All posts by Carmen Van Kerckhove  links for 2010-03-03
links for 2010-03-02  links for 2010-03-01    • Three years.
That's how long it took to get a street here renamed after
[Cesar Chavez] the labor leader and human rights activist. The
supporters never thought it would take that long…"This has been
horrible," said Marta Guembes, co-chairwoman of the Cesar E.
Chavez Boulevard Committee. Take the effort to Tijuana or Mexico
City, said others. Renaming the street would "open up the
border," some predicted. Such sentiments were the minority, but
the words cut deep. "It turned ugly," said Sonny Montes, a
member of the committee…Said Adams: "Portland is a progressive
city, but not, clearly, without its vulnerabilities around
issues of race and racism and phobias and discrimination and
stereotyping."…Portland is one of the top five whitest metro
areas in the country, according to a 2007 Census Bureau survey.
With 78% of its 2.17 million metro area population being white,
it's even whiter than Salt Lake City.