The latest unemployment rates are nothing short of stunning. The overall rate, 7.6 percent is alarming enough. The fact that unemployment claims have topped 600,000 last week is even more challenging. 
And then, the fact that the African American unemployment rate is 12.9 percent is startling. This means that more than one in 8 African Americans is officially out of work....

• Allen Temple Turns 60
• Community Health and Wellness Fair
• Oregon Food Bank Fund Raiser
• Recession-Proofing Your Business
• Oregon School Choice Contest
• Oregon Action to Hold Racial Profiling Event
• Facets of Africa

The Third Annual Youth Summit (Youth Organized and United to Help) drew a large crowd of young people to PSU Smith Memorial Union Saturday, Feb. 7. Anael Jeannis and Mandela Cordeta of USA La Familia perform during the talent portion of the evening ...

Dr. Cleveland Haynes, III, PhD, the beloved son of Audrey Houston Haynes and Cleveland Haynes, Jr., was born in Portland, on Dec. 24, 1960.
He was a member of Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church until he relocated to Seattle.
Haynes was a graduate of John Adams High School, Evergreen State College and The Union Institute. He was a teacher at Middle College High School in Seattle....

Mayes was well-known throughout the Northeast community and easily engaged in conversations with most people he met. His sense of humor brought laughter and smiles to many. He will most definitely be remembered for his fun-loving and positive attitude. One of Mayes' favorite youthful activities was playing basketball. He loved family functions, playing dominoes, barbecues and being with his family and friends. Last year was a turning point in Mayes' life ...

For young people who have gone through the trauma of a cancer diagnosis, the American Cancer Society has developed a program that will take some of the concern from their shoulders as they approach their college years. The Society's "Cancer Survivor College Scholarship Program" is designed to help students who have been diagnosed with cancer pay for part of their tuition. ...

The 13th Annual African American Read-In drew crowds at the North Portland Library Sunday, Feb. 8. Noted locals such as damali ayo, Judge Darleen Ortega of the Oregon Court of Appeals, Trinity Lutheran School second-grader Quinones Thompson and Grant High School senior Lindsay Marshall chose their favorite books to read out loud. John Branam of Grantmakers for Education read from Kevin Carroll's "Red Rubber Ball."

Stumptown Stages presents The Wiz, Feb. 13 through March 1 at Jefferson High School Auditorium, 5210 N. Kerby St....
Based on "The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz," by L. Frank Baum, this musical is an African American adaptation of the tale...

Left to right: Samantha Rund & Faith Russell; Geoffery Simmons and Samantha. Photo by Erik Stuhaug

Quilters from Gee's Bend, Ala., an African American community internationally known for its quilts, are visiting the Seattle area Feb. 17-22. Special events will be held at Taproot Theatre Company, Greg Kucera Gallery and Tacoma Art Museum, which are celebrating the history, stories and art of the Gee's Bend community. The people of Gee's Bend have a rich history going back to slavery days, when the peninsula was the site of a plantation established by Joseph Gee in the early 19th century....

Karanja Crews ... created "Journey to Freedom: The Power to Read and Write," a board game that follows the story of a Southern slave on his quest to freedom. The game takes nearly three months to complete - hardly your typical weeknight game of Monopoly.
"I'm using literacy and speech to make a difference," he says. "I'm connecting education to freedom … it's not just about facts and learning. I'm teaching them that no one can ever take that education away from them." ...