South Africa creates problems for student
;
r •
II an in te rn a tio n a l lu g -o t-w a r
Africans, M errick and others are
over . hi A ln e a n student at the
willing to head up a campaign to
Cuseade Center ol Portland Com­
acquire donated equipment lo r
munity College has a happy ending
I ekoetje to work independently ol
Miehael I ekoetje w ill be the first
the South Alnean company.
and only Alnean optician in a tiny
But $2,400 is also needed lo r
country o l 1.5 m illio n people -
I
ekoetje
to finish his second and
J esotho - a mountainous indepen­
linal year ol education at PCX'. A
dent Black nation which is land
trust tund established by Dr.
locked on every side by the Republic
Donald C arroll, a Morton, Wash
ol South Africa
tngton
o p to m e trist, has been
But belore I ekoetje can return to
depleted. C a rro ll was Lesotho’ s
I esotho next year to make
only optom etrist lo r one year,
eyeglasses lor his countrymen, he
trained Lekoetje and brought him to
must overcome economic, political
the
Northwest.
and possible racial pressures which
have developed around him while he
Di Robert t Sander, minister ol
has studied in Portland this year.
the University Park Seventh Day
When I ekoetje arrived in Port
Adventist (.hurch, 4007 N. Alaska
land last September lor two years ol
Sl • »’ o n la n d 97203, along with
optical technology study his future »M errick, are personally trying to
looked roscy: a missionary doctor
raise lunds lor I ekoetje to finish his
who brought him to the Northwest
education at P IT
Donations
was Binding his education, a third
should be made to the University
ol a million dollars ol optical equip
1 aik I hurch with a note attached
ment donated by American Optical
that ,|,ey are earmarked lo r
Company awaited his return to ihe
Michael’s education. ’ ’
Maluti Adventist Hospnal where lie
One way or the other we are
could make eyeglasses and relieve going to see him through," Sander
the country ol depending on neigh
said.
boring South A frica lor eyewear,
I ekoetje, who is homesick lor his
and a trust lund was developing to
w ile , baby and toddler son in
pay lor I ekoeije’ s second year ol
Alrica, said that I ukens visit only
education.
made him more determined to stay
A surprise visit to Portland this
in the United Stales until he can
week from Dr. Rick I ukens, ad
finish his education.
ministraior ol the Maluti Adventist
“ I irst I will have to teach people
H ospnal where Lekoetje was a to set up the machinery and work
hospnal aide, brought news that a with me when when I return. I must
Republic ol South Africa based op­ go go home totally qualified. I can­
tical lirm is pressuring the hospital
not do otherwise, but stay. II there
Io turn over the donated optical
would be any means to bring my
equipment to them and not to await
wile and my children I would ap­
Lekoetje's
second
year
ol
If P ortlan d C o m m u n ity C olleg e o ptical tech n olo gy s tu d en t M ic h a e l
preciate it, but that does not seem
education.
L e k o e tje can raise the fu n ds to finish h.s fin al year of study a t PCC
possible. I just have to sacrifice and
I he South Africa lirm has made stay to learn everything I can belore
^ US OV8rcOme e c o n o rn 'c p ressu res d ire c te d to w a rd s h im fro m a
the pitch ol why wait lor him to be I go back. I here will be no chance
A O m in h i
L e k o e tje w ill be able to return to h i. S outh
A f can h o m e la n d of Lesotho as the only o ptician in the co un try ot 1 5
trained tor a year when we can take lor more education once I return.”
m illio n p eo p le
r
0
it now, provide for our own people
Lekoetje was pleased to see
and sell glasses cheaper,” Dr.
Lukens, in spite o l the news o l
Bui two years ago Lekoetje re­
Maurice M errick, director ol the pressures at home, because Lukens
” Bui the South A fricans are
turned
to his home city ol Maluit,
PC C optical technology program,
brought pictures ol le k o e tje ’ s
d is c rim in a to ry ," C a rro ll said.
I esotho to work as an aide in the
who met with 1.ukens explained.
family and warm personal greetings.
’ ’Almost all ol ihe men in Lesotho
hospnal where his wile was a nurse.
“ It sounds good unless you know
" I he pressures may, to a certain
go uno South A lric a to w ork,
I here C arroll became so strongly
that the people ol Lesotho like to be
extent, have to do w ith racial
l ekoetje had come back to be near
convinced that Lesotho must have a his wile and children. We sent him
independent and they don’ t like to
matters,” I ekoetje explained. “ It
local African as an optician that he
do business with South A fric a ,”
may be lor a Black man to have
m io South A lric a optical lab for
begun the trust fund to sponsor and
Merrick said. ” I he firm who is put­
studied in this held is a mailer ol
about two months ol training. I he
educate Lekoetje, since no one in
ting on the pressure has sent the
concern to the South African optical
whites wouldn't cooperate and train
the
country would be left to make
message that Michael should just
him .”
company. But I also understand
eyeglasses and till prescriptions once
come home and forget the whole
that the eye doctor was a main
By then Lekoetje was determined
Carroll lelt last summer.
thing. But that is not what is going
to become an optician.
source o f revenue for the hospital
C arroll said in a telephone inter­
to happen if we can stop it.” Lykens
and D r. C a rro ll’ s return to
” 1 wanted to learn a profession
view earlier this year that he admires
was impressed w ith M ichael's
W ashington was a great loss o l
and I wanted to help people in
Lekoetje's rise from “ humble
training here and by the time he left
revenue. I think the troubles are a
Lesotho who need medical help,”
backgrounds just like everyone else
he promised he would call home and
I ekoetje said.
com bination o f business matters
in Lesotho had.”
ask the board to lake action.
and politics.”
C arroll paid lo r the airfare to
Carroll said he picked Lekoetje to
Michael is capable ol selling up his
A ll o f this is new to Lekoetje, 30,
bring Lekoetje to the Northwest
train as an assistant in dispensing
own lab and working independently
who two years ago was a laborer
with him and began a trust lurid lor
glasses
because o f his excellent
o f South Africa.
and supervisor in a South African
l ekoetje's first year o f education
English, high school education and
last tall.
M errick said he is so strongly
gold mine and never dreamed o f
previous experience as a supervisor
commuted to Lekoetje’ s training
traveling hallway across the world.
Both l ekoetje and Carrol have
in the gold mines. He has arranged
that even it the optical equipment in
I
had
only
a peasant
said they are w illing lo speak to
last year lor Lekoetje to be educated
Maluti is handed over to the South
background,” l ekoetje said.
groups throughout the Northwest
in optical work in South Alrica.
about Africa and Lesotho.
The Research Center at OM SI will be offering courses in computer
programming digital electronics throughout the summer. To register, call
248-5907. A course in Basic tor Beginners (I evels I and II) will be offered on
Sundays from I to 5 p in. at OMSI. The fee per class is $10. A Digital Elec­
tronics Lab lor high school students and adults will be held at OMSI on
Wednesdays, June 18 through July 23, from I to 4 p.m. The lab w ill be
limited to 12 students. Fees are $30 for the general public and $25 for OMSI
members. A course in Assembly Language Programming for high school
students and adults will be ottered at OMSI on Saturdays, June 21 through
August 2, Irom I to 4 p.m. The class will be limited to 12 students. Fees are
$30 for the general public and $25 for OMSI members.
ALLEN TEMPLE CME CHURCH
C orner of 8th and S k id m o re
Sunday School 9:30am
Sunday Worship 11:00am
Christian Youth Fellowship 6:00pm
(second and fourth Sundays)
Reverend Thomas L. Strayhand, Minister
B E C O M E A F A M IL Y D A Y C A R E P R O V ID E R UN Y O U R H O M E )
W H O : Persons receiving assistance from Adults & Family Services and
are W IN eligible.
W HAT:
Trainees will be required to attend 4 training sessions a week, 4
hrs a day (9 am to 1 pm .) for 4 weeks. Children two years and older may
participate.
WHERE:
AM A FAMILY DAY Er NIGHT CARE
1425 NE Dekum 285 0493
FOR F U R T H E R IN F O R M A T IO N contact Kaye or Sue at 285 0493
Liberation day planned
By N. f-unyai Kumbula
As has been the custom since
1*>»72. the Black community will be
observing African Liberation Day
this Saturday at Irvington Park. The
activities w ill start with a march
Irom the Black Educational Center
at 17th and Alberta and proceed
south on 17th to Going The
procession w ill then turn west on
Going to 7th and then south again
to the park. Ihe procession w ill
begin at 12.00 noon and the parade
should reach the park by 1:00 p.m.
Again, true to custom, the Black
community is going to be respon­
sible lor the whole thing; planning,
organizing, financing, publicizing
and carrying out the whole
program. African Liberation Day
has become almost sacred to the
community and so it is the one event
that is carried out each year with
Black input all the way Irom the
first little detail to the last hurrah.
I here w ill be speeches, poetry
readings, music, dancing, booths
selling books, food, articles ol
clothing and other such items, mar­
tial arts demonstrations and story­
telling. So much has happened since
the last A ln e a n Liberaton Day:
Zimbabwe’s independence, Liberia,
Uganda and, o f course, the Black
United Front and its continuing bai­
lie with the school board. Other
such issues as the perennial problem
o f unemployment in the Black
com m unity, qu a lity education.
ope, crim e, police com m unity
relations and looking ahead in the
SO s will all need urgent addressing.
A fric a n L ib e ration Day is the
only day in the year when the com­
m unity sits down to lake stock,
evaluate progress or lack o l same
and plan the year ahead. The
liberation ol Zimbabwe has freed
not only the people o l Zimbabwe
alone but also those in Zambia,
Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland,
Lesotho, Botswana, Angola and
given hope to the Africans in South
Alrica and Namibia. It has further
consolidated the independence ol
the rest ot the African continent and
given all the other A fricans and
A fric a n descendants around the
world renewed dignity, a sense ol
pride, a sense ol accomplishment.
Best ol all, it gives all o f us the much
needed inspiration to carry on with
our respective struggles.
Il s been said belore and it will
continue to be said: ’ ’ None o f us is
tree until all ol us are free.” As long
as there is redlining in North Port­
land, poverty in Mississippi, police
brutality in Florida, slavery in South
Alrica, repression in Namibia and
discrimination in England, we have
to keep on lighting. It will be a long,
hard, bitter struggle but Ihe price is
well worth the sacrifices.
$100 total move in to vets
low down FHA. FHA 245, and conventional terms also
model open Sat. & Sun. noon to 5 p.m.
92nd Ave. at Burton Road. Vancouver, Washington,
Call for a showing anytime.
-
i’
■
This Model
4 bedrooms with family room, 2 baths, brick fireplace,
w/carpets, double garage, appliances, 10X20 concrete patio. Energy ef
ficient with 10 year Home Owner Warranty. Price only $58,800. Other
Models priced from $48,500.
HAZEL DELL BRANCH
716D N.E.99th Street
Vancouver, W A 98665
Phone 206 574 1522 Vancouver
or 503 241 3723 Portland, OR
M INNEHAHA BRANCH
47 St. Johns Road
Vancouver, W A 98661
Phone 206 694-8577 Vancouver
or 503 223 8229 Portland OR