Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2023)
December 13, 2023 The Skanner Portland & Seattle Page 7 Bids & Classified To place your ad, email advertising@theskanner.com or go to www.TheSkanner.com and click on the “Ads” menu. Allegations of Modern-Day Slavery Emerge as Alabama Inmates Sue State Officials and Corporations Michael Grant, former president of the Nashville Branch of the NAACP and the National Bankers Association, congratulations Tennessee Rep. Harold Love on his election as the next president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent A group of current and former Ala- bama prisoners have filed a fed- eral lawsuit, alleging that they were trapped in a “modern-day form of slavery” by being forced to work at fast- food chains for meager or no compensation. The comprehensive 129- page complaint, seek- ing class-action status, contends that the pris- oners were victims of a “convict leasing” system, compelling them to work under exploitative con- ditions while the state of Alabama and its cor- porate partners reaped Love cont’d from pg 7 get caught up in the mo- ment-in-time snapshot of election day…But we must also look for oppor- tunities to serve on local and state level boards and commissions. We miss local and state level boards. Or we can shad- ow someone in a legacy organization like the NAACP and the National Urban League and en- gage in that work.” The 2010 flood that damaged a section of Black Nashville, gave Love the opportunity to put the Rev. Dixon’s ad- vice to work. By taking the initiative and help- ing to organize the re- covery funded by FEMA, a grateful community encouraged Love to seek office again. This time, in 2012, he was resounding- ly elected to represent the 58th district of the Tennessee General As- sembly. substantial profits. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Al- abama and first report- ed by the website Law & Crime, implicates over two dozen state officials, including Governor Kay Ivey and Attorney Gen- “ The com- plaint al- leges that Alabama generates an annual $450 mil- lion from forced labor eral Steve Marshall, alongside numerous government agencies and private employ- ers, including the Al- abama Department of Corrections (ADOC). The plaintiffs argue that these entities have violated the Traf- ficking Victims Pro- tection Act. The complaint notes that while 26.8% of Alabama’s population identifies as Black or African American, double that percent- age constitutes the Black incarcerated population. Drawing historical parallels, the group compares the alleged labor-traf- ficking scheme to the enslavement of individuals in Ala- bama’s cotton fields and subsequent share- cropping and con- vict leasing practices post-Civil War. In a video statement, jailed activist Rob- ert Earl Council, also known as Kinetik Jus- tice, asserts that Ala- bama’s work programs are a continuation of pre-Civil War slavery. He accuses corporations and fast-food companies involved in these pro- grams as complicit “slave masters,” condemning their participation in the exploitation. The complaint alleges that Alabama generates an annual $450 mil- lion from forced labor, with inmates compelled to work against their will. At the same time, the ADOC claims 40% of gross earnings pur- portedly for the cost of incarceration. In a recent finding, the U.S. Department of Justice announced significant deficiencies in ADOC facilities, prompting a 2020 lawsuit against Ala- bama, citing widespread violence among prison- ers and guards. Individual plaintiff stories further under- score the harsh realities. Lakiera Walker, incar- cerated from 2007 to 2023, recounted years of uncompensated work, including housekeeping, floor stripping, and em- ployment at Burger King for a paltry $2 per day. Walker details enduring sexual harassment, be- ing forced to work while unwell, and the intimi- dation preventing many women from speaking out. The lawsuit contends that the work programs create a paradoxical situ- ation where inmates are denied parole for public safety reasons while si- multaneously working without supervision at local businesses. The plaintiffs demand justice for what they describe as forced labor and aim to expose and rectify systemic exploitation within Alabama’s prison system. Book Fair counter harmful cul- tural stereotypes and find joy in their cul- ture; and Anita Craw- ford Clark, whose first picture book, ‘Old to Joy,’ hit shelves in Sep- tember after percolat- ing in her imagination for two decades. “I wrote the manu- script in ’98, I sent it off to a few publishers, it was rejected,” Clark told The Skanner. “Be- tween then and 2020, I dabbled in it, but it wasn’t until 2020 during COVID, as a teacher, that I finally had time to write and illustrate the book, and that’s when I picked it up again and polished it off and tweaked it, and start- ed connecting with the children’s writing community.” An educator who holds masters’ de- grees in both creative writing and media psychology, Clark said she felt drawn to Beat- rix Potter books when she was a child, “may- be because the char- acters weren’t White, they were animals, and I could relate to them.” She was entering the “kids lit” field at a time when repre- sentation of Black characters and Black stories still lagged far behind that of White narratives, but 2020 was a year when that began to shift for the better, Clark recalled. She found a support- ive community on Twitter, specifical- ly through what is known as Black Cre- ators HQ. “All these Black cre- ators, we all started coming together, and we would bring in agents and editors and established authors, and they would tell us and teach us how to break through in this industry,” Clark said. “This was people of all colors and differ- ent backgrounds that would come and speak to us, and editors would give us oppor- tunities to submit our work to them, get on top of the ‘slush pile,’ as they call it.” In June of that year, Black author L.L. McKinney launched the hashtag “publish- ingpaidme,” which encouraged BIPOC and White authors to share the amounts of their publishing ad- vances. When compiled, the numbers made obvi- Advertising deadlines 12:00 Noon Monday cont’d from pg 3 ous the huge discrepan- cy between how White and Black authors were paid – often, award-win- ning authors of color were still paid far less than virtually unknown White writers. “The difference was staggering – not in the thousands, in the tens of thousands,” Clark said. “For the same level of work. And the reason the book companies were (giving) was because, ‘well, people don’t read books with Black charac- ters.’ And ‘Black people don’t read books at the same rate.’” Clark said, “When that hashtag came out, people were getting exposed, publishing companies were getting exposed. And then you really just saw a flood, a really con- certed effort, to be more inclusive. We’re still not there, but there’s been some improvement.” Clark said her own ex- perience documenting her book on social media undermined the publish- ing industry rationale that non-Black readers don’t pick up works by Black authors. “When I posted pic- tures of my work in prog- ress, I was blown away by the response from people who aren’t Black. Even though the focus is on Black culture and my character is Black, the ex- periences are germane to people of all cultures. All cultures experience joy and heartache and grief and sadness and elation and love. And that’s when I realized, wow, that’s really what picture books do. This is something we can all identify with.” Bradford is hoping to make the BIPOC Book Fair a yearly event. “What I would really love to do is to be able to do this event every year here in Portland and do this event in other cit- ies,” she said. “Each city is going to have different resources, and my hope is that we will be able to create a blueprint and say, ‘Please go and cre- ate a BIPOC Book Fair in your town.’” The inaugural BIPOC Book Fair will be held Dec. 23 from 12 to 4 p.m. at Norse Hall (111 N.E. 11th Ave., Portland). The event offers books by BIPOC authors, of every genre, for early readers to 17-year-olds. Tickets are $5, and low-income families can request a fee waiver. Masks are required for all attend- ees. Tickets and more information available at https://carlbrandon.org/ bbf. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR – OFFICE OF EQUITY & CIVIL RIGHTS The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is seeking a proactive, transformational leader who will advocate for equitable practices in all dimensions of our agency’s work to join our executive team as the Assistant Director – Office of Equity & Civil Rights in Salem with hybrid work options. Visit www.odotjobs. com and search for REQ-143749 to learn more and apply by 1/4/24. ODOT is an EEO/AA Employer. 12-13-23 METRO 2024 Lidar Collection and Processing Services RFP 4242 Metro is inviting proposals for lidar collection services. Electronic proposals only are due no later than January 4, 2024, at 2:00 pm to http://bidlocker.us/a/oregonmetro/ BidLocker. Metro is seeking proposals from qualified firms to 1) acquire and initially process lidar data and 2) produce additional lidar derivatives. Solicitation documents can be viewed and downloaded from Bid Locker (http://bid- locker.us). Metro may accept or reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, or waive irregularities not affecting substantial rights if such action is deemed in the public interest. Metro extends equal opportunity to all persons and spe- cifically encourages minority, women-owned, emerging small businesses and service disabled veteran owned businesses to access and participate in this and all Metro projects, programs and services. Metro and its contractors will not discriminate against any person(s), employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orien- tation, age, religion, disability, political affiliation or mar- ital status. Metro fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. For more information, or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, see www.oregonmetro. gov. 12-13-23
