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CNA Stands Against Hate

Posted on June 17, 2017 by Gordon Riggs Posted in CNA

In light of recent events in our city – and rising racial, cultural and faith-based tensions across our country – the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) reiterates our commitment to fostering a strong and safe neighborhood.

We cannot rely on legislation alone to eliminate hate from our world. Instead, resistance must come from the bottom up, from within our own communities.

We agree with the recent statement from our Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, which “strongly encourages all our neighbors, friends we know and those we have not met yet, to stand in solidarity with marginalized and vulnerable communities and individuals. Find ways to get trained in ‘bystander intervention,’ and ‘disrupting racism’ trainings.

“Get to know all your neighbors, even those who may be different from you, as your neighbors are your greatest assets in our ability to create resilience and safety during challenging times.”

We may have a history of challenging racial relations, and are in the midst of a period of growth and sometimes uncomfortable change. However, we believe Portland today will stand together against hate, and our community will not tolerate fear tactics and intimidation.

The CNA board of directors has changed our board meeting time and date so we no longer conflict with RACE TALKS, held on the second Tuesday of each month, beginning at 6 p.m. at McMenamins Kennedy School.

We invite our neighbors to join us at Race Talks for important conversations. The July 11 event topic is “Protecting Yourself Physically and Emotionally in Trying Times.”

Standing united in amity and peace,

Your CNA Board of Directors

Chris Lopez, Chair
Daniel Greenstadt, Vice-chair
Heather Pashley, Treasurer
Steve Elder, Secretary
Ali Novak
Amelie Marian
Donn Dennis
Garlynn Woodsong
Isham ‘Ike’ Harris
Jody Pollak
Robert Bowles
Truls Neal
Tyler Bullen

2017 Juneteenth Oregon Celebration

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News

2017 Juneteenth Oregon Celebration Commemorates the 152nd Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation

Date: June 17, 2017
Parade start time: 10:45am

“Bringing our Community Back 2 Life”

Portland, Oregon ~ The Juneteenth Oregon Committee invites you to attend our Annual Juneteenth Oregon Celebration and our Annual “Clara Peoples Freedom Trail Parade” on Saturday, June 17, 2017.

The parade will start off at Safeway parking lot located 5920 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97211 and go South on MLK and go along MLK until Russell where it will go West ending at the Juneteenth Oregon Celebration at the Legacy Emanuel Field located NE
Graham & Vancouver. The parade will start at 10:45 AM and the Festival will start immediately following the parade at around Noon ending at 6:00 PM.

Juneteenth Celebration activities include:

  • The Clara Peoples Freedom Trail Parade Alan Bell the owner of Hana’s Snowballs located on Beech and MLK as the Grand Marshall, The Ebony Strutters, Miss Black Oregon Talented Teen, Community Churches, Groups, Clubs and Community Organizations.
  • Live Bands & Local Artists featuring Randy Starr, 5 Grand and other local artists.
  • Food Vendors
  • Local Retail Vendors
  • Children’s area

This is a Community Event and is Free to EVERYONE and we mean EVERYONE!
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration among African Americans across the country commemorating the announcement of the end of slavery in the United States. It has been an African American tradition since the late 19th Century.

The relationship between Juneteenth Oregon and the City dates back to 1945, when Clara Peoples from Muskogee, OK while working in the shipyards during a lunch break on Juneteenth asked fellow co-workers if they knew about Juneteenth and the answer was no. She
then turned to her supervisor and asked if they could be allowed to celebrate Juneteenth during their 15-minute break and it was approved. Since then, Juneteenth has been celebrated in Portland, Oregon along with a parade that was recently named The Clara Peoples Freedom
Trail Parade.

Why is Juneteenth so important?
It gives African-Americans (and indeed everyone living in America) a sense of togetherness. You don’t have to be African-American to join in celebrating the anniversary of the end of slavery. Everyone is invited to celebrate this important day in black history. This year’s theme is “bringing our community back 2 life” for 2017. We can start by coming together to learn more about our culture and what we can do as a community to educate our youth, empower our youth, love and respect one another. Juneteenth is a celebration of African American’s freedom, but it opens the door for so many other community opportunities.

This year Juneteenth Oregon will be solely operating on donations for this community event. This includes vendors. We are making this actually a free event for everyone in the community to attend, network, learn, and celebrate African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-respect for all cultures. As it takes on a more national, symbolic and global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten.

If anyone would like to make a donation towards Juneteenth Oregon Celebration 2017 , visit GoFundMe page here.

Juneteenth Oregon Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/juneteenthoregon15/

Juneteenth Oregon website
www.juneteenthor.com

Pedalpalooza offers 230 rides

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News, Events

By Riley O’Boyle – CNA Media Team

Erinne Goodell and Kirk Paulsen bike riding
Erinne Goodell and Kirk Paulsen enjoy a variety of bike rides during every June’s Pedalpalooza. This year they’ll lead one of northeast Portland’s alleys, including some in Concordia. Photo by Chris Baker

Riding bare as you dare in a sea of other naked bike riders happens once every June during Pedalpalooza. The World Naked Bike Ride highlights the importance and vulnerability of people on bikes in the U.S. oil-centric culture.

The June 24 event – which begins this year at Fernhill Park –is also the biggest event of more than 230 free organized bike rides held during Portland’s month-long Pedalpalooza, an annual family-friendly celebration of bicycle delight.

In fact, the Concordia neighborhood is featured in a June 18 ride led by neighborhood residents Kirk Paulsen and Erinne Goodell, exploring the back alleys of northeast Portland.

“Something important to know going into Pedalpalooza, is that you’ll likely rest as much as you ride.” Kirk explained. “Many rides operate on ‘bike time,’ where the rides don’t usually start until 15 minutes or more after the scheduled time of departure.”

“Of course there are rides led by local bike shops and organizations that operate strictly on schedule,” Erinne added. “But generally, there’s as much socializing as bicycling to be found.”

Like the rides planned by Erinne and Kirk, all of Pedalpalooza’s themed rides are organized by individuals throughout the Portland and Vancouver metro areas. Find the schedule on Pedalpalooza.org.

There are fast rides and slow rides, costumed rides, and rides that involve plenty of noise and bright lights. Some show off specialized bikes, like folding or cargo bikes, and others dare people to get lost in the city at midnight.

Some teach how to maintain bikes, or to advocate for safer streets. BikeLoudPDX, a local grassroots advocacy group, leads advocacy and protest rides, like demonstrating against widening I-5 near the Rose Quarter.

Pedalpalooza started in 2003 as an offshoot of Bike Summer, during which Portland adopted its own version of the World Naked Bike Ride. Both were organized, international events similar to Critical Mass, in which people on bikes rode together through city streets to bring attention to the need for safe bicycle lanes and parking, and to celebrate the joy of biking.

Pedalpalooza is now facilitated by shift, a grassroots, volunteer-led, bikefun community formed during Bike Summer. Members strive to demonstrate the value of bicycling through activities that are fun, free, inclusive and, in this case, great for kicking off summer.

Riley, certified EIT, works in land development and site engineering, and can be reached at RSOboyle13@gmail.com

Dining Out for Life

Posted on April 23, 2017 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News, Events
HIV Day Care Center volunteer George (left) and social work intern Tate review orders while preparing breakfast for clients. The center is one of two agencies in the Portland area – and one of 60 on the continent – to receive funding from Dining Out for Life on Thursday, April 27. Photo by Marcus Murray

Dining Out for Life (in Concordia)

Thursday, April 27

Dine out at one of seven Concordia restaurants Thursday, April 27, and you can make a difference in the lives of people with HIV and AIDS.

The businesses are among 35 restaurants in Portland and 3,000 across North America donating a portion of their April 27 proceeds to Dining Out for Life. That nonprofit organization distributes the funds to 60 outstanding HIV/AIDS service organizations, including two in Portland.

One is Concordia’s own HIV Day Center and the other is Partnership Project.

The seven closest restaurants are:

  • Bison Coffeehouse
  • Extracto Coffeehouse
  • Extracto Roastery & Coffeehouse
  • McMenamins Kennedy School Courtyard Restaurant
  • P & Q’s Market
  • Peter’s Bar & Grill
  • Red Sauce Pizza

Portland is in its ninth year participating in nonprofit Dining Out for Life which, across North America, raises about $4 million each year.

Services aren’t limited to medical at HIV center

Posted on April 23, 2017 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News

By Dan Werle, CNA Media Team

HIV Day Care Center volunteer George (left) and social work intern Tate review orders while preparing breakfast for clients. The center is one of two agencies in the Portland area – and one of 60 on the continent – to receive funding from Dining Out for Life on Thursday, April 27. Photo by Marcus Murray

In spring 1990, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) opened its doors to the nation’s first free-standing, community-based program committed to serving people who are low income and living with HIV.

Nearly 27 years later, the HIV Day Center continues to serve the needs of people living with HIV.

It’s located in the Ainsworth United Church of Christ building, near 29th Avenue and Ainsworth Street. According to center literature, it’s one of EMO’s HIV Services programs that strive to address basic needs of individuals living with HIV/AIDS in a manner of respect, compassion and safety.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. All services provided by the day center staff and volunteers are free, and include hot breakfasts and lunches, internet access, free Wi-Fi, laundry machines, clothing, hot showers and hygiene supplies.

Volunteer practitioners and students also provide massages, haircuts, foot care and acupuncture. Additionally, information and referral services, and knowledgeable, compassionate staff support are available to help clients access other resources available for people living with HIV.

Jesse Herbach has been with EMO’s HIV Services for the past 3½ years. He points out the core of the project is best illustrated through the intangibles clients receive at the center.

“When people are less isolated and more engaged with their peers, their health outcomes are better,” he said. “The center provides a place where people with vastly different backgrounds create strong friendships.” That takes place sharing meals, shooting pool or during the popular Monday bingo games.

People seeking services at the center often show up for just meals and clothing initially.
“What keeps them coming back are the relationships that get built,” Jesse explained. They befriend other clients, volunteers and staff members.

If you’re interested in volunteering with the HIV Day Center the Daily Bread Express, its companion program for home-delivered meals, contact Mika Mulkey at MMulkey@EMOregon.org or 503.460.3822.

Another way you can help is by participating in the Thursday, April 27, Dining Out For Life. More than 30 restaurants in the Portland metro area will donate 20 to 35 percent of each diner’s bill to HIV services in the area, including the HIV Day Center.
This year, Concordia area businesses participating include Extracto, Kennedy School, P’s & Q’s Market and Red Sauce Pizza. For a full list of participating restaurants, visit DiningOutForLife.com/portland.

Dan Werle lives in Concordia with his wife, Anna, and their dogs.

Rx Drug Turn-In and Document Shred Event

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Web Manager Posted in Events

Drive up and drop off your unwanted/expired prescription drugs and sensitive documents. Drugs will be safely incinerated and documents will be securely shredded on site. By participating, you reduce the risk of identity theft and misuse of prescription drugs. Sunshine Division donation barrels will be available for donations of canned food, dry pasta, and gently-used clothing for needy families. Tax deduction forms will be provided.

Saturday, April 29, 2017
4735 E. Burnside Street
10am-2pm
(Please no early birds)

Acceptable items for Rx drug turn in: Prescription medications and samples, over the counter medications, vitamins, pet medications, medicated ointments, and liquid medication in leak proof containers.

Items not accepted: Thermometers, Sharps, Syringes, IV bags, bloody or infectious waste, hydrogen peroxide, aerosol cans, inhalers, EpiPens.

NO SHARPS! (To dispose of sharps, contact Metro at 503-234-3000 or www.oregonmetro.gov)

Acceptable items for shred event: Up to two grocery bags of documents. Items not accepted: cardboard or three ring binders

Rx drug turn in contact: Jenni Pullen, 503-823-4257, jenni.pullen@portlandoregon.gov

Shred event contact: Acting Sergeant Waddell , 503-823-0697, cheryl.waddell@portlandoregon.gov

SPRING EGG HUNT

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Gordon Riggs Posted in Concordia News, Events, Volunteer Opportunities
SPRING EGG HUNT
Saturday, April 15
Fernhill Park
(Playground along NE 37th Avenue)

The hunt begins at 10 am SHARP.

Don’t be late – it ends in a flash!

Volunteers needed to:
– stuff 6,000 plastic eggs with candy on Friday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Meet at the American Legion at 2104 NE Alberta St.
– hide 6,000 candy-filled eggs on Saturday, April 15. Meet at Fernhill Park (Playground along NE 37th Avenue) at 8 a.m.

Sponsored by Concordia Neighborhood Association & American Legion Post 134

Contact Katie Ugolini at Social@ConcordiaPDX.org or 503.449.9690.

Community rallies around Iraqi

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News

By Brian Burk, CNA Media Team
Editor’s note: The space confines of a printed newspaper limited the ability of CNews’ March issue to explore how the Sahibs are affected by recent executive orders, and how they appreciate the Concordia community’s support. Below, Brian tells you “the rest of the story.”

As upsetting as Ghaith Sahib found the first executive order restricting travel to the U.S from predominantly Muslim countries, he was cheered by the support from the Concordia community. He escaped the Iraq War in 2005 to re-establish himself here with native Portlander Tiffany and, now, their daughter Malaika. Photo by Brian Burk

Reverberations from executive orders on foreign entry to the United States – commonly referred to as the “travel ban” or the “Muslim ban” – are being felt in Concordia.

Inside a former carriage house on Alberta Street, Iraqi-born Ghaith Sahib and wife, Tiffany, run DarSalam, one of two Portland restaurants they own. Dedicated not only to feeding but also educating patrons about Iraqi history and culture, the restaurant evolved from a food cart the Sahibs launched in 2011 after relocating to Portland from Amsterdam, where they had met and married. Tiffany is a Portland native and Ghaith, who left Iraq after barely surviving a 2005 car bomb attack, sought to re-establish himself in the United States. He is now a U.S. citizen.

In January an executive order was issued to restrict travel to the United States from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iraq. The order also suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days. Later, a second order was issued that removed Iraq from the list of restricted countries.

The executive orders have disrupted business and family life. A Syrian employee has been unsuccessful in bringing his wife and brother into the United States. “He has been told by organizations that, by luck, he’ll see his wife in two years,” Ghaith reported. The Sahibs also have relatives in refugee camps abroad whose immigration status is tenuous.

Ghaith’s parents are currently in Germany visiting their eldest son. Although his parents have recently become U.S. citizens, Tiffany and Ghaith are concerned there will be complications when they re-enter the country. “They speak very little English,” Tiffany pointed out. “They can’t really defend or explain themselves.”

The Sahibs moved to Portland in 2009, later joined by his parents and two of his siblings, who help at the restaurant. Not including family members, they employ about 13 people on a part-time basis at the Concordia location.

Although adjusting to life in the United States was difficult, Ghaith said he found Portland welcoming. While initially hesitant to label DarSalam an Iraqi restaurant, the Sahibs were surprised by how little this mattered to their customers. They even attracted an unexpected clientele: American veterans of the Iraq war. “They have certain nostalgia for the culture,” Tiffany said.

One such veteran is Sean Davis, commander of neighboring American Legion Post 134. “Our friendship goes back years,” said Sean, who, like Ghaith, was injured in the war. “As soon as they opened the restaurant, I went over there. Ghaith was there working every single day, so I got to know him and his parents because I spoke a little bit of Arabic.

“I respect people who work hard and I respect people who love their families,” Sean explained. “He wants to make where he lives a better place.”

“When we heard about the ban, we were shocked,” Ghaith said. “We felt worry. We felt shame. We felt like people don’t like us.” Even after the second order excluded Iraq from the list of restricted countries, his tension was not resolved. “For me it still hurts,” he said.

Amidst the national immigration controversy, the local community has rallied around DarSalam. “We love Portland,” Ghaith said. “We got support from neighbors, from friends, from customers. They tried to show us love and encourage us not to give up. It was a really good experience.”

To those who would argue the executive order is necessary for public safety, Ghaith said, “I don’t agree at all. Refugees have already had to fill out so many applications, and there have been so many security checks. Refugees have already suffered. They need help.”

The Sahibs have an energetic three-year-old named Malaika, who played with restaurant staff while her parents spoke to Concordia News.

She’s half-Iraqi and half-American,” Ghaith said. “When she grows up she’ll be proud of who she is. There are many Vietnamese refugees who have been here for 40 years, and now they have generations of kids who are doing great things. So, when it’s proposed to make the country safe by stopping refugees, this is not the answer.”

After several years of building their business, raising a young child and continuing to adjust to an evolving political landscape, the Sahibs are ready for a break. They’ll soon be travelling to Mexico for a brief vacation. Tiffany used to live in Mexico, and Ghaith is excited about introducing Malaika to a new culture.

But with their excitement comes trepidation about the final stage of the trip, according to Tiffany.

“It will be interesting to see what coming back in is like.”

PDX is part of Concordia soundscape

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News

Living near airport has its pluses, but neighbors want to know — can you quiet it down a bit?

By Steve Dodge

Concordians’ opinions about being neighbors to an airport are mixed. But most agree their
neighbor generates noticeable noise

Planes, trains and automobiles. When you live in the city, it’s pretty much a given that you’re going to hear one or all of those, plus the kid with the oversize sub woofer in his car — sometimes in the middle of the night.

And, when you live near an international airport, most people figure a little noise goes along with the convenience of a short trip to catch a flight. But what happens when a little becomes a lot?

Many neighbors, judging from conversations in the neighborhood and a flood of responses to a question on Nextdoor.com, expressed concern about the noise generated from small Federal Express “cargo feeders” as the Port of Portland calls them, and the fighter jets operated by the Air National Guard.

Others wondered why the cargo planes flew so low. FedEx planes have been observed flying only slightly higher than utility poles, which Pacific Power representative estimates are 150 feet tall. In some cases the planes are so low, the plane’s belly rivets can be clearly seen.

To be fair, some residents said they actually like the National Guard jet noise, finding it comforting in these uneasy times. Others figure they moved in knowing full well they’d be near an airport.

When the planes or jets roar over, people may pause their conversations, try to comfort their kids and pets, and later straighten the pictures on the wall.

CNews sent questions to the city of Portland, FedEx, the Air National Guard and the port. Only the port responded.

Kama Simonds, aviation media relations manager, said cargo feeder approaches are designed by the Federal Aviation Administration for safety, and that a Concordia resident living a mile away should see aircraft “at or very near 300 feet.” She said pilot discretion or an order from air traffic control could explain some aircraft flying under 300 feet.

As for noise, she said, 24/7 monitoring at Concordia University for arriving small planes averages 73 decibels, which she compared to standing next to a vacuum cleaner or a truck passing outside.

Asked why propeller planes were allowed to rev their engines on the tarmac, sometimes in the wee hours of the night, she said, the small cargo planes are required to test engines at full throttle – but are not required to use sound insulating hangars. Steve is a veteran journalist, writer, editor and former Concordia Neighborhood Association board member. He has lived 17 years in the neighborhood. Contact him at CyStev33@yahoo.com.

Editor’s note: Visit ConcordiaPDX.org/port-q-a for the full list of questions asked and responses from the port, along with comments from neighbors published on Nextdoor.com.

Donna Maxey founds, leads RACE TALKS every month at McMenamins Kennedy School

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Web Manager Posted in Concordia News, Events

By Nancy Varekamp, CNews Editor

Donna Maxey and Mrs. Johnnie Maxey
According to Donna Maxey (left), RACE TALKS draws people of diverse perspectives, races and ages, even her mother, Mrs. Johnnie Maxey

Let’s start at the beginning. “My parents were always involved in community service,” said Donna Maxey, RACE TALKS founder. “I was an activist in utero.” “My father belonged to the NAACP as a college student which was considered an underground activity at the time for which he could have been kicked out of school.

After migrating to Oregon from Texas, her parents became active in the Republican Party – the party of Oregonians Tom McCall, Mark Hatfield and Clay Myers – and her father became president of the Young Republicans. “There were always people coming and going from the house, and things going on,” Donna recalled.

“My first solo protest march without my parents was when George Wallace came to the Hilton Hotel in the early 1960’s “I’ve always been independent and pulled for the underdog, which is probably why I ended up being a teacher,” she said

In that role, and others, Donna has found herself blazing trails. “I’ve been the first and only Black person in too many situations, so much that I don’t have to be the first or only anything ever again.”

Growing up in Portland she was always around white people, but attending Pacific University was a culture shock for her. “I was surrounded by white people.” But that didn’t discourage her activism or her belief in building relationships – what she calls “the R word.”

The feeling of being surrounded intensified during her first teaching job in Oroville, California. “It was John Birch country and I was the first and only Black school teacher in the small, rural town.” Intensifying her dissimilarity to the rest of the community was her husband at the time–a white Jew who was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War era.

While teaching in Portland Public Schools, she was introduced to “Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools,” by Glenn E. Singleton and Curtis Lenton.

“The activities helped us to look at social interactions from perspectives other than our own. When one particularly ‘difficult’ person ‘got’ it, I thought, ‘This is powerful.’

“The only problem was that it was associated with people’s paychecks. If you expect people to make change and it’s connected to their paychecks, it doesn’t necessarily change their minds. It needs to be separate from people’s paychecks.”

In 2010, Donna was one of the several speakers at a McMenamins History Pub program, “Urban Renewal, Urban Removal,” and was upfront about the racism that accompanied the physical and economic displacement her family experienced during the early 1960s.

She was perplexed at how to explain the magnitude of that loss. “How can I share this so people understand what kind of home and community I lived in and what it did to us?” So, instead, I described the fauna and flora in our yard. People were just struck by this. Hey! A boxwood shrubbery is a boxwood shrubbery, regardless of what color the people in the house are.”

The first speaker talked about the unfair laws passed allowing the city and the Portland Development Commission to summarily move the Black community “It was all very technical,” Donna noted. The next speaker was a pictorial historian with photos of the Albina community dating from the 1800s to the early 1960s when the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Lloyd Center were built. The third speaker was a Black real estate agent who discussed the home purchasing policies of the time.

Then it was Donna’s turn. “The Black community was decimated. My family lost our home, our neighborhood, our church, Daddy lost his barbershop.”

That led to the 2011 partnership between Donna, Uniting to Understand Racism and McMenamins to start RACE TALKS, which they bill as, “filling the spaces between race with compassion and education.”

For more information, visit the RACE TALKS website.

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