Below are fast-breaking news items.
Lashai Williams was sentence to close to 8 years in prison for killing Billie Dee Andrea Pugh in a car crash April 28.
READ MOREA Portland Police officer arrested on a charge of criminal mischief, was involved in a police shooting in December 2001.
READ MOREThe PPS Focus on Diversity Film and Lecture Series is bringing to PPS students, teachers, staff and community members the Black History 101 Mobile Museum.
READ MOREThe Seattle Public Library is offering a series of Microsoft IT Academy open lab sessions beginning Thursday, Jan. 9 at the Central Library.
READ MOREWith the start of a new year, ClarkCounty residents have a new online tool to help them find volunteer opportunities to serve their community.
READ MOREFive Things White People and Five Things People of Color Can Do to Stop Racism: 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Tuesday Jan. 7 at Jefferson High School, 5210 N. Kerby Ave between Killingsworth and Alberta in the cafeteria. Speakers: Educators Linea King and Paula Dennis. Free. This second Race Talks series is on the first Tuesdayof each month.
Get fit and have fun at Portland Parks and Recreation pools, with the 13th Annual Water Warrior Club.
READ MORERace Talks Presents: “No More Pushouts! Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline!”
Program runs from 7pm - 9pm with doors open at 6pm on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at The Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd Ave., Portland.
Free/All Ages
Phone: 503.249-3983
Website: Kennedy School events
Arrive early to meet, network and eat dinner with friends.
Presentations by:
Sheila Warren, Founder/Director, Portland Parent Union
Ray Leary, Director, Young Men's Group at Roosevelt High School
Melissa Goff, Executive Director, Office of Teaching and Learning, Portland Public Schools
Following the presentations, there will be small group discussions facilitated by trained volunteers from: Uniting to Understand Racism and City of Portland Intergroup Dialogue Program.
Oregon Health & Science University neuroscientist Damien Fair, PA-C, Ph.D, who studies the developing brain has won a special presidential award.
The White House announced Dec. 23, that Fair was among 102 scientists and engineers to be honored with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for 2013.
Fair identified different types of Attention Deficit Disorder, and is using brain imaging to map children’s development and to identify
"The impressive achievement of these early-stage scientists and engineers are promising indicators of even greater successes ahead,” President Obama said. "We are grateful for their commitment to generating the scientific and technical advancements that will ensure America's global leadership for many years to come.”
Fair's research using brain imaging technology to map children’s development. He is working to understand what’s different about the brains of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. The aim is to improve the scientific understanding so doctors can find better ways to diagnose and treat these disorders.
"I am honored to have been considered for this award and extremely humbled to have received it,” said Fair, who is an assistant professor of behavioral neuroscience, an assistant professor of psychiatry and an assistant scientist in the Advanced Imaging Research Center at OHSU. "The scientific work we've been conducting is really the culmination of several mentors who have guided my training, a large and talented staff who conduct much of the work and many families who feel it important to participate in our research.”
Fair also founded an OHSU initiative in 2012 called YES! — or the Youth Engaged in Science program, which gives opportunities to underrepresented middle and high school students in science, technology, engineering and math. careers.
Mackenzie River Gathering announced its end of year grants. MRG awarded $225,000 to 20 grassroots groups working throughout Oregon:
Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, Portland: $19,500
APANO builds Pan-Asian/Pacific Islander civic leadership to address racial disparities and discrimination. APANO builds unity across generations, ethnic groups, and immigration experiences to advocate for the common good of Oregon's diverse Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
Beyond Toxics, Eugene: $10,000
Exposure to toxins can cause irreparable damage to human health. Beyond Toxics challenges the widespread practice of spraying pesticides on forests, farms, and public areas. They champion the right of everyone to live free from unwanted chemical exposure. Beyond Toxics, partnering with Centro Latino Americano empowers Latino residents in West Eugene to take leadership in organizing for environmental justice.
CAPACES Leadership Institute, Woodburn: $15,000
Founded by a network of nine community based, Latino-led social change organizations in the Mid-Willamette Valley, CAPACES Leadership Institute develops the skills and abilities of Oregon’s Latino leaders. CAPACES empowers emerging and established progressive leaders to put into practice the big ideas and values that define the Latino movement.
Center for Intercultural Organizing, Portland, $20,000
The “War on Terror" has had a very real and human impact on immigrant families, communities and lives. Founded by Portland-area immigrants and refugees in 2003, CIO protects and expands immigrant and refugee rights through education, civic engagement, policy advocacy, community organizing, and intergenerational leadership development.
Central Oregon Jobs with Justice, Bend: $5,500
Central Oregon Jobs with Justice is a coalition of 25 labor, community, and human rights groups. They have won concrete victories, including higher living standards, better working conditions, and increased rights for immigrants, people of color, mobile home park residents, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community.
Common Cause Oregon, Portland: $8,000
Common Cause Oregon believes the concerns of every Oregonian deserves consideration - regardless of ability to make large campaign contributions. By leading the way in progressive campaign finance reform, CCO empowers people to speak out for an open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest.
Community Alliance of Tenants, Portland: $17,000
As Oregon's only grassroots, tenant-controlled, tenant-rights organization, CAT develops the leadership of low-income tenants to hold landlords and public officials accountable for unjust housing policies and practices. CAT's tenant leaders take collective action to create more affordable, safe, and stable rental housing.
Disability Art and Culture Project, Portland: $8,000
Disability is a natural and valuable variation of the human form and affirmative disability identity is intertwined with racial, gender, and economic justice. Disability Art and Culture Project furthers the artistic expression of people with disabilities and utilizes the performing arts as a method of developing disability culture and pride.
Human Dignity Coalition, Bend: $7,000
Founded in response to the virulent anti-gay ballot measures of the 1990’s, Human Dignity Coalition brings together diverse voices to create a grassroots social change movement in Central Oregon. HDC advances human dignity and equity for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) people through their organizing, education, and leadership development work.
KPOV High Desert Community Radio, Bend: $10,000
KPOV is radio by the people and for the people of Central Oregon. KPOV strengthens community and democracy by providing quality programming on topics of local interest and giving a voice to local communities through grassroots participation in independent, non-commercial radio.
KSKQ Multicultural Association of Southern Oregon, Medford: $8,000
Multicultural Association of Southern Oregon is home to KSKQ Community Radio. KSKQ provides a venue for grassroots groups to present their views while challenging the corporate-owned media that dominates the airwaves.
Latino Club, Salem: $7,000
Located in the Oregon State Penitentiary, the Latino Club’s vision is to create an environment within the prison that ensures everyone has the same access to education and work opportunities, regardless of race or ability to speak English. By tackling issues of racism and discrimination, the Latino Club help their members successfully transition back into their communities.
Lotus Rising Project, Medford: $9,000
Lotus Rising Project supports, organizes, and builds the leadership of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) youth and young adults in Southern Oregon. Their mission is to create an inclusive, affirming, and safe community for queer youth and to combat intolerance in all forms.
NAACP Eugene-Springfield, Eugene: $7,000
The Eugene-Springfield NAACP combats racism in the Eugene/Springfield area. Their Back to School/Stay in School project is working to eliminate the racial achievement gap in local schools by establishing an effective tutoring program for African American students and increasing parent involvement in the education system.
OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, Portland: $19,500
OPAL organizes low-income communities of color in East Portland to advance racial, environmental, and economic justice. Through their Bus Riders Unite initiative, OPAL is putting transit-dependent riders at the decision-making table with TriMet and establishing a more equitable transit system for all Portland Metro area riders.
PFLAG Portland Black Chapter, Portland: $10,000
PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Portland Black Chapter promotes the health and well-being of Black LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) Portlanders. The first African American chapter of PFLAG in the nation, the PFLAG Portland Black Chapter organizes and engages the LGBTQ community and allies in organizing, education, and advocacy.
Red Lodge Transition Services, Portland: $9,000
Native Americans are grossly over-represented in Oregon’s prison population. Red Lodge Transition Services is a Native American organization working to reduce recidivism, prevent intergenerational incarceration, and challenge the Oregon Department of Corrections to address religious freedom and basic human rights of Indigenous people.
Rural Organizing Project, Scappoose: $18,000
ROP works with 65 member groups throughout rural Oregon to build the grassroots movement for social justice. Tackling issues from immigration to peace to healthcare to the economy, ROP is building rural progressive power and taking a stand for human dignity for all people.
Unete, Medford: $9,000
Through community education, cultural presentations and advocacy, Unete is creating a movement of farm workers and immigrants in Southern Oregon who have the power to defend their rights while also developing and implementing programs that directly benefit the community.
Voz Hispana Causa Chavista, Woodburn: $8,500
Latinos in Oregon are marginalized in most mainstream institutions, and especially in Oregon’s K-12 education system. VHCC is developing the leadership of Latino children to understand their history, think critically, speak out, and to take leadership in their community for social justice.