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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1974)
ra > :i OEO celebrates ten years’ service to poor „(immunity Action Week will be celebrated during the week of March 19 26, coin mcmoi sting the 10th anni versary of the Economic Op " portunity Act of 1904. as amended. The Office of Eco nomic Opportunity tx-tter known as the W ar on Pov ertv was one of the "New Frontiers" programs of President John F. Kennedy and was signed into law by President Lyndon B. John son. G overnor Tom M cC all, Multnomah County Commis sioner James Gleason and Mayor Neil Goldschmidt have proclaimed Community Ac tion W eek diction. for th e ir juris According to Cleveland Gil crease. Executive Director of the Po rtlan d M etro p o litan Steering Committee. EDA, Inc., the highlight of the week will lie a banquet to be held at the Sheraton Motor Inn on March 26th Guest speaker will be Alvin J. Arnett, Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity. Other special guests in elude M ayor G oldschm idt; Chairm an Gleason; S tate It e p r e s e n t a t i ve W illia m McCoy; John Finley, Re gional Director of OEO; J.B. Y u tzy, Regional Program PORTLAND Volume t, No ® AN EOUAt Q l P o rtland. Oregon THE O N IY NEWSPAPER IN THE WHOLE OPPORTUNITY EMPtOYER WIDE DALE A. WASHINGTON as an educator in Alabama. He began teaching in 1961 at C h ilto n C ounty T ra in in g School. Two years later he became principal of Holly wixxl Eighth Grade School ¿ml in 1967 was" named chairman of the six-ial science d ep artm en t of Hollywood Junior High School He came to Washington High School in 1970. Washington has been ac live ill his profession outside the classroom since his under graduate days. He has served as the alternate dele gate from Oregon to the N EA Resolutions Committee, held the chairmanship of numerous local, stale and national committees, and a delegate to several NEA conventions. Iaist year he was selected to serve on N E A teams which evaluated hx'als in Great Falla, Mon tana and Granite, Utah Ethiopian famine brings suffering A disastrous famine has broken out in E th io p ia , plunging millions of people into an unprecedented suf fering The magnitude of suffering and dehumaniza tion of our people has sur passed the limits of imagina lion They have turned into prehistoric gatherers search mg on the ground for a stray seed of grain Their flesh is all gone and all that remains is the ghostly skelton and the baggy skin hanging from it. The famine has already raused the death of 100,000 to 150,000 people and 88% of the cattle in the country. Epidemic diseases like ty phoid. cholera, smallpox and other diseases are spreading unchecked throughout the famine stricken areas. Two million people already face death by s ta rv a tio n , ac cording to the laindon Times. The entire ,x>pulation of the (Please turn to pg. 5. col. 6) Amnesty sought for veterans Ronald II. Brown, Director of the Washington Bureau of the National Urban League, urged Congress to consider granting amnesty to veterans who received less than hon orable discharges at the same time that it considers legis la tion that would grant am nesty to those who refused to serve in the military during the Vietnam war. He made the request in testimony before the House S u bcom m ittee on C ourts, Civil Liberties, and the Ad ministration of Justice which is considering legislation pro TAX REFUND? Save it for something special! Passbook Savings C25% |M*r .it MHim There's a Tot of satis faction in having some u n c o m m itte d m oney tucked away in savings —money you can use for any thing you want. A tax refund saved now could mean a great trip, a down payment on another car or a new outfit later on. Leave it with us. add to it and let it grow for the things ahead. compounded constantly Certificates of deposit available at higher rates Benj.l Franklin Home o n ic e Franklin Bldg . Portland, Oregon >7204 Roben H Hazen. Proa • IS O fflcea * Phone 248-1234 |xtsing amnesty for conscien tious objectors and draft evaders. He said that an unfair proportion of the ap proximately 450.000 Vietnam veterans who have bad dis charges are Black. Saying that minority mem bers were drafted in greater numbers, assigned in greater numbers to front line duty or to unskilled, dead end jobs, the N U L leader told the congressmen th a t Blacks were also ejected in greater n u m b e rs w ith less th an honorable records. " It should be noted that at this point in time when un employment is excessively high, discharges are being used to deny jobs to those who otherwise qualify for them," he said. "To under stand the scope of the prob lem," he continued, "It is necessary to consider that about a million veterans left the service with less than honorable discharges since 1950. Fully ton many of these bad discharges were given under circum stances th at would not earn any sort of punishment in civilian life." he said. Brown said that all too often "even discharges which have the appearance of being 'honorable' are in fact coded with personal characteristics which may serve to dis criminate against millions of men who are not even aware of the presence of such (Please turn to pg. 3, col. 5) 1 ector of the Office of Eco nomic Opportunity on June 28, 1973 by President Nixon. He had been an employee of the Appalachian Regional Commission prior to his ap pointment. Arnett was born in Kentucky and reared in Charleston. West Virginia He graduated from Florida OBSERVER Washington joins education staff State Superintendent Dale Parnell has named Herman A. Washington, a former president of the Portland Association of Teachers, social studies specialist for the Slate Department of Education Washington will join the staff April 10th. Washington. 32. now is a teacher of social studies at Washington High School in Portland and political science at Portland Community Col lege. Parnell said Washington will direct a new emphasis on slute and locul govern ment. "The new Oregon graduation re q u ire m e n ts ," Parnell said, "will assure that students learn how to co|w responsibly with state anil local government as well as national government. It's fru s tra tin g th at students seem to know more alxiut the Aztecs and Incas than they do alxiut their own city government," he added "We must refocus our efforts." W ashington received a It S in secondary education from Alabama State llm ver sity in 1964 and a M.S. in political science from the University of Colorado in 1969. His ¡0 years of tMTrhfng experience have ix>en unique Besides working in small and big city rlassrixims. Wash ington has taught in all white, all Mark and inte grated schixils. He spent his first six years Director of the Office of Child Development; and Dr. D.J. Brooks, Jr.. President of the National Association tor C om m unity D evelopm ent. Representatives of Governor Tom McCall and the Depart ment of latbor. Region X, will also attend. Arnett was appointed Dir WORLD THAT REALLY CARES Thursday. March 21, 1974 ABOUT 10c per copy PEOPLE Black turnover explained School Superintendent Dr. Robert Blanchard told the Mixlel Cities Working Com mittee on Education in Jan uary of 1973, "Since 1968 69, the rate of resignation of Black teachers has exceeded the rate of resignation of non Black teachers. This is because of the increasing job op,xirtunities for Blacks at very competitive salaries. We must hire two to "keep" one. Had the resignation rate been the same, our present number of Black teachers would be slightly more than 6.1 percent of the total.” A survey of schixil district records shows that of 33 Black teachers hired in the 1968 school year, only 16 were leaching in the Port land Public Schools in Sep tember of 1973. Of 28 hired in 1969, only 9 remain. Dr. Blanchard's explanatio n is that these teachers, after ma jo rin g in education and achieving certification, leave for b e tte r jobs. Black teachers give a different assessment. Teachers in the system and those who have left state that the reason for the high rate of turnover is that Blacks were hired during the period of 1966 to 1973 to "cool down" Albina and to satisfy federal requirements. Now that Black students have settled do« 1 and there are few racial undents in such schools a Jefferson, Roosevelt, Adams and Grant, these teachers are no longer needed. They accuse the school district of attempting to eliminate them before tenure is achieved. Julius Speiginer is waiting for his hearing before the state's Fair Dismissals Board. He was terminated by the schixil district for "insubor dination’' and other charges. Speiginer was hired by the school district in 1969 as a job developer. He worked with the National Alliance of Businessmen placing stu dents on jobs. Speiginer had been an auto mechanic and had been employed for 12 years by Pacific Airmotive Corporation, testing and in stalling wiring circuits and other related work He also had his own automotive busi ness in Southern California and was a licensed mechanic. He had attended Washington Vocational School in St. lxiuis, where he studied auto mechanics. physics, econo mics. electricity, science and industrial relations He holds a BA degree and is a certified vocational teacher. After a year as a Job D evelo p er. Speiginer was selected to operate the new auto shop at Jefferson. He spent a year as a consultant at Roosevelt while Jeffer son's shop was being built. According to Speiginer, his problems with the adminis tration began soon after the Jefferson shop opened. He found the equipment that had been purchased was of poor quality and that many e» sential tools were missing. The school refused to buy the items, but when he brought his own tools for the students to use. he was ordered to take them home. One example of equipment that was missing is that the shop operated for two years without the required fire blanket, which is used to wrap a student if he catches on fire. Then problems developed over purchase of auto parts. The students worked on cars brought in by students, faculty or the public. Stocks of commonly used parts such as bolts and spark plugs were not kept and had to be purchased for each job. O ri ginally he could order parts on open account, but later had (Please turn to pg. 2, col. 'll Student achieves honor by Rosemary Allen Vincent Barnett recently became a finalist in compete tion for the National Achieve ment Scholarship for Black High Schixil students. Stu dents are chosen from re sults of the P re lim in a ry Scholastic Achievement Test l l ’S A T l scores. Vincent Barnett is the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Bar nett. He and his family are o rig in ally from D e tro it. Michigan, when' Vincent at tended Cass Technical High School. The Barnett family moved to Oregon in Februarv of 1971 Vincent Barnett nows attends Franklin High Schixil. where he majors in Science, Biology and Chemistry Vin cent has an accumulative grade ,xnnt average of 3.8 and was «dected into the Franklin High Friar's Club (or males with high GPAs. Five students are elected each year. Barnett was chosen by members of the club oil the basis of his GPA and his friendliness towards others. Barnett is considering at tending Oregon State Uni versity or Michigan State U n iv e rs ity and possibly majoring in Biology, but he is still uncertain. A former clarinetist in the A Mayor Neil Goldschmidt presents Cleveland Gilcrease, executive director of the Portland Metropolitan Steering Committee, with a proclamation announcing Community Action Week. 3 1 3- Albina team wins tourney berth by Rosemary Allen The Albina Sports Pro gram 8th grade Junior Pro basketball team slipped past Sabin Grade School 56 to 50 to win the Junior Pro C'ham pionship in the Northwest. As Northwest Champions, the team will travel to Ken tucky to compete against Junior Pro teams from all over the nation. Greg Williams, a P.E. As sociate at Portland Com munitv College, coaches the team. Mr. Williams, who receives a personal satisfac tion from coaching the young sters, feels that it keeps some of them off the streets. The Albina Sports Pro gram. which this group is a part of, was founded by Phil Walden. Its programs, in primarily track and basket ball, include ages of 6 years old to college age. There are no specific requirements to join the program. Most of the members of the 12 ro ste r Ju n io r Pro team have been playing to gether since the 5th grade. Since the tournament began, the team has practiced two hours a day. every day. Coach Greg Williams and assistant roach John Camp ire sure their team has a good chance of winning in the Championship playoffs. They leave for Kentucky March 26th. Their first game is against the Kentucky State Champions. V Opportunities abound in Air Force by Rosemary Allen VINCENT BARNETT high school band. Vincent Barnett’s athletic interest is in track. Last year he was a member of the track team and competed as a sprinter in the 100. 220 and the 440 yard dashes and the 440 vard relay. Strike ends, drive seeks assistance D esp ite the successful settlement of the long strike at the Farah Manufacturing Company in El Paso, Texas, help for the several thousand workers involved must con tinue for a few weeks more, until they can get back on the job. according to the Amalgamated Clothing Work ers of America, AFL-CIO CLC. The Amalgamated and the Help the Farah Workers Week Committee have ap pealed for a generous turn out of contributions that will help the former strikers until Southern College and spent ten years in the U.S. Coast Guard. His work with the Appalachian Commission, which began in 1967, was in te rru p te d for tw o years (1970 1971) while he served as executive assistant to United States Senator J. Glenn Beal of Maryland. Arnett is a supporter of President Nixon’s plan to phase out OEO. Nixon had attempted to eliminate the program by June of 1974, but was prevented from doing so by court action. His current plan is to eliminate OEO and place the programs that would continue under other departments. The Community Action Agencies would no longer receive fed eral funds, or as Arnett told the subcommittee on Equal Opportunity of the House C o m m itte e on Education, “So, rather than advocating total abandonment of com munity action programs, the Administration is simply sug gesting that after ten years, the local initiative share of community action funds be (Please turn to pg. 3, col. 8) they are called back to work at the big El Paso plant, one of the largest manufacturers of men's and boy's pants in the nation. Settlement of the strike was announced on February 24th by William Farah and leaders of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, President M urray Finley and Secretary Treasurer Jacob Sheinman. In Portland, Ms. DiFabio. spokesman for the com mittee, declared: "These workers have made great sacrifices for their be liefs and for the cause ol democratic trade unionism. For long months they have lived on $30 a week strike benefits. They urgently need our help right to the day when, under union agree ment, they can go back to work at Farah. "Let’s get the food, cloth ing and dollars to the Farah workers by Easter. Our goal is the same as always: to bring help to people in need. W e must stand with the same plan: to get people to give whatever they can. as much as they can." (Please turn to pg. 3, col. 6) "Many people still picture the A ir Force as where you get up at 4 a.m. at the sound of a bugle." stated Master Sergeant John Pennington, an A ir Force minority re cruiter for the 8 western States. However. Pennington pointed out. the latter is no longer true. The Air Force offers numerous educational opportunities and can be of great help to those who graduate from high school and are yet undecided about their future. The A ir Force tries to discourage dropouts from joining. Mr. Pennington said. "We encourage kids to finish high schixil before entering the service.” The age limits for joining the A ir Force are from 18 to 27. Seventeen year olds are accepted with parental consent. As a minority recruiter, Pennington explained, “my job is to work with people like U rb a n League and NA ACP." Sergeant Penning ton works in the minority category. As defined by the Air Force, the minority cate gory includes all except Cau casions. The A ir Force, ac cording to Sergeant Penning ton, has minority goals in all of their programs. ROTC Scholarships. 12 week Officer Training Schixil and a Medi cal program are some of its programs. The Medical program spon sors the student through Medical School, pays all tui tion, books, fees and $400 per month living expenses. The student must be ad mitted by a medical school prior to enlistment. The A ir Force, as Ser geant Pennington sees it, provides more than just de fense for the nation; it tries to solve social problems by taking unskilled, many times jobless, people and giving them skills. As an institution. Mr. Pennington continued, "the A ir Force plays a bigger role toward helping society than col leges." M as ter S ergean t John Pennington is the father of five children. His wife, M a rth a P en n in g ton , was selected last year as "M ili tary Wife of the Year". Ser geant Pennington en tered the A ir Force 20 years ago at the age of 19. W hile in the A ir Force he has earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a teaching certificate. While the A ir Force is thought to be predominantly for men. it offers numerous opportunities for women also Sergeant Pennington pointed out. The A ir Force does provide strong support for I Please turn to pg. 5, col. 7| Minority workers seek union membership Seven minority workers filed for union membership with the Operating Engi neers Local 701. The seven Leonardo Doss, Guadaloupe Vargas, James Brown. Lester Brown, Charlye Molden, Bill Davis and Thedis Poe are graduates of the United M i nority Workers Associated General Contractors' heavy equipment school. All are e lig ib le fo r jo u rn e y m a n standing. Nine additional persons will apply within the week. Registration with the union places them on the list for re fe rra l to em ploym ent. Jobs are assigned according to experience and placement on the list. Contractors rail the union for employees, and only if the union cannot produce within 48 hours can they hire nonunion mem bers. Once an employee is hired through this method, he is insured union member ship. Russ Joy, secretory of Local 701, was not available for comment. His office said he had given orders that the number of union members not be released, but that inquirers be told that "it is a rhaning figure ". Recent esti mates are that out of be tween 6,000 and 8.000 union members, less than a half dozen are Black. Black workers have found I .oral 701 to be one of the worst in Po rtlan d in d iscrim in atin g against minorities.