I
I
r n
U n!
US Forest Service employees charge race discrimination
Enipluyees of the U.S.
Forest Service Regional Of
fico, Portland, huvc charged
the F o rest S ervice w ith
racial discrimination.
The
employees point out many
discrepancies in treatment
between Black and white
employees.
Although there has been
an affirm ative action plan in
effect for several years, as
well as a series of Executive
Orders railing for hiring of
Blacks in the federal service,
there are few Blacks working
for the Forest Service. The
Itegional office, whirh serves
Oregon and Washington, has
V only four Blacks in career
positions.
Kegional Forester Theo
(lore Kchlapfer told the Ob
server that he is firmly com
milled to the hiring of mi
nority persons but that ceil
mgs on hiring and promotion
have h u rt the program .
Sehlapfcr has been at the
Portland office for approxi
niately a year.
Black employees say that
although Kchlapfer might be
co m m itted, ap p a re n tly his
directors are not carried out
by department heads.
Several Black employees
have brought complaints to
the Observer, but have asked
not to tie named publically at
this time. They say Black's
have to file complqints in
order to get their promo
lions.
Another person de
scribed a recruitment pro
gram for high school stu
dents where they were told
specifically what their train
ing program and salary would
be
then all the promises
were broken.
The Black
students were told that if
they did not like the job they
were assigned, they could bo
transferred, but that there
would be work for them.
The Blacks were all term i
nated and told there was no
work, but the white students
were given employment.
Employees say the affir
mative action plan looks good
on paper but that it is never
implemented. Kchlapfer said
it is possible to identify a
minority individual who has
PORTLAND
t otume 4, No. 10
AN fO U A l
potential and upgrade him
through the Forest Service
ranks in order to develop
minorities at the administra
live levels.
Five years ago Bennie
Brown applied for training
with the Forestry Depart
ment where he was em
ployed.
When he began
work at the Foresty Depi
ment earlier that year, he had
been placed in the mail room.
Finding the work provided
no challenge and no oppor
tunity for advancement, he
applied to transfer to the
P ro cu rem ent C o n trac tin g
Division.
A conference was held in
1MB, and Brown was told
that he would be informed
OPPORTUNITY (M P lO Y tR
when a vacancy existed in
Procurement Contracting and
that he would he considered
for training.
Shortly after
then he was transferred to
Engineering
Be accepted
the transfer, but reminded
the personnel d ep artm en t
that he was waiting for Pro
curement Contracting
During the five years that
followed. Brown frequently
asked about positions but
was always told that there
were no openings. A t least
six other men were hired or
went through the training
program s in P ro cu rem ent
C o n t r a c t in g d u r in g th is
period
all ot them white.
In August of 1973, Brown
began writing letters and
talking to the personnel of
fice and the Kegional For
ester in an attempt to find
out why he was still waiting.
He was informed that no
training programs now exist
but that he could be con
sidered later.
Donald L. Strong. Acting
President of the .Multnomah
Branch of the National Fed
eration of Federal Employees,
Ixxal #7. reminded the Be
gional Forester in a letter of
September 5, 1973, that fed
eral agencies are required to
"conduct . . . positive pro
grams of occupational analy
sis, job redesign, and job
restructuring to provide new
opportunities for entry em
ployment, advancements, and
OBSERVER
Thursday, January 3, W W "
10c per copy
bridges to higher grade job
ladders” for minorities. He
questioned the fact that with
only four Black male career
em ployees, " I t seems in
credulous that two of them
should be embroiled in a
Civil Kights dispute."
Robert Crowe, Contracting
Officer for Region V I, said
Brown could receive training
at th i) office but that he
fears what other employees
who also want training will
say.
Brown reminded him
that he has been waiting
since 1967, before many of
them had been employed.
Crowe now states that he is
attempting to locate other
offices and d ep artm en ts
where Brown can be trained.
Brown was told about a
month ago that he will be
provided a training program
but he has been unable to
get any specifics.
He was
told that even after he is
trained there might not be a
job for him in Procurement
(Please turn to pg. 8, col. 7)
GUADAS MCCDA
Black prophet foretells future
The Mystic Heart, an EKP
Board which was invented in
Chicago by a Black inventor
and marketed by Good» Dis
trihotors of Ix>s Angeles, has
the mystic power to foretell
the future.
If one concen
trates, the Heart automati
rally and truthfully answers
the questions it is asked.
Once again the Observer
was privileged to consult the
Mystic Heart about the future
of Black people in Portland
and in Oregon. The Heart
does not speak well of the
opportunities for Blacks in
Oregon, but stresses that
change is brought about only
through struggle. The Ob
server cannot reveal all that
the Heart has told at this
time, but following are some
of the predictions we are at
liberty to publish.
African First Fruits
celebrated in Albina
by Rosemary Allen
For some among us who
bowed to the commercialism
of C h ristm as, the unreal
glimmer and sparkle is now
fading to the realness of
hills. hills. bills.
However,
some members of the Port
la nd Black community took
part in a celebration that
called for love, caring, shar
ing and little else.
This celebration is Kwan-
raa, an ancient African cele-*
bration. Kwanxaa is a Swa
hili work for "First Fruita".
I l was celebrated by Afri
cans during the coming of
the harvest of the first crops.
The celebration begins on
December 26 and ends Jan
uary 1.
It is held in the
homes of those who observe
it.
On the last day Karamu
(feast) is held, in which the
entire community bring a
portion of their harvest as a
collective contribution to be
shared by all. The Karamu
consists of 7 ingredients pro
sided by members of the
community:
Food, drink,
music, dance, conversation,
laughter and ceremony.
The Karamu in Portland
was held at the Albina A rt
Center amid beautiful decor
ations of red, black and
green.
The evening was
slow and smooth and warm,
observing and understanding
the ini|>ortance of African
tradition.
The well publicized energy
shortage has motivated many
to rut off that lamp a little
earlier.
However, there is
another shortage in the Black
community that is less publi
ci/.ed and less heeded to. It
is the shortage of raring and
sharing. That small group of
people who g ath ered to
gelher at the Albina Art
Center recognized that short
age. They celebrated humbly
with fruit, home rooking and
som ething very priceless:
Care.
T IM E X
for saving
For a free gift to give or keep, save now at
the Ben). Franklin. Deposit $1 ,(XX) to $5.(XX) and
choose your gift from our collection of famous
Timex and Swiss watches Offer good while
they last, for new deposits only, one per customer
5%% per annum on passbook savings,
compounded constantly, day In to day out
Benj.
rtaiRAt.
H o m i Office
Robert H He/en,
Franklin
Bldg , Portland, Oregon 97204
• 25 Offices • Phone 248-1234
As we took, hark at 1973
and forward to 1974, we see
a few changes and advance
nents.
We can judge the
future only on the perfor
mance of the past.
We began the year with a
new D em o cratically con
trolled legislature that for
the first time included a
Black and a new S ta te
Treasurer, Jim Redden, a
Democratic.
We had a
Governor who expounds be
lief in equality and exudes
the liberal image, and a
S e c re ta ry of S ta te , Clay
Myers, a rising star in the
Republican heavens, who
plans to be Oregon's next
governor.
Amid much acclamation and
debate, the legislature did
nothing for minorities. The
state officials did little more.
Governor McCall has pro
nounced his commitment to
affirmative action and has
provided the vehicle for its
implementation.
The num
ber of Black appointments,
although more numerous
than before, are disappointing
in their number.
The ap
pointment of greatest signifi
rance was that of Chalmers
Jones to the position of 0m
budsman. Treasurer Redden,
who also aspires to the
Governorship, appointed a
clerk to the Treasury De
partment and Clay Myers
selected a Black to be Assis
tant Elections Officer.
Harold Williams. Carlene
Jackson, and Brenda Greene
received state positions. On
the local level, Bernadine
Plummer went to the county
and a number of persons,
including Faye byday, Erma
Hepburn. Carl Kimington and
James Unthank, went to the
city.
Although there have
been more app oin tm en ts
made by the city than ever
before, most of them have
been in one area
the
Bureau of Human Resources,
and many Model Cities em
ployees face the possible
phasing out of the program
in 1974 without promise of
employment. In the world of
the fed eral g o v ern m e n t,
Ja rrett Dorsey moved up to
head the Post Officer cus
tomer relations office and
James Harnett transferred to
Portland to direct the Com
pliance Office of the U.S.
Bureau of I^abor.
A new
doctor,, Alvin Graham, came
to Portland to practice at
Council postpones
bridge ramp decision
by Rosemary Allen
A fter hours of discussion a
weary Portland City Council
derided to postpone decisions
regarding the opening of the
Fremont Bridge Ramps onto
Ivy Street for one week.
The Council was confronted
with opposition from the
Boise Citizens’ Improvement
Association and other neigh
borhood residents from the
Sabin, Irvington and King
neighborhood associations,
who voiced disapproval of
the ramp being opened for
traffic.
Recently a group of Union
Avenue businessmen voted
18 to 2 that the Fremont
B rid g e ram p should be
opened.
Bud W eimer of
Weimer's Hardware Depart
m ent, 3946 N .E . U nion,
whose business has been
there for 53 years, told an
O b s e rv e r re p o rte r
th a t.
McCoy seeks election
Kaiser Hospital
The new year found Port
land with a new Mayor.
Mildred Schwab was soon
appointed to fill Goldschmidt's
unexpired term as Commis
sioner.
Mrs. Schwab was
given responsibility for the
newly created Bureau of
Human Resources. The Bur
eau has gotten off to a slow
and disorganized start and
has not fulfilled the expecta
tions of some of its creators.
As had been predicted by
the Mystic Heart, a Black
was not chosen to head the
Bureau after the resignation
of acting director Charles
Jordan. The new leader is
Ira Blalock, former director
of the Multnomah County
DEO agency (M CCAl.
The
Mystic Heart was ahead of
schedule in its prediction of
the takeover of the Portland
Metropolitan ,
ring Com
mittee by the city
but it
still portends the long pre
dicted move by Edith Green
to dissolve PMSC into MCCA
(Please turn to pg. 8. col. 4)
"Union would be dead" with
out the opening of the ramp.
O th e r businessmen argue
that the ramp would be a
convenience to all. plus bring
more business.
The only other approving
voice was Emanuel Hospital.
Emanuel Hospital stood on
the grounds that the open
ramps would give more dir
ect access to the hospital for
their staff.
An angry Northeast resi
dent stated that the opening
of the ramp would affect
livability of the neighbor
hood. He feared that, "Good
citizens would move out and
cause further decay of the
area."
The Council is still study
ing other options to the
ramp.
A temporary option
or a permanent solution will
be decided, hopefully, in one
week.
Gladys McCoy, school board
member, has announced that
she will seek re-election in
May to Position No. 5 on the
Portland School Board. She
was first elected for a four
year term in 1970.
Mrs. McCoy will continue
to work for improved learn
ing in the basic skills and for
an extension of our human
relations efforts to include
more of the school com
munity. I f re-elected. Mrs.
McCoy will support the ex
pansion of the Community
School Concept and work for
the provision of more educa
tional alternatives for stu
dents.
Mrs. McCoy is Assistant
Professor in Sociology at
Pacific University. She will
go. as a visiting professor to
teach a minimester course in
January at the International
College of the Cayman Is
land.
She is the mother of seven
children, and her husband is
State Representative William
McCoy.
Doctor discusses survey
Dr. Richard Udry of the
School of Public Health of
the U n iv e rs ity of N o rth
Carolina will discuss his de
partment's survey on fill
control practices and atti
tudes at a public meeting on
Friday. January 4th, at 6:30
p.m. at Bethel A M E Church,
5828 N.E. 8th Avenue.
Charles Crews (left) and Calvin Knapper watch as Ronnie
tries new bicycle.
The survey, which met
with opposition in Portland
when the Black’s hired to do
the interviews resigned in
protest, is part of a long
term. nation-wide survey of
‘ he efTet’ s of fe d e ra ly
funded family planning pro
grams.
The Black interviewers and
some persons they attempted
to interview objected to some
of the survey questions that
they considered racially
biased.
Chuck awards bike
As a community service
and a unique way to celebrate
his first Christmas in busi
ness. Charles Crews, owner
of Chuck’s St. Johns Cyclery,
gave a bicycle to 13 year old
Ronnie Knapper.
Ronnie was selected from
among those nominated by
friends and relatives who
wrote their requests to the
Observer.
Ronnie lives with his sis
ter, Brenda Knapper, along
with two brothers, Calvin,
age 12, and Donnie, age 11.
Ronnie has promised to let
Clavin ride the bicycle tot;
since Calvin does not have
one of his own.
Crews plans to make the
presentation an annual event.
W ith sufficient community
support, he will be able to
give two or more bicycles
next year.
Crews sells all types of
bicycles, tricycles, go-carts
and wagons.
When opened
last March. Chuck's St. Johns
Cyclery was the only Black
owned bicycle shop in the
Northwest.
Observer
sponsors
seminar
The Observer has invited
Blacks involved in employ
ment and community service
to a -Community Seminar for
Awareness of State Affirma
tive Action.
State officials will explain
’.he state's commitment to
affirmative action and prac
tical methods of implementa
tion.
The State Personnel
Department held a series of
two-dav workshops for the
heads of state agencies to
make them aware of their
(Please turn to pg. 8. col. 5)
DR JA M ES R. COW AN
Businessmen organize for Union Avenue development
A meeting of the Union
A venue Businessmen and
property owners was held
T h u rs d a y. Decem ber 27,
1973, in Room 226 of the
Walnut Park Building at 5329
N.E. Union Avenue.
The
meeting was conducted by
Herman L. Brame, the Com
munity Involvement Coordi
nator for the Union Avenue
Redevelopment Project.
The first subject on the
agenda was a recapitulation
by Dennis Wilde, Project Co
ordinator for the Union Ave
nue Redevelopment Project,
of past studies and findings
related to the Union Avenue
Project. Mr. Wilde empha
sized that, although numer
ous studies have been per
formed in the past, no over
all plan exists at present for
the redevelopment of Union
Avenue.
He further stated
that the project is in the
planning stage, and stressed
the need for the participation
of various community groups,
as well as established busi
ness institutions. The plan
ning process must be com
pleted in ap p ro xim a tely
seven months.
Second on the agenda. D r.
Donald C. Jones, Chief Man
a g e m e n t C o n s u lta n t fo r
M E D IA , Inc., explained the
proposed Small Business In
vestment Corporation (SBICI
that M E D IA . Inc. is a t
tempting to form. A SBIC.
according to. Dr. Jones, is a
privately ow ned and privately
operated small business in
vestment company which has
been licensed by the Small
Business Administration to
prov ide “equity" or "venture"
capital and long term loans
to small firms.
As small
businesses g en era lly have
d iffic u lty o b ta in in g e q u ity
capital to finance th e ir
growth, the privately oper
ated SBIC would close this
financing gap by providing
e q u ity typ e and long term
financing to small concerns.
D r. Jones also stated that
the leverage available to
SBICs through government
or govern m en t guaran teed
loans can also be important.
An SBIC may be eligible for
such a loan equal- to tw ice its
paid-in capital and paid in
surplus. .And the SBIC, as a
flexible financing vehicle, can
serve many community and
corporate purposes.
If such a SBIC is formed
by M E D IA . Inc., a great po
tential source of funds will
be available lor ^irea busi
nessmen.
A ccording to
M E D IA 'S Director, M r. lia r
vey I,. Rice, the future of the
proposed SBIC will be known
shortly.
As a result of these talks
by M r. Wilde, D r. Jones and
Mr. Rice, a major concern of
the meeting was to choose
six people to meet and dis
cuss the project, and one to
participate in the Union Ave
nue Redevelopment Project.
Those in attendance then
voted to have M r. Warren
Chung, owner of Woodlawn
Pharmacy and a past mem
ber of the Union Avenue
Boosters, and M r. Herman
Brame investigate the cost of
incorporating the Business
men’s /Association.
They
were also given the response
bility of locating the old
articles of corporation and
by laws of the Union Avenue
Booster's Club to see if they
could be fitted into the rules
of the Union Avenue Busi
nessmen's Association.
The Union Avenue Busi
nessmen were also concerned
about opening the Fremont
Bridge Exit. Such an open
ing would provide a greater
flow of traffic into the area,
and this would mean more
business for local business
concerns. It was then voted
that all members of the
Union Avenue Businessmen's
Association would meet at
City Hall for the next City
Council Meeting.
Any businessperson, prop
erty owner, or other group
interested in participating in
the Union Avenue Rede
velopment Project, or in gain
ing more information about
it, should contact Herman L.
Brame, 5329 N.E. Union Ave
nue. Room 224, telephone:
288 8261. Ext. 48.
Further
articles on the Union Avenue
Redevelopment Project will
re g u la rly appear in this
newspaper
Nixon names Cowan
The W hite House has an
nounced President Nixon's
intention to nominate Dr.
James R. Cowan of Maple
wood. New Jersey to be
Assistant Secretary of De
fense for Health and En
vironment. He will succeed
Dr. Richard S. Wilbur, who
resigned effective Septem
ber 1, 1973. and will be the
first Black to be appointed to
a position of this importance
in the Department of De
fense.
Dr. Cowan has served since
1970 as Commissioner of the
New Jersey State Depart
ment of Health. From 1953
to 1970 he was in the private
practice of medicine and sur
gery in East Orange. New
Jersey. From 1950 to 1953
he was a battle surgeon,
then chief of surgery while
serving in the U.S. Army.
He was born on October
21. 1916 in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Cowan received his B.S.
from Howard University in
1937. Ida M A . from Fisk
University in 1910. and his
M.D. from Meharry Medical
College in 1944 He interned
at Harlem Hospital during
191145. was a resident in
surgery at Freedmen's Hos
pital in Washington, D C .
from 1945 to 1948 and was a
fellow in surgery at Howard
University from 1948 to 1950.
Dr. Cowan has served as a
member of the Cost of Hiving
Council’s Committee on the
Health Services Industry,
and the National Health Re
sources Advisory Committee,
and as Chairman of the
Social Security Administra
tion's Health Insurance Bene
fits Advisory Council
He
(Please turn to pg. 2, col 3)