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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 19, 1970)
PORTLAND/OBSERVER Nov. 19, 1970 READY- FARE it ■ “ " 00 The Northwest’s Best Weekly A Black Owned Publication Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 7144 N.E. Alberta, Portland, Oregon, 97211. Subscription rates: 60 cents per month by carrier, $5.00 per year; $6.00 per year by mail in Tri-County area; $6.25 per year by mail outside Tri-County area. Phone 2 8 2 - 0 9 2 9 ALFRED LEE HENDERSON, Publisher and Editor Time G etting Better? U n d e r the present "tight money" policy and all the aus terity programs that it e n g e n d e r s , it is obvious that many people in the community are frightened because of the loss of their jobs. Those who are older think of 1930’s and hope history does not repeat it self. "A chicken in every pot and a dollar in every pocket" will not remove the cancel that is spreading in our society. Unemployment offices are flooded with applicants for un employment insurance (compen sation). Jobs are hard to find and it seems that the poor will almost have to get a foot in the door but only to find the door was closed. By the same token there are people who appear to be safe and secure in their present po sition and they virtually have no fear of being either fired or laid off. But it seems strange that these people who constantly c o m p la in are the "one" who have good jobs and their fami lies are fed regularly from those complaining jobs. Have you ever thought that the jobs you hate so much today may be some one else 's to morrow and if you lose the job you h a v e been complaining about, you really have no com plaint coming because they indi cated that they didn’t want the job and made a great deal of fuss how they hated it. It is well assumed by most people that there will be some problems with any job, however, the crisis should not be with people who are gainfully em ployed can’t we show some grat itude? These are the tim es that try men's souls. Times are critical and it would appear from pre sent signs that they could get worse before they get better. TTierefore, it behooves those p e r s o n s who are employed should realize the value of the job they currently hold and at tempt to keep these jobs. If you must complain, let it be in help ing others to get employment. We are not suggesting that you become a slave to a job or even take insults while in per formance of duty. We are sim ply suggesting that every person employed and wants to keep his or her job should do his or her very best to perform his duty to best of their ability. EMities should be so performed that there will be no doubts in the minds of their employers as to their loyalty. People who are presently em ployed should be loyal to the job they now hold until they have a better position and that position has been firmly ensconed in that new position. Those who complain about their job today will have nothing to complain about on tomorrow. Are you grateful or are you an ingrate? D irection Before E lection or After? Our city and state elections are over and the people who have been elected to office are now official representatives and we must work with them and give them our support. Maybe your candidate didn't win but the winner in office is our own rep resentative. These persons who have been elected to office are now pre paring to step into the shoes t h a t have been placed before them. In many cases, the shoes will not fit and the problems will increase instead of de creasing. Elected officials will attempt to prove that he is bet te r than the one he replaced or that he is the one to remain and then next election the fight starts all over again. In order to get the most pro verbial mileage out of the man o r woman who speaks for us in high places, it must be high on our list of priorities to make sure that we know what the issue and address ourselves to those issues. This means that we must be aware of the situation that affect us and make sure that our rep resentatives know exactly what we want them to do. Direction or Complain In the past, we have elected people to fill a post and then we proceed to sit back on the stools of do nothing' and complain* a b o u t everything that goes wrong in government. T h e Portland Observer be lieves that our elected repre sentatives should follow orders that we set down for him (or her). Many politicans will at tempt to really represent a cross-section of their consti tuency, however, this is impos sible! Voters should let the rep- r e s e n t a t i v e s know what our w is h e s are. They cannot use ESP and know what we want them to do. Maybe we have been so ill in formed as to our rights In gov ernment that we took the word of any Monday morning street lawyer and this was the 'gos p el'. But now there Is a revo lution, quote-unquote afoot and perhaps one of the few good things to come out of It is new kind of political aw areness. We must make sure that this awareness is used in the proper context and aimed in the proper direction. If we have this power and then fail to use it, then it is to no avail to have acquired it. Past history has taught that p r o p e r amount of pressure placed in the right places, it will bring about the kind of leg islative which is necessary for our well being. But if we do nothing, as we have done in the past, then we have no complaint at whatever treatm ent we re ceive. Persons in office were voted into office are, in effect, our servants and we have only to make sure that they know what we want instead of letting them introduce bills as they see fit. Remember now is the time to remind our elected officials of the campaign promises they made. Let them know of your thinking] A letter, telegram , or visit to let them know what we want and places time in position of supporting and being supported by their real constituents. Ci_/\SSlE lE b /»b »»I l . l bivksG K h S lL lS wHEN F i _ h CEL> L n THE r ’C h l C bS E hV E h T ill M EI « 1 for R eady Service 15 L 40 20, 25, JO DISCOVER “ Your Bus System n A Letter To Portland O bserver Thus, the encouraging begin ning on November 9 Is being fol lowed up with other planned ac tivities. We need very much to Inform all parents by every means available the facts about their high school and to en courage them to liecome an ac Gust Kanas, principal of Grant High School I noted with considerable pleasure that a fine represen tative group of about 20 black parents attended the social get- together at the Grant High fac ulty-PT A dinner at the Town Hall on November 9. It was ob vious that everyone enjoyed the "fun" evening but, most impor tantly, it signaled the fact that we are on the threshold of a true community involvement of all parents, black and white, in the educational welfare of all students at Grant High. Recent efforts by the school administration, faculty members, and important paren tal and community participation in helping Grant to provide the best possible school climate for students. The recent reorgani zation of the school district has created some new challenges which must be met in order to meet the needs of all students, including those who may have felt "m isplaced" or "com pelled" to attend Grant. We are fortunate to have as sisting the school and the com munity in such matters capable black staff members such as: M rs. Verna Shepherd, commun ity agent; M rs. Alcena Boozer, teacher and Black Student Union advisor; Mr. Sam Macon, ad ministrative intern; M rs. Clora Johnson, Levan Johnson and Don McPherson, counseling aides; Mr. Will Woodson and Mrs. Ber nice Williams, counseling intern and teacher aide, respectively; an d John Stevenson, and Kay Blackburn teacher aides. In ad dition, current programs and those yet to be implemented under Title I could lie greatly e n h a n c e d through increased participation by parents. tive part of their children’s education. In the weeks and months ahead, my staff and I will be looking forward to working with all groups students and parents, as we plan together to improve our school. Mrs. Shepherd, as the Community agent, is most happy to serve as the prim ary liaison person between home and school - I would urge parents to contact tier anytime. I know she will be in touch with parents to help us do a better job with their youngsters. As principal of this school, I Intend to do all I can to en courage the kind of attitudes and participation by students and parents which will help us to provide the opportunities for learning and success that every child has a right to expect. To do this I not only welcome but need the active involvement of parents from 11 sections of the Grant community. My thanks to the Portland Ob serv er for recent news cov erage regarding Grant. I hope you will continue to help us tell the Grant story that involves 2,500 very important citizens. Sincerely, Gust Kan as Principal, Grant High School P roject E q u a lity You are invited to attend a press conference launching the Project Equality program in the Portland a r e a on Thursday morning, November 19th, at 9:30 a.m. The location is to lie the Chancery of the Archdiocese of Portland, 2828 E. Burnside. The Portland office is a com ponent of Project Equality of the Northwest, with headquarters in Seattle, serving a five state area (Oregon, W a s h in g to n , Alaska, Idaho, and Montana). Participants in the press con ference will include; Bishop E v e r e t t W. Palm er, United M e th o d i s t Church; the Rev. Bertram F. Griffin, Chancellor, Archdiocese of Portland; George Rankin, Portland Metro politan Steering Committee; and D e r e k M. Mills, Executive Director of Project Equality of the Northwest. % J > « * Maws - Mu *c cu > m K il ai ' mb ’ " A BP ■ i