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The Columbia Press July 30, 2021 HBO: Focus is on black experiences Continued from Page 1 with the adaption would be at a high quality, and the best representation of my story is really important,” Johnson said. The novel follows teenager Tracy Beaumont, a black high school student in Galveston, Texas, who lives and breathes social justice causes. She’s fighting for the at- tention of Innocence X, a criminal justice organization whose lawyers could save her father, who’s on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. “I grew up not having any- thing like this, not only in the realm of empowering activ- ists and social justice issues, but also detective and inves- tigative stories, especially with a black lead,” Johnson said. “I still don’t have that as an adult, and so when it came time to choose between film and television, a series was top of my list to represent my work.” Johnson grew up in Eugene, where she was president of the NAACP Youth Council and various organizations in college. Whether in an academic or civic setting, the ability to see who is not at the table and support broader involvement has served Johnson in roles such as directing UO’s Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence or as alumni ad- viser for the Oregon chap- ter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, a historically black sorority whose alumnae in- clude Kamala Harris, Maya Angelou and Coretta Scott King. Johnson has seen the book inspire young people to activ- ism on the UO campus. Curriculum based on the book already is being taught in middle and high schools around the country. 5 New salmon plates are colorful way to show support Drivers can soon show their support for salmon habitat through a new license plate design. The new plate will be avail- able Sept. 1. Lowest-numbered new plates will be available through a special auction in cooperation with Oregon nonprofit groups that sup- port salmon habitat resto- ration. The Oregon Watershed En- hancement Board and Or- egon Parks and Recreation Department first debuted a salmon plate in 1998. Reve- nue from the specialty plate protects and restores na- tive salmon habitat. To date, more than $8 million has gone toward these projects. “When coupled with vot- er-dedicated investments from the state’s Lottery, this plate allows salmon support- ers to show their true colors and invest in a worthwhile cause – healthy salmon habi- tat,” says Meta Loftsgaarden, Executive Director of the Wa- tershed Enhancement Board. The original plate was one of the earliest custom designs available in Oregon, and the new design is a colorful upgrade, showing spawn- ing salmon in a clear, cool stream. The new art was cre- ated by Gretchen Kirchner, an amateur artist and former graphic designer. The public can continue to order the classic plate de- sign before they retire in Au- gust and can keep the clas- sic plates on their car if they choose, while still supporting habitat projects. A Salmon Plate VIP List Auction on eBay runs through 5 p.m. July 30 for plate num- bers SM 00001 through 00020. Proceeds will benefit salmon recovery. The new plates will be avail- able for passenger vehicles through the DMV beginning Sept. 1. Orders placed online or in person before Aug. 31 will receive the classic plate. Masks recommended again as cases and hospitalizations rise Oregon Health Authority recommends all people – vac- cinated or not – wear masks in indoor settings throughout the state to protect against COVID-19. The recommendation is in response to a surge in cases and new national guidance calling for masking to prevent the spread of the highly trans- missible Delta variant. “Today’s reported sharp rise in cases and hospitalizations in Oregon are sobering re- minders that the pandemic is not over, especially for Orego- nians who remain unvaccinat- ed,” said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state’s health officer. “The highly contagious Del- ta variant has increased ten- fold in the past two weeks in Oregon, and it is now estimat- ed to be associated with 80 percent of new cases,” he said. According to the Centers for Disease Control, people who are vaccinated largely are pro- tected from the virus and the circulating variants, including the Delta variant now seen in the majority of new Oregon cases. While there has been an in- crease in daily cases and hos- pitalizations, COVID-related deaths have dropped. OHA reported 3,098 new daily cases of COVID-19 July 19-25, a 53 percent rise over the previous week. Clatsop County has reported 1,145 total cases, with 25 hos- pitalizations and 10 deaths. There are just under 22,000 fully vaccinated county resi- dents, or 55.6 percent.
