Colors of Influence Reviews

This week, I had the amazing opportunity to volunteer and shoot photos at the "2008 Governor's Summit on Eliminating Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Juvenile Justice System." The conference brought together social work professionals, lawyers, judges, elected officials, community advocates and others who want to make a difference in the lives of at-risk minority youth. Panel discussions and presentations explored successful approaches to engaging families, youth, schools, communities and policy-makers in eliminating the overrepresentation of minority youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The event was organized by the Oregon Youth Authority and the Commission on Children and Families, in partnership with the national Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) and the Multnomah County Local Public Safety Coordinating Council. Topics discussed include gang prevention and intervention, mental health and addictions, engaging families and youth, a...

damali ayo , one of our culture's most creative thinkers on issues of race relations, is presenting I Can Fix It! Speaker Corps Training to improving cross-racial relationships, scheduled Jan. 9-10 in Portland. damali is the creator of "The National Day of Panhandling for Reparations," " rent-a-negro.com " and author of How to Rent a Negro . In this Q&A, damali explains why race continues to matter, and what we can do about it. CoI: What is the workshop all about? damali: The workshop is a two-day training based on the I Can Fix It! : Racism document. This is a 10-step practical guide to improving race relations among individuals. The 10 steps were suggested by my email list of 2,000 people and compiled by me. It is an effective, easy and fun tool for improving cross-race relations. I will be teaching this corps of speakers how to give the I Can Fix It: Racism signature talk. This is one of the talks I give when i am on the road at colleges, u...

Jeri Williams, Neighborhood Program Coordinator of the City of Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement, shares info about two upcoming events discussing Oregon's food security issues and challenges. Springboard Social Innovation Forum Wednesday, November 12 6-9pm Urban Grind East 2214 NE Oregon St., Portland Click here to download the program in PDF Hear from gleaners, food educators, school gardeners, state offices, food security policy makers, nutritionists, and others who are feeding our neighbors---and feeding them well. Join this important conversation to learn where your work overlaps and supports this goal. Panelists will share their strategies for change and discuss some challenging questions: How do we avoid wasting food? Is food the answer to hunger? Is any food good food? How can gardening, local farming, school and community gardens, gleaning, and food banks work together to make our community healthier? What can we do in our everyday lives t...

Day after election day, the electoral map looks much different than it did four years ago. 2008 Electoral Map The American people have come a long way! 2004 Electoral Map

Portland Housing Center Deputy Director Felicia Tripp ( read about Felicia's work) shares the following announcement with Colors of Influence readers: WESTSIDE WORKFORCE HOUSING SUMMIT Monday, November 17, 2008 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Washington County Public Services Building Click here for directions About the summit- This event is dedicated to providing education to employers and community members about issues surrounding workforce housing. Local and regional experts will present information about the impact of affordable housing on recruiting, retention, and employee morale. Affordable housing advocates will discuss how housing benefits can help build employee dependability, loyalty and improve the stability of the surrounding community. Throughout this event, participants will engage in a forum of ideas, innovations and best practices that will enable them to walk away with a better understanding of how to offer a workforce housing benefit. The Westside Workf...