Page 7 Portland Observer April 13,1989
A PROGRAM AIMED AT
KEEPING OREGON’S
NEEDY CITIZENS WARM
NEXT WINTER
is gelling a head start this spring.
A “ Hals Off io Volunteers” event
will kick off the Retired Senior Volunteer
“ Cover Up” , Wednesday, April 12, at
Noon at Pioneer Square in Portland.
Senior volunteers from Multnomah,
Clackamas, Washington, Columbia an
Marion counties will be honored with a
symbolic “ hats o f f ’ salute from local
officials.
The “ Cover Up” may sound like a
scam but it is actually a recruitment for
volunteers to donate yarn and to knit or
crochet hats that will be distributed to
needy people before the cold weather
strikes.
Representatives from the five local
Retired Senior Volunteer Program
(RSVP) offices are co-sponsoring the
“ Cover Up” along with PGE in the
five-county metropolitan area. RSVP
is a nonprofit, community-based program
designed to recruit, refer, and support
elderly volunteers who serve public and
private agencies.
“ W e’re happy to be joining forces
with RSVP to helppreventhypothermia
for those people who are at the greatest
risk,” says Sharon McCamey, PGE
Consumer Assistance Representative.
The success of the “ Cover Up”
depends on recruiting enough volunteers
to make hats for the needy, says Debra
Hemminger, Director, Clackamas
County RSVP.
“ The RSVP groups are excited to
take the age-old crafts of knitting and
crocheting and having volunteers create
new, warm winter caps for low-income,
hom eless, disabled, and elderly
Oregonians,” Hemminger says.
At the “ Hats off to Volunteers Program” ,
Randy Oliver, Regional Manager, PGE
Community Relations, will present a
$40 check to start up the “ Cover Up”
cash fund. RSVP’s goal is to recruit
more than 20 new volunteers and produce
some 300 hats.
Citizens who are interested in making
a donation to the “ Cover U p" may
deposit yam in barrels at PGE local
customer service offices beginning in
late April, or contact the local RSVP
office for the closest drop site.
The following are a list of RSVP
offices and phone numbers.
Clackamas County - 821 Main
Street, Oregon City; 655-8862,
Debra Hemminger RSVP Director
Burnside, Portland; 228-7787 Trink
Easterday, RSVP Director
Columbia County; 397-5655
Marion Countv - 491 N. 3rd Street,
Woodburn 982-5256
Washington County - 245 SE 2nd,
Hillsboro; 648-6646
IRS EXPANDING
TELEPHONE
HOURS FOR TAX
ASSISTANCE
Oregonian’s needing assistance in
preparing their federal income tax returns
will benefit from an increase in hours of
walk-in service and toll-free telephone
assistance. Starting January 7lh, IRS in
Oregon will also provide Saturday
telephone tax help.
The new telephone hours, which will
continue through the April 17th filing
deadline, arc: Monday through Thursday,
7:00am to 5:45pm; Friday, 7:00am to
4:45pm; and Saturday, 9:00am to
1:00pm. To obtain this service, taxpayers
residing in Portland metropolitan area
should call 22-3960. Those elsewhere
in Oregon should call toll-free 1-800-
424-1040.
Information calls are subject to
supervisor and quality review monitoring
to ensure courteous and accurate
assistance. During periods of peak
demand for telephone assistance, you
may encounter busy signals when trying
to call. Generally, demand is lower
early in the morning and later in the
week so you may want to call at those
times.
Telephone assistance for the hearing
impaired who have access to TV/
telephone—TTY—equipment operates
from 5:00am to 3:45pm PST, weekdays.
The TTY toll-free telephone number is
1-800-428-4732.
Tax problems and questions can be
handled by telephone easily by calling
conveniently from your home or oft ice.
Although IRS assistors are also available
at four centrally located IRS offices to
answer a variety of individual income
tax questions, the agency cautioned that
the number of people seeking assistance
may cause long waiting time during
PORTLAND OBSERVER
"The Eyes and Ears ot the Community
288-0033
CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES A
BARRIER
BETWEEN
BLACK AND
WHITE CO­
WORKERS NAFE
FOCUS GROUP
FINDS
participant.
In addition, the participants fell that
in order to be successful in business
they had to possess exceptional inner
strength and project a confident, calm
and cool image. “ You have to have an
iron hand in a velvet glove,” said a
participant. “ You have to be firm,
while being fair and just.”
As one women noted in the Executive
Female article, “ The problem with being
low key is that whites will usually indict
you for filling an affirmative action
quota. If you tend to be the least bit
assertive, they’ll accuse you of being
arrogant. So, while most whites are
worrying about getting the job done,
Lack of understanding of cultural
blacks carry the extra burden of trying
differences, stereotyping and lack of
to figure out how they’re going to walk
trust and are the major obstacles to
this line. It’s a daily stress.”
developing personal and professional
Distrust Makes Communication
relationships between black and white
D
if f ic u lt
executives, according to the results of a
The groups also discussed the
series of recent focus groups sponsored
difficulty
many blacks have trusting
by the National Association for Female
Executives (NAFE). As the largest and whites or any black person who is
fastest-growing business women’s considered part of the establishment,
organization in the country, NAFE presenting a real barrier for blacks. In
assembled the group to gain insight into order to facilitate their advancement in
the problems that black women face in business, the focus group members
the workplace, according to NAFE’s stressed the importance of eliciting
National Director, Wendy Reid Crisp. feedback and constructive criticism from
Additional information was obtained the people around them. Overall, the
through a study conducted by Executive participants felt that whiles were more
Female M agazine, the official likely to evoke feedback, both positive
and negative, and handle it better than
publication for the organization.
The participants consisted of two blacks. The focus group participants
¡eparate groups representing the agreed that many blacks fear criticism
Northeast and the Midwest. The New and have difficulty determining whether
fork group consisted of twelve executive it is objective or race-related.
The group also expressed concern
vomcn representing the media, financial
»ervices, education advertising, and that once blacks feel that they have
mtreprcncurs. In Columbus, Ohio there “ arrived” , they begin to believe that
One
jvere fourteen executive women they are beyond criticism.
«presenting the media, education, participant said, “ A lot of black people
’overnment administration, law and don’t want to be criticized. They want
to be black. They don’t want to be
Tanking.
good, they don’t want to be better, they
Negative Stereotyping
According to one participant, most white want to be black. And sometimes this is
a negative. We have a lot of problems
vomen have a very stereotypical view
we’re not willing to allow white people
af black women’s lives. “ I think they
to get close to, so we pretend everything
think that we all com e from
is fine, and we are cool, and we are
disadvantaged backgrounds,” said the
not.”
participant. “ When I tell some people
On the other hand, the focus group
that I attended a certain type of school
members felt that white people can be
and did graduate work they arc surprised uncomfortable and insensitive about
and amazed.”
Another participant providing constructive criticism to black
agreed by saying, “ In a professional
co-workers because they know so little
setting, I think white women are confused about black culture. ‘ ‘Whites are taking
by us. I think the perception they have
a risk when they do give feedback,
is that black women are welfare mothers.
because they arc often moving into a
Obviously, this is not the case.’ ’ Another territory that is unfamiliar to them,” a
group participant added, “ I think the
participant said. It was felt that white
main barrier is ignorance. We know
people’s reluctance to give appropriate
much more about white people than
feedback could be attributed to their
they will ever know about us.”
fears, prejudice or ignorance.
Losing Identity to Get Ahead
Nvhvvrkiim Past the Barrier
Sheryl Y. George, a small-business
ronsultant who was part of the Executive
Female study, thinks being accepted by
,vhite co-workers at any level is one of
Mack women’s biggest hurdles. “ As a
general rule, white people have a
tendency to be less tolerant ol
Jiffcrcnces,” she commented. “ And
by saying that differences connote
inferiority, it makes them teel more
comfortable.”
According to the group, black women
feel they must whitewash themselves.
Many blacks arc confronted with a
conflicting cultural choice - whether
to live as blacks or whites. “ There arc
many varying philosophies and attitudes
in the black community and black culture
which create a lot of obstacles for black
people,” said a participant. “ If you
live your life to become a while person,
then that is going to give you a different
life to become a white person, then that
is going to give you a different life
philosophy than if you are out here to
achieve for ‘the group.’ I can tell when
I meet someone if they are living to
become Michael Jackson. It’s one of
those things that you don’t have to have
plastic surgery in order for me to know
that you don’t like being black.”
As black women advance in business,
the focus group women said, they have
to be aware of its impact on the black
community. “ To ignore the black
community could cause feelings of
isolation and alienation,” said one
The participants agreed that
opportunities to meet white women in a
non -threatening context could be found
through networking organizations. “ In
this kind of situation, you arc, in fact,
meeting as peers rather than meeting
where you are competing on the job.”
said one group member. “ Il can be a
good opportunity for you to relax on
both sides and for things to happen.”
With almost 200,000 NAFE members
across the country, the NAFE-sponsored
focus group is just one of many programs
which provide career guidance to women.
“ As a women’s organization with 15
years of experience in addressing issues
concerning women in the workplace,
NAFE’s intent is that all women work
together for career achievement and
financial independence,” says Mary
Tcrzclla, editor of Executive Female
Magazine. “ By addressing the issue of
race relations on a personal and
professional level, we hope to reach a
greater understanding of the cultural
differences between blacks and whites
in order to strengthen the networking
possibilities among all women.”
NAFE, which offers a variety of
benefits and services to its members,
has established over 500 networking
groups around the country which provide
information and professional contacts
for its members.
NAFE is located at 127 W. 24th
Street, New York, NY 10011; 212/645-
0770.
NABA
The National Association of Black
eountants is co-sponsoring a Volunteer
;omc Tax Assistance (VITA) site with
; Internal Revenue Service. This
□gram is designed to give free
sistancc to the elderly and low income
(payers in preparing their 1988 income
x returns. The site will be held at the
ing Facility located at 4815 NE7th. It
ill begin on Tuesday, February 7,1989
id will be held each Tuesday night
,m 6:30pm to 8:30pm through April
, 1989. For appointments, please call
c King Facility at 280-5835 between
):00am and 3:(X)pm. Drop-ins arc
clcomc.
THE DYNAMIC EFFECT OF
RAISING THE EXEMPTION
In reality, concerns about revenue
losses are vastly overstated. Little faith
should be pul in “ static revenue
estimates because they do not incorporate
any change in economic incentives for
work, saving, or investment. In essence,
these models assume that the economy
would be no more productive or robust
following the tax cut than before. Such
static assumptions were shown to be
erroneous in 1981, when they predicted
that lax cuts would trigger an economic
slowdown and a sharp reduction in tax
revenue. They arc just as unrealistic
when used to assess the impact of an
increase in the exemption.
*.*>•%*
FOUNDERS DAY
CELEBRATES 108TH
SPELMAN COLLEGE
Walking a Fine Line
SpeIman College, the nation’ s oldest
private liberal arts college for Black
women, marks its 108th anniversary
with a week-long celebration April 1-
11 in Atlanta.
This year’s theme of “ Leadership
Through Service" brings Spelman’s
students, alumnae, faculty and staff
together with the community for an
array of events which include:
FOUNDERS DAY CONVOCATION
WITH DR, AUDREY F, MANLEY, a
1955 graduate, who is Director of the
National Health Service Corps and the
first Black woman to be named Assistant
Surgeon General. Dr. Manley, also the
former first lady of Spelman, will address
the College community on Tuesday,
April 11 at 10:00 am in Sisters Chapel.
DAME NITA BARROW. Permanent
Representative of Barbados to the United
Nations, and internationally respected
advocate for world peace and justice,
will receive an honorary doctoral degree
at the Convocation for her outstanding
achievements and contributions to human
rights and progress.
FOUNDERS SPIRIT AWARD. The
presentation of the third annual Founders
Spirit Award for outstanding and selfless
dedication and service to Spelman
College will be presented to Dr. Mary
O. Brookins Ross, a 1928 graduate who
chaired last year’s record-breaking
Alumnae Fundraising Campaign. Dr.
Ross, once described by president Jimmy
Carter as “ one of the finest women
leaders in the world’ ’ is President of the
Women’s Convention Auxiliary to the
National Baptist Convention, the largest
organized group of Black women in the
BLAZERS AND
AVIA SELECT
“EDUCATOR OF
THE YEAR”
their Spring Tour, displaying the vocal
and instrumental talent that has won
them rave reviews. Tuesday. April 11
at 2:00 pm on the campus oval.
“ Leadership Through Service is the
very hallmark of Spelman College,’’
says Pearline Adamson Davis, Director
of Alumnae Affairs and Chair of the
Founders Day Committee. “ We are so
very pleased that our own Dr. Audrey
Manley will be returning to Spelman to
share her experiences, and we are proud
to be honoring Dame Nila Barrow for
her vision, commitment and untiring
advocacy. O f course, we are delighted
to be presenting Dr. Mary O. Brookins
Ross with the Founders Spirit Award as
a symbol of our profound appreciation
for her incredible leadership over the
years.”
Spelman College was founded in
1881 in the basement of Friendship
Baptist Church by Harriet E. Giles and
Sophia B. Packard, two New England
abolitionists who were committed to
providing educational opportunities for
Black women. Over the years, Spelman
has become noted for its high academic
standards, and the leadership and
achievements of its students and alumnae.
In 1987, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole became
the first Black woman to serve as
President of the College.
Last year, Spelman was named as
one of the nation’s top colleges in iLSx
News & World Report magazine’s annual
college survey. Spelman is one o f six
institutions which comprise the Atlanta
University Center complex, the largest
consortium of historically Black colleges
in the world.
world. The award will be made at the
Convocation.
THE THIRD TRIENNIAL GLEE CLUB
REUNION CONCERT. A musical
journey down memory lane featuring
seven works composed especially for
the Glee Club. These works include
“ Lord, Thou Hast Been Our Dwelling
Place* and “ Guide My Feet’ by Willis
L. James; “ Psalm 100” by Robert
Donahue; “ Psalm 148" by Ralph
Simpson; “ Alleluia” by Spelman
C om poser-in-R esidence
Alvin
Singleton; and an arrangement of
“ Gonna Ride Up in the Chariot” by
Spelman Music Professor Dr. Joyce F.
Johnson. Special tribute will be paid to
Glee Club Director and Music
Department Chair Dr. Roland L. Allison,
who has served on the faculty for 21
years.
THE OPENING OF TWO ART
EXHIBITS
Opening Sunday, April 9 at 4:00 pm
-STUDENT ARTISTS - A variety
of paintings, drawings, sculptures
and mixed media by students in the
Spelman studio classes will be
exhibited in the Rockefeller Fine
Arts Building through March 29.
. “ SUCCESS COMES IN CANS,
NOT CANT’S - Illustrations by
Deborah Roberts, a Dallas-based artist
who explores current social issues
and urban life in her artworks, will
be exhibited in the Living Learning
Center through May 20. The opening
is Sunday, April 9 at 4:00 pm.
SPELMAN JA7Z ENSEMBLE IN
CONCERT -- The renowned Spelman
Jazz Ensemble, recently returned from
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Fantasy Unlimited Enterprises presents
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Community Talent Search Competition
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AT THE
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.3 \ E s q u ir e
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4
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1708 N.E. Alberta St.
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Enter to win! win! win!
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S ta rtin g S u n d ay , APRIL 2 n d , 8:00 p.m .
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S in g e rs
D a n c e rs
M o d els
B ands
Lip S y n c A rtists
C o m e d ia n s
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Call 287-5145 or 282-8449 for Information
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.»Si
£>«
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Cash Prizes
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Your M C 't:
Master Tee & Dr. Rock
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Tony
Ken Covington
Sibley
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Members & Guests
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PERMANENT AS THE PYRAMID
S.E. 14th Ave. at Bybee Blvd.
INDOOR CEMETERY — FUNERAL HOME — CREMATORIUM
Stnlng Tltt EnUrt Portto od A m Sinet 190,
CALL: 236-4141
M ayereta P en to n
B e fo re need F u n e r a l A r r a n g e m e n t P la n s
w ilh S ervice to an A r e a C em eteries
clip and mail to:
Portland M em orial, Inc.
P.O. Box 82069
Portland, OR 97282-0069
Ethnic Cuisine
Southern Style
HOUSE SPECIALTIES
_ What arc the advantages of making arrangements in advance?
C h itterlin g s • M eatloaf
Mix G re e n s • B eef S tew
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_ I would like a "Family Planing Guide" at no charge.
How much docs Cemetery Property cost?
Including.
Cleo’s
NAME.
Z esty R ibs In S a u c e
HOME-COOKED DESERTS —
ADDRESS.
Come See 'Luberta'
For Down Home Cook in'!
CITY.
PHONE.
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etc
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THE PORTLAND MEMORIAL, INC.
for
N o rth /N o rth e a st A reas
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3041 N. Williams
284-7150
» I f
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Cleo’s Cafe
f s .. ... »
f e ’
te tó
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New R ep resen tativ e
MEMBERS
lÿ
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Vickie Bruner, a fifth grade teacher
atC arus Elementary School in Oregon
City, has been selected “ Educator of
the Year’ ’ by the Portland Trail Blazers
and AVIA Athletic Footwear.
Selection, according to Wally Scales,
vice president-special events for the
Blazers, was based on involvement in
the Blazer/AVIA Scholastic Improve­
ment Concepts (BASIC) program and
other school activities. Teachers from
more than 700 schools throughout
Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas,
Yamhill and Columbia Counties in
Oregon and Clark County in Washington
were considered for this award.
At the classroom level, Bruner has
actively involved her students in all
three segments of the BASIC program
since its inception in 1984. For the last
two years, she has served on the program
planning committee as the volunteer
representative of the Portland Council
International Reading Association.
“ Vickie has devoted hundreds of
hours to the BASIC program. She has
guided our efforts to make the program
consistently better and helped to ensure
that classroom
m aterials are
appropriate,” says Scales. “ She has
also coordinated the grading session for
the “ Write-On” essay competition. It
would be an understatement to say that
we feel she exemplifies an above average
involvement in the education process
and a strong commitment to youth
education.
“ We feel it especially appropriate to
give Vickie special recognition as
“ Educator of the Year for 1988-89,”
notes Scales. “ She will pass on her
BASIC program planning committee
responsibilities to another volunteer at
the end of this school year and assume
new duties as president-elect of the
Portland Council International Reading
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STATE
ZIP