February 26. 1986. Portland Observer. Page 3 Sojourner Truth Stamp Issued February 4 A 22-ccnt vommemontive stamp honoring human rig h ts a c tiv is t Sojourner Truth was issued on Feb ruars 4 in New Pali/. Sew York It w ill tv available the next business da> at post oltises nationwide Assistant IVstmastcr*General Mars J Layton w ill he the principal speaker at the dedication ceremony for the latest issue in the Black Heritage Senes The ceremony w ill be held at I I 00 a m in the Sojourner I ruth 1 ibrary at the State I'niscrsity ot \e w York in New Pall/ Jcrrv Pinkney ot Croton on Hudson. New York, who has designed all the stamps in the Black Hentagc Series, created the vertically oriented stamp It features a portrait ot Sojourner Truth with a smaller image o f her speaking from a lectern "Sojourner T ru th " and " 2 2 " are at the lop of the stamp in two lines of black type At the bottom in a single line ot white type are the words Black Heritage" and " I SA Born about 1797 m Hurley. New York, she w as named Isabella and spent her early .«.lull hie in slavery After acquiring her freedom she went to New York City to live, but found it nearly impossible to earn a suitable living Convinced that everything she had un dertaken there had proved a failure, she decided, in I H43. to change her name to Sojourner Truth and leave the city to travel and lecture because "the Spirit calls me and I must go " I .Her. she told friends that "the Lord gave me Soioumer. because I was to travel up an' down the land, showin' the people their sins, an' bein' a sign unto them Afterward I told the laird I wanted another name, 'cause every­ body else had two names, and the Lord gave he I ruth, because I was to declare the truth to the people Historians have noted that Sojourner Truth was a woman ot great mental, physical and spiritual strength who overcame many handicaps imposed on her by slavery Her unflinching adher­ ence to principle and her fearlessness and enthusiasm inspired many Before the C ivil War, she traveled thousands o f miles in many states lec­ turing against slavery After the war. she dedicated her life to being an ac- tivist lor ltie total enfranchisement o f the newly freed slaves and to educating them in the moral, social, and domestic duties o f life Sojourner Truth noted that "they have to learn to be free" because their minds were still enslaved even though their bodies had been freed Sojourner Truth knew and had earned the respect o f most o f the lead­ ing figures o f tier lime. On her tour­ neys, she carried with her what she cal­ led the ’ ' Book o f L ife ,” containing the autographs o f many distinguished people whom she had met. including Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulys­ ses S Grant S o jo u r n e r T r u th 22 4» 1 * " ’ . Ü t r ' » < • ' *• H WE NEEO C NA S Im nrxliu*« asv.giM^um» tew hv< AN • • P‘ *♦“ ***’ ' • nr ,wwNv LPN S • » . (*<*«* <» o < n iv valait • < are«' Jr »«hfH'iriM *«vi • « »vi*«VwM.t«s I « « an. t >««r m al Black Heritage USA 1 Although she was not formally edu caled. she was considered one ot the greatest orators ot her time, known tor her ability to control an audience w ith a few words Numerous newspapers, journals and magazines wrote ot her travels and lectures, b rin g in g worldwide fame lor her stance on slav cry. temperance, penal reform and women's rights At a Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, in IH 5I. she gave her tainous " A in 't I a W om an'” speech, reproaching men tor their belief that k • «. ' S 4 Ikahh Sfivnet IfH l«'hn s I andang Suite M i l SU Macadam hnlland ( >M M’ JOI g 1 241M7I — httdtfdhdt — . Photographed from left Io right: Senator Moynihan. President Reagan, Secretary of Housing and I rhan Devekipment Pierce, Mrs. Wilkins. I quai le te in un itv I mpk* ver Wilkins Widow Gets Gold PR.MARTIN LUTHER HINC ‘ HE [VP NOT ENORACE NON - VIOLENCE OUT Ot-' FEAR PR COWAR PICE, HE CHALLENGED INJUSTICE WITHOUT A GUN" On Thursday. January lb, 19X6, President Reagan presented the Congressional Cold Medal Io Mrs Roy W ilkins l egislation introduced by Senator Moynihan i l ) N Y l and Congressman Rangel 11> N Y » and signed into law on Mav 17. 19X4. authorized the President to present Io the w idow o f Roy W ilk ms, on bchalt ot Congress, a specially struck gold medal I he medal is in recognition ot the coiitnbulions ot Rov W i Ik in-. to the struggle lor civil rights and equality for all \meric.ins PH »ïHJAHtH F HAÏS I Durinq his brief lifetim e NASA astronaut Ronald E M cN air achieved rem arkable successes: honors graduate ot North Carolina AAT University, a doctorate in physics Irom M I T specializ­ ing in lasers. Presidential Scholar. Ford Foundation Fellow, black belt Karate master, husband and lather In an essay he wrote tor students and their parents shortly betore his tragic death aboard the space shuttle Challenger Ron M cN air told ol how the Black college experience put him on the path to a successful lile General Foods Corporation w ill be publishing Ron M cN air's full essay in the near future We think the following excerpts in support ol Black colleges speak eloquently to the concerns ol our young ~ "In September 1967,1 arrived at North Carolina AOT University, a predominantly Black institution, to pursue a degree in physics, though I could barely say the word, could not spell it, and knew even less about the subject matter After discussing the matter with my counselor and taking standardized tests. I was advised to 'go and try' physics because, in the words of one counselor, ‘W r e good enough' Obediently I took this advice and went on to graduate in physics, with honors, on schedule and armed with the tools that would launch my career on a trajectory through graduate school, into the industrial laboratories and. ultimately, around the earth aboard the space shuttle. Anheuser Busch w ill mark the ob­ servance ot Black History Month in- Feb by releasing a poster saluting the contributions o f the eight Black Greek Lettered Organizations which comprise the National Pan Hellenic Council In addition to spotlighting selected invididual programs which the groups have instituted to improve the quality of hie in their community, the poster also provides biographical data and features the current president o f each The organizations were singled out "because collectively they have set the precedents for social action, political involvement, economic development and humanitarian service in the Black com m unity" said Henry H Brown, vice president, marketing development and affairs. Anheuser Busch The poster is the second phase of Anheuser Busch's effort to call atten­ tion to the importance o f Black Greek organizations Brown decided to go with the poster after receiving more than 25,(MM) requests for Greek- lettered Organizations With An A fri­ can Hentagc. the brochure which launched the project "Based upon the response to the brochure by individuals and institu­ tions, we felt that we were getting the message across and no time seemed more appropriate than Black History Month to keep the momentum going,” Brown said Included arc Alpha Kappa Alpha. Delta Sigma Theta, Zcta Phi Beta and Sigma Gamma Rho sororities, along with Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi. Omega Psi I’hi and Phi Beta Sigma fraternities The Greek poster and brochure are also part of an expanded senes o f publi­ cations by Anheuser-Busch which h ig h lig h t the richness o f A fro - American and African history Other publications include the Kings and Queens o f Afnca heritage senes Posters may he obtained by writing Anheuser Busch Greek Poster, c/o Im­ ages, P O Box J. Orangeburg, SC 29116 Shipping and handling charges ot $1 per poster should be included for orders less than 50 or $ 50 per poster in quantities o f 50 or more • ( Hcy-cwi x Urge si and tauexl gnm tng health net w ort syxieni • I Black Greek Poster . • ' JOIN THE HEALTHLINK SYSTEM women should not be given equal rights even though they often performed men's work She remained energetic and dedi­ cated to the cause ot human rights until herdeathon November 2b. 11013 Upon learning o f her death Frederick Doug­ lass remarked " A marked figure has disappeared from the earth Venerable tor age. distinguished tor insight into human nature, remarkable tor indepen deuce and courageous sell assertion, devoted to the welfare of her race, she has been tor the last 40 years an object ot respect and admiration for vocial re­ formers every where " Black institutions have distinguished themselves through their capability to transform academic potential into scholarly achievement while simultaneously challenging the precocious appetite. If there is uncer tainty about what area to pursue, one must choose a college that gives the latitude to think about it and then 'go and try ’ Many Black professionals (including myself) will readily concede that life probably would have taken a different course if the support structure and academic programs of a Black institution had not been available (Though) I do not advocate that anyone select or elimi nate a school solely on the basis of its racial A makeup my support of Black colleges and universities as competitive and indispens able institutions is firm and unequivocal Early one peaceful morning in February 1984, as I blissfully floated on the ceiling of the space shuttle Chai lenger fast asleep, I was awakened by music being piped up from the mission con trol center My eyes stretched wide open in disbelief and my face lit up with delight, for immediately I recognized the music as my college alma mater I glanced at the N C AOT banner proudly affixed to the wall, and 400 years of history quickly raced through my mind. It was during this charged moment of heightened awareness that I thanked God that through a Black university. I had had the chance to develop, the desire to be. and the opportunity to do" ------------ -- GENERAL FOODS General F rxxl« Corporation ~ r , n . • a '- z. 4« Ye. • * k » . ’V» . v' ‘•' I T - ’ 4 ‘ à * J *’ • ■ . ,v<4 r • * • ’ • „• • • rrr