March 23, 1988, Portland Observer. Page 5
Service With a Global Perspective
Last weekend, State Repre
s e n ta tiv e M a rg a re t C a rte r
presented an arousing, timely
and stim ulating speech before
the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
in Portland. History recognizes
the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
as the first Sorority to be laun
ched by African-American wo
men in this country (1908).
We are honored to share ex
cerpts from Representative Car
ter’s speech with our readers.
Also, to the Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, we say, ‘‘Thanks for a
job well done, and may your suc
cess continue forever.”
Beginnings
The founding of this great
organization came about as a re
sult of a lack of service, a lack of
economic stim ulation and chan
ging conditions in Black Ameri
ca. Our early activists saw a need
to address what appeared to be a
common thought in American
life in 1908, and that thought was
the futu re of Am erica as a
democracy lay in the power of in
dividual action, where each in
dividual, in face-to-face contact,
assumed responsibility for him
self and was not concerned
about those who seemed less
fortunate.
It as the goal of Alpha Kappa
Alpha then, and it’s our goal to
day. However, I think we as a na
tion, a Black nation of people,
that is, have become too happy,
too prosperous and consequent
ly complacent. Hence our refo
cusing on a more global level.
That is why I think it is important
for each of us to spend some time
on such se lf-e va lu a tio n , be
cause, we, as a society, and
Blacks as a race in that society,
nave reached an ambiguous pla
teau in our evolution.
When this organization was
young, the membership had to
struggle daily and very personal
ly w ith the difficulties, inconve
niences, injustices and some
tim es outright horrors of a soci
ety com m itted to the privileges
of one race and the suppression
of all others. Thankfully, we can
accurately say today that much
progress and improvement has
been made since those days in
our organization. But problems
still e x is t. . .
Dangers
The very success of those
earlierefforts has created its own
dilemma. Our success in winning
opportunities for employment,
for use of public accomodation,
for political participation, for
education, has created both a
blessing and a danger for the
Black community. The blessing
is that we are now closer than
ever before to a situation in
which an individual will go as far
in this country as their skills,
desires, and abilities can take
them, with a little mixed in. But,
the danger we face is that too
often those skills and desires
now take all too many of us away
from the Black community; take
us away from the roots of our
struggle and com mitm ent; take
us away frm the tradition of ser
vice to others less fortunate than
we may be.
It is easy for many here to
remember when that was not a
problem: to remember earlier
periods when we as individual
and as a race had no choice in
that matter. Then, regardless of
our economic resources, our em
ployment or position; regardless
of our personal qualities, we
were all “ colored’ or “ negro to
our face and “ nigger” behind our
backs — sometime to our faces
as well. Because of legal segre
gation, prior discrim ination and
on-going Jim Crow traditions,
whether we liked it or not, we had
to function within the context of
the Black community.
Now our problem in the partial
success of all our efforts overthe
years is that our progress en
dangers the future potential for
progress we must still make. It is
now possible for economically-
abled Blacks to live and work and
contribute in other places than
the Black community, and many
do. And, that’s fine. It's what we
have fought for. But, it is also a
loss to those who have not yet
been able to gain the privilege
and com fort of that reality and
who increasingly are being left
behind to struggle w ithout the
benefit and talent of those who
have gone on.
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What can correct this dilem
ma? I am confident the answer
lies in a return to that concept of
self-sacrifice and service that for
so long was at the center of our
social and personal behavior. We
can work where we want, live
where we want, and do all that we
want, so long as we don’t forget
that we are here because of the
sacrifices and efforts of those
who sent before us. And because
that is true, we have a responsi
bility to give some of it back to
our com munity no matter how
high on the corporate ladder we
clim b or how far into the suburbs
we drive before we reach home.
We, as an organization and as
individuals, need rejuvenation in
the service tradition. What does
that mean? The strict dictionary
definition suggests a return to
youth. Who can argue with that
idea? We need rejuvenation in
the sense of a simple need to
periodically remind ourselves of
what we are seeking in life and
society — to renew our com m it
ment to that quest for humanity
and justice.
Developing a Global Perspective
But as we renew and recommit
and rejuvenate our tradition of
unselfish service, we must also
know and acknowledge that the
world we live in today is much
smaller than ever before. Our sys
tems of transportation, of com
munication, and, unfortunately,
our vast capacity for near instant
self-destruction as a species,
have made the world of today tru
ly a global com munity where the
interests and the actions of each
nation truly affect all others. Be
cause of that, our notion of ser
vice now has to be a global con
cept of responsibility. The issue
then isnotw hetherw ecollective-
ly and individually have a respon
sib ility to provide moral and ethi
cal service around the world —
we clearly and certainly do — the
question is how we must go
about doing it.
Black Genealogy: Tracing
Your Roots
North Portland Library Auditor
ium, 512 N. Killingsworth, Sat.,
March 26,1988,10:30-noon. Free.
MRS. C’s
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$18.50 & up
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BULK H U M A N HAIR
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A Mon. O F IM Too*. th n i t a t . 11:30 AM to 6 :00 PM
Na’im Hasan: “ On the Yellow
Brick Road to Seoul”
Modern Dance
Performance Workshop
IFCC, 5340 N. Interstate, 243-
7930 Mondays, March 27-May 9,
6-9 pm. Taught by Oregon Dance
Consort resident choreographer
Judith Catterall. Tuition: $40.
Home Security Class
U n iv e rs ity Park C o m m u n ity
Center, 9009 N. Foss Ave., Mon.,
March 28, 7-9 pm.
Spring Tennis Lessons
Portland Parks and Recreation at
Portland Tennis Center, 324 NE
12th. Adult and Youth. Lessons
begin March 28th. Call PTC at 233-
5959 for info.
Scientific Contributions of
the Dogon People of Africa
A.S.K. OMSI ‘Scientific Crew’
club presents as historical pre
sentation on the scientific contri
butions to astronomy by the
Dogon people of Africa. March 29,
Tues., 7-8 pm, Kendall Planetar
ium, OMSI, 4015 SW Canyon Rd.
Free.
History of the Blues Course
PCC, Cascade Campus, 705 N.
K illin g s w o rth , Cascade Hall,
Room B35, 7-9 p.m., Starting
March 31. Tuition $22.50.
Starting Business Workshop
PCC, Cascade Campus, 705 N.
K illin g s w o rth , Jackson Hall,
Room 202, Sat., April 2, 9am to 4
pm. Tuition $15. Info: 244-6111
ext. 5205.
NBA — Mall Tour
in Portland
“ NBA . . . America’s Game on
the
Road” , one of the most inno
If we must seek to change the
vative and multi-faceted exhibits
nature of our involvement in the
to hit the country, will be visiting
global community, we first need
Portland on Friday, March 25,
to change the nature of our own
through Sunday, March 27, at
society. That is always a d ifficu lt
Clackamas Town Center Mall,
task, but this great opportunity is
1200 SE 82nd Ave., Portland,
present in th e fo rm o f acampaign
Oregon. Throughout the nation
for President that would have
wide tour, m illions of fans w ill be
been unheard of as recently as 10
able to share the excitement and
years ago. You should all know I
skills of the NBA and its stars
mean the campaign of Rev. Jesse
through a m ultitude of hands-on
Jackson for President.
exhibits. These exhibits include
The old-fashioned p o litico s
a free throw shooting contest at
were laughing as recently as a
the Jeep/Eagle Super Shot Chal
month ago, declaring that Rev.
lenge, a test of eye-hand coor
Jackson had no chance to win;
dination in the All-State Good
that the country, beyond his fana
Hands Booth, viewing past slam-
tical Black followers, was not
dunk championships at the Gato
ready to take seriously a Black
rade Slam-Dunk Theater, a race in
candidate for President. Has
lacing up Converse sneakers dur
their tone changed? They are
ing the Converse Lace-Up Chal
now all quaking in their boots
lenge and many more action-
that not only does he look elec
filled displays.
table, he looks more electable
The exhibit, which is produced
than anybody else in sight. If you
by
Shopping Center Network, a
want to be of service to the global
Miami-based
firm, w ill visit 40 d if
community, serve yourself first.
ferent
shopping
malls on two
Help elect Jesse Jackson to lead
con-current
tours
from January
this country. He'll lead it in the
through June. Each of the NBA s
right direction.
current 23 franchise markets as
I had breakfast with a friend the
other day who made an observa well as the expansion cities
(Miami, Charlotte, Orlando, and
tion about our meals which can
provide an appropriate conclu Minneaplois) are included on the
tour.
sion to my remarks on our global
Special Note: Trailblazer Sam
responsibilities We were having
Bowie
w ill be appearing at the
ham and eggs. She said, “ You
C
lackam
as Town C enter on
know, social action is kind of like
Saturday,
March 26 from 12-2
this breakfast, both the chicken
and the pig were involved in mak p.m.
ing it possible. The chicken made
Cont. from Page 2
an important contribution, but
ting
feature
is
the
organized bru
the pig was entirely com m itted.”
tality of beast in human form.
Their lot, poor Caucasians and
Blacks, from cradle to grave, in
a b je c t poverty, e n fo rce d il
literacy and social abuse. Blacks
Maintaining a moderate weight may
are the least unleashed in sim ilar
reduce your risk of heart attack
situations in Hitler Germany, is
evident on ali sides.
Poor
B la c k s
d ie d
fo r
something on Heartbreak Ridge,
in Korea, that they couldn’t vote
for when they returned to "N ig
ger Hating” America. Despite the
urgency of America's aspirations
to promote peace . . . there is —
on balance — little com pelling
evidence that so-called Christian
£ £ American Heart
caucasoid America itself is able
Association
. . . to advance human understan
in Oregon
ding significiantly w ithin its own
212, S W Broadway Portland. OR 9720,
boundaries.
Making Changes Happen
El Mina —
Closed tu n
Sports
Solutions
Edited by Nyewusi Askari
You or r
CALENDAR
No gain.No pain.
Ali Muhamad (L) proudly admires medals and awards won by Na im Hasan.
Hasan started in the martial arts under Muhamad.
by Fred Hembry
This article w ill be one in a
series on athletes in our city and
community who excell on and off
the field of com petition in quest
for the 1988 Summer Olympic
games in Seoul, Korea, and other
national and international con
tests in their respective sports.
My subject for this week is Na
'im Hasan (Ni-eem Hau-saun).
Na ’im is a martial artist who
has accomplished many of the
tasks required to seriously be
considered fro the 1988 United
States Olympic Tae Kwon Do
team.
Tae Kwon Do is a form of mar
tial art which utilizes hand and
arm block, punching and kicking.
This style is Korean in origin;
much parallel to the Japanese art
of Karate.
N a’im has studied his art since
his junior year in high school. He
began training under coach Ali
Muhamad and is now coached by
Tae Hong Choi of Portland.
"I got started in martial arts out
of boredom from the routine of
three sports,” he says. Na ’im
played football, basketball and
ran track for Grant High School.
As he progressed, Na im natural
ly turned to the com petition as
pect of his sport.
Compete he has. In 1979, he
began his upward spiral. That
year he took a bronze medal at
the National AAU Champion
ships in Dayton, Ohio; in 1980, he
placed 1st at the National Open
Tae Kwon Do Championship; and
in 1982 and 1983 he won the
Northwest Regional Champion
ships. Each year since, Hasan
has seen nothing but bronze,
silver, or gold in each national
com petition he has entered —
from the U.S. Sports Festival
(1985-gold; 1986-silver: 1-87
gold) to the National Champion
ships (1084-gold; 1985-bronze
1987-gold).
He attributes this amazing i
of success to hours of dilligence
and hard work in the gym and o
the road, running up
> n:
day.
In addition to his athietic talent
over the years, he att; in d ■ A.
sociate of Arts degree in Bus
ness Adm inistration from M‘
Hood Community Cc nge
years la te r he re ce ive -
Bachelor of Science degree n
the same field from Por
State Univer. sty. I
-
.
in hisfieid by aPorua.iu
e
firm.
Na 'im has his sights dead set
on an Olympic bid this season.
He is ranked number one in hi-,
middle-weight division
The road to gold w ill De to u g -
he w ill have nine tights 'us
son to determine who w ill t<A • i
to Seoul. Transportation to tne-
events w ill be d iffic u lt as ^e.
Tae Kwon Do w ill be the secoe
m artial art introduced since
Judo. With it being a new event,
sponsorship is d iffic u lt and
funds for equipment and travel
will have to be generated by Na
’im. Aftor he makes the U.S.
squad, funding w ili then be pro
vided by the U.S. Olympic Com
mittee.
For
those
reasons,
his
achievements are quite impres
sive. It takes determination tar
beyond that of everyday people
orthe ‘common sport' athletes to
achieve the elite status that
Hasan has.
We at The Portland Observer
wish you the best fortune on your
route to the number one place on
the Olympic stand.
Identity &
Survival
by J.M. Gates, MBA
We must be building —
building
with
positive
bricks of life. There has to
be on-going, constructive
action, if progress is to
prevail.
This involves a
responsible reach for ideals
and values, a responsiblity
which lifts.
We do not
achieve good health or good
building by a program of the
bad; a perspective of the
good is necessary. There
fore, for sources of strength
or strengths of suvival,
there must be: something of
merit to believe in; some
thing of merit to hope for
and a solid record of really
try in g w ith p e r s is te n t
follow-through.
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