■ S M s M to
October 21, 1987, Portland Observer, Page 7
Black United Front Seeks
Volunteers For Saturday School
If We Don't Save Our Children,
No One Else Will”
by Avel Gordly
Motivated by its longstanding commitment to the education of Port­
land's African American children, the Portland Chapter, Black United Front
(BUF) will begin a Saturday School program in January 1988. The plan was
announced by BUF Co-Chair Ron Herndon at a press conference on Wed­
nesday, October 14 at the Kind Neighborhood Facility. The announcement
came a day following KPTV's (Ch 12) continuing series of reports on the
failure of Portland Public School programs to raise Black student achieve­
ment scores substantially.
The Saturday School, according to Herndon, will provide reading and
math instruction, Black history and culture, and other subjects. Eight NE
area churches have agreed to serves as Saturday School sites. The
churches are members of the Albina Ministerial Alliance (AMA).
Joyce Harris, Director and a founder of the Black Educational Center,
with assistance from Elaine Harrison, an AMA Headstart teacher, has deve­
loped a curriculum for the program for grades K 8. The curriculum will be
used by volunteer teachers who arp currently being recruited.
Harris, who, along with Harrison, also a member of the Front's Educa
tion Committee, stressed that the Saturday School concept was developed
partially out cf a recognition that some public school teachers do not have
high expectations of their Black students. Harris said volunteers will be
carefully selected and trained and that "the training is designed to provide
people who have a commitment to Black children with the necessary skills
to teach. Volunteers to not need to be certified teachers," she said, adding
that, "the experience of many alternative schools has been that people
without certification can be trained to have success with students.
Cultural identity and academic success are key components of the BUF
program. Harris said the Saturday School "w ill provide students with a
strong sense of their heritage. It will be a consistent approach to develop­
ing positive images and identity in the children. Knowledge of the students
history and culture will provide students with the self-confidence they need
to achieve academicaliy. The tutoring part, of the program will reinforce in
the student that they have the ability to succeed in all areas "
Karen Powell, another member of the BUF Education Committee and
Director of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Education
Program agreed with Harris. She said, "The Saturday School will provide
basic skills and enrichment and detailed knowledge of Black history and
culture for the children who enroll in the 2-hour, Saturday-morning ses­
sions." Both Harris and Powell expressed excitement at the potential of
the Saturday School program to reach many students, particularly if the
community strongly supports the effort.
The Black United Front has scheduled a community meeting of indivi­
duals and Black community organizations for Thursday, November 5th,
at 7 p.m. in the King Neighborhood Facility, to discuss its plan. Volunteer
teachers, funds, classroom materials and additional church sites are
needed.
Persons wishing to volunteer as teachers or who want to provide the
other needed resources may call Karen Powell at the American Friends
Service Committee Education Program at 230-9427.
If we don't help and save our children, no one else w
i l l ! ______
Continued from Page 1
Why
We
Can't
W ait
They know what we all should know: To wait ten, twenty or thirty years is
to invite social, cultural, economic and political disaster; high unemploy
ment, high crime rate, drugs, and other tragedies we can only imagine. If
African-American students, because of low achievement levels, can t
qualify for admission into colleges and universities, they certainly won't
qualify for the existing jobs that only require a quality high school educa
tion. Those jobs will go to students who have the better skills. Because
of the nature of this crisis, and, because of the dilemma it has created, a
distressing message has been sent to members of the business community
"For the next thirty years, based on academic qualifications, most African-
American students who graduate from Portland Public School will be below
par." In other words, they will be a poor business risk.
The Black United Front's proposed Saturday School should be what
the doctor ordered. Here, African-American students will find an enriching
world of masters: masters of culture, masters of math and science, masters
of African-American history of culture, masters of art and music, masters of
academic education. The Black community is capable of effectively parti
cipating in the proper education of its children, and it shouldn't hesitate
to do so. Not to do so would be our "crime of the 20th century."
African-American students would benefit greatly from the wisdom,
knowledge, and experience of African-American masters like Mr. James
DePriest, the Honorable Judge Deiz, Mr. Nate Jones, Master Drummer
Bruce Smith, Master Dancer Ruby Burns, Master Historian and Inventor
Professor McKinley Burt, Master Historian and Inventor Kamau Anderson,
the Honorable Senator Jim Hill, and the list goes on and on and on: Ms
Avel Gordly, Ms. Katherine Bogle, Ms. Virginia Phillips, Pastor Grace Os
borne, Commissioner Dick Bogle, the Honorable Margaret Carter, Mr. Ron
Steen, Ms. Janice Scroggins, Mr. Michael Grant, Mr. Marvin Johnson,
the Urban League, the NAACP, the Links, the Jack & Jill Club, the National
Council of Negro Women, Ms. Ruby Reuben, Ms. Rosemary Allen, Ms.
Joyce Harris, Mama Nana, Mr. Bernie Foster, Mr. Al Williams, Ms. Sue
Busby, Mr. Richard Brown, Mr. Ken Berry, The Louisiana Club, The Texas
Club, Rose City Connection, M.A.R.I., The Arkansas Club, The Black Edu
cators of Oregon . . . We could be here for days and still not name all of
the masters available to participate in resolving this most serious crisis.
Because of heritage, both the Black community and Dr. Matthew Pro
phet understand the position they are in. More importantly. Dr. Prophet,
when all has been said and done, will do what he feels must be done. Dr.
Prophet isn't a heretic and the community commends his accomplishments
so far. He has performed his job well. However, he himself has admitted
that the school system he inherited has some serious defects; it needs some
serious repair, because, as African-American Poet Amiri Baraka reminds
us, "Somebody’s slow is another body's fa s t. . . "
The African-American community has given Portland Public Schools
a challenge that is bent on dispelling the notion of poor parental involve­
ment. It now waits to see if the Portland Public School System has the
courage to dispel its growing reputation of indifference toward their chil­
dren.
Negatively or positively, the Portland Public School System will
answer that question. It has to. Our children's future depends on it. In the
meantime, the Black community will strengthen its resolve to give its chil-
dren the best education possible.
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EDAC Meeting
Notice
The Economic Development Advi­
sory Committee (EDAC) for the City
of Portland will meet on Tuesday,
October 27, 1987, at 4:00 p.m. at
the First Interstate Bank Tower,
1300 SW Fifth Ave., 21st Floor,
Mt. Hood Room.
The Committee will be discussing
a process for updating the City's
economic development policy.
R
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Portland Can Run
As many as a thousand runners
will compete in the 1987 Portland
Can Run benefiting The Salvation
Army canned food program on Sun­
day, Oct. 25, 1987 at 8:30 a m.
The event will feature 8k and 3k
runs and a 3-mile walk, all starting
at the Montgomery Park at N.W.
27th & Wilson streets.
People can register at all Port-
land-area G.l. Joe's box offices,
Nike Downtown, Northwest Fit
ness, and Athletic Department in
Beaverton Mall. The entry fee is
$3.00 and tw o cans o f food.
The run is sponsored by J B L & K
Insurance and KMJK Radio.
For more information, call 245-
1433 weekdays.
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Tel. 282-1664
In old England, the word 'child"
referred only to a girl.
Com ing to Portland:
"Willie Morrow
Date: Monday, December 7, 1987
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Place: Ramada Inn — Coliseum
Price: $15.00
Learning more is the thing to do.
"D o n ’t be left o u t."
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Come in or call for information:
6720 N.E. Union
Portland, OR 97221
24 hr. Emergency Service
(503) 283-4123
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