06-21-2025  8:19 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather

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NORTHWEST NEWS

During Record Eviction Rates, Advocates Decry Possible Slashes to Eviction Prevention

Pulling support will fuel homelessness crisis, advocates warn state leaders.

Juneteenth 2025 Celebrations in Portland and Seattle

Juneteenth is a young federal holiday, but the Black day of independence has been observed since June 19, 1865.

City Council Approves and Increases Central Albina Settlement

Black residents who were forcibly relocated for Emanuel Hospital expansion that never happened, and their descendants, sued over loss of property, wealth and community.

VanPort Mosaic Festival Fights Cultural Amnesia

Two-week event honors survivors of VanPort flood, their descendants and survivors of Japanese Internment in annual festival.

NEWS BRIEFS

Emmy-winning Journalist Launches Juneteenth Series

L.A. Times Columnist/ABC News Contributor speaks w/ Big Sean, Ledisi, more. ...

Former Motel 6 to Open as Delta Park Motel Shelter in North Portland

New shelter will provide 24/7 wrap-around services for unhoused neighbors ...

Oregon Housing and Community Services Awards $8.7 Million in Down Payment and Home Repair for Veterans 

Eligible veterans and their families at or below 100% of area median income can qualify ...

Upcoming Virtual Meeting to Shape Oregon Civil Rights Agenda

Members of the public can participate in the open comment period at the end of the meeting, providing an opportunity for local voices...

Oregon in Multi-State Legal Fight to Protect Genetic Information in 23andMe Bankruptcy Case

AG Rayfield: People did not submit their personal data to 23andMe thinking their genetic blueprint would be sold off to the highest...

OPINION

SB 686 Will Support the Black Press

Oregon State Senator Lew Frederick brings attention to the fact that Big Tech corporations like Google and Facebook are using AI to scrape local news content and sell advertising on their platforms, completely bypassing local news sites like The...

Policymakers Should Support Patients With Chronic Conditions

As it exists today, 340B too often serves institutional financial gain rather than directly benefiting patients, leaving patients to ask “What about me?” ...

The Skanner News: Half a Century of Reporting on How Black Lives Matter

Publishing in one of the whitest cities in America – long before George Floyd ...

Cuts to Minority Business Development Agency Leaves 3 Staff

6B CDFI affordable capital for local investment also at risk ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

ENTERTAINMENT

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

by Helen Silvis of The Skanner News

Contractors learned about the Sellwood Bridge project at a bidding conference


Oregon Action will hold a Jobs Equity Forum, 6:30 p.m. Aug. 27th, at Oregon Trail Chapter of the Red Cross located at 3131 N. Vancouver Ave. in Portland.

Marice Rahming, CEO of O'Neil Electric and executive vice president of the National Association of Minority Contractors, will introduce a study on contracting disparities in the City of Portland.

Casey Barnard, project director at the sustainable jobs nonprofit Emerald Cities, will unveil a Community Benefits Agreement for City of Portland contracting.

"Anyone who is interested in participating in a discussion on jobs and equity should come," said Camille White-Avian, the Portland organizer for Oregon Action. "Or anyone interested in organizing against inequitable hiring practices."

White-Avian cites studies that suggest discrimination in hiring is alive and well nationally.

Last June, Dr. Marc Bendick, Jr., Ph.D. Economist, of Bendick and Egan Economic Consultants, Inc, shared his research with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she says.

Bendick found that dark-skinned Black men were 52 percent less likely to be employed than lighter-skinned Black men.

Bendick also told commissioners that working an additional eight hours a week increased men's annual earnings by $7,300 on average, compared to just $4,300 for women.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded the average rate of unemployment for Blacks at 15.8 percent, compared to 7.9 percent for Whites, and 11.5 percent for Hispanics.

The 2011 statistics also showed Oregon had the third worst rate of unemployment for Blacks at 21.3 percent after Wisconsin 25 percent and Nevada, 22 percent.

For July 2012, the BLS unemployment rate for Black men was 14.8 percent compared to 6.9 for White men.

"Overall equity in hiring has gotten worse across the nation during the economic recession," White-Avian said. "I'd expect those figures to be worse in Portland."

The Jobs Equity forum will look at workforce conditions in Portland, focusing on:

Portland Public Schools' Equity in Public Purchasing and Contracting Policy,

Clean Energy Works Oregon High Road Standards and Benefits Agreement,

The 'Cool Schools' Initiative (Oregon HB 2960),

Disparities in the City's Prime Contracting Program, and a Community Benefit Agreement put together by Oregon Action and the Metropolitan Alliance for Workforce Equity



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