Musician Barry Hampton of Triple Grip played at the Portland Peace Rally on Saturday afternoon. Portlanders gathered in the south park blocks to protest the War in Iraq, now entering its sixth year. Almost 4,000 U.S. members of the military have died since the invasion in March of 2003. It is estimated that about 90,000 Iraqi civilians have died. See Iraq War article on this page.

Demonstrators staged marches and sit-ins across the United States on Wednesday March 19, to protest the Iraq War and mark the five-year anniversary of the beginning of the conflict. In Portland, several events were organized, including a Day of Action that involved events at the Terry Schrunk Plaza, the World Trade Center and the Federal Courthouse, downtown.
A candlelight vigil was set for  7 p.m. in Jamison Square Park on N.W. 9th and Johnson. Organizers said the vigil would remember those killed in the war.
A day of action Saturday attracted hundreds of protesters to Portland's park blocks. The event was peaceful with no arrests.
It was a different story in Washington D.C., Wednesday ...

Angela Freeman had never acted before in her life. But starting this month she's taking a starring role in PassinArt Theater company's production of "Diva's Daughters Dupree" by Kim Euall.
That's nothing new for PassinArt, which for the last 26 years has worked hard to include new voices in their productions. Company members talent spotted Freeman, a vice principal in the Evergreen school district and an amateur singer, at "Say Hey," the social networking party that welcomes professionals of color who are new to the area.
For nearly a month now, Freeman has been rehearsing the role of Sarah, the middle child of three grown sisters.
"Sarah's an educated black woman who's passionate about what she does," Freeman says about her character.
In the play, the three Dupree sisters come together unexpectedly when they all return home on the ...

The Royal Esquire Club, a 60-year old social club devoted to the betterment of the African Americans and the community in south Seattle, will celebrate its 60th anniversary Saturday, April 5.
Located in the heart of Columbia City, The Royal Esquire Club started out during the years when segregation still kept people of color out of many places. It provided a hospitable place where Seattle's African Americans could socialize and build friendships as well as a forum where community issues were aired. The club was a center for community organizing, offering support to students and welfare organizations. It also became a thriving jazz club where the likes of Count Basie, Bat King Cole, Dinah Washington entertained Seattleites of all races....

Monday's meeting began with a somber tone. The reading of eight names: names of victims who lost their lives to violence. The youngest was just 14; the oldest was 32.
Started this past Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Youth Violence Prevention Network is a church-based, community action group that promotes nonviolence, and is dedicated to helping teenagers and young adults achieve their goals and dreams.
"It starts with loving young people, " said founding Pastor Zachary K. Bruce, Sr. "We have a common vision to help young people achieve their goals in life and live up to their fullest potential."
The group seeks to help youth establish safe ways to deal with conflicts and differences,...

Past generations have seen this all before. That is why for nearly three decades the ICBA has been warning that our financial system was becoming dangerously over concentrated, and that there would be ruinous consequences to pay — just as in earlier times. Now ICBA's warnings are reality — again.
The financial structure policies of several recent administrations, plus those of a very encouraging and accommodating Federal Reserve Board have led to the bailout of Bear Stearns. For nearly 30 years, national policymakers have allowed our financial system to become so concentrated at the top that it resembles the equivalent of European royal inbreeding — look beneath the skin and there is only one strain of financial DNA — every entity is related (directly or indirectly) to every other entity. ...

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- The chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee said Friday that two Louisiana prison inmates, former Black Panthers in solitary confinement since the 1970s, were wrongly convicted.
U.S. Rep. John Conyers did not say that inmates Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox should be released, but in a written statement said he urges "a swift and just resolution of this matter." The Michigan Democrat said "I recently became aware of evidence that may suggest both Mr. Wallace and Mr. Woodfox were wrongly convicted."
Wallace and Woodfox are two of the men activists call the "Angola Three." Wallace and Woodfox say they are victims of cruel and unusual punishment because they've been in solitary confinement at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, the state's top-security prison, since 1972. Both are appealing their convictions in the death of a guard.

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) -- Democratic presidential hopeful candidate Sen. Barack Obama took his message of changing the old partisan politics to a conservative corner of Oregon on Saturday.
Hundreds of supporters stood in a line stretching more than 200 yards in the early morning cold to get good seats for the town hall meeting.
Recreation technician John McKellig, 54, and retired postal worker Arlene Aron, 60, both from the rural community of Applegate, showed up at 9:30 Friday night to be first in line.
"I'm interested in seeing the red state-blue state division disappear," said McKellig, who left the Republican Party and became a Democrat in 2000 after the election of President Bush. "I think we need to heal."
Terry Baker, 27, a forester recently graduated from Yale University and also from Applegate, said he was not closely following the campaign until he read Obama's speech on the need to overcome racism.
"That one speech really did it for me," he said.
Inside, some 1,500 ticket-holders crowded a former bowling alley converted into a kids' gym to ask the candidate about the economy, environmental protection, veterans benefits, stem cell research and how he manages to stay composed under the stresses of the campaign. ...

Stumptown Stages present their production of 'Dreamgirls' at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center from March 3 through April 5. Pictured here from left are: Joann Coleman, Julianne Johnson, Lava Alapai. Performances run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm. To reserve tickets call 503-381-8686 or visit www.ifccarts.org.

After nearly a generation, a community-wide dream has finally become a reality.
The grand opening of the Northwest African American Museum will be held from 11 a.m.-4 p.m Saturday, March 8 in the former Coleman School, located at 2300 S. Massachusetts St., in Seattle's Central District.
The grand opening celebration kicks off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, free public tours, live music, children's art activities and more....