04-24-2024  1:50 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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NORTHWEST NEWS

The Drug War Devastated Black and Other Minority Communities. Is Marijuana Legalization Helping?

A major argument for legalizing the adult use of cannabis after 75 years of prohibition was to stop the harm caused by disproportionate enforcement of drug laws in Black, Latino and other minority communities. But efforts to help those most affected participate in the newly legal sector have been halting. 

Lessons for Cities from Seattle’s Racial and Social Justice Law 

 Seattle is marking the first anniversary of its landmark Race and Social Justice Initiative ordinance. Signed into law in April 2023, the ordinance highlights race and racism because of the pervasive inequities experienced by people of color

Don’t Shoot Portland, University of Oregon Team Up for Black Narratives, Memory

The yearly Memory Work for Black Lives Plenary shows the power of preservation.

Grants Pass Anti-Camping Laws Head to Supreme Court

Grants Pass in southern Oregon has become the unlikely face of the nation’s homelessness crisis as its case over anti-camping laws goes to the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled for April 22. The case has broad implications for cities, including whether they can fine or jail people for camping in public. Since 2020, court orders have barred Grants Pass from enforcing its anti-camping laws. Now, the city is asking the justices to review lower court rulings it says has prevented it from addressing the city's homelessness crisis. Rights groups say people shouldn’t be punished for lacking housing.

NEWS BRIEFS

Mt. Tabor Park Selected for National Initiative

Mt. Tabor Park is the only Oregon park and one of just 24 nationally to receive honor. ...

OHCS, BuildUp Oregon Launch Program to Expand Early Childhood Education Access Statewide

Funds include million for developing early care and education facilities co-located with affordable housing. ...

Governor Kotek Announces Chief of Staff, New Office Leadership

Governor expands executive team and names new Housing and Homelessness Initiative Director ...

Governor Kotek Announces Investment in New CHIPS Child Care Fund

5 Million dollars from Oregon CHIPS Act to be allocated to new Child Care Fund ...

A conservative quest to limit diversity programs gains momentum in states

A conservative quest to limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is gaining momentum in state capitals and college governing boards, with officials in about one-third of the states now taking some sort of action against it. Tennessee became the latest when the Republican...

Ex-police officer wanted in 2 killings and kidnapping shoots, kills self in Oregon, police say

SEATTLE (AP) — A former Washington state police officer wanted after killing two people, including his ex-wife, was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a chase in Oregon, authorities said Tuesday. His 1-year-old baby, who was with him, was taken safely into custody by Oregon...

Missouri hires Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch for the same role with the Tigers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri hired longtime college administrator Laird Veatch to be its athletic director on Tuesday, bringing him back to campus 14 years after he departed for a series of other positions that culminated with five years spent as the AD at Memphis. Veatch...

KC Current owners announce plans for stadium district along the Kansas City riverfront

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The ownership group of the Kansas City Current announced plans Monday for the development of the Missouri River waterfront, where the club recently opened a purpose-built stadium for the National Women's Soccer League team. CPKC Stadium will serve as the hub...

OPINION

Op-Ed: Why MAGA Policies Are Detrimental to Black Communities

NNPA NEWSWIRE – MAGA proponents peddle baseless claims of widespread voter fraud to justify voter suppression tactics that disproportionately target Black voters. From restrictive voter ID laws to purging voter rolls to limiting early voting hours, these...

Loving and Embracing the Differences in Our Youngest Learners

Yet our responsibility to all parents and society at large means we must do more to share insights, especially with underserved and under-resourced communities. ...

Gallup Finds Black Generational Divide on Affirmative Action

Each spring, many aspiring students and their families begin receiving college acceptance letters and offers of financial aid packages. This year’s college decisions will add yet another consideration: the effects of a 2023 Supreme Court, 6-3 ruling that...

OP-ED: Embracing Black Men’s Voices: Rebuilding Trust and Unity in the Democratic Party

The decision of many Black men to disengage from the Democratic Party is rooted in a complex interplay of historical disenchantment, unmet promises, and a sense of disillusionment with the political establishment. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

Pro-Palestinian student protests target colleges' financial ties with Israel

Students at a growing number of U.S. colleges are gathering in protest encampments with a unified demand of their schools: Stop doing business with Israel — or any companies that empower its ongoing war in Gaza. The demand has its roots in a decades-old campaign against Israel's...

Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi is 'tickled pink' to inspire a Barbie doll

Like many little girls, a young Kristi Yamaguchi loved playing with Barbie. With a schedule packed with ice skating practices, her Barbie dolls became her “best friends.” So, it's surreal for the decorated Olympian figure skater to now be a Barbie girl herself. ...

A conservative quest to limit diversity programs gains momentum in states

A conservative quest to limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is gaining momentum in state capitals and college governing boards, with officials in about one-third of the states now taking some sort of action against it. Tennessee became the latest when the Republican...

ENTERTAINMENT

What to stream this weekend: Conan O’Brien travels, 'Migration' soars and Taylor Swift reigns

Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver” landing on Netflix and Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” album are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as...

Music Review: Jazz pianist Fred Hersch creates subdued, lovely colors on 'Silent, Listening'

Jazz pianist Fred Hersch fully embraces the freedom that comes with improvisation on his solo album “Silent, Listening,” spontaneously composing and performing tunes that are often without melody, meter or form. Listening to them can be challenging and rewarding. The many-time...

Book Review: 'Nothing But the Bones' is a compelling noir novel at a breakneck pace

Nelson “Nails” McKenna isn’t very bright, stumbles over his words and often says what he’s thinking without realizing it. We first meet him as a boy reading a superhero comic on the banks of a river in his backcountry hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia....

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

A conservative quest to limit diversity programs gains momentum in states

A conservative quest to limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is gaining momentum in state capitals...

Pro-Palestinian student protests target colleges' financial ties with Israel

Students at a growing number of U.S. colleges are gathering in protest encampments with a unified demand of their...

The Latest | Germany will resume working with UN agency for Palestinians, following review

Germany said Wednesday that it plans to follow several other countries in resuming cooperation with the U.N....

World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says

LONDON (AP) — The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and...

Villagers in Mexico organize to take back their water as drought, avocados dry up lakes and rivers

VILLA MADERO, Mexico (AP) — As a drought in Mexico drags on, angry subsistence farmers have begun taking direct...

Haiti's government scrambles to impose tight security measures as council inauguration imminent

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Armored vehicles roll slowly past Haiti’s National Palace as police scan the...

Louis Armstrong
The Skanner News

Louis Armstrong's home is one of the sites listed on Google's Black history virtual tour

In honor of Black History Month, Google has put together a list of places celebrating Black heritage and culture. Clicking on the bold, highlighted link will take one to the Google Street View to take a virtual tour of the sights. Cruise along the historic Albina district in North Portland or visit the Jimi Hendrix statue at Broadway and Pine St.in Seattle.

In addition to Northwest Black History landmarks, there is also a virtual tour for national landmarks. Clicking through the links reveals the historic music venue, the Apollo Theatre which hosted “Showtime at the Apollo and launched the careers of Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr. and the Jackson 5.

You can also see the historic site of Monroe Elementary School which is a memorial named for the Brown vs Board of Education Supreme Court decision that ended racial segregation in public schools.

Northwest Black History places:

1. Northwest African American Museum: Established in 2008, in The Northwest African American Museum serves to present and preserve the connections between the Pacific Northwest and people of African descent and investigate and celebrate Black experiences in America through exhibitions, programs and events. Address: 2300 S. Massachusetts Street, Seattle, WA 98144

2. The Albina District: The historic heart of Portland’s African American community, civic institutions such as the Urban League of Portland and the Portland Trail Blazers Boys and Girls Club call this district home. Address: Albina district of North and Northeast Portland.

3. Oregon Supreme Court: In 1853, the Supreme Court was the setting for the Holmes v. Ford case, which freed a slave family and reaffirmed that slavery was illegal in the Oregon Territory. Address: 1163 State Street, Salem, OR 97301

4. Fort Lawton Historic District, Discovery Park: This former army base served as a point of embarkation during World War II, but its connection to African American heritage goes back to the early 20th century. Starting in 1909, the base was home to the 25th Infantry Regiment, one of four all-Black regiments in the U.S. military. These were known as "Buffalo Soldiers," a name conferred to the troops by Native Americans of the Great Plains. Address: 3801 Discovery Park Blvd, Seattle, WA 98199

5. Jimi Hendrix Statue: A monument to the Pacific Northwest’s first rockstar, a life-size bronze sculpture called "The Electric Lady Studio Guitar" by artist Daryl Smith depicts Jimi Hendrix playing a Stratocaster. Address: Broadway & Pine St, Seattle, WA 98127

 

National Black History places:

1. Martin Luther King Memorial: A memorial for Martin Luther King, Jr., featuring a 30-foot statue of the Civil Rights leader carved into the Stone of Hope. Address: 1964 Independence Avenue Southwest, Washington, DC 20024.

2. Little Rock Central High School: Historic site and school of the “Little Rock Nine,” or the students whose persistence in integrating the high school in 1950s garnered national attention. Address: 2120 West Daisy L Gatson Bates Drive, Little Rock, AR 72202.

3. Underground Railroad’s “Grand Depot”: This was known as “the Grand Depot” on the Underground Railroad, and was a major center for abolitionism. Address: Plymouth Church, 75 Hicks Street, Brooklyn.

4. 16th Street Baptist Church: Former Civil Rights movement meeting place and the target of a racially motivated bombing by the KKK that killed four girls in 1963. Address: 1530 6th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203.

5. Madame Walker Theater: A U.S. National Historic Landmark whose development was initiated by Madame C.J. Walker, America’s first self-made millionaire, prior to her death. Address: 617 Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46202.

6. Brown vs. Board of Education Historic Site: The site of Monroe Elementary School, which was named a national historic site to commemorate the Supreme Court decision ending racial segregation in public schools. Address: 1515 Southeast Monroe Street, Topeka, KS 66612.

7. Louis Armstrong’s Home: The jazz legend's former home and now a museum & National Historic Landmark. Address: 34-56 107th Street, Corona, NY 11368.

8. Mary McLeod Bethune Council House: This was first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women, and Bethune’s home from 1943 to 1949. Address: 1318 Vermont Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20005.

9. Apollo Theater: Historic music hall for African-American performers, and the former home of Showtime at the Apollo. Address: 253 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027.

10. The Birthplace of Rap: Where DJ Kool Herc is credited with helping to start hip-hop and rap music, at a house concert on August 11, 1973. Address: 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx.

The Skanner Foundation's 38th Annual MLK Breakfast