Portland State Magazine Fall 2021

FALL 2021 // 23 IF YOU WANT TO… JOIN A CLEANUP CREW SPEND A LITTLE TIME EVERY WEEK REDUCING LITTER DONATE TIME, MONEY OR MATERIALS TO REVIVE BLACK HOMEOWNERSHIP IN PORTLAND DONATE TIME, MONEY OR SUPPLIES TO A PORTLAND HYGIENE CENTER FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS VISIT DOWNTOWN FOR CAMPUS EVENTS AND SPORTS KEY: IN PORTLAND IN OREGON WHEREVER YOU ARE …DO THIS LOOK FOR DATES AND SIGN UP AT SOLVEOREGON.ORG FIND INSPIRATION ON INSTAGRAM @TUESDAYSFORTRASH AND TAG YOUR PICTURES WITH #TUESDAYSFORTRASH LEARN HOW AT TAKINGOWNERSHIPPDX.COM SEE H4APDX.ORG FOR DETAILS CHECK GOVIKS.COM AND PDX.EDU/CALENDAR/MONTH TO SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING He launched the organization last year to help African Americans resist being displaced by gentrification. “We fix up homes free of charge so they can keep their homes,” says Wyatt, a longtime community activist and hip-hop artist. Support for the idea “snowballed, much faster than I could have imagined,” he says. Taking Ownership PDX raised $100,000 in one month during August 2020, and “since then, over $400,000. We’ve helped over 40 families with roof replacements, window upgrades, yard work” and more. Donors and supporters have included real estate agents and developers. “We have over 100 people on our waiting list,”Wyatt says. “I’m meeting with other communities about the model I’ve used. I would love to have a hand in creating Black home- owners.” It’s been a wild ride, he says, and something he’s amazed he might be able to do for a living. Helping businesses bounce back When stay-at-home orders hit in spring 2020, shuttered businesses suffered, and the alumni-powered Portland Business Support Project sprang into action to help them stay afloat. Over a 26-week period, volunteers devoted more than 1,900 hours to 40 projects helping small businesses, says Jennifer Greenberg MBA ’19. Greenberg, who is also an adjunct faculty member at PSU’s School of Business, was part of the core group that spearheaded the emergency effort. Each business received help from a designated team of experts to solve problems after the shutdown. Many faced issues small businesses regularly struggle with, Greenberg says.The pandemic made clear that a lot weren’t data driven. At PSU’s Portland MBA program, she says, Randal Wyatt ’21 started Taking Ownership PDX as a student. The organization does repairs like roof replacements and yard work free of charge to help Black community members keep their homes and resist being displaced by gentrification. MELISSA BABASIN