The URBAN LEAGUE Spring Edition, 1999 of Portland A United Way Agency THE. EDUCATION EQUALITY URBAN PLAZA 10 North Russell Street Portland, Oregon 97227 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY DINNER TO STRESS LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR ALL The Urban League of Portland will host its annual Equal Opportunity Day Dinner in March and honor two community members with the agency's Equal Opportunity Award that evening. The dinner will be held Wednesday, March 3 at Portland's downtown Hilton, 921 S.W. Sixth Ave. A reception will be held at 6 p.m. and the dinner will begin at 6.45 p.m. The dinner's theme is "Economic Power: Leveling the Playing Field." The two recipients of the Urban League's Equal Opportunity Award are Peter Gray, vice president/director for corporate devel- west Business Committee for the Arts, opment for Bank of America, and Kay Toran, member of Portland State University School of Fine director of the Portland Oregon Sports Au- thority, advisory board director of the State Office for Services to Children and Families. and Performing Arts and advisory committee member for the Cascade AIDS Project, Inc. Gray, in addition to his duties at America's largest bank, also is chairman of Oregon Business Council's Education Task Force-Marketing Subcommittee, director of The guest speaker will be Lasandra Thomas, general manager/chief operating officer of MSBET, a division of Microsoft Inc. Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington, director of the North Peter Gray JOB SEEKERS, EMPLOYERS CONNECT AT CAREER CONNECTION '99 Kay Toran Toran, in addition to her duties at the Office for Services to Children and Families, is president of the Walker Institute, member of the board of directors for Linfield College and a community advisory board member of the Providence Hospital. pow- ON PAGE 5) IN THIS ISSUE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY DINNER TO STRESS LEVEL PLAYING FIELD 1 JOB SEEKERS, EMPLOYERS CONNECT AT CAREER CONNECTION '99 The Urban League of Portland will host its seventh annual job fair and 1999 Employer for such employers to interact with hun- of the Year breakfast on Tuesday, March 30. dreds of job seekers. THE HEALTH DIVIDE 2 The "Career Connection '99" job fair is from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Memorial Coliseum Last year, more than 1,000 job seekers attended the job fair. The job seekers NIKE EMPLOYEES EXEMPLIFY VOLUNTEER SPIRIT 3 Exhibit Hall in the lower level of the Rose represented Portland's diverse community. TERM LIMIT WON'T LIMIT OUTGOING CHAIRMAN'S SERVICE 3 FOUNDATION GRANT HELPS LEAGUE TACKLE HEALTH ISSUES 4 WESTERN REGIONAL CONFERENCE MARCH 4-7 4 SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICANAMERICAN ACHIEVEMENT 4 LEAGUE OFFICIAL APPOINTED TO TWO HEALTH BOARDS 5 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 6 DECEMBER EVENTS SUCCESSFUL 6 MEMBERSHIP IS VITAL TO CONTINUED SUCCESS 7 Quarter, 1 Center Court. The breakfast, which costs $30 per person, will be held at the Coliseum Exhibit Hall and precede the job fair. The job fair is free. The 1999 Employer of the Year will be announced at the breakfast. The 1998 Employer of the Year was Fujitsu Microelectronics' Gresham Manufacturing Division. This award is given each year to a local employer that goes beyond the call of duty in pursuing the goals of affirmative action, community involvement, outreach and employee retention. our Career Connection 1999 is an opportunity For example, 40 percent of the attendees were people of color and 52 percent were women. About 40 percent of the people attending had four-year degrees or more advanced degrees. However, this is a true community event in that all job seekers are eligible and encouraged to attend. "Career Connection is one of our most fruitful recruiting events," said Mark Johnson of Tektronix corporate staffing. Call Connee Devers at 503-280-2647 for more information about the job fair and/or the breakfast. e 1 our s The MigmM1 Divide By Hugh B. Price, President, National Urban League Does America's medical establishment peculiarly susceptible to common ill- think African Americans deserve topflight medical care? nesses as some physicians still think. That is the question that resounds throughout the dramatic, worrisome and vitally important series Newsday, the Long Island, N.Y.-based newspaper, ran over eight days in November and early Decemberon the "health divide" between white Americans and African Americans. The paper'sseemingly exhaustive yearlong investigation drew upon numerous studies from the federal government, hospitals, think tanks and medical schools. It included the views of medi- cal researchers and practicing doctors across the country. And it examined the practices of doctors and the experiences of patients in its own backyard Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, and the borough of Queens in NewYork City. That work provided the evidence for the stark declaration that began the series' first story: "Decades after segregation ended, blacks and whites are largely treated undertwo medical systems-- not separate, but still unequal." That unequal treatment means that blacks (American Indians and Hispanic Americans also have significant health- care problems), "are significantly less likely than whites to get the advanced medical care that can mean the difference between life and death." This racial inequality can be found over many, many areas of medicine: In the treatment of heart disease, diabetes, and circulatory problems; in the wait for kidney transplants; in access to the most experienced surgeons; for black women, in being subjected to the more invasive type of hysterectomy operations than white women are; and so on. The inequality is not merely a result of blacks being poorer and living in impoverished neighborhoods, although these do have an effect. Nor does being African American in and of itself make blacks Rare 2 The health divide persists even for blacks at middle-income levels and when their type of insurance is the same as whites, Newsday found. For example, black residents of Queens and Long Island with incomes of $50,000 to $75,000 were only half as likely astheir white peers to get angioplasty or bypass surgery after they had been admitted to the hospital for a heart attack or clogged arteries. Such differences in treatment help explain why the health of African Americans compared to whites is uniformly worse throughout the country and why the life expectancy of African Americans is six years less than that of whites. America's black-white health gap is rooted in the country's past of pervasive discrimination, when the medical establishment subjected African Americansto rigidly segregated medical care and such secret, unethical medical experiments as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. The consequence has been a deep persistent mistrust of organized medicine and white doctors among most African Americans. Nonetheless, Newsday made clearthat, although overt racial prejudice remains, today's health divide is more significantly due to institutional biases and practices that cling to shopworn and wrong assumptionsabout the interaction of illness and age, gender and race; and of an institutional inertia that allows some doctorsto proclaim they can do little or nothing about closing the health divide. Fortunately, others think there's a great deal that can be done. At the local level, groups of health-care professionals, such as the Coalition for Community Well-Being of Queens, NY stage health fairs in churches and other community organizations to offer screening fora variety of common illnesses and make medical information more accessible to underserved populations. They also counsel those they see to seek regular medical care and to not be afraid to question their doctors about the diag- noses and treatment of their medical problems. At the federal level, the task force President Clinton set up in early 1998, to promote preventative health measures and provide early treatment for chronic conditions is beginning to make it- self felt. Headed by Dr. David Satcher, the U.S. Sur(continued on pg 5) See related article on page 4, Foundation Grant.... Nike Employees Exemplify Volunteer Spirit When Nike employees Dexter Reed and Patrice Moore volunteer at the Whitney M. Young Jr.'s Saturday School to help children learn, they also are helping the League itself. Under Nike's "Matching Gift Program," fulltime employees can volunteer for area non- profit organizations and Nike will pay that organization $10 an hourfortheir employees' time. Nikewill pay up to $2,500 per employee. In addition, the employees are paid for the time spent volunteering. Reed, who is a senior accounts logistics representative, said teaching and mentoring youth at the Urban League's Saturday School is a great way for him to give back to the community. He has volunteered atthe school for a year. Saturday School is a series of project-oriented academic classes that stimulate children and stretch their imagination. The school is for children in second through fifth grades. Among other things, the students have held a mock trial, made place mats for senior citizens, adopted a family at Christmas and helped clean and repair a home for homeless teen-agers in Northeast Portland. Patrice Moore With Saturday School Students "It makes me want to give back to the community more and more," Reed said. "It's kind of contagious."Last year, Reed spread the contagious spirit of volunteerism to Patrice Moore, a retail resources manager for Nike's equipment division. Reed spoke to Moore about Saturday School afterthey both attended a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Nike last year. Reed invited Moore to visit Saturday School and Moore immediately became involved in the program. "I feel it's the best way for me to give back," Moore said. "It's important to have a sense of kinship with the community." TERM LIMIT WON'T LIMIT OUTGOING CHAIRMAN'S SERVICE Although his term as the Urban League chairman of the board is ending, Duane Bosworth said he will continue to serve the League wholeheartedly. "The Urban League has Bosworth, a partnerwith the lawfirm of Davis, Wright and Tremaine, said he has enjoyed working with the Urban League because of the strong staff and volunteers that comprise the community-based agency. "I think it's (the Urban League) one of the most important strands in become a the fabric of our community," part of tny lifi . . . ." place for diverse people and I Duane Bosworth "The Urban League has become part of my life and I would really hate to leave it," said Bosworth, who has served on the Urban League board forseven years theterm limit. "I'll become a volunteer in some way, including perhaps raising money," Bosworth said. Bosworth said. "It's a meeting believe it can be a mechanism for creating an environment in which we all can succeed." In addition to the organization's staff and volunteers, Bosworth said the leadership of Lawrence J. Dark, president/CEO of the Urban League of Portland, has made serving on theagency's board a great experience. "Lawrence has been extraordinary in the made," Bosworth said. "He's respected by everyone and they don't know the half of all the management skills he has." But Dark said it is also Bosworth's leadership that has propelled the agency forward. "During his administration, Bosworth has emphasized fund-raising for agency, race relations and leadership development forthe community," Dark said. Bosworth is married to Deborah and has six children. OUR MISSION The mission of the Urban League of Portland is to strengthen African Americans and all who strive for economic self-reliance and social equality. depth of the changes and improvements he's Page 3 FOUNDATION GRANT TO HELP LEAGUE TACKLE HEALTH ISSUES The Urban League's effortsto raise community awareness about lead poisoning, tobacco use and HIV-AIDS will intensify this yearas a result of a $60,000 grant the agency received from the Northwest Health Foundation. The Northwest Health Foundation is a newly created organization committed to helping impact health and health educe- REGIONAL CONFERENCE MARCH 4-7 The National Urban League's Western Regional Assembly will be held in Portland March 4-7. The theme of the assembly is effective leadership, Education, Employment, Economic Development, and Equality (the four E's). More than 200 people are expected to attend the conference, said Michael Trot- ter, assistant to the president on research, policy and special projects. Three of the key speakers at the conference will be business leaders from Portland. State Treasurer Jim Hill will be the speaker forthe opening plenary session. Ray Leary, executive assistant to the president forAdidasAmerica, will be the luncheon speaker on Friday, March 5. Matt Hennessee, director of the global supply chain for the equipment division Washington. stead of focusing on specific groups within a family such as youths and Thomas Aschenbrener, executive direc- women. Serena Stoudamire, director of adult and senior services for the Urban tion for all of Oregon and Southwest tor of the foundation, said the Urban League's grant application was impressive, especially because of the agency's proposed approach to HIV-AIDS education. Unlike many other programs, Aschenbrener said, the Urban League's approach is that HIV and AIDS are family issues rather than an individual's is- sues. The Urban League will educate entire families about the diseases in- able to help. "We are pleased to have the chance to work with the Urban League, who in the past has been so creative," Aschenbrener said. "The Urban League is successful in impacting the lives of people in the community." Love, Shaquoya burns Conference attendees are expected to come from 13 Urban League affiliates in states such as Arizona, Washington, California and Colorado, Trotter said. The Urban League of Portland will host three social activities for attendees, sponsored by several corporations and Page 4 Aschenbrener is glad his foundation is I started attending the Portland Street Academy (PSA) last January. To tell you the truth, I was scared. You as why? Portland Street Academy is not a place where you come and play. (i)hen we walk through those doors, we are talking business. All work and no play. Here at PSA, you learn salrespect and responsibility. l would say that if l had a chance to do anything over, l would change nothing from last January. speaker on Sunday, March 7. Call Michael Trotter at 503-280-2649 for more information. people. Spotlight on fifrican flmerican -achievement of Nike Inc., will be the inspirational businesses. League, said the grant will assist the Urban League in helping hundreds of PSA student body president OUR CHILDREN OUR DESTINY ARAMARK JOINS URBAN LEAGUE OF ARAMARK, a world leader in providing managed services, has shown its commitment to the Portland community by becoming a gold level member of the Urban League of Portland. "We are so happyto welcome ARAMARK into the Urban Leagueof Portland," said Lawrence J. Dark, president/CEO of the Urban League of Portland. "We look forward to welcoming them to our city because we admire how this company shows its commitment to each community in which it works." ARAMARK currently provides services in February is Black History Month.... ci our history is to be celebrated and shared every day. PORTLAND its annual "People of Service" program during which time ARAMARK employees volunteer their own time within the community. "Joining the Urban League of Portland was a natural move for us," said Gary Wattie of ARAMARK. "We want to become even more of a presence in Portland and this organization allows us to dedicate ourselves to the people of the city in a valuable way." ARAMARK, headquartered in Philadelphia, LEAGUE OFFICIAL APPOINTED TO TWO STATEWIDE HEALTH BOARDS is a $6.4 billion world leader in providing managed services food and support services, uniform and career apparel, and child Lawrence J. Dark, president/CEO ARAMARK has over 150,000 employees of the Urban League of Portland was appointed to two health-re- and Atwater's Restaurant, among others. The company prides itself on its volunteer work in each city in which it works through serving 15 million people at 500,000 locations lated committees in January. The Health Divide Equal Opportunity Dinner Portland to Portland State University, Legacy Emanuel Hospital, Oregon Episcopal School, care and early education programs. in 11 countries every day. Gov. John A. Kitzhaber appointed Darkto the Oregon Health Council. (cont. from pg. 2) (cont. from pg.1) geon General, and backed by $232 million in federal funds, its purpose isto start orassist a variety of health education and medical programs nationwide in six prob- The Equal Opportunity Award isgiven to lem areas: infant mortality, improvements of childhood immunizations, HIV/ AIDS, cardiovascular disease, cancer screening and management, diabetes control and prevention of its complications. "I don't think there's any way we can tol- Dark also was appointed to the state Turning Point Steering Committee. community members who have done exemplary work in the area of equal The Oregon Health Council is the state's primary health care advisory body. The mission of opportunity. the Council is to address public The dinner co- chairs are Ralph Gillespie, director of materialsfor Intel Corp.; Larry Miller, president of Brand Jordan for Nike Inc.; and Noel Webb, president of Webb and Associates, a temporary staffing company. policy matters and to make recommendations for improving health care of Oregonians. The primary objective of the Council is to increase the availability of quality, affordable health coverage through consensusbased development of effective and equitable health care policy. erate an environment in which a lot of The event is $175 per person or $1,750 people who are minorities are not receiv- ing quality care," Dr. Satcher told for a table for 10. Corporate sponsorships are available at $2,750, $5,000 The Urban League is currently in- Newsday. "If you just look at it from a and $10,000. volved in the following health humanitarian point of view, you say, 'As a nation we cannot tolerate the disparities.' "While the dinner is the major fund- programs: HIV/AIDS education and "A government study offers reason to close the health divide now: Those groups that suffer most from poor access to health care, African Americans and HispanicAmericans, will become a larger proportion of the country's population and workforce in the 21st century. That's why it's incumbent upon the medical profession to consider all Americans worthy of the best medical care available. raiser for the Urban League, it is also a time for us to focus and emphasize a critical issue in the community. The whole issue of economic justice is vital forthe black community to become selfreliant," said Lawrence J. Dark, president/CEO of the Urban League of Portland. "Economic justice deals with the creation of wealth, ongoing businesses, partnering with organizations such as Microsoft and Black Entertainment Tele- vision and its looking at heroines and heroes such as our co-chairs who have outreach, childhood lead poisoning education and outreach, breast and cervical cancer outreach and education and tobacco use outreach and education. navigated corporate America successfully or run small businesses that pro- duce results for our community, our state, our region and our nation." Contact Kathy Kendrix of K and K Consultants for more information about the dinner. The number is 503-282-0193. Page 5 BLACK HISTORY MONTH: LET'S CONTINUE THE LEGACY Excerpts from an article written by Melissa Ewey for Ebony Man and Working With Carter G. Woodson the Father of Black History, by Lorenzo J. Greene The month of February is nationally recognized as Black History Month, butthere most restrictions against African-Ameri- are more historical events and people that influence our lives every day than there are hours in the year. Charles Branham, historian at the The legacy of our ancestors starts with the golden age of Africa. It includes the civil rights and Black Power movement of the 1960s and continues to be written today. Despite our rich culture and resplendent history, more youths are unaware of the sacrifices and successes that took place before they were born. For example, many people are unaware that an unwavering Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week in 1926 as a way to point to the accomplishments black people made to the nation and the world. At a time when many thought blacks had contributed nothing to this society, Woodson selected a week in February and pushed to prove them wrong. cans have been struck down," states DuSable Museum of African-American History in Chicago, and professor at Indiana University. "Many of them (youths) have a profound sense of alienation," Dr. Branham says of today's youths. "They're in the process of defining themselves, and some of them feel Black history is irrelevant." The way Black history is presented to youths contributes to their lack of interest. "History is usually taught in a boring way," says Howard Fuller, a professor and director of the Institute forthe Transformation of Learning at Marquette Uni- versity in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The formersuperintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, Dr. Fuller believes that memorizing dates and facts does little to instill genuine interest in the past. "We need to make a connection to their reality." change firsthand," says Dr. Branham, who believes his college students have no sense of the Civil Rights Movement and the resulting improvements for African Americans. "They need to realize that we have a core of genuine heroes and heroines, people like Rosa Parks who had the courage to sit in the front section of the bus, and the legacy of Dr. King," Dr. Branham says. "People who look like them made a profound change forAfrican Americansand this country. They need to be reminded how recent the civil rights movement was and the sacrifices our people had to over- come." Dr. Branham hopes that by teaching our youths about history they will develop a sense of themselves as part of an ongoing struggle. "History gives us a foundation to look at the future," Dr. Fuller adds. "Any people who better understand their history feel more positive about themselves. ... " Now, more than 70 years later, educators Reality for Drs. Branham and Fuller in- "If you don't think you come from any- and social commentators say their concern is not the lack of knowledge but the lack of interest in black history. cluded participating in the civil rights movement and experiencing the shift from blatant racial injustice to a more thing, you won'twant to be anything," Dr. Branham says. "We need to correct a lot, and rememberthatwe come from greatness." "We're living essentially in a time when equal society. "I saw real concrete December Events Prove Successful The Urban League of Portland sponsored two events in December to help parents and children take an active role in planning for their future. president/CEO of the Urban League of Portland. "I was very happy with how things turned out." The Urban League presented the event in partnership with In addition to a career fairfeaturing a wide array of employers, the event also included several motivational speakers and presentations from leaders in the Entrepreneurs' Cascade Plaza conference center. The event featured information from a variety of school and social service organizations geared toward "Achievement Matters" is a National Urban League drive to inspire young people of colorto take pride in academic success. Portland area. Speakers such as Assistant U.S. Attorney OkianerChristian Dark who impressed several studentswith her presentation aboutthe field of law. "They were so great," said 11-year-old Rumiya Amme. "I want to be a lawyer and I want to be a judge." helping parents guide their children The Urban League also hosted Career Rumiya, whose family is from South Parent Involvement Night was held Dec. 11 at the Oregon Association of Minority through their transition to adulthood. "It was a very good crowd, especially for a Friday night," said Lawrence J. Dark, Pape 6 State Farm Insurance as part of the "Achievement Matters" campaign. Awareness Day at Portland State Africa, said she plans to study law as a University's Hoffman Hall on Dec. 12. result of hearing the motivational speakers. Membership is Vital to League's Continued Success Your membership, contributions and donations make you a partner with the Urban League of Portland for resources to build strong and healthy families. The Urban League of Portland is a human and economic justice agency that works to fulfill its mission "to strengthen African Americans and all who strive for economic self-reliance and social equality." Yourcontribution helps us fulfill that mission. of places where everyone, from toddlers to the elderly, has basic needs met and At a time when human demand is growing at an incredible rate, demands for our services are not keeping pace with our customers' needs. are cared forsim ply because they are hu- With your help, the Urban League of It is up to each of us to make our neighborhood and communities into the kind Portland can continue to build and sustain strong and healthy families. man. They are connected to each of us in a spiritual way. 1 Become an Urban League Member! The Urban League newsletter is mailed four times a year to members of the Urban League of Portland. Have you renewed your membership in the past year? If not, please complete this form and mail it to us with your membership dues. If you are not sure when you last renewed or would like information about membership benefits, please call Connee Devers at (503) 280-2647. We appreciate your support! Business/Organization Memberships Individual Memberships Angel Member $1,500 plus Champion Member $500 - $1,499 Patron Member $150 - $499 Family Member $50 - $149 Individual Member $25 Senior/Student (circle one) $10 Guild $10 (All members are invited to join the Urban League Guild) Platinum Member $10,000 plus Gold Member $5,000 - $9,999 Sponsor Member $1,500 - $4,999 Corporate Member $500 $1,499 Small Business $100 - $499 Name Address City/State/Zip Business Name Phone Evening Fax Make your tax-deductible donation payable to The Urban League of Portland L Mail to URBAN LEAGUE of PORTLAND, MEMBERSHIP, 10 North Russell Street, Portland, OR 97227 J Page 7 siyl uottimiqntl paindaid fig YIN suoneaNnuttuop Gil 1667 No. Permit OR Portland, PAID Postage U.S. Org. Non-Profit 97227 OR Portland, Street Russell North 10 Families and Youth For Haven Safe A Portland of League Urban The