Byron Allen at the Grio talking about closing the achievement gap
Join us at the NAACP to demand canceling student loans and closing the Achievement GAP. pdxnaacp.org
If you are not registered yet it is almost too late!!!!!!! Get busy and register everybody and their mother.
I woke up this morning the sun was shining knowing that today was my birthday. I was thinking if anyone wanted to give me a gift, I would ask them to JOIN our Portland Branch of the NAACP 1120-B (pdxnaacp.org). This is not too much to ask because God knows the fight against racism, discrimination, and hate is a battle we cannot afford to lose. I am reminded that at 78 we need every weapon on the battlefield including us old folks.
Check out our Mission:
https://studio.youtube.com/video/5bwCfhLCS14/edit
Askari as we called him, will be greatly missed. It is a privilege to assist in the memorial celebration of his life this Saturday at the Lloyd Center Mall next to our NAACP office. To know him is to love him. Come hear his story 1:00 pm. He truly exemplifies our love for black history.
I know this is Black History Month but I am still surprised that very few people, blacks in particular know about this great black woman and the contribution she made to blacks in Oregon and across the USA.
Beatrice Morrow Cannady-Portland NAACP Black History
Black men are less than animals
My wife and I just went to see the movie “The Color Purple” Although the movie was a tear-jerker, I did not like the depiction of black men as animals. I hope someone will come out with a balanced view of who black men were during that period and tell the whole story.
In a world where it seems like all love and appreciation for different cultures, religions, and races has gone haywire, where hate, intolerance, indifference, disrespect, and unspeakable violence reign, I am happy to report that the local Portland branch of the NAACP was invited to have dinner and attend the annual Christmas presentation of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City Utah. Thanks to the work of our local Pastor Dr. Reverend Hennessee and the leadership of the renowned national board member of the NAACP, Dr. Reverend Amos Brown out of San Francisco, historical barriers and misunderstandings between the black community and the Mormon faith have evolved into reconciliation and collaboration. At the invitation of the local LDS representative Allen Oyler on Thursday of this week, my wife and I were privileged to attend this awesome Christmas event.
Praise be to God. Peace on earth, and goodwill towards all men.
Columbia Sportswear Chair, President and CEO Tim Boyle’s unhealthy obsession with the garbage on the highways is not his alone. (comments at the 2023 Oregon Business Leadership Summit) Most of us hate it, too. But most don’t have the collective wherewithal to do much about it. However, I would like to suggest that while the trash on streets is a physically visible problem we can all see and commiserate about, we have deeper problems with how our most vulnerable citizens, especially Black people, are treated.
That is, the city of Portland continues to treat its Black citizens like trash. For example, how is it that the city continues to accept a 50% educational achievement gap between Black and white students? And as if we didn’t already know it, a recent State disparity study graphically shows that Blacks are continually being economically discriminated against in acquiring government contracts.
As sure as the neck bone is connected to the shoulder bone and the shoulder bone is connected to the backbone, likewise we can see why Black unemployment numbers continue to be triple that of whites. Furthermore, Black folks similarly disproportionately populate our prisons and the criminal justice system. And it is straight up ugly to realize that Blacks have the lowest home ownership rate of any ethnic group.
If you want to see some garbage, these are only a few devastating indicators of the real trash problem in Portland. Perhaps we can enlist Tim Boyle and many other successful private sector capitalists here to be more pissed off and obsessed enough to help clean up this mess.
Here again, the omnipresent Michael Chappie Grice was a participant and had this to say:
“On the evening of Friday, October 13, the Oregon Alliance of Black School Educators (ORABSE) convened, for the second consecutive year, a Black Community Science Night at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry. Guided by the vision of Kevin Bacon, president and community stalwart and executive board member, Renee Anderson, some 680 Black parents and their children and grandchildren descended on the magnificent OMSI facility from 6 PM to 9 PM. Hundreds of children explored the OMSI exhibits and science-focused, hands-on activities. A local band provided a rich tapestry of jazz and African Music in the background while the children danced and played during excitement about the chemistry, physics, robotics, mathematics, and science wonderland. ORABSE was very proud to have such a “full house“turnout and guaranteed not only that it was worthwhile but shall be continued in future years. The rainy weather seemed to add an authentic Portland signature to the event and did not deter attendance nor mute the spirit of enthusiasm and adventure that filled the facility for the entire three hours. OMSI sponsors and investors can’t help but see that such a partnership only amplified people’s enthusiasm to bring their children into the OMSI arena. We look forward to more collaborations between the NAACP and organizations like ORABSE for the benefit of the community and its children. The need is great, in these times. Of particular note was the obvious mutual benefit of encouraging access to established cultural and educational institutions as partners like the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. With OMSI’s leading example of sponsoring hundreds of admissions, there are dozens of “win-win” opportunities awaiting birth and nurturing in Portland and beyond that encourage diversity and equality in real-time community investment. Thanks to all that promoted this culturally specific experience to “embrace the worth of all.”
