Multnomah County Managers of Color’s annual event to honor Martin Luther King Jr. this year featured a moving presentation from Max Pavesic, a Portland resident who risked his life 50 years ago as a Freedom Rider in the civil rights movement.
“There were only 463 of us [freedom riders],” Pavesic told the gathering Jan. 11 in the board room. “But we are the reason the Civil Rights Act passed.
Pavesic’s remarks perfectly fit the theme of this year’s event, “The Beloved Community: the time is always right to do what is right.”
Pavesic described his experience as a 21 year old in the summer of 1961 riding a train in the South from New Orleans to Jackson, Miss. Once there, he and other fellow Freedom Riders were arrested for violating segregation laws. Pavesic remained committed to his cause despite 32 frightening days in the notorious Mississipi State Penitentiary, a facility that at the time was filled with hostility and a cruel prison staff.
The county event to honor Dr. King kicked off with welcomes from Managers of Color member Patricia Welch and Joanne Fuller, the county Chief Operating Officer.
“It’s so important to honor Martin Luther King’s legacy and take a moment to recognize what diversity, equity and equality mean,” said Fuller, who spoke on behalf of Chair Jeff Cogen.
Meet Flemming Award winner Carl Goodman
Carl Goodman, assistant director of Multnomah County’s Department of Community Justice, received the Flemming Award at the Managers of Color's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event on Jan. 11.
Goodman, who works in Multnomah County DCJ’s Adult Services Division, oversees several programs and collaborates with community partners to promote community safety. He has earned the respect and trust from fellow employees as well as citizens throughout the county. [Read more]
Carl Goodman, of the Department of Community Justice, received the prestigious Flemming Award, named for former Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Dr. Arthur Flemming. Goodman is the assistant director of the Adult Services Division.
The award was gratefully accepted by Roneesha Kennedy and Nyausha West, two Grant High School students Goodman sponsored to participate in a tour of historical black colleges
Managers of Color sponsors the Martin Luther King Jr. event each year. As an employee resource group, the Managers of Color try to improve the work environment, support managers of color and enhance cultural diversity at the county.