One out of every 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars, but when it comes to Black men that figure rises to one in nine. This fact, from the U.S. Department of Justice's most recent statistics (2006) is just one reason why the NAACP last fall declared a State of Emergency.
In a report that cited "overly aggressive handling" of Black youth and unequal treatment throughout the criminal justice system, Interim NAACP President Dennis Courtland Hayes called for the justice system to  "live up to its Constitutional obligations to serve and protect all Americans with dignity and fairness irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, religious faith and other differences....

What's happening for me in Portland this week? Read here a day-by-day diary of free community events to fill your week. For a full calendar please click on "Read the complete article" below.

Nine pastors with the Albina Ministerial Alliance gathered Tuesday to publicly get tested for the HIV virus. The public test was a show of support for members of the community who do not know their HIV status and are afraid of getting tested.The tests were self administered and overseen by Multnomah County Health Department staff. Each pastor was given a swab, which they brushed against the inside of their mouths. The testing technique is far less invasive than a blood test.

In 1990, President George H. W. Bush declared March 10 to be Harriet Tubman Day. Tubman died March 10, 1913. Harriet Tubman Day is dedicated to those who are willing to be of service to humanity and recognize all individuals who struggled to end tyranny and oppression.
"A Visit with Harriet Tubman, Her Stories about Family, Faith and Freedom," will be performed by Karol and James Brown. It promises to be an unforgettable experience for school age children to adults... in Tacoma...

"Everyone can relate to Gospel music because everyone has had some tragedy in their life at one time or another," said Allen Bailey founder of the Harlem Gospel Choir. "Our music is really inspirational music. You come there you can't help but be inspired."
Portlanders will have an opportunity to experience some of the best gospel music anywhere next Tuesday, March 18, when the internationally acclaimed choir visits the Chiles Center on the University of Portland campus.

 The Story so far...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- The infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study, a government experiment that charted the effects of the untreated disease on mostly poor and uneducated black men, was conducted for 40 years before it was exposed and ended in 1972 amid widespread condemnation.
A number of participants in the study died of the disease, which the men spread to women and to children at birth.
But does it still take a toll on the health of new generations of blacks?
Even the experts, apparently, can't agree.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) _ A Houston congresswoman has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to review the torture of a black woman by seven white people to determine whether federal hate crimes should be pursued.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, also said two defendants who were sentenced Thursday on state charges should not have the option of parole.
``I have asked the Justice Department to review the circumstances and determine whether there is a viable case under federal law,'' ....

A veteran civil rights leader says this year's Democratic presidential field represents what she and others who have worked for equal rights have long anticipated.
Myrlie Evers-Williams, whose home is in Bend, Oregon, was in Cincinnati on Friday to preview a new Smithsonian traveling exhibit called "Freedom's Sisters" that showcases the pivotal roles that she and 19 other black women have played in the struggle for civil rights.
The exhibit will be hosted at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn. between January and April of next year.
Referring to the strong candidacies of a woman and a black man, Evers-Williams said: "I knew this day would come; it was a matter of when."
She said people need to look at the candidacies of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in one sense as the result of years of work by many people _ including those represented in the exhibit _ who have struggled for equal rights, regardless of race or gender.
"It's more than time for this to happen," Evers-Williams said.

NEW YORK -- Across the state, the political demise of Gov. Eliot Spitzer has fueled a surge of black pride in the unexpected rise of Lt. Gov. David Paterson, a longtime lawmaker and heir to a Harlem political dynasty.
The 53-year-old Paterson will be sworn in Monday as New York's first black and legally blind governor, succeeding Spitzer, who announced his resignation this week after getting caught in a federal prostitution investigation.
To Leonardo Reynolds, a 19-year-old community college student from Syracuse, the ascension of Paterson has been inspiring, especially when paired with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's tight race with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"I think there's still a lot of racism around, but having black leaders in these positions will help change things," Reynolds said.