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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1983)
Portland Observer, October 5, 1983 Page 11 READ! program fosters "functional literacy Hurtia and Dorothy Hadley pose In front of their Pastry Kitchin In Milwaukie. (Photo: Richard J. Brown) Black-owned business faces closing by Lanita Duke Grass root News, N. W. — O re gon's first Black-owned bakery, M ilw aukie’s Pastry Kitchen, owned by Hurtis and Dorothy Hadley, is finding itself unable to stretch its dough in the face o f demographic and economic changes that have occurred seven years ago. Hurtis Hadley said, "W hen we came to M ilw aukie we were received with a lot o f fanfare. It was very un usual to have a black business open ing up in a suburban area. Most of the people wanted to see us succeed and when we opened the doors we were just ‘ snowed.’ ” The season changed on the H ad leys when the economy took a turn for the worse, and like many small businesses their clientele turned away from them. "Since we’ve been here we have seen new fast-food eat eries. And with the traffic patterns everything goes around or over in stead o f through M ilw au kie.” Hadley said race could have been a factor. " I feel that if there is any money to be spent, the people in M ilw aukie are spending it on their own. I experience that fact every day as I look at other businesses around us doing better than I am .” The competition from fast-food eateries and chain-store bakeries also took customers away from the bakery. "T h e community of M il waukie has seen a decline. It is an older community. Younger people like to be where the action is and it is not in M ilw aukie; T o survive we have to have some o f that young tra ffic ." A former musician, Hadley learned his craft as a Baker's Aide. " In 1965 I worked at Albertsons and finished their three-year ap prenticeship course in two years. I worked for Albertson for ten years and left when they would not pro mote m e." Hadley said he bounced around until he found a bakery for sale in M ilw aukie. " T h e reason I bought a bakery out here was because the bakery was already established; it had the equipment and the clientele. The only thing I had to do was walk in and operate it .” He tried to insert himself into the Portland community by leasing a rib joint located on Alberta Street, but he said 70 percent of that clien tele were looking for ribs and not for cakes or pastry. Proud but solemn, Hadley stated that unless business turns around, the only Black bakery in Oregon may close— a victim o f the depres- CcdjenjcLcuv Flrat G ospel E xtrav ag an za o f the Black United Front, 7 p.m , Friday, Oct. 7, M l. Olivet Baptist Church, 116 N .E . Schuyler. Admission free; o f fering will be requested. Proceeds will benefit the Black United Front’s Health Committee. S ixth A n n u a l M in o rity Buainess O p p o rtu n ity D a y . 9 a m .-5 p .m ., Wednesday. Oct. 12, at the M em orial Coliseum. Assembly H all. Portland This unique trade fair will bring minority and women's businesses together with approximately 100 private industry and government purchasers from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and other states. Fourth A n n u a l B lack C ollages C o n fere n c e. Oct. 15, Red Lion Inn, Jantzen Beach. Portland, sponsored by Black Colleges Committee, Inc., for college-bound students, parents, teachers, counselors. Nine practical workshops, eight Black colleges represented, nationally known speakers. Students $7.5O/adults $12.50. Contact Pearl Spears G ray, Corvallis, 754- 3556 (8 a m -5 p .m .) or Dorothy Alexander. Portland 236-8727 (after 5 p .m .). " Y o u 'v e c o m e a long w a y . m a y b e ." ERA a u c tio n , hosted by Oregon N .O .W ., 6 p .m .. October 19, at M ultnom ah Center, 7688 S .W . Capitol Highway, Portland. A silent auction will begin at 6 p .m ., followed by enter tainment by Mother Light from 7:30 to 8:00 p .m ., followed by the oral auc tion at 8 p.m Tickets are $3, which includes one beverage. 229 6605 for more inform ation. Paul W a rn k e . lectures on international security, 7:30 p .m ., Thursday, Oct 13, Lewis A Clark College, Templeton College Center. Free. Paul W arnke is a former director o f the U S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and Chief Negotiator o f the 1977-78 Strategic Arms Limitations Talks M a u M a u . part o f film series, "A fric a : Visions o f change and contin u ity ,” 7:30 p .m ., Thursday, Oct. 6, Lewis A Clark College, Aubrey Watzek Library. Free. M a n o f th a S eren g eti, part o f film series, "A fric a : Visions o f Change and C ontinuity,” Thursday, Oct. 16,, Lewis A Clark College. Aubrey W a t zek Library. Free. T h a n k G od and th e R e vo lu tio n , film about the role o f the Church in Nicaragua, 7 p .m ., Reed College, Rm. 314 Eliot H all. $1 admission. C o n tin u ity end C henge: The Peat In th e P reaent, lecture by historian Thomas J. Dodd, 11:30 a.m . and 7:30 p .m ., Thursday, Oct. 6, in the Vol- lum College ( enter on the Reed College campus. Professor Dodd will trace the present turmoil in Central America back to its historical roots. $5 admission. For more inform ation call 771-1112, ext. 502. St. A n d re w Perleh 10th A n n u e l A u c tio n , 7 p .m ., Saturday, October 22, St. Andrew Comm unity Center, 806 N .E . Alberta. 281-4430 for more inform ation. B ieck U n ite d Front m e e tin g . 7:30 p .m ., Thursday, Oct. 6, King Neigh borhood Facility, N .E . 7th A Alberta. Irv in g to n C o m m u n ity A a ao clatlo n m e e tin g . 7.30 p .m ., Thursday. Oct. 6. Augustana Lutheran Church, 2710 N .E . 14th. N o rth e e a t P olice P re cin ct C o u n c il, 7 p .m ., Tuesday, Oct. I I , King Neighborhood Facility. sion o f the '80s. " T h e economy is such where we are not able to hold on unless we get some business from somewhere and we are not getting it in M ilw au kie.” W ith tears in her eyes, his wife, Dorothy, said, " W e would like to keep the bakery open. When we go. there will be no Black independent ly-owned bakery in Oregon. We are craftsmen in our field and all we want is a chance.” The Hadleys are not going down without a fight. They never left the community when they opened their business and, since they live in Northeast Portland, they stated their willingness to make home de liveries for all baking needs, includ ing breads, cakes and pastries. "These are hard times for everyone and in these times we have to come together Please, support us.” The number at their bakery is 654-6238 and their home phone is 285-2158. The term illiterate refers to one who cannot read or write a simple sentence. A functionally illiterate per son is unable to read above the fifth grade level. In America, there are approximately 23 million illiterates and another 23 million functional il literates, according to a natinwide study by the Ford Foundation. "This means 46 million adults are incapable o f meeting (he demands of everyday adult l if e . . .they cannot read a bus schedule, complete a tax form or employment application, let alone read to their children,” com mented Magie Raine, chairperson for R E A D ! The North/Northeast Reading Council o f Oregon L iter acy, Inc. R E A D ! was established nearly one year ago to recruit and train tu tors to teach functional illiterates in the northeast area to read and write. " In one year, we have trained 65 tu tors," says Ms. Raine, "but that is a drop in the bucket to meet the grow ing demand o f adults 18 and over who have expressed a desire to learn to read and write, not to mention those who have not yet come fo r ward. Some o f these are employed; most are unemployed. In fact, that same Ford Foundation survey re ported that '75 percent o f the unem ployed have inadequate reading and writing skills,' which accounts for the national unemployment epidem ic ," she said. Some businesses, organizations and civic groups have aided R E A D ! in recruitment or financially over the past year One corporation, B. Dalton Book seller, who has made il literacy its number one priority, is planning special events for Oregon Magia Raina, chairparaon of READI. works to combat lllltaracy In Oragon. Literacy Day, October 13. Twenty percent o f all sales at a designated cash register at each B. Dalton Bookseller go to Oregon Literacy lo cal councils. Various authors will be on hand to autograph their books an d /o r special events and demon strations will take place at each B Dalton Bookseller throughout the city. At the Lloyd Center. Richard Meeker will be on hand to auto graph his new book, Newspaper man, a story about The Oregonian, from noon until 1:00 p .m ., in cele bration o f Oregon Literacy Day. Meeker is co-owner o f the W illam ette Week. Ms. Raine and other council members will also be on hand during the day to greet north east residents and workers. Additional assistance in combat ing illiteracy may be on the horizon with the advent o f the designation o f Portland Comm unity College as one o f the four national pilot insti tutions which will help develop dem onstration tutor projects using work study students. For additional inform ation re garding Oregon Literacy Day, O cto ber 13, or inform ation on what you can do about illiteracy, contact the R E A D ! Hotline 295 3465 U.S.D.A. CHOICE BUSINESS NOTES Savers and borrowers o f Benj. Franklin SAL have approved a plan to convert the company from a federal mutual association to a federal stock association. 7.5 million shares have been offered to eligible de positors and borrowers at between $12.75 and $17.25 per share. The unsold stock will be sold to the public. • Oregon's unemployment rate dropped from 9 9 percent to 9.8 per cent (seasonably adjusted) in August. The nation's civilian unemploy ment rate remains at 9.5 percent (seasonably adjusted) with 10.7 m il lion officially unemployed— about equal to the combined population of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, M ontana and N e vada. • The Big Three auto makers gained a 16.7 percent increase in sales during 1983 The increased sales, along with wage concessions, will bring the three comnpanies— Chrvsler, Ford and G .M .— combined earnings of about $5 billion for calendar 1983. • New Jersey Governor Kean signed five auto insurance bills that are predicted to save the average motorist $150 per year. The package continues mandatory liability and personal injury protection (no- faull) but allows other options. It also requires financial disclosure by insurance companies, sets standards for determining excess profits and forcing their return to motorists, and licenses auto body repair shops. FCC role blasted The Federal Communications Commission came under at'ack for what Congressman Barren J. Mitchell (D -M d ) called the Commis sion's ‘disgraceful" record in the areas o f minority employment and small and minority enterprise in telecommunications. Mitchell is Chairm an o f the House Committee on Small Business. "W h en this Administration had an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to a diversified nation al telecommunications system, it consciously voted to deny extension of the Commission's minority own ership policies to non-broadcast tel ecommunications services.” "W h en the FCC Chairm an had the opportunity to provide unequiv ocal support o f H R. 2331, which implements the legislative proposals which grew out o f Commissioner Henry Rivera's 'Alternative Finan cing for M inority Opportunities in Telecommunications Report,' re fused,” Mitchell continued. Mitchell said that the Federal Communications Commission flouts enforcement o f existing FCC policies and congressional directives relating to minority ownership pre ferences in the field o f telecommuni cations. Mitchell said that: •T h e FCC's elimination o f the Fi- nancial Interest and Syndication rule will adversely affect indepen dent producers. This action was op posed by major sectors o f the broadcast industry. •T h e Commission’s position in support of the elimination o f the 777 Rule will adversely affect small busi nesses operating as broadcast com panies. This rule restricts any one group from owning 7 A M , 7 F M , or 7 T V broadcast stations. •F C C 's position in support o the elimination o f all multiple owner ship rules will seriously stifle the growth and development o f small communications firms. •F C C 's failure to extend the tax certificate policy to non-broadcast telecommunications areas estab lishes another obstacle to small busi ness and minority ownership in the new telecommunications technol ogies, such as cellular radio; micro- wave; private radio networks and specialized common carrier services. “ Throughout all of F C C ,” Mitchell said, "there is only one Black in a policy-making position. An absence o f Black and other m i norities at policy-making levels within FCC means an absence o f a significant perspective in the devel opment o f crucial communications policies.” ROUND FULL CUT, STEAK BONE-IN $ lb. 1.48 SE 20th b D IVISIO N FotntU rova 2329 PACIFIC 14410 SE D IVISIO N SE 72nd El FLAVE I Or ay on City 878 MOI ALLA J956 SE POWELL NE 15th b FREMONT Canby 1051 SW 1st NE 74th ,, CLISAN W BURNSIDE at 21>t LLOVDCENTER HILLSBORO 960 SE OAK SAN RAFAEL 1910NE122rid T R QQQE3QI L L
