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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1982)
Portland Observer, December 15, 1982 Page 5 Washington Hot Line by Congressman Ron Wyden L. W ith the econom y on the skid» and governm ent program s reeling from m ajor cutbacks, volunteerism has become a critical factor in meet ing the needs o f millions o f A m er icans. T his is not an issue that has es caped the attentio n o f the Reagan Administration: officials o f the A d m inistration have taken to the po dium time and time again to tout the virtues o f private volunteerism. The events o f the past week, how ever, m ake one w onder i f those speeches w eren't just so much hot air. Portland General Electric (P C E ), P a c ific Pow er and L ig h t ( P P & L ) and other private utilities across the country have undertaken a fundrais ing project in w hich they have set aside millions o f stockholders* dol lars to help pay fuel bills for low-in come seniors and others. The companies are issuing notices to their customers and employees re questing matching funds from those who wish, and can affo rd , to contri bute— and have received enthusias tic response. u n fo rtu n a te ly , the Reagan A d ministration has thrown a wrench in the works. A fellow Congressman and I learned last week that Health and H u m a n Services Secretary Richard Schweiker had decided to uphold a regional H H S office ruling stip ulatin g th at any assistance re ceived by the elderly under this pro ject would be applied against*Sup plem ental S ecu rity in co m e and other government benefits. Oregonians and other Americans should be outraged by this decision. This project (called Project H elp in Po rtlan d) is designed to help some o f the most vulnerable people in our society. I t ’s designed to help people w ho are fa llin g between the cracks— lite ra lly w a lk in g an eco nomic tight rope on which they must balance food against fuel, and fuel against their medical care. It's de signed to help people who are facing the coldest months o f the year with nowhere else to turn for help. By proposing to p en alize re cipients o f these private funds, the A d m in is tra tio n has je o p a rd ize d chances for this program's success. Senior citizens and other needy per sons are lik e ly to be scared aw ay fro m p a rtic ip a tin g Tor fear th eir other benefits w ill be cut. A nd the utilities and private citizens are not going to be willing to contribute to a project that will only make matters worse for recipients. I am reasonably o ptim istic that Adm inistration officials w ill not be able to put this policy into effect— at least fo r the tim e being. L o u isi ana Congressman Billy Tauzin and I today won House acceptance o f an am endm ent that prevents the A d m in is tra tio n fro m going fo rw a rd w ith this ruling. I am hopeful that the Senate w ill also ap p ro ve this provision, and that it will be signed in to law as part o f the C o n tin uin g Resolution. But that d oesn't mean the issue has been resolved for all lime. First, the C ontinuing Resolution w ill run out in a few months, and the Project Help question will once again be up for discussion. And even i f that is resolved suc cessfully, there is still the larger is sue o f governm ent policy tow ard volunteerism in general. Is the gov ernment going to encourage private volunteerism as one way to help provide for needy Americans? O r is it going to cut federal spending on one hand and thw art private in itia tive on the other? I hope the former is the case— for the good o f all o f us. G overnm ent needs to be more responsive to the concerns of the needy. W e must be gin looking to the defense budget and other non-social areas for cuts in spending, and move away from attempts to balance the budget on the backs o f the poor and the needy. But we must also recognize that the federal coffers are limited. G ov ernment w ill never be able to meet all (he needs that exist— and the pri vate sector must be encouraged to do its part. The total amount of tea Americans drink is only one- tenth of the am ount of coffee that gets drunk each year. The 10 gallon hat actually holds three-fourths of a gallon. Americans spend some $100 billion a year on shoes. China's first newspaper appeared in Peking in the eighth century. We do not do busine»» w ith South Africa American State Bank AN INDEPENDENT BANK What the Administration has pro posed to do in the case o f P ro ject Help would only discourage volun teerism — as well as th reaten in g to leave millions o f elderly persons out in the cold (his winter. We must resist this policy— and continue doing so as long as it takes. M ,» d Office 2 7 3 7 N E. Union Portland, O regon 9 7 2 1 2 y DOUBLE YOUR TALK TO NEW YORK, NEW YORK. $4.06 Historic theater puts on new look by Catherine Siegner 125th Street in H a rle m , New York C ity , strikes a memory chord in any black person old enough to have visited, or who hails from , the East C o ast. Its bustling crow ds, noise, theaters, restaurants, blues and jazz clubs, and even its seamier side, have enlivened fo r years a stretch o f "u p to w n " Big Apple that blacks have, since the riots o f 1943, called all their own. N o one lan dm ark on that street has better defined that ambience, or persevered as long, as the A p o llo T h e atre . H a lfw a y between A dam C la y to n Po w ell and F red erick Douglas Boulevards on the north side o f 125th S t., the 1,700-seat two- balcony A p o llo , built in 1909, has seen va u d e villian s and o rg a n -a c companied picture shows grace its maple stage. During the 1930s and '40s, the th eatre’ s fam ed am ateur night was the lau nchin g pad for many an aspiring black actor, com ic, singer or dancer. Entertainers now forever revered by fans and originally "discovered" or helped on their way to stardom by the A p o llo include B illie H o llid a y , D u ke E llin g to n , Sarah V a u g h a n , C o u n t Basie, C ab C a l lo w a y , E lla' F itz g e ra ld , L io n el Ham pton, and many more. O th e r houses o f en te rta in m e n t Uptown provided a forum for aspir ing black entertainers: the w orld-fa mous Cotton Club, originally above the old Douglas T h e atre on 145th St. and Lenox Ave. and established by black boxer Jack Johnson (the first club in the U .S . to present all black entertainment); Connie's Inn, a basement dive that drew standing- room -only crow dstohear acts that previewed the coming musical craze, and next d o o r, the old L a fa y e tte Theatre at 7th Ave. and 132nd S t., now a church. M a n y o f H a r le m ’ s early show cases fo r black stars and h op efu l amateurs are gone now, lost to the vagaries o f public taste, the wreck ing b all or just p la in decay. The A p o llo , and many other trappings o f post-W orld W ar I I boom times, began to decline in the 1960s from lack o f capital and attendant disre pair. Its longtime owners and m an agers, F ran k S c h iffm a n , his sons Bob and Jack, and Leo Brecher, co u ld n 't charge enough admission to attract major acts (who were now " a c c e p ta b le " d o w n to w n ) and the famous theatre languished. The future seemed perm anently bleak for the A p o llo until this year, when a longtime dream o f rehabili tating the theatre and reopening its doors came true, mainly through the e ffo rts o f Percy S u tto n , a black m an, fo rm e r M a n h a tta n Borough President and now director o f Inter city Broadcasting C o rp . (In te rc ity owns at least fiv e b la c k -o rie n te d radio stations across the country, in cluding W BLS in New York C ity.) Sutton pursued his vision o f a re v ita liz e d A p o llo th ro ug h a p ur- chase-and-lease scheme that w ill re sult in the first live p roduction in years opening at the Apollo Theatre this month. This new "lease on life” is a $6.8 m illio n com bination o f grants and loans from the U .S . Department of Housing and Urban Development, the H a rle m U rb a n D evelo p m en t Corp and private lenders. The City of New York applied for RENT THIS NEW WASHER AND DRYER BY PHONE 239-7451 ABSOLUTE!. Y NO CREDIT HASSLE! ALL R E N TA P P U E S TO PURCHASE! SAME DAY DEUVERY! (In » NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED! '74 TW « OHLY DELIVERY AND SERVICE INCLUDED WE CARRY OUR OWN ACCOUNTS! AND THAT'S NOT ALL WE CARRY. . . Televisiona Freezer» Microwave Oven» Refrigerator» OMiwasfrers Furniture YOU CAN ESTABLISH YOUR OWN CREDIT WHEN YOU RENT TO OWN AT 13121 NE SANDY BLVD. • 239-7451 ö fitiB S O T V ' W lien you call long distance IxJween Friday at llp m and Sunday at 5pm, you’ll save a whopping (iO"... Wliieh means you can talk more than twice as long tor your money. So reach out this tr weekend. And .give a big hello to the Big Apple. The old Apollo Theatre In New York. the initial U rban Development A c tion G rant through its quasi-public E co n om ic C a p ita l C o r p ., and loaned the seed money to Intercity for the renovation w ork. The H a r lem U D C , meanwhile, acquired the th eatre b u ild in g fro m its fo rm e r owners and signed a 30-year lease with Intercity, which will do the ac tual day-to-day managing. P h illip M o rro w , H a rlem U D C 's d irecto r o f develop m ent, said the A p o llo 's lon g tim e owners had no use fo r the th eatre any m ore and agreed to sell it fo r $ 3 0 0 ,0 0 0 . He acknowledged that " i t ’s a steal." " I t ’s appraised for $600,000 and is in pretty good condition now. The acoustics are still quite g o o d ," he said. F or those u n lik e M o rro w , who said he "n ev er got in " the A p o llo due to the long lines winding " 3 or 4 times around the b lo c k ," the excit ing experience o f being a part o f the live audience at the A p o llo w ill be theirs again in the 1980s That same audience. B illie H o llid a y w ro te in her au to b io g rap h y , th at " th e re 's nothing lik e ." " T h e y d id n ’ t ask me w hat my style was, w ho I was, where I ’ d come from , who influenced me, or anything. They just broke the house u p ." M in o r re no vation s und ertaken p rio r to this m o n th ’ s opening in clude air conditioning and exit re pairs and removal o f some seats to make way fo r new sound e q u ip ment. Further plans dow n the line call for restoration o f the theatre's m ar quee and its exterior facade, always drab and g rim y, but even more so now from recent neglect. Additional structures on 125th St. will be reno vated and facades restored by H a r lem U D C , M o rro w said, pointing toward a concerted effo rt at bring ing back the Uptown glory days. H e said In te rc ity plans a video production center with cable fac ili ties at the A pollo for lease by com m u n ity groups or students who might gain valuable training. Live productions with uplinks for satel lite T V broadcast, locally produced shows, and au d io , video and stage production facilities are also in the works. Pacific Northwest Bell *N a tr« 4M>h I » M irra ta le > lim t «frai w eekend i all» and m ay va ry In A laaka and IM w a a p J B e a u tifu l U n iq u e J e w e lry », at T h e Best S a v in g s E v e r! ► to 50% OFF i <1 40% I h a m o tid E a rrin g s and P e n d a n ts 29.95 up It» 729.99 • z . I HI /'* I I Ik < li . i m m i t i I ’l ' l l l l . l l l l I ’i ' i i g i i i t m tt p i l l f l b l s c (i) e .iiim g '- 2 50% OFF A d u lt Service C enter by M o n d a y , December 20, 1982, phone 288-8338. I \ oi \ B ra c e le ts. B ings, and I'.a rrin g s w n H I l k t rim Party planned T h e Jim m y B ang-B ang W a lk e r Youth G ro up , w ill present its 17th C h ild re n 's H o lid a y P a rty at 12 noon, on Saturday, December 18th, at the Jefferson High School A u d i torium, 5210 N. Kerby. T h e even t, w hich is free to the co m m u n ity , w ill inclu d e m ovies, cartoons, treats, fun and songs, and fru it and candy stockings fo r ch il dren ages I -10. Special guests include: Miss Tan P o rtla n d , T e ra W a rre n ; W a lly Scales, Portland T ra il Blazers; and S. Claus of the North Pole. /p q p Senior citizen dinner Rev. Richard Lauer is C hairm an o f the Dinner Com m ittee. He is be ing assisted by Advisory Committee Members: C arrie Cannon, Velma L. Bush. Lewis Winchester, Genevieve M a r tin , Bruce R am seyer, In e ll Sim pson, Prescious W asson, Rev. Ira M u m fo rd , Dana V ia, Jack W as son, Sarah M a y fie ld , Ire n e Sage. Betty T h o m p so n and C e n te r D i rector, Barbara Bivens-Blincoc. Dinner w ill be served at 12 noon. There w ill be entertainm ent; music w ill be by T hara M em ory, courtesy o f Music Performance Trust Funds o f the Recording Industries through cooperation o f Local 99, A .F .M . Persons needing tra n s p o rta tio n should call the Urban League Senior N<«ifrw*« Hr« CHRISTMAS SPECIAL S\ (Continued fro m page I column I ) IWU P » * '^0 25% OFF P earls. O p a ls , R u b ie s. Ja d e R in g s, B ra c e le ts . W e d d in g S ets \ n d L o ts M o re ' THE KING'S RANSOM »211 S \ \ t i t i »11_ ». ». t. «. .,ih \\. I ’ni « .t. i . l hind. <>K 22X 0 1 I* t. » . « r - » <- « kJ