February 3, 1988, Portland Observer, Page 5
Affirmative Action In Oregon
by Ian MacCrae
When it comes to affirmative ac
tion, accomplishments are usually
' measured in terms of the numbers
i of minorities hired. But sometimes
the commitment of a leader to an
ideal is measured less by numbers
, than by the degree to which his
convictions carry over to those
. around him. Does Gov. Neil Gold
schmidt have that kind of commit-
, ment to affirmative action? If Ore
gon's director of affirmative action
, is to be believed, the answer is a
. resounding yes.
Kathleen Saadat became affirma-
. tive action director of Oregon in
July 1987 after serving as execu
tive director of the Oregon Commis
sion on Black Affairs since 1986. In
' an interview with The Portland
Observer, Saadat, along with Greg
’ Kantor, the governor's communica
tions director, and Ruth Dodson,
assistant to the Governor for exe-
’ cutive appointments, stressed their
belief that this governor is strongly
committed to fairness in hiring prac
tices. "I do feel the (influence of]
the leadership of the governor.
There's no doubt in my mind [that
he is committed to affirmative ac
tion.! When I go places around
the state, I can feel that influence
. . . even in the state Forestry De
partment and State Police, both of
which have historically been resis
tant to the hiring of minorities and
women . . . I've been really happy
with the response I’ve gotten from
these agencies," Saadat said.
Kantor said one sign of the gover
nor's commitment to equality is his
concern over the recent events in
Roseburg,
where
Grant
High
School athletes were subjected to
racial slurs. Goldschmidt's own ex
perience has convinced him that the
problem of racism is not a serious
one throughout the state, Kantor
said.
Saadat added that threats b«
racist organizations like the Aryan
Nations to "move into the state
are being taken seriously, and that
"positive approaches" are under
consideration to counter such
treats. One approach would be to
create a commission of public rela
tions to promote Oregon as a state
which takes pride in its racial, reli
gious and ethnic diversity, she said,
noting that Lincoln County has al
ready taken a step in that direction
by declaring itself a "colorful coun
ty.”
The picture for minorities in state
government is one of both problems
and progress, according to Dodson
and Saadat. Employment statistics
reveal slight improvements in most
categories of minorities from 1986
to 1987. The number of Blacks
employed in state agencies, for ex
ample, rose from 513 in 1986 to 587
in 1987.
Of employees on the governor's
own staff, nine percent are minori
ties and 87 percent are women, a
fact which has led to expressions of
concern that Goldschmidt may be
overlooking male minorities.
But
Dodson said the Governor "picked
the best people he could find.”
Those people just happened to be
women.
When it comes to appointments
to commissions, Dodson said ef
forts to improve minority represen
tation — which now stands at 10
percent — are not limited to pub
licity in the Black community. She
is also in the process of creating a
pool of persons who have been re
commended by others for appoint
ment, she said. Improving public
awareness of the 2,000-odd boards
and commissions in Oregon is cen
tral to getting more minority partici
CALENDAR
pation, however.
In response to a question about
whether appointments reflected
community views on the best pos
sible candidates for appointment,
Saadat responded that appoint
ments are made from a pool of peo
ple willing to serve on a voluntary
basis. Geographic requirements are
also a factor in making appoint
ments to statewide boards, she
said. Again, many people in the
Biack community "aren't aware of
what boards and commissions do.
I do know that this office works
hard [to find qualified minorities],"
she said.
As for hiring practices in state
government, Saadat said the goal is
not simply for government em
ployees to reflect the percentage of
minorities in the general population.
"The problem is more complicated
than that," she said. "You could
fill the system up with people on the
bottom [of the pay scale] . . . " Ac
cordingly, she said, she is looking at
ways to improve the distribution of
minorities at higher levels of govern
ment.
Saadat said the position of affir
mative action director under Gold
schmidt "has been defined differ
ently than in the past. The ap
proach is systemic as opposed to
just counting numbers, receiving
complains and matching jobs to ap
plicants . . . ”
The impact of
testing on the hiring of minority
applicants is one of the systemic
factors Saadat is now looking into.
Saadat stressed the importance
of changing the system now to give
people better access to jobs in
government, saying, "if your next
governor doesn't have the same
kind of commitment [to affirmative
action], you won't have the system
in place."
Parents: Is Your Child Going to Kindergarten Next Year?
N ow is the time to begin the kin
dergarten
enrollment
at your
neighborhood school.
Here are a few things for you to
do between now and the end of
February:
V -‘
• Obtain a copy o f the Kindergar-
ten Handbook for parents by call
ing PPS Public Information De
partment at 249-3304.
Identify the school where your
child will attend kindergarten.
Make an appointment to visit the
principal at the school where you
would like your child to attend.
Make an appointment to visit the
kindergarten classroom where
you think your child will attend
a
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HOURS: M-F 7AM-7PM
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Expires March 31,1988
Dr Edward L Ward
HOW YOU CAN G O TO
VO-TECH SCHOOL WITH MORE
THAN JUST ENTHUSIASM.
If Vocational-Technical school is in your future
you ought to check out the G.I Bill Plus the Army
College Fund Because with it, you
can earn money to help pay for your
education. Up to $25,200, if you
qualify and enlist. Here’s how...
First you contribute to your edu
cation—$100 per month for the first
full 12 months of your enlistment.
Then the government contributes up
to $9,600. That’s the G. 1 Bill With
the Army College Fund, you can
add up to $14,400 more! Adding up
to as much as $25,200, by the end
of your four years, toward addi
tional technical training at an
accredited \b-Tech school.
O f course, exactly how much
you earn will depend upon how long you serve and
which specialty you qualify and enlist for.
That’s not had. Money for Vo-
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the Army’s high-tech training while
you serve.
And when you enlist, you’ll get
more out of the deal than just money’
You’ll learn self-reliance, discipline
and be in the best physical shape of
your life You’ll also get the chance to
travel and meet new people.
If you’d like to learn more about
the G.I. Bill Plus the Armv College
Fund.visit vour local Armv Recruiter
or call toll free, 1-800-USA-ARMY
ARMY.
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223-0583
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EXAM, BITE-WING X-RAYS,
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PORTLAND OBSERVER
AEW PATIENT SPECIAL
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pKk up «our nng.nih »nd deh««
Feb 2-29: John Henry Nichols
Art Exhibits - Noted black artist
from Hawaii will be featured in free
exhibit as part of Black Heritage
Month activities. College Center.
Viewing hours 7:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Monday through Thursday, 7:30
a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Fridays and 8 a.m. -
5 p.m. Saturdays. FREE. Call 667-
7260.
Feb. 8-12 Black Heritage Week
Activities are planned throughout
the week, including speakers and
films, to address the issue of black
awareness. Main campus. Call 667-
7260.
Feb. 9 Reggae All-Stars Concert.
Popular four-piece band will give a
concert in the Vista Dining Center
as part of Black Heritage Week.
FREE. Call 667-7260.
Feb. 10 Lounge Concert. The
Cover Boys will give a one-hour
concert of Black funk music in the
College Center Fireplace Lounge.
Noon. FREE. Call 667-7210.
I
WEAVING HAIR
$18.50 & up
Yai cu, r
705 N. Killingsworth. 283 2541.
Portland Community College is
proud to share in the 1988 obser
vance of Afro-American history.
Friday, Feb. 5 — Dr. Brenda
Lockett, Admin. Assit., Oregon Em
ployment Division, DHR, "A ccul
turation and Assimilation", 12:00-
1:00p.m., CH B44.
M onday, Feb. 8 — Leon Harris,
Manager, Portland Observer News
paper, "The Black Press", 12:00-
1:00 p.m., CH B43.
Tuesday, Feb. 9 — Charlot*c
Easley, "P op" Vocalist and Pianist,
12:00-1:00 p.m., Cafeteria
Wednesday, Feb. 10 — The
Honorable Mercedes Deiz, Judge,
Circuit Court, Multnomah County,
12:00-1:00 p.m., Jackson Hall, 201.
Thursday, Feb. 11 — Goldie
Irby,
Vocalist,
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Auditorium.
Friday, Feb. 12 — Sharon M it
chell, Anchorperson,
KGW-TV,
Channel 8, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.,
PB2.
C o m m unity College M onth
at M o u n t Hood Com m . College
The Tax Man Cometh -
And So Does Free Help
M att Dishman Community
Center. 77 NE Knott. Program be
gins mid-February. Call 282-1460
for information & appaointment.
Ockley
Green
Community
School. 6031 N. Montana. Pro
gram begins mid-February. Call
280 5663 for information & appoint
ment.
Peninsula Park Community
Center. 6400 N. Albina. Assistance
from trained AARP volunteers.
Tuesdays and Thursday, 2-1
through 4-15, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Call 285-4222 to make a half-hour
appointment.
University Park Community
Center. 9009 N. Foss. For low in
come, senior, or handicapped citi
zens. Presented by AARP Wed
nesdays, 2-3 through 4-13, 10 am
to 2 pm. Walk-ins welcome, or
call 289-2414 for an appointment.
Have a Heart —
Kids' Valentine Parties
Let your children mark Valen
tine's Day with party activities de
signed just for them. Portland Parks
and Recreation offers several chan
ces to celebrate.
Sw eetheart's Valentine Party,
Peninsula Park Community Center,
6400 N. Albina. Bring your favorite
stuffed animal or doll and join in on
heartfelt crafts, treats, and games.
Wear red, white, or pink. Ages 3-5.
Wednesday, February 10, 3:30 to
4:30 p.m. The fee is $2.50.
"P rison M in is try S em inar"
Christian ministry to prisoners,
ex-offenders, and their families, will
be the focus of the "Prison Mini
stry Seminar" on Saturday, Feb
ruary 6, at Allen Temple C.M.E.
Church, 4214 N.E. 8th, Portland.
This timely seminar will meet
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is
sponsored by the North Portland
Bible College. Registration is $15,
including lunch; advance registra
tion before February 3 is $10. Call
NPBC at 288-2919 tor further infor
mation.
school.
MRS. C ’s
W IGS
9300
A lbina Branch Library
Celebrates Grand Re-Opening
A celebration to mark the re
opening of the newly refurbished
Albina Branch Library will be held
from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday,
February 6. Gladys McCoy, chair
person of the Multnomah County
Board of Commissioners, will be the
featured speaker. She will also pre
side over a cake cutting ceremony.
The celebration will also feature
the mandoline music of Ken Culver
and the keyboard music of Denny
Osborne. The New Rag Bag Thea
ter will present "Silly Stories for
All Ages."
"A fric a R evisted" Slide Lecture
Ronna Neuenschwander will pre
sent "Africa Revisted" — a slide
lecture and gallery talk — S atur
day, February 6th at 11 a.m. in
The Lawrence Gallery, 842 S W .
First Avenue, Portland, OR 97204.
Gallery hours are Monday through
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
T ransportation Training
Basic training for neighborhood
volunteers
on
Transportation:
Streets, Traffic, Parking & Mainten
ance, Thursday, Feb. 11, 6:45 p.m.,
Portland Building, Room C, 1120
SW 5th. Come meet staff from the
Bureau of Transportation who will
explain what the bureau does and
why. Learn how to get action on
neighborhood need requests. Em
phasis will be on transportation
planning, traffic management, park
ing and street maintenance.
A rt M useum Presents "C lay
Revisions: Plate Cup, Vase"
The Portland Art Museum pre
sents "Clay Revisions: Plate, Cup,
Vase February 10 through A pril 3.
Vicki Halper, Curator of the exhibi
tion and Assistant Curator of Mo
dern Art at the Seattle Art Museum
will give a slide lecture of February
9 from 7-8 p.m. An opening recep
tion for Oregon Art Institute memb-
bers will follow from 8-10 p.m.
Volunteer O rientation
N.E. Elderly need you. Volunteer
for transportation, visiting, chores,
weatherization, respite or escort.
Project Linkage Volunteer Orienta
tion: Feb. 10, 7:30-9:00, 249-8215
Black H istory M o n th at PCC
February 1-26, 1988
Cascade Campus
Off Killingsworth
on 72 4 75 Bus Unes
Greeting Cards & Gift Certificates A More
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