Page 6 Portland Observer, June 17, 1962
Abortion:
A woman's
choice
OBSERVATIONS
FROM THE SIDELINES
by Kathryn H a ll Bogle
Atonuri is safe .w tl
The recent " A fric a n C ultural
Night” presented by the Association
of African Students from 15 A fri
can countries at Portland State Uni
versity was attended by more than
400 persons.
Buffet dinner, served by these stu
dents showcased foods mainly from
the west coast o f A frica. The
lengthy program offered a great
variety of interest: an authentic A f
rican dance troupe, called "Ochea-
m i,” came from Seattle; an adora
ble group o f children from the
"Talking Drum” also danced; there
was a fashion show; and there were
several speakers to hear. M r. Leg-
waila, the Botswana Ambassador to
the U .N ., Dr. Malkew Lakew, Dr.
W illiam L ittle o f P .S .U , and our
own Ronnie Herndon all had a turn
at addressing the guests. Abdi Ali
Mohamed, president of AAS, made
the opening welcoming remarks to
the assembly and Dupeh Joiner was
billed as master of ceremonies.
According to the 1980 decennial
census, one of five children under 18
in America lives in a one-parent
family. For black people, the figures
are about one in two.
That’s about every other family in
the black community. In 1960, 75
per cent of black children lived in
two-parent homes. Now only 42 per.
cent of black families are headed by
two parents; 46 per cent live in one
parent households and the rest live
with other relatives or in other living
situations.
" I n the spring o f 1975," says
Betty Kemp, a licensed minister at
M aranatha Church in N .E . P o rt
land, " I decided to do something to
help the growing number of women
trying to raise children alone.”
Mrs. Kemp was singularly well
prepared to "d o something about
it” for a few of the single parents
she knew to be in the M aranatha
congregation. She is a graduate of
Lewis and Clark College in Portland
and she received a master’s degree in
counselling and guidance from
Portland State University.
Kemp has worked with delinquent
and dependent juveniles as a proba
tion officer in San Diego; she has
supervised narcotic addicts on their
return from federal treatment hospi
tals; and she spent several years as a
placement counselor at Lewis and
Clark. For a time she was a general
counselor at the Sylvania campus of
Portland Community College.
" I invited eight single mothers
from our congregation to partici
pate for six w eeks," Kemp said.
“ Seven years later our group is still
going strong. I t ’ s a small, casual
group but the emphasis is not on
members; rather it is centered on the
needs of those who attend.
"T h e participants learn to give
«i a
d v x senmj The Rjrt U k xl Women s Health Center
orters .« x tx x i sen*es i<)to IB weeks horn tie last
mensuuu period The .itxxton procedure used up to 12
weeks is wx uurn aspuation with irnmnut dilation Dila
tion ,«xi Evacuation |.m adaption of the
sot lion methudl is used for abortions IJ
lo 18 wrrks Atwrtions are performed
will i opt».» Ml kxal ar lestfrtk
Fees
up to 12 weeks LNMP $180 00
13 -14 weeks LNMP $23500
15 - IB weeks LNMP $300 00
PORTLAND
W O M E N 'S
HEALTH
CENTER
6510 SE FOSTER ROAD
PORTLAND O R EG O N 97206
5 0 3 /7 7 7 -7 0 4 4
Mra. Dora M arlin, frequent traveller to Nigeria, end N kw enti
Nkwenti Achu, OSU pharmacy student from the Cemeroona. visit
during African Culture Night.
and receive through sharing on an
intimate basis. I share briefly on a
subject from the scriptures (submis
sion, faith, bitterness, etc.) and we
have a time o f sharing and prayer
with each other.
"1 encourage our mothers to min
ister to each other, and I th in k,
through our group experience, we
have all become more aware and
sensitive to the needs of others. The
women involved reflect spiritual
growth as well as increased confi
dence and social m aturity. They
have become noticeably more in
volved in church activities and they
are trying new experiences such as
going to college and attempting new
recreational activities.
“ A fte r all, the problems con
fronting single mothers tend to be
the same: financial pressures, deal
ing with loneliness, the need for new
experiences with and without the
children, the responsibilities o f
keeping everything going and the
need to gain the emotional support
o f other adults in meeting their
problems.”
“ I t ’s my belief that psychology
and religion are inter-related and
that every person can be helped to
solve problems and find joy in liv
ing,” Mrs. Kemp said.
The group is open to any mother
raising children alone, whether she
is divorced, separated, widowed or
single. The participants have often
changed in the seven years o f its
existence, and nearly a hundred
women have taken part in its bene
fits, according to Kemp.
Regular meetings are held in small
rooms o f the church. Sometimes
meetings are held on church choir
rehearsal nights because several of
the current members of the "M o th
ers’ Prayer-Share-B ible-G roup”
have joined the choir and stay long
er to rehearse with the choir.
G lo ria Johnson, a Texas-born
young woman who works as a tele
phone operator for PNB, has been a
member of the group for four years.
Johnson, a mother o f two, has
found the group very helpful to her,
she said. "W e pray for each other
and we share our problems with
each other. Somehow that seems to
lighten the load. I think every
church should have this kind of
group.”
Regina Davis, a pharmacy tech
nician at the Oregon Health
Sciences University, is a mother of
one. She has been with the group
less than a year. She describes her
self as being very shy. She said that
it took two years for her to get up
courage to join the group. Now that
she is a member, she finds herself
enthusiastic and feels that her shy
ness if far less than it was. Her plans
for the fall include picking up where
she left o ff in her social science and
biology classes at Portland State.
Diana W oodards, in the group
for one year, feels "th e group has
helped me spiritually. I have come
closer in my walk with G o d ,” she
says. Woodards, born and reared in
Vancouver, Washington, is a senior
analyst with Aetna Insurance, re
viewing and auditing Medicare
claims. She has one child.
Spring Sims, mother of three, ex
presses her gratitude to the group
saying, “ 1 had been struggling very
hard when I joined the group. I have
found more stability for myself
within the group and have gained
help with my children. We really
minister to each other. Sims, born
and reared in Portland, has worked
as a bank teller, but hopes to con
tinue her studies to become a legal
secretary.
"Ultimately, I ’d like to get into spe
cial education and work with emo-
Hasaan Daria and Abdi Ali M o
hamad. praaidant of P8U Aaao-
ciation of African Studanta, ara
from Somalia
tionally disturbed kids," she said.
Social activities give individuals in
the group other dimensions in their
lives. They dine together, on occa
sion, at some nice restaurant, they
go to skating parties, to the beaches
with their families, or they may take
a holiday trip together by bus or
Amtrak. They like to take an annual
trip to Vancouver, B.C. and, usual
ly, Kemp drives the group in a M ar
anatha mini-bus. When they go,
other church women may keep the
children while the mothers are
away.
The mothers try to give something
back to the church. They have pre
pared and served dinners and teas
for the public as well as for church
members with proceeds ticketed for
Maranatha.
Kemp feels that the challenge of
the church today is " t o meet the
needs o f congregations o f the pre
sent. Divorce rates continue to
climb in this country and our needs
are becoming increasingly more
complex. M y prayer is that other
churches will find this type of group
helpful in meeting the needs of this
segment o f their own congrega
tions.”
Mrs. Kemp, herself a single par
ent, is the mother of Lauri Kemp, a
graduate of Washington State Uni
versity.
The Rev. John W . Garlington is
the ordained minister of Maranatha
Church.
PEACE CORPS
You Can Never
Go Home
That's one thing the Peace Corp* can
guarantee its volunteers.
Because once you've had the rather
incredible experience of belonging to a
third-world culture and becoming an inti
mate part of the hopes and plans of peo
ple struggling with the very bastes of life,
your view of the world — and yourself
— will never be quite the same
We know that idea will make some peo
ple uneasy, but former volunteers will
confirm that two years in the Peace
Corps can mean personal growth, cross-
cultural experiences, and a sense of
satisfaction found nowhere else It isn’t
easy, and it isn't for everyone, but since
1961 nearly 85.000 Americans have made
the commitment and found it to be one
of the central events in their lives.
See our representatives in Portland
June 21-24, Lobby, Federal Building
1220 S.W. 3rd, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Or Call Toll Free: 1-800-426-1022
Struggle "worth it r r
"This is the most important thing
that ever happened to m e ," said
northeast Portlander JoAnne Mc-
quarrie on the eve of her graduation
from Portland Community College.
" I finally made it!”
McQuarrie received her Associate
of Arts degree in Criminal Justice at
PCC graduation ceremonies on
June 11. A mother with three chil
dren ages 10 to 14, she admits that
juggling studies with family life, Lit
tle League activities, P T A and
work-study took its toll on her en
ergy.
"1 had lots of personal problems
and pressures," she said. But she
feels it was worth it. Along with a
two-year degree, McQuarrie has ac
quired goals, confidence and an en
tirely new way o f looking at life ’s
possiblities.
" I did not graduate from high
school,” McQuarrie said. " I really
didn’t think I was capable of any
thing.”
McQuarrie’s first experience with
PCC was when she decided to get
her general education diploma
(G E D ), planning to enter beauty
school and eventually find a better
paying job. Her interest in beauty
school was minimal, and G E D in
structor David Meyer helped steer
her into classes at PCC.
"1 d id n ’t think I could do i t , "
McQuarrie said. But PCC people
assured me there was nothing wrong
with me and every instructor really
helped a lot. They gave me the con
fidence I needed.”
M cQ uarrie applied fo r work-
study, and worked part time for the
Criminal Justice Department at the
T
OLDTOW N MERCHANTS
CRIMPERS!
LIGHTING SPECIALTIES
by SAM J S P O 8 IT O
SINCE 1950
LIGHTING & DECORATING
CONSULTANTS
"One ot the M oil
Outetending Showrooms in the N W
JOANNE MCQUARRIE
Sylvania Campus. Completing her
degree program took a long time be
cause she quit PCC to attend Port
land State University for a while,
and also took time off to work.
Family pressures mounted, too,
but M cQ uarrie and her husband
sought family counseling at the col
lege and avoided a divorce.
Now that she has her degree,
M cQ uarrie faces other hurdles.
" I ’m almost 3 7 ," she said. " B e
cause I want to work with kids my
age is a barrier." She plans to vol
unteer at Juvenile Justice Court, be
lieving that if she gets known in the
system it will be easier to find work.
And she plans to take more
classes at Portland Community Col
lege, this time in a d ifferent area.
«•»’ n I N
J« I N
IM
IN
“THE HOUSE OF BEAUTIFUL LIGHTS'
fc-Z L'JJ
• Specializing ★
• Designer Curls
• California Curls
• Relayers
• Colour
• Cuts
old
tow n
2 0 8 nw couch
a p p o in tm en ts: 2 2 7 4 2 2 8
■ t
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78 NW COUCH AT 1ST
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— *
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B lot k
,6 6 f t
PORTLAND, ORE. 67209
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