January 5, 1989 • P ortland O bserver • Page 3 COMMUNITY FORUM------- P erspectives What To Read Part 1 of 2 Professor McKinley Burt No. 235017, Budge. Dwellers On the I wish to thank my many readers Nile. $6.95; No. 22548-8, White, for their support and comments this Ancient Egypt. $4.95; No. 23500-9, past year. You may rest assured that Carter, Discovery of Tutankhamen 1989 will bring a lot more information useful to students, teachers, parents $6.95. Be sure to write for a catalog from and the public at large. This article is Barnes and Noble Bookstore. 126 about sources for obtaining related Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10011. books and documentation of the African-Am erican experience. This is a very econom ical source for valuable books. Some you may wish First (smiles,) my book, Black to order im m ediately are No. Inventors of Am erica, may be ob 01482538, Ancient Centers of Eavp- tained at the Talking Drum Book store. 1634 N.E. Alberta (afternoons, tianC ivilization, $4.98; No. 1336445, The Leyden Papyrus (Ancient Afri Tues. through Sat.). Another prime can Medicine), $4.50; No. 01430552, source is the Looking Glass Book Queen of S heba. $5.98; No. store at 318 S.W. Taylor (excellent service and will promptly order for lure; $4.95; No. 1557545, Ram eses you any book not in stock) some titles IL $6.95; No. 1523877, Africa: Her given below. History. $1.00. Be sure to include LOOKING G LASS: Thor Heyer- $3.95 for shipping and insurance. dal. Kon Tiki (documents that African Now, if you really want to treat voyages in reed and papyrus boats yo u rs e lf-o r inspire a student in the or rafts enabled them to migrate all fa m ily-o rd e r one or all of this three- over the world in ancient times); Peter volume set from the same company Tompkins. Secrets of the Great Pyra mid. Harper pubs. (The best book on above: Ancient Egyptian Literature. the Great Pyramid, its history and $9.95 each.Vol. I, No. 1238625, Vol. m athem atics); Frank Snowden, II, No. 1238633, Vol. Ill 1238641. What a surprise for those of you who Blacks In Antiquity. Belnap/Harvard Press (Black history prof, at Howard thought that all that beautiful prose U. documents the Black presence in and poetry written by European au Greece and Rome); Bernal, Black thors throughout the centuries was original- in either style or content. Athena. Rutgers U. Press (Estab Here you will find the ancient African lishes African Roots of ancient clas basis for our classic poems, novels, sical civilization); Van Sertima, They plots for plays, and even for the par Came Before C olum bus. Random ables and declarations of many Bibi- House (Early Black cultures in the cal Prophets- a ll written thousands Americas). of years earlier. LOOKING G LA S S : Lewis, £gaL If you know a Black teenager Iron and Slaves. Greenwood Pubs. seeking a career in science or engi (Documents the use of skilled slaves neering, get these excellent m inor in the Colonial Iron Industry); Bar ity-oriented career guides for free: bara Sewell, Egypt Under the Phar What is like to be an Engineer, and aohs, Putnam-Sons; Zaslavsky, A t Take it from U s-Y o u can be an En rica Counts. Lawrence Hill & Co. gineer. Write, ‘Educational C om m u (Excellent survey of number systems, nications, General Electric Co., Fair- math and games developed by Afri field, CT 06431. cans). The following are ordered out Next week; Some more goodies, of th e ir‘Dover’ catalog: No. 22632-8, and how to read th e m ! Erman, Life in Ancient Egypt. $8.95; TTTTT7TTTTTÎT?TT T TT T T T T 7T T T T T T T ?T T T T T ?T T T 7T ?T Y IT r?T ÎT i3 Creed O f The Black Press The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from social and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless o f race, color, or creed, fu ll human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back. T he O ther S ide New Year Prayer by H arold Williams G o d we pray that love and peace will be with us this year. And that understanding will be the foundation on which we build the future toward greater generations. G o d our strength and power give us the will to look one another in the face and speak with truth and forgiveness. For we know you can give the wisdom that we need to overcome all danger. W e pray that this generation will find itself in time in order to become the guiding light for the next generation. W e pray that our youth will use education as the drug to attain higher learning. W e pray that the elderly will be protected and will not have to choose between heat and eat. Please God give fathers and mothers the strength to keep families together doing these trouble times. This we pray. yfappy year! Teace & Love Hospital & City Plead "Mea Culpa" by Stephen E. M cPherson Special Correspondent It would appear that those per sons who make the decisions that affect almost one half million people in the most livable City of Roses are finally taking notice of an affront that was perpetrated upon the largely Black inhabitants in the defunct Emanuel Hospital Center urban renewal proj ect almost two decades. In an appar ent act o, reconciliation, Sam G al braith of what is sometimes viewed as the gluttonous Portland Develop- ment Commission joined James R. Whiting of the Emanuel Hospital and Health Center, together with an offi cial from the Portland Housing au thority to determine what could be done to rectify an admitted injustice wrought more than two decades in the past. For more than one hour the pro tagonists who have often been viewed among the Black com m unity as the enemy candidly addressed the prob lems and the expectations each side had for the now defunct project. James R. Whiting, representing the hospital Confronting Racism: Art About Apartheid Blackfish Gallery is pleased to begin its Tenth Anniversary year with ‘Confronting Racism’, a compelling exhibit of works by Blackfish artists and by invited guest artists of re gional and national stature. The show runs January 4 through 28, 1989, with an opening reception Thursday, January 5, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. In conjunction with the exhibit of visual art, Blackfish will present two special events of outstanding interest to a wide audience: PANEL DISCUSSION ON RACISM AT HOME A N D IN SOUTH AFRICA T h u rsd a y, Ja n u a ry 12, 7:30 p.m . at th e G allery The panel moderator is Zaher Wahab, Professor of Education at Lewis and Clark College. Professor W ahab has also secured the partici pation of African-born political activ ist Basko Kante, plus M ackie Faye Hill, Director of Minority Affairs at Portland State University, and Ka- mau Anderson, a spokesperson for Portlanders Organized for South African Freedom. A rousing evening is guaranteed; admission is free, but seating is limited) AN EVENING OF LIVE PERFORM ANCES T hursday, Jan u a ry 19, 7:30 p.m. at the G allery Acclaimed actor Rick Jones will read from Athol Fugard's riveting play, Sizwe Bansi is Dead. And in addition, noted choreographer Carolyn Altman and her company have created a performance piece specifically for the exhibition space, and it will premier tonight. Tickets are available at Black fish for $3.00 in advance, $3.50 at the door. Seating is limited. Blackfish Gallery is wheelchair accessible and parking is plentiful. The address is 420 N.W. Ninth Ave nue, Portland, Oregon, 97209. Roland Harris: Sleeping Giant Of The Opera by Stephen E. McPherson, Special Coorespondent The Portland Opera Players will revive their embellishment of The Barber of Seville when their English version, Fioaro! Figaro!, opens Fri day, January 6th A T 8:00 P.M. in the Eastside Performance Center at 531 S.E. 14th here in Portland. Other performances will follow during the intervening weeks on Saturday nights and with Sunday matinees. This delightful version of Rossini’s very popular opera was written in collabo ration with Michael Berkson and Philip Kelsey, both of the Portland Opera staff. Of particular interest to the com munity is the fact that Roland Harris will be returning to the opera stage in the role of the infamous Dr. Bartolo. Mr. Harris is not only a native of the City of Roses, but also has sung with the “ Players" and on the main opera stage for a decade. Those who know Mr. Harris will be happy not only to enjoy his musical prowess but also will be delightfully surprised to ob serve his acting skills as an opera buffo. The characterization of Dr. Bartolo is completely alien to the gentle dignity Mr. Harris displays offstage. In that sense he probably is one of the sleeping giants who has not yet realized his full potential in the Portland Opera Company. For years he has languished anonymously in the opera chorus perhaps conjuring up the notion of seeing himself in a more challenging role com m ensu rate with his talents. Perhaps Dr. Bartolo is one such vehicle which could lead to a more significant expo sure. Mr. Harris is an enigma to the performing arts in that he lacks the ★ Speedy Service 25 Gals. $25.00 flamboyance that frequently identi fies such persons. Even though he stands well over six feet and even in a whisper projects a thunderlike bass- baritone voice whose tim bre rever berates off the w alls, he also projects the personality of a big teddy bear. Roland Harris is not new to opera, either. He first started performing in opera work shops some 20 years ago while pursuing the Bachelor of Music at the University of Oregon. He later earned the Master of Music at Eugene, also. His repertoire includes roles in La Bohêm e. Gianni Schicchi, Martha, The Barber..oi Seville. LaT raviataand LaFranciulla del W est. As if these credentials were not impressive enough, Mr. Harris has composed a number of pieces that were sung in concert and also orchestrated one of the popular hits that was performed at the Rose Festival Coronation in the late ‘70 s. The entire Harris family exudes musical talent. His grown son, Barry who now lives independently plays the trumpet. Seventeen year old Carla, a senior in high school, plays the flute in the marching band. His wife, De- lores, sings in the choir. Even though Figaro! Fioaro! will be sung in English, Mr. Harris has sung other roles in French, Italian and German. He prepares for each new role by sitting at his piano in the basement of the family home to play, sing, learn and tape record his role until it has been polished into a pro fessional quality. The young people in the Portland School District are quite fortunate to have such a teacher as Roland Harris, perhaps with his encouragement, other great talents will be discovered within the abun dant human resources of Portland. •st Cash Prices ★ admitted that the hospital never had either expertise or experience with the development of housing. He also admitted that in its initial concept of the plan, the Center anticipated that a new veterans hospital would be located on the urban renewal site. The suggestion was made that if the hospital center did indeed lack expertise in the area of housing de velopment and also had failed to per form over a period of 20 years, wouldnl it appear more logical to relinquish part of the land parcel and turn it over to a developer with demonstrated success in that area? He agreed that such an approach was had a definite attraction in the realm of what could be accomplished. The meeting which could be described as cautiously productive was held last night at the King Neighborhood Facility under the auspices of the Northeast Neighbor hood Coalition. The meeting was chaired by Ron Herndon, Chairman of the board with Charles Ford, direc tor of the facility and also a member of the board keeping the discussion in focus and extracting specific commitments from the each of the visiting agencies. The subject of the discussion was the how Emanuel Hospital and Health Center had displaced a large number of elderly persons, mostly Black, more than 15 years ago with the promise that more modern housing facilities would be constructed to replace them. This promise was left virtually unre alized. The vacant lots and boarded homes in the area are a constant reminder to the community of what some consider to be a fraud that was perpetrated against them. The problem resurfaced last summer when Kahlima Shamsud- din, a 14-year old Black girl, was shot in the head by a known gang m em ber. Many persons considered the callous treatment she received at the Emanuel Trauma Center underscored the typical attitude that facility dis played toward poor and especially Black people. The PORTLAND OBSERVER ran several stories on the subject and also did a special television program on that subject which led to a discussion of the now defunct Emanuel Hospital Center urban renewal project. In a later television program dur ing the mayoral election, this writer questioned both candidates about • Continued To Page 6 PDC PORTLAND DEVELOPMENT COM M ISSION Commission Meeting Date: January 11,1989 Place: The Portland Bldg., 11th Floor 1120 SW Fifth Avenue Portland, OR Time: 9:30 a.m. Commission meetings are open to the public. A complete agenda is available at PDC. Call 796-5300. PDC is the City of Portland's urban renewal and economic development agency. Israeli Embassy Tribute To Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Embassy of Israel in W ash ington, in cooperation with the Jew ish National Fund of America, will host their Fourth Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Janu ary 9 ,1 9 8 9 at 5:00 p.m. This year’s program and reception will commemo rate the 60th birthday of Dr. King. The ceremony will include a pres entation by the Jewish National Fund of the 1989 Civil Rights Award to two individuals whose distinguished serv ice to the Black community deserves special recognition: Althea Simmons, Director of the Washington, D.C. office of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and William Taylor, civil rights attorney and counsel for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. Congressman Floyd Flake (D-NY, 6th district), a member of the Bank ing Finance and Urban Affairs Com mittee and the House Select Com mittee on Hunger, and a recipient of many awards including the 1986 Ebony magazine Black American Achievement Award in Religion, will address the gathering with Israel's Ambassador Moshe Arad presiding over the ceremony. A spiritual and gospel perform ance will be given by the Metroaires of the Metropolitan African Method ist Episcopal (AME) Church of the îverend William P. DeVeaux, un ir the Direction of Daniel Hodge. Dr. King was, throughout his brief 3, a strong friend of the State of Israel. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Forest, the Jewish State’s living memorial to Dr. King now numbers over 10,000 trees. It is our sincere hope that our ceremony, now in its fourth year, will not only com m em o rate Dr. Kings life and his legacy to future generations but also serve as a celebration of the good will and unity of people and world over. For more information including coverage arrangements, please contact Yossi Gal, Press Counselor, Embassy of Israel at (202) 364-5538/ 9. Cleo’s Cafe 3041 N. Williams 284-7150 Ethnic Cuisine Southern Style HOUSE SPECIALTIES C h itte rlin g s • M eatloaf M ix Greens • Beef Stew C atfish • And Many O ther Southern Dishes Including: C leo’s Zesty Ribs In Sauce — HOME-COOKED DESERTS — Come See ‘Luberta’ For Down Home Cookin ’! MEMBERS & GUESTS Dr. M artin L. King, Jr. A finely-detailed porcelain portrait bust, by Olvero Height: 10 Inches Width: 8 Inches Ebony Color Weight: Including Solid Walnut base is 2 Lbs., 8 Ounces 50 Gals. DAD’S OIL SERVICELO 00 Heating Oils 104 N.E. R ussell St. Portland, OR 97212 (503) 282-51111 . $68.00 150 Gals. $102.00 This attractive porcelain is yours for only $75. Oliver Tracy, Box 14265, Portland, Oregon 97214 For more information please call (503) 235-0481