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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1989)
V -. > -4 * «• February 9, 1989 • Portland Observer ♦ Page 3 Business Community Questions Salzman Defection Minority Business Enterprise in Oregon (Continued From Front Page) over cases in which as practicing lawyers, they had absolutely no ex perience. In such instances the legal acumen of a brilliant law clerk to gether with their personal biases come into play. Such a condition creates a great potential for usurpation. For anyone to suggest even ob tusely that women, minorities and es pecially Blacks have not been dis criminated against in the construction industry is an argument so specious that one cannot take it very seriously. The record speaks for itself in an ac cumulation of convincing statistics. The projected goal for women in the Multnomah County business enter prise was a paltry two per cent. The Mattson Company relying solely upon what it calls a “ good faith effort” was successful in finding less than one per cent certifiable women to fulfill their contract obligation. With such results it is little wonder that the County affirmative action program sought to make the bidding process more re sponsive to the obvious gender and ethnic gap. Such de facto discrimina tion against the affected groups should have been obvious to any fairminded person. The Oregon Department of Trans- portation frequently publishes statis tics that are very telling. In a recent issue of the American Contractor Ronault Catalani, former EEO and Minority Business Enterprise Con tract manager reported a healthy increase in the number of women subcontractors. However,, just be low that in a small box the sad reality is documented. There are no Black female subcontractors. The white female counterpart has captured a hefty 80% of the female share. Statistics can be very deceiving. The tabu lator who finds one person in a particular category can report legiti mately a 200% increase if a second person is added before a second count. A more accurate method to report such data is to indicate how closely a count in a particular cate gory reflects the demographics of the population in general. Another nagging problem is to devise an appropriate method which would more accurately identify the six ethnic subgroups. In general this has not been difficult where most Blacks are concerned. But with Hispanics the surname alone does not separate those of European origin from others who came from the Caribbean basin. The matter of identifying an American Indian lineage even without docu mentation is so characterized on demand. Just as in any other govern mental assistance program the po tential for abuse compromises the deserving affected party. The governor has convened a group of experts in the field to address the improvement of the business pro gram for the disadvantaged in light of the devastating effect the Redden decision together with the Richmond ruling might have on the state of Oregon. In the interim, it will be inter esting to observe how the elected officials who make the laws in the legislature respond to this challenge. JUSTICE JUANITA KIDD STOUT: A CAREER OF FIRSTS-Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Juanita Kidd Stout is the first Black woman to serve on a state supreme court, reports the February Ebony. Justice Stout, who also made history 30 years ago as the first Black woman elected a U.S. judge, surpassed her childhood aspiration of be coming a lawyer and continues to achieve. She credits her late husband, Dr. Otis Stout for much of her success, recalling that he selflessly put his aspiring young wife through law school using his Gl education benefits. At age 69, Justice Stout now marks 29 years on the bench, and has emerged as one of the most respected judges in the country. She holds over 100 of her profession’s most pres tigious awards, plus nine honorary degrees, Includ ing the Justice of the Year Award by the National As sociation of Women Judge,s which she received this year. (Photo courtesy of Ebony) (Continued From Front Page) Why does Peter Salzman run? Only he really knows. If he truly feels un safe on Union Avenue, there are many of his business associates, including Warner Salzman, who do not share that view. If Peter Salzman harbors a hidden agenda, perhaps he will per mit the people who laid the ground work for his success to take a peak after he moves to Wilsonville. 1864-1943 Or. George Washington Carver • M r>: M S.'!; .? **• : £ ... • Born a slave, worked his way through Iowa State College at Ames. • Headed agricultural research at Tuskegee. A. > i av . » • Produced 118 uses of the sweet potato. • Received many medals and honors. ». .• . . • Taught South to diversify crops, growing peanuts and sweet potatoes to enrich the soil. Discovered 300 substances derived from peanuts. Courtesy of Tuskegee Institute Bequeathed his life earnings to the Carver Foundation. TRI-MET We're here to get you there POPULAR SONGSTRESS ANITA BAKER chats about her career and personal life with host Deborah Crable at a posh Washington, D.C., restaurant. NE SPECTRUM THE THIRD IN A SERIES OF FOUR SPECIALS S K ^B âânoN of fclliC ÈllH lSTO K ïl^ MONTH Join Host Bruce Broussard, publisher o f the American Contractor and Guests: Lena Garcia Seabold, State Advocate for Women and Minorities; Jack Karlinoski, General Manager of Oregon’s Associated General Contractors; Alvin Batiste, President of the National Association of Minority Contractors; Audrey Castile, Oregon Women Construction Owners and Executives; and Ray Phelps, Director of Finance and Administration for the Metropolitan Service Division convened in a searching discussion of women and minority business enterprises, and the effect o f their participation in Oregon’s multi-million dollar subcontracting business. Co-Hosts: Kevin Headen, Daily Journal of Commerce and Stephen E. McPherson, The Portland Observer » .i. " Larry J <1 • I - ' . \ . . . . • * ■ ... < .