Late last year, Alberta Main Street received a grant from The William G. Gilmore Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation to fund Equitable Alberta Street. The project aims to expand the organization’s capacity to address issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion on and around NE Alberta Street, and to ensure that underserved populations are informed about and supported in their efforts to access social and economic resources available to them.

Specifically, the grant provided funding to hire a part-time Equity and Engagement Coordinator. AMS recently chose Kenya Budd for the position. Budd will support the organization’s work on three goals:

1. Adopting policies and performing outreach to diversify the base of committed volunteers and skilled community leaders;
2. implementing projects that create greater economic and social opportunities for local minority residents and youth, and
3. providing technical assistance and AMS financial support to underserved populations.

Budd identified the means by which she will approach those goals.

“My work will include forming relationships with the variety of people and cultures that represent our diverse community,” she said.

Budd brings over 10 years of experience as an educator and consultant, training senior leaders and developing measurement tools for businesses to help improve diversity outcomes.

While her efforts will primarily focus on the commercial corridor, Budd hopes area residents will play a role in addressing inclusion issues as well. She cites the need for residents to reach out to each other; to be welcoming, but she acknowledges the challenges to that effort.

“Because of systematic disinvestment and displacement, mistrust has grown over the years. To rebuild trust will take time,” she said.

Budd also encourages neighborhood newcomers to become more knowledgeable about the history of the area to understand the displacement that has occurred over the years. To learn more, she suggested visiting Alberta Main Street or the Research Room at the City of Portland Archives & Records Center (1800 SW 6th Ave, Suite 550). Some information is also available online on the Main Street website and the City Auditor’s website.

Budd lives in the Overlook area of North Portland. Reach her Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Alberta Main Street office (1722 NE Alberta Street), by email (kenya@albertamainst.org) or call (503) 683 – 3252. she said. Budd brings over 10 years of experience as an educator and consultant, training senior leaders and developing measurement tools for businesses to help improve diversity outcomes.

Welcome back Neighbor,

I’ve been asking myself: As a community so far from the world stage, can we really make a difference? Considering even our legislators can’t agree on the time of day much less promoting goodwill abroad, I wasn’t so sure. But then I took a close look at our community and realized we can have an impact in the world just by being friendly and approachable. We can start with the foreign-born students attending Concordia University; they are our portals to the Middle East, Asia, South America and beyond. These students should be our ambassadors, telling the real story of America upon returning home.

So I ask you, what would happen if each one of us extended ourselves to these visitors in the same way we do with those who live here? You might ask how we do this. The answer is to just say “hi” and smile. A smile is the same in any language, the rest will follow. It is a start and if we do it enough, we can positively impact the world.

Paid, Part-time staff for Concordia News

Now back to business matters. At its last general meeting, the CNA board was presented with the concept of paying for professional assistance in producing the Concordia News. The board agreed to do so, starting with the July issue. I for one strongly support the idea of part-time, paid staff people, as I believe the Concordia News is the single most important avenue of communication within our neighborhood.

CNEWS is looking good now, due to the efforts of professionals who have been volunteering over the last several months. And, over time, it’s projected to pay for its production costs. But I believe the newspaper will cease publication if we do not retain the skills and time dedicated by professional staff. Visit www.concordiapdx.org/get-involved/ open-staff-positions for information about the available positions.

New treasurer needed

Also high on the CNA agenda is our search for a new Treasurer to replace Robert Bowles, our outgoing Treasurer. He has served for much of the past decade. As modest as we are, CNA actually has a rather large budget compared to most other Portland neighborhood associations. Robert has done a wonderful job shepherding our finances, but he’s moving on to new challenges. If you, or anyone you know, have basic accounting skills and a few volunteer hours to devote to your neighborhood, we’d love to hear from you.

Bighouse site talks break down

Lastly, the ongoing discussion with Ascend Holdings, the developer of the Bighouse site at NE 30th & Killingsworth, has hit an impasse. (See article by Spencer Parson’s on page 7 for more information.) The developer’s representative recently told the CNA Land Use & Transportation Committee (LUTC) that Ascend is moving forward on construction of a 4-story apartment building, as submitted originally, to the Portland Bureau of Development Services. The rub is that LUTC had made suggestions to make the project more “neighborhood friendly.” The developer, however, had issues with the suggestions and would not provide a response to LUTC, nor did Ascend want LUTC to have any formal say in its plans.

I became involved in the LUTC/Ascend Holdings issue after their communication broke down. I cannot go into specifics, but I do know there was no one bad guy involved. I am hoping the developer will come back to the table to consider our concerns as a model of how to work with a community. It could be a re-start, but our experience is telling us that CNA – and the City – must provide all developers with not only the building code, but also a profile of neighborhood sensitivities. Doing so would be a positive approach to avoiding problems in advance of final plans.

While we are a diverse community with a variety of people and opinions, we expect compromise. We are not looking for an “I win – you lose” situation but for win-win. The only way that happens is by talking to each other. I will continue my discussion with Ascend and keep you up to date. Or come to CNA Land Use Committee meetings and follow along.

Isaac Quintero
Chair/Concordia Neighborhood Association

By Luke Griffin

This year’s street painting bonanza from June 3 – 12 will be the 16th annual Village Building Convergence put on by the City Repair Project. What started as a quirky idea in inner Southeast has turned into a city-wide movement and a source of pride, publicized around the world.

It is not simply about paint. Ours is a society in which individuals find themselves feeling increasingly isolated. We live in close proximity with people, but don’t know each other’s names. These street painting projects serve to bring neighbors together. Not only are these creative murals a thing of beauty that reflect the neighborhood’s spirit and add color to the dull asphalt of the concrete jungle – they are also a source of pride, notable landmarks, and symbols of unity and cooperation.

Last year, my block joined in the fun by creating the dragon on the corner of NE 32nd and Sumner avenues. Our community, led by art designer Taylor Nehrling, came together in planning sessions to discuss design and logistics. Soon, people who had merely waved to each other in passing were now breaking bread together.

After the initial stage, people went door-to-door, contacting everyone within the four affected blocks. In the week leading up to the big painting event, neighbors came out to clean the street, watch for traffic, and trace the design. It was truly a community project.

The weekend of the painting was sweltering and although there were likely a few sunburns, the lack of rain was perfect for painting. The worksite quickly became a festive two-day block party. Everyone helped as best they could. Kids played, adults shared food and drink, and everyone worked as a team. Even people from outside the core blocks stopped by to join in the merry work – the project acting as a magnet for the larger neighborhood.

“It was a perfect weekend of community building,” said Nehrling. “Everyone became a leader and worked together as a team to create something beautiful to claim where we live.”

Since the dragon’s painting, it has appeared on “Portlandia,” in European T.V. shows, and in numerous newspaper and Web articles. But most importantly is what it means to the people who got involved and who now take pride in their work. Though it may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, it is always good to add beauty to the world.

So if you are out and about at the beginning of June and you see some people painting a street, stop by, say “hello,” and pick up a brush.

*Special thanks to the Concordia Neighborhood Association and Mark Charlesworth for their generous financial support.

Luke Griffin is a native of Northeast Portland. A committed social and environmental activist, he has written for numerous publications, dedicated time fighting for civil rights in housing, served on the CNA board, and utilized world-bridging communication and management skills for the positive betterment of society. He is currently a freelance writer and is completing his Masters of Teaching at Concordia University. Reach Luke by emailing lukeg003@gmail.com.