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an og sandbox christmas – See
Merry Christmas From the OG Sandbox Organization
By Darrel Wheeler
Contributing Writer Using their usual stomping grounds of Mountain View Park, The OG Sandbox held their annual Christmas toy and bicycle’s giveaway. The event was free for all participants. The members of the Sandbox continue to show their support for the community they grew up in through gift-giving and the sharing of their time.
“Helping out our community is a joy for me,” said the newest member to join the Sandbox rank and file, OG Kathy. “This is my first event with them and I think what we are doing is a good thing. You can’t really go wrong by helping people.” Bicycles were a big ticket item at the free toy giveaway. Six lucky youngsters were able to ride off into the sunset with brand new bikes and gifts, thanks to the absolute generosity of the OG Sandbox organization.
“I think everything went well today. The vast majority of the kids and parents showed their appreciation, and that definitely works for us,” shared OG President, Aaron Gibson.
PHOTOS: Darrel Wheeler
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A first phase, in the 1950s and ‘60s, involved city officials secretly agreeing to compensate the hospital for the full cost of the pur-
Continued from page 3 chases and demolitions, the lawsuit said. The homeowners were intimidated by hospital representatives and told that if they didn’t leave, the city would take their homes. They were not fairly compensated and in some cases not compensated at all, according to the lawsuit.
These men are the definition of excellence in various ways and walks of life, including community, civic, business, religion, law, politics, government, education, entertainment, and other areas.
At the Michigan Chronicle’s first Men of Excellence ceremony, we honored 50 extraordinary black men. Believe it or not, there were people — and I won’t mention names — who thought we would run out of African American men to honor. “This case is about the intentional destruction of a thriving Black neighborhood in Central Albina under the pretense of facilitating a hospital expansion that never happened,’’ the lawsuit says, adding that the loss of homes “has meant the deprivation of inheritance, intergenerational wealth, community, and opportunity.’’
Much of the land that used to be a thriving neighborhood, where Black families felt safe and had social and spiritual connections, became parking lots or stood vacant.
“I was taken out of my safe and loving community. I was moved into a neighborhood that saw me as a nuisance and to a school where I was one of three Black children,’’ said Connie Mack, one of the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit said the defendants are benefiting from “unjust enrichment” from “this horribly racist chapter from Portland’s past.’’
Legacy Health, which owns Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying it is evaluating it. Prosper Portland, formerly the Portland Development Commission, also said it is evaluating the complaint and had no additional comment. City officials didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Albina is now called the Eliot neighborhood, which boasts trendy shops, cafes and eateries.
“Our neighborhood, in the heart of the former city of Albina, is a great place to live, work and play,’’ the Eliot Neighborhood Association proclaims on its website.
Many of the plaintiffs’ homes, if they had not been destroyed, would have been worth more than $500,000 today, the lawsuit says.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages from defendants in amounts to be determined at trial.
However, with the 750-plus men that we’ve honored since the inception of Men of Excellence, I can honestly say that we’ve just scratched the surface of Black excellence among our males. There’s more — a whole lot more to honor!
During my extensive travels throughout all areas of the nation, I see strong Black men of excellence working in various fields for the betterment of themselves, their families, their communities, and their careers. Of course, there are some Black men mired in the stereotypes that are often placed on our race. Nevertheless, I see that things are getting better on multiple fronts in the black community. Yet, more has to be done. And we, as Black men, must lead the way, first by not listening to biased reports and surveys, such as “we live in poverty,” because poverty among Black men has fallen from 41% in 1960 to 18% today. Black men in the middle or upper class — as measured by their family income — have risen from 38% in 1960 to 57% today. Again, I say, more must be done. Numbers matter, but empirical and visual facts are vitally and equally important. This means there are many Black men who are factually doing excellent things in every sector of this nation, and that’s what our culture is all about. We’ll go into 2023, highlighting and spotlighting Black men who exemplify excellence across the spectrum. And trust me, there is no shortage of Black men that meet the criteria and definition of excellence in this city, county, state, or nation.
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