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Advocate Rosemary Anderson passes at 88 Rosemary Anderson Rosemary Anderson, former executive director of the Portland Opportunities Industrial Center and the founder and namesake of Rosemary Anderson High School, is being remembered for her advocacy for Portland youth after passing away March 15. She was 88 years old. Anderson was long associated with serving under represented at- risk youth in and around the communities of Portland. Born Nov. 20, 1930 in Denver, Colo., she moved to Portland in 1949 with her husband and children. She was employed by POIC from its inception in 1967, and in 1980 was appointed executive director. During her time at the organization’s helm, she launched several non-profit, community-based, independent, skill training centers for adults, and went on to establish alternative middle and high school education for gang-impacted youth. The schools were accredited in 1991, and upon her retirement in 2000, Rosemary Anderson High School was formally named in her honor. “It is astonishing to realize the impact she had on our most at-risk youth in her career, all while raising her family,” says POIC + RAHS President and CEO Joe McFerrin II. “As her grandson, I’m still amazed at how she pulled that off with such grace. Each and every day, I’m inspired to live up to her legacy.” Today, Rosemary Anderson High School’s five campuses, ranging from the New Columbia area near St. John’s, to Gresham, currently serve over 700 students a year with education, job training, internships, employment opportunities, parental classes, and certifications. RAHS has been recognized as one of the of top alternative high school programs in the state. Through her career, Anderson was affiliated with the NAACP, the Portland chapter of LINKS, Inc., Black Women’s Network, and the National Association for Female Executives, Inc., among others. Anderson is survived by 8 children (proceeded in death by one child), 15 grandchildren including Mr. McFerrin, and 25 great-grandchildren. Visitation will be Friday, March 29 at Bethel AME Church, 5828 N.E. Eighth Ave., from 4-7 p.m. Funeral services will take place at Life Change Church, 3635 N. Williams Ave., will be Saturday, March 30 at 1 p.m.

Advocate Rosemary Anderson dies at 88 Rosemary Anderson Rosemary Anderson, former executive director of the Portland Opportunities Industrial Center and the founder and namesake of Rosemary Anderson High School, is being remembered for her advocacy for Portland youth after passing away March 15. She was 88 years old. Anderson was long associated with serving under represented at- risk youth in and around the communities of Portland. Born Nov. 20, 1930 in Denver, Colo., she moved to Portland in 1949 with her husband and children. She was employed by POIC from its inception in 1967, and in 1980 was appointed executive director. During her time at the organization’s helm, she launched several non-profit, community-based, independent, skill training centers for adults, and went on to establish alternative middle and high school education for gang-impacted youth. The schools were accredited in 1991, and upon her retirement in 2000, Rosemary Anderson High School was formally named in her honor. “It is astonishing to realize the impact she had on our most at-risk youth in her career, all while raising her family,” says POIC + RAHS President and CEO Joe McFerrin II. “As her grandson, I’m still amazed at how she pulled that off with such grace. Each and every day, I’m inspired to live up to her legacy.” Today, Rosemary Anderson High School’s five campuses, ranging from the New Columbia area near St. John’s, to Gresham, currently serve over 700 students a year with education, job training, internships, employment opportunities, parental classes, and certifications. RAHS has been recognized as one of the of top alternative high school programs in the state. Through her career, Anderson was affiliated with the NAACP, the Portland chapter of LINKS, Inc., Black Women’s Network, and the National Association for Female Executives, Inc., among others. Anderson is survived by 8 children (proceeded in death by one child), 15 grandchildren including Mr. McFerrin, and 25 great-grandchildren. Visitation will be Friday, March 29 at Bethel AME Church, 5828 N.E. Eighth Ave., from 4-7 p.m. Funeral services will take place at Life Change Church, 3635 N. Williams Ave., will be Saturday, March 30 at 1 p.m.

Annie Isabell Jennings Annie Isabell Jennings Annie Isabell Jennings (Hayes) passed away March 6, 2019 at the age of 96, surrounded by family at her longtime north Portland home. She was preceded in death by husband Vernon Jennings; son Meade Lee Grier Jr., daughters Judith Anne Brooks and Reva Mae Lawrence (Grier); grandson Brian Ballard; granddaughter Hatina Brooks; sister Margaret; and brothers Remus, Ersel, Richard, William (Poodle), and Arthur Hayes; and her dog Snoopy. She was born Nov. 30, 1922 to William A. Hayes and Minnie Jackson in Forest Green, Mo., but spent the bulk of her growing up years in Sioux City, Iowa where her father, a deacon tended a farm and her mother took special pride in fixing large dinners to bring townspeople together. She married Meade Lee Grier Sr. in Twinsburg, Ohio with whom she had two of her children. After his passing she returned to Sioux City, and then, shortly after the 1948 Vanport Flood, she would follow the man she would later marry for life, Army serviceman Vernon Jennings, thousands of miles across the country to make a forever home in Portland. The two joined in union in 1952 and welcomed four new children into their family. She spent years working in canneries, and many years more as a homemaker, sometimes walking miles to get to job sites during a time when buses didn’t run so well; She also didn’t learn to drive until her 50s. When she finally did get her license, she shared a special love for her Chevy Malibu and did not stop driving until well into her 80s. She was a devout follower of Christ, and had no problem letting folks know. One of her favorite things to tell people was to “keep looking up,” and she would often depart by telling folks “see you in the funny papers.” Annie also knew the importance of service. For many years she served as a Girl Scouts leader, a position she took a lot of pride in. Additionally, she spent many campaign cycles at the County Elections Office making sure every vote got counted. Bringing people together was one of her favorite things to do, whether through block parties, New Year’s breakfasts or impromptu family dinners. When Annie said come, you come. She is survived by sons Mardas, Ricky and Jimmy Jennings; her daughter and longtime caretaker Cheryl Jennings; sisters Telsia Hayes and Viola Sanders; along with a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family and friends. She will be greatly missed.

PassinArt, Portland’s African American production theater company, presents “The No Play,” by John Henry Redwood, conveying the racially divided world of Halifax, North Carolina in 1949 at the apex of the Jim Crow segregation era. The title is derived from many “No” signs that dotted the southern landscape during that despotic era in American history. The play centers on an African-American woman struggling to raise her two daughters and protect her marriage while surviving the insurmountable effects of racism and bigotry. She finds an ally in Yaveni Aaronsohn, a Jewish scholar who also must endure and overcome the reality of racial intolerance. The play is about deep family bonds, profound love and cultural connections. The No Play is now showing on Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through April 14 at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N Interstate Ave. For tickets, visit eventbrite.com.

Our words speak for all youth By Samantha M and Angelica Perkins Outside of Sen. Diane Feinstein’s office in San Francisco on Feb. 22, youth leaders from Sunrise Bay Area, Youth Vs. Apocalypse and Earth Guardians Bay Area Crew gathered together for a rally in an attempt to persuade Feinstein to vote yes on the Green New Deal. We attended the rally to show support and help in whatever ways we could as this movement is one that matters to us and our future -- we hadn’t planned to talk with Feinstein directly. In spite of this, when the opportunity presented itself YVA and Earth Guardians accepted gladly and were more than excited when we learned that we would actually be allowed into her office to speak to her personally. For us at least, this excitement turned quickly into fear as our peers and Sen. Feinstein began to converse. This fear was not because we felt that we were being “taught a lesson” or “told off.” It was because we could see ourselves talking to our future grandchildren about what breathable air used to be like. We could see workers in impoverished communities whose children’s lives depended on risking their own. We were afraid because, at that moment, we could see the world around us shrinking - becoming something small and unimportant, and with it so did we. However, we only felt this way. As we sit here and write this piece, we know that we are not small and we are definitely not unimportant. Our words speak for all youth, as we demand a future. And that future will only be possible through the Green New Deal. In advocating for the Green New Deal, we are also advocating for the future of our Earth and all of its inhabitants. A promised future. The future we deserve. Because the adults that decide our future, got theirs, so who are they to cancel ours? We are not fighting for the Green New Deal because we are brainwashed youth or because we are being manipulated and used for political gain. We fight for the Green New Deal because we are in charge of our future, and know exactly what it means. It lies in our hands, only ours. It is our future, whether or not elected officials like that and the only way to protect what belongs to us is through bold and transformative action. We cannot separate ourselves from all the animals, plants and all other life because we are all interconnected. We are all affected by the destructive aftermath of climate change. Just because we are human, it does not negate the fact that we are also in danger because of our actions. We are in also in danger from inequality and lack of economic opportunity. We can’t leave behind anyone. That is why we believe in the Green New Deal, and we know what the Green New Deal is. We have read it and we understand it because we know exactly what we have to do to secure our future. Youth have a right to be in this conversation because in the long run, this is more than a debate. It is our life and future. Samantha, 12, and Angelica, 17, write for PeaceVoice, are Oakland students and members of the youth-led climate justice group, Youth Vs. Apocalypse.

Carving a path on and off the field Cameron Scarlett (22), a star running back at Stanford University, grew up in northeast Portland where he attended Holy Redeemer School and played football for Central Catholic. He just completed a breakout year at Stanford. Portland writer and native son Paul Marshall Jr. writes on his plans for the future both on and off the field. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY STANFORD UNIVERSITY Whether as a running back for Stanford University or as a student preparing for his future, Cameron Scarlett has always been carving his own path. Four years ago, Cameron was preparing to take the football field with his older brother Brennan (now with the NFL Houston Texans) for the first time ever as teammates. Fast forward to New Years Eve 2018, when Cameron found himself honored as the Most Valuable Player in a 14-13 victory against Pittsburg at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. He’s set to graduate this spring. I had a chance to catch up with the younger Scarlett to talk to him about his Stanford stint and upcoming graduation: Last time we talked, you were heading into Stanford to play with your brother and now you’re a few months away from graduating… Where did the time go? It’s been a crazy experience. One of my teammates said early on that the days go by fast. You had some tough games this season but Stanford finished the season strong winning the last four games. Talk about this past season a bit? All the losses were close. We knew the end of the season was going to be harder than the start. We try to take things one game at a time and focus on the big picture. We also wanted to make sure that we send out the seniors on the right foot. You finished this season by playing in the Sun Bowl. Talk about the Sun Bowl experience this season? It was a good and satisfying to get the win. It’s something we call tangible evidence…a gratifying and hard-fought game. Coming into the game, there was some of the talk about how players were opting to sit out including starting running back Bryce Love. How did you approach the game? Bryce is a great running back. As for his decision, I can’t really control the situation, I had to come ready to work and be ready to play. Portland’s Cameron Scarlett, a running back at Stanford University in California, drives into the end zone for a touchdown against Notre Dame in this Nov. 25, 2017 photo from AP. In addition to your MVP performance (22 carries, 94 yards and 2 touchdowns), can you talk about your fumble recovery in the end zone that pushed the Cardinal on top, 14-13? It was a bang – bang play. I knew something was up when he (Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello) didn’t hand the ball off. So I look back and I see the ball was coming right to me. You’ve played in four different bowl games (Rose Bowl, Alamo and Sun Bowl twice), how has the experience been? Bowl games are cool. They’re a great finale for the season. You prepare so long for them and then it turns out to be this hard fought game. How has your Stanford experience been so far? What are you studying and what are your future plans? All four years went by fast…. I’ve enjoyed my time. I’m graduating this spring with my degree in Science, Tech and Society. I’ve only got four more core classes required: two this quarter and two in the spring. I get to take classes from different majors: economics, science and business. My focus is on innovation and organization. I’m a creative person… I know it sounds cliché but I think outside the box. I have an interest in tech stuff like computer science. I’m also taking an interest more into the business world. A few years ago, your brother was also in grad school and had a year of playing left and now he’s with the Houston Texans. What kind of advice has he given you? Enjoy this time. You won’t have this time again for your life. You’re set to graduate in spring 2019. What’s next for you? I’ll apply to graduate school. (Cameron has since been accepted into Stanford’s master’s degree program in communications). I’ll still have a year left of football because I decided to redshirt my freshman year. The author of this piece, Paul Marshall Jr. is from Portland and a graduate of the University of Oregon’s Professional Master’s program. His relationship with the Scarlett family dates back to the 2000s when he attended north Portland’s Holy Redeemer Catholic School with both Brennan and Cameron Scarlett.

Benson girls finish first in state Benson Girls Basketball Team The Benson High School girls basketball team are state champions, a first for the school’s female team after they defeated two-time defending champion Southridge, 66-42, on Saturday at the 6A tournament at the University of Portland. The Techsters dominated Southridge throughout the contest, showing perfect team execution under coach Eric Knox. It marked a reversal from last year, when the Beaverton school defeated Benson, 46-27, in Benson’s first trip to the finals in school history. The tables seemed to turn Saturday, when Benson secured an early lead and kept it the whole game. Senior Ciera Ellington, the Portland Interscholastic League Player of the Year, led Benson, with 20 points, eight assists, six rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. “This means a lot not just to Benson, not just to the PIL, but for young girls that look like us, black and brown girls in Portland, this is for them,” Ellington said. Senior Lyday added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Techsters, and junior Aujae Yoakum had 13 points and eight rebounds. Benson finished the season with a 26-4 record, with its only in-state loss to Southridge in December. Also at the UP Chiles Center, the Jefferson boys basketball team reached the 6A final for the second year in a row, but lost to Jesuit 71-66 to finish runner-up.

Jeanette Spencer Jeanette Spencer Jeanette Spencer, Portland writer and photographer, died on Jan. 26 of liver cancer. She was well known in many communities as an artist, poet and playwright. In the 1970s, Jeanette was a founding vendor of Portland Saturday Market, where she sold her Oregon Critters, a rabbit fur covered “pet rock.” At the time of her death she was working on a history book about Saturday Market. Jeanette’s cheerfulness, courage and irrepressible energy touched many lives. She was a survivor in the truest sense of the word and will remain a beloved icon of our community. A memorial gathering will be held on Sunday, March 17, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Subud Center, 3185 N.E. Regents Dr. Memorial gifts will be dedicated to the completion of her book. For more information, email kristan.aspen@gmail.com or visit anewtradition.com/obituaries/obituary/16941_Jeanette_Spencer.

Sybil McMurry Sybil McMurry Sybil McMurry (Lomax) went home on March 4, 2019. She was born in Kansas on June 23, 1940 to Floyd Lomax and Myra Wynn. She moved to Vanport in 1943, leaving the community just three days before the 1948 Vanport Flood. She spent the rest of her life in Portland where she attended Boise and Jefferson High schools. Sybil completed an accounting degree at Western Business College. She interned at the Bonneville Power Administration and then continued to work at Bonneville until she retired. She married Oscar McMurry and raised six children and a significant number of extended family children together. Her doors were always open to family and friends to enjoy times together, good food, good music, dominoes and card parties. The gatherings at the Lomax House were regular occurrences in the neighborhood. Sybil was spiritual and embraced a belief which included Islam and Christianity. She exposed all her children to the highest callings left each to choose their own path. She enjoyed working in her community and belonged to and supported many clubs, most memorable was the Northeast Little League for her five boys, Blacks in Government, Eastern Star and the Jet Set Cruiser because Sybil loved to travel. Sybil was a generous soul, kind, loyal, down to earth, happy and wise. She shared her wisdom with all her children, grandchildren and her great grandchild. She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers Raymond and Eddie Lomax; her stepmother Jeanette Massey; Rosie Sims, Arilena Moore and brother Louis Wade; her son Keith McMurry, daughter In-law Shandrea Horsley; her grandson Demarcus Bradley and her great grandson Demari Bradley. Sybil is survived by her long time sister in life Wilma Alcock; bother Abdul Hasan; sisters Saundra, Sharon, Anne, Sylvia Lomax, and Shirley and Daniel Walters; her children Perry Lomax, Ahad Hasan, Lelia Lomax Tyrone Brown, David Lomax, Oscar McMurry and Teresa Lomax, daughter In-law; Kathy Prenevost-Hasan, daughter in-law; and a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren. A funeral service will take place on Thursday, March 14 at St. Luke Memorial COGIC Church, 2700 N.E. Sumner.

Teen Poet Belise Nishimwe, a sophomore at St. Mary’s Academy in Portland, is the 2019 Oregon Poetry Out Loud state champion. PHOTO COURTESY OF OREGON ARTS COMMISSION A Portland student with a passion for social justice and immigrant law won the statewide Poetry Out Loud competition Saturday, making her a contender for the nationwide competition. Belise Nishimwe, a sophomore at St. Mary’s Academy, was born and raised in a refugee camp in Tanzania before moving to America at the age of five. Now a U.S. citizen, she has dedicated herself to being someone who can create a platform that gives voice to immigrants and refugees and the representation they need. “This is everyone’s victory,” Nishimwe said. “I wanted to do Poetry Out Loud because when I was younger I wanted that representation that I rarely ever saw. I wanted to see other immigrants like me participate in a variety of activities and succeed, so that I could know that I could achieve that too.” Poetry Out Loud is organized in Oregon by the Oregon Arts Commission in collaboration with the NEA and the Poetry Foundation. Nishimwe will advance to the national Poetry Out Loud competition in Washington, D.C., at the end of next month.

Portland Trail Blazer Enes Kanter U. S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, has come to the defense of Portland Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter in his continuing battle with the government of Turkey, which has taken actions against Kanter, a Turkey national, for his criticisms of Turkey’s president. “President Erdogan has responded like many thin-skinned autocrats before him, by going after Mr. Kanter and his family,” Wyden wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Friday, in which he urged the U.S. to “not stay silent in the face of such a blatant assault on free thought and expressions.” Kanter has been an outspoken critic of Erdogan for years, calling him “the Hitler of our century” when his passport was revoked by the Turkish government and he was detained in a Romanian airport in 2017. Turkey’s demand that INTERPOL issue a “red notice” to extradite him to Turkey has kept the former Knicks player in the United states when his former team traveled to London earlier this season, and last week when the Blazers went to Toronto. Enes’ father, Mehmet Kanter, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Turkish government in June after a failed military coup, even though he publicly disavowed his son and his beliefs. The Turkish government labeled both Enes and his father as being part of a terrorist organization.

Ultra rich have never been so rich By Daniel Hauser and Juan Carlos Ordóñez Oregon’s ultra-rich — the highest-earning one out of every 1,000 Oregonians — have never been so rich compared to the rest of Oregonians, according to new analysis by the Oregon Center for Public Policy. Such extreme income inequality undermines the well-being and opportunities of most Oregonians, while weakening the economy. Oregon lawmakers should be doing everything in their power to push back against growing inequality. Analyzing recently released data from the Oregon Department of Revenue from the 2016 tax year, the income of the average member of Oregon’s richest one-tenth of 1 percent was $4.5 million. That was an all-time high even after adjusting for inflation. But it was not just the total dollars earned by the richest Oregonians that set a new record; it was also in how far the top-one tenth of 1 percent has pulled away from middle-income Oregonians. In 1980, the average income of the highest-earning 1 in 1,000 taxpayers was 26 times that of the Oregonian in the middle of the income ladder. By 2016, it was 127 times larger. The income of the average member of the top 1 percent — the richest 1 out of every 100 Oregonians with income of at least $401,000 — also increased in 2016, though it still stood below the all-time high reached before the Great Recession. Still, the top 1 percent together earned more income than the bottom half of all Oregonians combined. While observing that income inequality has been building over the years, the analysis noted a sharp rebound in inequality since the end of the Great Recession. From 2009 to 2016, the average income of the top one-tenth of 1 percent in Oregon increased by about $1.7 million, and the average member of the top 1 percent as a whole saw their income increase by about $167,000. Meanwhile, the typical Oregonian saw an increase of just $1,600. With the Oregon legislative session in full swing, lawmakers should confront the problem of income inequality. We need to make big investments in education, health care, and affordable housing to ensure every Oregonian can share in Oregon’s growing economy. And to pay for these investments, Oregon needs to ask more from those reaping the greatest profits from our economy, the rich and the corporations. Daniel Hauser is a policy analyst and Juan Carlos Ordóñez is the communications director for the Oregon Center for Public Policy.