Portland Observer, July 13, 1983 Page 5
250 slots open for
WIC pregnancy care
Remel and Philip Moora. shown w ith thair chlldran. Saaad and
Almaai. ehare soma of tha philosophy that shapaa thair family Ufa.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
Love and strength
bind Moore family
G R A SSR O O TS N EW S. N. W. —
Nothing expresses the love, devo­
tion and resiliency o f the black
family. A case in point is the Moore
fam ily, Philip and Kernel. They met
in college in 1969 and by 1972 they
were an ‘ •ite m ." Philip says, “ I
carried her luggage into the dorm i­
tory. I was attracted to Remel by her
eyes." Remel was attracted to
Ph ilip ’s intangible assets. " H e
seemed very nice, caring and thought
ful. He cares for his community and
the people around him. This is a
rare quality, indeed.”
Since 1972 millions o f events and
emotions have touched the relation­
ship o f the Moores. But what ele­
ment cemented their marriage?
"Thoughtfulness and understand­
ing are our main ingredients. The
ability to try and understand any
situation. And also humor. W e are
able to look back on things and
laugh." Philip says his wife is his
"Best Friend.” “ You can become
lovers and very intimate but still get
embarrassed about some things.
W hen you are best friends, you can
talk about anything."
As their love for one another grew
so did their fam ily, Saeed and
Almasi. How did children affect
their relationship? Remel believes
their two sons just enhanced the
M oore fam ily. “ O ur first child was
a little Phil. And our second child
was a little Phil with my chocolate
covering. So, I have all these Phils
running around and it's kinda hard
not to have a stronger feeling about
your mate. You see in your children
the very element you admire in your
man. Both o f my children are real
lovable and so is their d a d ." Philip
sees children as just the natural pro­
cession o f their relationship. "T hey
are our roots."
Through the years how have the
economic
factors
affected
the
M oore family? " W e ll, first o ff I'm
a black man and you are well aware
o f the economic situation imposed
on the black man by society. Remel
realizes that as well as I realize the
burden imposed on black women.
As black people we are confronted
with racism. The only thing we can
do is pull for each other to survive."
Remel concludes with. " N o matter
how distressing the economic times
were, the ability to overcome them
just made our relationship strong­
er.”
Mrs. M oore is considered a well-
educated woman. Does this fact
ever pose an intimidating factor in
their marriage? Remel says, " N o .
The intimidating factor is the reality
I
o f the racist politics and economics
in this society. It doesn't intimidate
Phil that I have a master's degree.
We are both educated. I just happen
to have a few more years in. W hat is
intimidating is not having the op­
portunities open to you whether you
are male or fem ale.”
Phil says, " It 's a European who is
defining (he relationship between
black males and females. And this
same European doesn't know what
it’s about. W hat black males and fe­
males are about is building little
kingdoms. I f you build a fam ily our
strength lies within that fam ily;
within that fam ily you have unity
and when you have unity you have a
nation. That is what it’s about. The
myth about education or a better
paying job destroying the black
fam ily is obsolete. Now, brothers
and sisters, we can all take (he time
to treat each other better. There is
nothing wrong with being a gentle­
man or a lad y."
Remel M oore adds, "T h e other
element that has kept us together is
the fact that we don’ t blame one
another for things we don’t have
any control over. I t ’s easy for
people who are oppressed to feel the
pressure so bad that they look at
their mothers, fathers, husbands
and children as the reasons for their
problems. Those people are not the
reason for our oppression. They are
all just as oppressed. Sometimes we
fall victim to that trap o f blaming
one another and not loving one
another.”
Philip says we all face the same
oppressor. " T h e same person or
system has that foot around all our
necks. I f we strive to bring about
happiness within our own lives it
will affect everyone around us.”
Philip and Remel have that con­
sistent factor growing and develop­
ing in their marriage — love. How
does Phil define the love in their re­
lationship? "Honeysuckle, choco-
lage dripping and kisses. Over (he
years we grew as individuals, as a
fam ily and as lovers."
Remel says, "O ver time you have
diferent tests. It's not how well you
do on the test but what you learn
from the test. Sometimes in life you
gel those same tests over and over
again until you learn. Gaining that
awareness means (hat you changed.
You are wiser about situations and
problems that come u p ."
As a unit the M oore fam ily plans
to keep progressing. As the head of
the household says, " W e are just
going to keep moving; moving on
From now through September,
1963, the W IC Program, offered
through M ultnom ah County Health
Services, will be accepting new ap­
plicants county-wide. The Sabin
Clinic, which serves N o rth /N o rth ­
east Portland residents, has openings
for an additional 230 eligible clients.
The program is for pregnant and/
or breastfeeding women who have,
or are at risk o f having low birth-
weight babies because of medical
problems or poor nutrition. There
are income guidelines to determine
eligibility, but the guidelines are not
as strict as (hose used to determine
poverty level.
Women and children who qualify
for W IC services will receive vouch­
ers (special coupons) for purchasing
foods high in vitamins, minerals,
and protein. They will also receive
professional
assessment
and
counseling services by community
health nurses, and special diet plan­
ning by certified nutritionists.
Women interested in applying for
the W IC program, living in the
North/Northeast
Portland
area
should call the Sabin Clinic office at
246-5035, M onday-Friday between
8:30 a .m .-4:30 p.m . For inform a­
tion on other W IC clinics in M ultno­
mah County, call 248-3816, M o n ­
iEUJS Black union strikes a first
A F R IC A N N E W S — For the first
time in South Africa's 100-year-old
mining industry, a black trade union
has negotiated a wage agreement for
its members.
Last month the National Union
o f Mineworkers (N U M ) succeeded
in gaining a 14.7% across the board
raise from the Chamber o f Mines
for its 23,000 mine workers in eight
mine Helds.
On June 9 the N U M received
recognition from the Chamber to
negotiate on behalf o f its members,
thus paving (he way for the contract
agreement
Cyril Ramaphosa, the general sec­
retary o f N U M . said the recognition
“ marks the beginning o f an official
struggle for better wages and human
dignity" in South Africa. And he
predicted the union's membership
would swell to 50,000 by the end o f
the year.
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The union's negotirtors originally
called for a 30% wage aike.
The N U M , an affiliate o f the
Council o f Unions o f South Africa,
is the largest union to organize black
workers in the mines since the A fr i­
can
Mineworkers*
Union
was
crushed by the state in the 1940s.
The successfully-completed con­
tract between the N U M and Chamber
o f Mines marks a watershed in
South A frica’s labor history, parti­
cularly since the mining industry is a
cornerstone o f the country’s econo­
my.