to have a prob- lem with a Black Santa. Why? Does a Black Santa offend her lily-White sensibilities? Is she so steeped in Whiteness that she can’t think outside the box? And did NBC throw the talented Tamron Hall un- der the bus for that? Speaks to their own racial bias and sense of White superiority! It is tragic to consider that Megyn Kelly has three young children who are undoubt- edly being influenced by her warped racial views. But NBC may, perhaps, be reconsider- ing their relationship with Kelly. It would be a great loss if she were bounced off the air, though there are some who think she has learned her lesson sufficiently to con- tinue her career. What if, instead of losing her job, she was involved in a “Black immersion” expe- rience? What if she had to spend a month in a dormi- tory at Bennett or Spellman College, spending time with the young Black women she seems not to have taken into consideration heretofore? What if her conversation with Roland Martin could be the first of many, and she was directed to spend time with Essence Editor Emerita Susan Taylor, with NNPA Chair Dor- othy Leavell, with Jada Pinkett Smith, with Rev. Jesse Jack- son, and with others. Might that make a difference for the ill-educated Megyn Kelly? Or maybe she should just read a book or two. Fifty years after the Kerner Commission report, it is clear that there are still two Ameri- cas, one Black, and one White. Two Americas, with two dif- ferent realities and few bridg- es to understanding. This is why, even in all-White com- munities, Black history must be taught. This is why our textbooks ought to speak re- alistically about enslavement, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and lynching. White ignorance is a choice, especially among adults who can educate themselves and expose themselves to the to- tality of history. Megyn Kelly chose to ex- pose herself to Roland Mar- tin and Amy Holmes. Too bad she shot off her uninformed mouth before she got educat- ed! Perhaps she will now re- move the term “PC” from her vocabulary unless she hap- pens to mean perfectly civil.
