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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1981)
Pag* 4 Portland Obaarvar Auguat 8.1881 OBSERVATIONS Fresh Turkey FROM THE SIDELINES By Kathryn Hall Bogle Have you ever seen a box o f " G o ld D u s t" washing powder? I mean the one w ith the " tw in s ” on the box. Have you ever seen a can o f "N igger H a ir” tobacco? Or a plate and cup and saucer th a t C oon Chicken Inn used right here in Port land? W ell, you may see them o r buy some o f them when these items go on sale this week. This collection o f nearly 2,000 items o f s im ila r d escription w ill be o ffe re d to the public through “ Buck” Foreman, proprietor o f Buck’ s Stove Palace in S.E. Portland. This sale is a rare one. Rare because many o f the items qualify as antiques, though many are those that fit more in to the category o f collectibles. The “ N igger H a ir ” tobacco can was sold in 1878 by the American Tobacco Company. The sale is rare also because how often is it that you find a real collec tio n o f articles that were made to put down a race? These items were once on the shelves, in the show cases, in the store w indow s and family homes o f America. Some o f the items were made to please the A m erican p u b lic by foreign countries wanting to cater to A m erican trade. L ik e the cheap little ceramic outhouse occupied by a rough looking person painted shoe polish Black, “ made in Japan,” or the th ic k lipped rin g -in -th e -n o se “ galliw ay” made in France, or the firecracker labeled "n ig g e r” made in China to be shipped to American fire w o rk s shops. Germ any made some “ harmonizing” ceramic items for kitchen use. They are all mixed in together w ith the w aterm elon eating, a llig a to r racing, bandana kerchief melunge made in America and available fo r purchase at the Stove Palace. A fascinating exhibit. It’ s authen tic A m erican. It is a part o f the history o f oppression o f Black people. Who would buy it? Is there a Black H istory project that could afford it? An “ Old Black Joe" shoe polish can. E m p ty. A sm ooth head o f a blackened male used as a target in a carnival amusement game. A carved ’ 'B u c k ” F o re m a n p o s e s »with c o lle c tio n s d e m o n s tra tin g A m erica's a ttitu d e to w a rd its Black citizens over the years. (Photo: Richard J. Brow n) head o f a Black man on a stick used as a slave prod (" m o v e along there” ), or a pointer for a huckster, leans against a gum -ball machine. This is another Black head w ith a grotesque red tongue p ro tru d in g from his mouth. For a change there is a sterling silver tea spoon with the outlines o f three Black male faces in the design o f the b o w l. Now th a t is a real ra rity ! A nd here are some Lu cky Light beer postures o f long ago with attractive pictures o f the first Black jockey who won the Kentucky Der by back in 1884, again in 1890 and again in 1891. Did you know about him? In a cabinet is a p in -u p poster issued by the Carnation M ilk Com pany show ing the likeness o f the Tigner quadruplets when they were beribboned and bonnetted babies rig h t here in P ortland. T heir b irth was a renowned event. A set o f " M a m m y ” d o lls got Foreman started collecting what he calls " B la c k m e m o ra b ilia ” about seven years ago, has built his exten sive c o lle c tio n w ith the help o f friends who combed through the o f ferings o f casual collectors and flea m arkets fro m coast to coast to locate these items. " N o w , ” Foreman said, " I s the tim e to let go o f my c o lle c tio n . I could travel w ith th is c o lle c tio n , write a book about it, or sell it o ff. I ’ ve had a number o f persons who are interested as buyer who have contacted me since I placed ads in the "T rade” magazines. " I d e a lly , " Foreman though aloud, “ the whole thing should be A CM E BRA N D FA N C Y YO U N G young people how the Black circum stances was used to the white advan tage. M ost o f the things here lin k Blacks w ith a lc o h o l, tobacco, games, amusement o r menial ser vice o f some k in d . T h a t was the prevailing attitude o f the times. "E v e n now I sense a stereotype reaction sometimes from a prospec tive customer who feels I must be a bigot to have collected these things. " O n the other han d ,” Foreman said w ith a sh o rt laugh, " I have never met anyone, Black or white, who could not identify with at least one o f the item s - possibly som ething fro m th e ir ch ild h o o d memories stirs.” Childhood memories do flood the mind and Black children remember the ca lculated h u m ilia tio n meted out to them th ro u g h slanted and derrogatory advertising on house hold items o f yesteryear. A u n t Jem im a lo o ks d iffe re n t nowadays, so does the man on the Cream o f W heat box, and C oon Chicken Inn is now called the Prime Rib. The put-down o f the Black race has had to seek out o ther ways to perpetuate itself. The box o f licorice candies called “ N igroids” has long ago been em ptied but the tin and its label are in good condition. The c o lle c tio n of these m e m o p ra b ilia has its value as a rem inder o f things past. Gone but not fo rg o tte n . L ike the Jews who suffered under H itle r in the horrors o f the concentration camps in Ger many, we cannot a ffo rd to forget our own Black experience. Nor can we let our young forget how it was with us in America. U S .D A . Grade A io lb. to 13 lb. A«g. Il ID . r "r i [ k • -» n 4 • a _ L J Boneless Steaks TO P SIR LO IN t ■ I A U S.D A. Choice Beef BEEF C H U C K STEAKS Boneless ^ ssCho“ B I U.S.DA Choice $018 CRO SS R IB RO AST Boneless Beef lb CO RN ED BEEF BRISKET Boneless lb $ 1 88 Pierce's SLIC E D BA CO N Old Faithful... PO RK LIN K SAU SAGE Fresh - Regular lb $ 1 7 » SM O KED SA U SA G E Kielbasa. or B e e f™ .lb *1** c C H IC K E N FR A N KS GG ea S 1 58 B A LL P A R K FRAN KS (Beef M -V9,oaeM SI 68) eo' 1-lb. I ea O' Frost SLIC E D M EATS 6 Land Varieties............... 2'A-oz. 49c ea C O D Fresh t ... lb S1” ISOLE Fresh Fillet...lb. $ 2 3 8 Black F C llle od 1 s t 20th b D IVISIO N 1st 72nd b FLAVEL | N t 15th Et FREMONT Forest Grove 2329 PACIFIC Oregon City 878 MOLALLA Candy 1061 SW 1st LLOYD CENTER 1 BURNSIDE at 21st ¡AN RAFAEL 1910 NE 122nd 14410 SE D IVISION 3965 SE POWELL NE 74th b GLISAN HILLSBORO 360SEO AK T R 000D0I L L E X O D U S 1639 19.E. A lb erta PORTLAND. OREGON 9721 1 Louise A s h e r: Legal in v e s tig a to r By Nathaniel Scott Louise Asher has been an in vestigator for the Public Defenders Office in Multnomah County for 13 months, and while perform ing her duties, fin d s tim e to re fle ct on parenthood and parental in volvement. She said " f i f t y percent o f my cases are Blacks and m in o ritie s -- indigent people, at or below the poverty level. Most are females, in cluding p ro stitu tio n , and the crime rate for females is climbing. Why? I cannot say. Perhaps a combination o f things: education, economic and cultural deprivation." Asher, who was b orn in P o rt la n d ’ s o ld V a n p o rt section, o b tained her Associate o f Science Degree in Law fro m P o rtla n d C o m m u n ity C ollege, and The mother o f four teenage children and one eleven year old said, " I f the parents would make an extra effort, come down on the kids, especially m inorities: let them know that we don’ t appreciate their disrespectful acts like unnecessary noise and de stru ctio n on T ri-M e t buses; discourtesy on the streets, etc., it would help. We Blacks don’ t attend meetings, watch special educational programs on TV as a fa m ily u n it, which also w ill help.” As an in v e s tig a to r fo r the de fender, Asher looks fo r flaws; find people who are p e rtin e n t to the case; take photographs and d ia grams the crim e scene, and i f the crime happens at night, “ very often I have to go to the scene at night in order to see it for myself,” she said. "Females are reluctant to talk to me especially because they fin d it hard to see me as an investigator. Or either because I am a wom an; a Black woman.” W hat are her feeling about education? "T e n years ago I never dreamed th a t I w ould have a position like th is ,” she explained. "S c h o o lin g is very im p o rta n t. I f a person wants to do som ething, he/she can.” Asher’ s w orking day is not filled w ith g litte r and g lam our as some may th in k . Her o ve ra ll duties o f field investigation, meeting with at torneys, tria l assistance and making court room appearances, gives her ample background knowledge fo r he, comment of, "overall, from the Ready willing and very able... to give highly skilled, professional insurance service in your neighborhood. She s an expert in planning all your insurance life, home and business auto, And she may save you money, too. Come in and meet her and take advantage of her broad experience. 294 7997 From the Front Door By Tom Boothe From the front door, I wish to thank all of those who came forward over the past month to help us clean our community; and also those who cleaned in dependent of our help or encouragement. The Exodus Clean Team is fast becoming a valuable positive Human Resource for the City of Portland and Multnomah County. We know that our leadership is important, but we don't forget that it is our youth that makes our service effective. I was recently asked by a gentleman why did I get involved with something like the Exodus Clean Team, when I could be doing something that is more important than wasting my time trying to work with a bunch of kids on Satur day morning, or holding meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. This gentleman is a highly religious person. However, I felt his statement was motivated more from jealousy than religious conviction. LOUISE ASH ER (Photo by: Thom as G olden) people I observe - fie ld investiga tio n , courtroom s, etc., i t ’ s a sense o f hopelessness; The uneducated and poor tryin g to m aintain in the system, ’ she explained. " P r o s titu tio n figures in to my area o f w o rk , p re d o m in a n tly the U n io n Avenue s trip . 1 d o n ’ t p a r tic u la rly lik e to investigate those cases. There isn’t much work to do, and usually the girls are gu ilty.” Her observation o f prostitution is the realistic one. The reason why is varied and m any — a ll stem m ing from lack. And she maintains that the punishm ent should be equal ju s tic e ; " p r o s titu te , custom er (John) and pim p.” -*"h e r's o u tlo o k fo r the im- meu.ate future is to continue doing what she is doing, but she does not rule out the possibility o f "p riv a te practice in four to five years; four or fiv e years that prom ises to push people in to the c rim in a l ju stice system because o f lack.” Black Studies Rita H. Jenkins 3714 N Williams Portland Or«oont7277' mat giean A u to • Firs • Lits • C om m arciai iymbsl af iugaria* Service (Continued from Page I Col 6) " O u r international ranking w ill be jeopardized and in te rn a tio n a l program s • we have a F u llb rig h t Scholar this year - might be discon tin u e d ." L ittle explained that the program is now considered one o f the top ten in the nation. I answred and asked, “ What else do you think would be more important?” He answered and said, "W hy you could help me to organize a larger youth membership for my church.” I answered and said, "You know children must have a foundation of knowledge and understanding of reality before they can become productive and responsible citizens in regards to any kind of mem bership. I think my effort in trying to teach knowledge and understanding of productivity and responsibility is far more important than trying to help you fill your church with potentially non-responsible, irresponsible members.” I concluded by saying that consistency, purpose and action is the inspiration and driving Spirit of the Exodus Clean Team, and if he had a commitment with that same spirit, then his church would have a solid youth membership. I then gave him a copy of my "Final Wisdom” publication, and asked him to read it and then come back and talk to me. He hasn’t come back yet. My point in mentioning this conversation is to restate and have it understood that I am only interested in doing what I can to help produce a cleaner and safer community. I welcome those who wish to join me, and I don't under stand those who like to live in dirt, and complain about it, yet, won't do any thing to remove the dirt. Any one may be poor, but no one has to be dirty or discourteous. I must say at this point we will do what we can to clean our community, and maintain a cleaner and safer neighborhood for all. Our strength is growing each week. * Remember, the Exodus Clean Team is a non-sectarian community based organization who will always appreciate your support, whether it be M A N P O W E R , W O M A N P O W E R , C H IL D PO W ER or M O N E T A R Y D O N A TIO N S ......
