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Black Talent Directory
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Copyright E wie Publishing Co . Inr
1984
January 20, 1988
'The Eyes and Ears of the Community"
Volume XVIII, Number 10
Heroine Angered Over Media Coverage
by Nyewusi Askari
Although Catherine O'Hara ap­
preciates her new title of a modern
day heroine, a title she received
after saving the life of 7-month-old
Denoris McClendon, she is still fum ­
ing about the media's coverage and
handling of the crisis.
On January 4, 1988, Ms. 0 Hara,
upon hearing from neighbors that a
nearby house was on fire, rushed to
the burning home of Andrea Jones.
Unable to enter the burning house,
O'Hara proceeded to administer first
aid to Ms. Jones and then to her
son, Denoris, who had been res­
cued from the house but had stop­
ped breathing. With no thought in
mind other than saving the life of
the child, O'Hara spent the next
15 minutes desperately trying to re­
vive him.
Her efforts paid off.
Denoris
started to breath again and was
rushed to the hospital.
O'Hara, who is white, said she
never had second thoughts about
helping the Jones family. So, when
she received a telephone call from a
local news reporter who wanted to
talk about the subject of AIDS,
she was dumbfounded.
" It was an over-the-telephone
interview. This female reporter kept
saying to me, 'Since you didn't stop
to think about AIDS when this first
happened, and now that the sub­
ject has been brought up, what do
you think your actions in the future
A proud V irginia O'Hara show s the Red Cross lifesaving medal given
to her m other, Catherine. O'Hara perform ed m o u th -to -m o u th resus­
cita tio n on 7-m onth-old Denoris M cC lendon, saving his life.
Photos by Richard J. B row n
would be?'
I said, 'The same.'
That's how I am. I said, 'If I was
coming down a dark alley and found
an amnesiated adult, I might slow
down and think more, but I would
still help,' " she said.
When O'Hara read about herself
in the newspaper, she found mis­
quotes. But what really angered her
was the suggestion that it might be
alright to help small children ir. time
of trouble, but not unhealthy-look­
ing adults.
"I look unhealthy once a m onth,"
she explained. "W hen I get a cold,
I look unhealthy. I don't want the
public to think that they shouldn't
help someone just because he or
she looks unhealthy. Anyone who
has stopped breathing looks un­
healthy. . I really feel mad that the
media substituted their words for
mine. They made it appear that I
had said I wouldn't help an unheal­
thy-looking person if I had to do the
same thing again. Sure, this time
around I would be more cautious of
things like bleeding, but I would still
give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Now there is no evidence that you
can get AIDS from mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation.
"They just assumed that because
Andrea Jones was Black and I was
white that she gave me AIDS. It's
terrible because that is prejudice.
The reporter said they had been in
touch with the Fire Bureau, and
they said that 'you (O'Hara) were
concerned.' I was in such a shock,
i had notning on my mind but
coming home. I was halfway up the
alley to my house when a fireman
with a bottle of oeroxide said,
"Here is some peroxide." H ke
said it three times and suggested
that the Jones family didn't look all
that healthy," O'Hara explained.
"Later he said that the Fire Bureau
didn't really think the Jones family
had AIDS and not to worry about
it."
"T hey d id n 't tell the m other to
have her son checked because
I m ig h t have A ID S ." - O'Hara
"There was a Channel 2 editorial
that I have not seen but was inform­
ed about that went on and on about
the pros and cons of helping stran­
gers, and at the end the guy is sup­
posed to have said, "Isn't a shame
she has to be tested for AIDS."
Well, as a matter of fact, I don't
have to do anything but die and pay
taxes.
"I went to the hospital, not be­
cause I was concerned about AIDS,
but to visit the mother and to see
the little baby. They were real glad
to see me. The father thanked me.
He almost shook my hand out of its
socket. I asked him how the baby
was and he shouted, 'Look, he's
perfect, he's perfect.' He lifted up
the hospital sheet and there was the
baby all bright-eyed and happy."
On Friday, January 15, O'Hara
was recognized as a heroine. She
also received an American Red
Cross Lifesaving award.
Ms. Andrea Jones and her 18-
month-old son, Jalani, remain in
serious condition at Emanuel Hospi­
tal & Health Center. Another son,
114-year-old Maurice, died in the
fire. Ms. Jones needs surgery to
repair nerve damage to her arm, and
Jalani needs skin grafts.
Seven-month-old Denoris Mc­
Clendon was released from the hos­
pital last week and is now living
with his grandmother.
O'Hara doesn't regret helping the
Jones family but feels that the uncle
of Denoris didn't receive the recog­
nition he deserves.
"A t the scene, and then again in
the paper, an article said that the
uncle could be cited, too. He broke
the bedroom window and got the
baby out. Where was he on awards
day? His name wasn't even men­
tioned on any of the television sta­
tions.
He was totally forgotten
about. He was there. He was as
active as I was. I would have never
been able to resuscitate his nephew
if he hadn't gotten the baby out of
the burning house," O'Hara said.
OregonReportCard : A BlackPerspective
by Nyewusi Askari
In the first paragraph of his Oregon Comeback Plan, Governor Neil Gold­
schmidt says, "The Oregon Comeback is a business plan - an agenda for
action — for our state. It is a new approach to creating work and opportu­
nities for Oregonians, transforming traditional values into actions that pro­
duce lasting investment in Oregon's future."
In the first paragraph of his "Portland Safer City Plan," Mayor Bud Clark
says, "Crime is a community problem. It can be solved by the entire commu­
nity working together to pool and coordinate resources. Citizens, busi­
nesses police and virtually every agency of government can contribute by
making Portland a safer city. The key strategy to achieving this goal is: iden­
tification of problems; allocation of resources in a coordinated assault; and
a working partnership between citizens and police.
Good sounding stuff, especially in light of Portland's high crime rate
and Oregon's need to get back on its feet economically. However, neither
plan illustrates an understanding of the specific problems Black Oregonians
face as they try to align themselves with the proposals. More importantly,
neither plan soundly illustrates that the City of Portland and the State of Ore­
gon know who its Black citizens are.
The Black Population
According to the 1980 census (the last time a count was taken), Ore­
gon's Black population counted in at 37,060. 27,734 (75%) of these Black
Oregonians lived in the Portland Metropolitan area, while 21,521 (58%) lived
in what is now known as District 18.
When we look at the median age of Black Oregonians, we find it to e
24.4 years for the State of Oregon and 24.9 years for the City of Portland^
Statewide, the Black male population numbered 19,136 while the Black
female population numbered 17,924. In the City of Portland, there were
13,594 Black males and 14,140 Black females.
Black Oregonians constitute a young, employable, educable population.
However, because of a depressed Oregon economy, the lack of educational
and job opportunities and distinct patterns of racism, many of these young
Black Oregonians are not in the workplace. They are not in school. They
are in a lot of places they shouldn't be.
When the 1980 census was taken, there were 12,102 (33%) Black Ore
gonians receiving public assistance, social security income, or both. Of this
number, 4,166 were children under the age of 16. From age 16 to age 21,
1,439 were receiving assistance.
Statewide, there were a total of 8,440 Black families. 6,518 of t iese
families lived in the Portland metropolitan area while 4,955 lived in District 18.
Black C o m m u n ity P rofile
The largest population of Black Oregonians live in the Inner Northeast
community of Portland. These Blacks find themselves living in a community
that is predominately white (55%). with 1% American Indian. 2% Asian,
4% other' with Blacks representing 38% of the community population.
In all other communities in the Portland Metropolitan area. Black peo­
ple represent only 1% to 6% of the total population in their neighborhoods.
Perceptions
Based on the media's portrayal of Blacks in the areas of crime, one is
easily led to believe that Blacks are committing the majority of Portland
crimes. Local television stations never fail to grab the opportunity to show
criminal profiles of Black people while newscasters talk about the crime pro­
blem. Our data paints a different picture.
As of November 1, 1987, white inmates constituted 79.4% of Oregon s
prison population as compared to 13.3% Black, 2.9% Indian, 4.2% Hispanic,
1.2% Oriental and 3.6% 'other'. Out of a total number of 6,065 inmates,
4,695 were white, 785 were Black, 146 were Indian, 248 were Hispanic, 7
were Oriental and 21 were classified as others.
At Oregon State Penitentiary, Black inmates numbered 470 while Black
female inmates totaled 75. At Oregon's state training facilities, young Black
males numbered 71 while young Black females numbered 11. The average
age of the Black male inmate is roughly estimated to be 24 years.
According to Police Bureau data, a record 70 homicides were committed
in Portland in 1987. Of this number, 15 (21%) were Black, 37 (53%) were
white, 9 were Hispanic, 5 were Asian, and 4 were American Indian. Police
data reports that 22 of the murders were committed by acquaintances, 11
were committed by strangers, 10 were committed by a relative, 5 were com­
mitted by boy/girlfriends and 4 were committed by the police. Twenty-seven
of the victims were shot, 19 were stabbed, 14 were beaten, 5 were strangled,
and 3 were beaten and stabbed. Twenty-five of the murders occurred be­
cause of an argument/dispute, 9 of the killings occurred during a robbery, 4
were classified as drug-related, 4 as police self-defense, 2 as negligence,
2 as murder/suicide. and 1 each from raDe and arson.
Oregon is experiencing the winds of change. These changes are occur­
ring in every corner of the State. Black Oregonians are and will contribute
greatly, however, the direction in which these winds will blow is going to de­
pend on how well both the Mayor and the Governor construct, implement,
and enforce programs that will contribute to the economic, educational and
social advancement of its Black citizens.
As of yet, we haven't heard the Governor express how his government
is going to deal with the issue of racism in Oregon. We have not heard the
City Council of Portland nor the Multnomah County Commissioners state
their position. We have not heard from business or educational institutions
on how they intend to help motivate, employ or inspire Black youth beyond
their present condition.
Much remains to be done. The question Black Oregonians are asking
is: "Is Oregon willing, capable and ready to do its part?
N ext w eek: Black Oregonians express their views on the Governor’s
Comeback Plan.
Eric Barmach IR). son o f Ju dy (C) and Neal B arm ack. sits at the key­
board o f the co m p ute r the fa m ily donated to the Saturday School. The
co m p u te r w ill m ake the adm inistratio n o f the Saturday School a lo t
easier, said A ngelyn Irving, a representative o f the Black United Front
Education C om m ittee.
Photo by Richard J. B row n
Last year, 140 countries commemorated Martin Luther King, Jr. On the
African continent alone, 45 states observed the King holiday in 1987. In
some places, the celebrations far surpassed those of the United States,
which has been less-than-unanimous in its support of the federal holiday.
Last w eek in our "S a turda y
School Report Card’ , The
Portland Observer m isidenti-
fied Aisha Irving as h e '.
The 12-year-old Miss Irving
is a 7th grader at M cLough-
lin Ju n io r High School in
M ilw a u kie , Oregon, w ith a
4.0 GPA. Miss Irving w ants
to be a teacher.
Photo by Richard J. Brown
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