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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 8, 1989)
Page 5 Portland Observer JUNE 8,1989 A BOOK REVIEW ALL THROUGH THE N I G H T : A Story Whose Tim e Has Come by Stephen E. McPherson, Special Correspondent F or the past nine years Joseph F ranklin, a Portland Public School teacher and inveterate lecturer on the contributions o f A frican Americans to our culture has worked late through the night and into the wee hours o f the m orning sorting out the docu mentation which would give the Riarir Am erican a proper place w ith regard to the development o f the Northwest. His most recent endeavor focuses on the area o f Spokane, Washington. I t is very fittin g that we re-exam ine the contributions A frican A m e ri cans made to the development o f the N orth w e st This is true not only since 1989 marks the centennial year fo r the S tate o f Washington but espe- c ia lly fo r the fact that had not George Washington Bush, an African Am eri can, laid claim to territory in Puget Sound, that niche o f our country would now be a part o f Canada. T w o para doxes are embedded in that facet o f history. M r. Bush was forced to es tablish a claim in what is now the State o f Washington because both the T erritory and State o f Oregon proscribed citizenship and the ow n ership o f property to A frican A m e ri cans. A t the same tim e Canada never had a history o f involuntary servi tude. It is often too frequent that the tre mendous unselfish contributions Black Africans and their descendants have made to the development o f the western w orld obscure and suppress the real story. In recent years schol ars have made a serious attempt to document such intentional oversights. In many cases the oral tradition o f A frica n people has documented the record w ith such cla rity that at least some facets o f our tremendous pro pensity to overcome extreme adver sity emerges in our creation o f whole nations and entire cultures. M r. F ra n klin ’s approach is not the usual compilation o f dales and places. In many instances he has gone back to the very source to share w ith us an eyewitness account o f what really happened in the past but also to recall some o f the rich oral history o f our forebears many generations removed. One impressive recollection is that o f M rs. M arjorie Boyd W ellington. Even though she was an excellent student in high school and went on to distinguish herself in the fie ld o f education at what is now Eastern Washington U niversity, Mrs. W e ll ington was not permitted to teach that subject in the Slate o f W ashing ton because she was Black. Another example is that o f M iss Helen Dundee who earned degrees in music and in education after dis tinguishing herself in those endeav ors at Washington State College. It was she who first broke the color bar rier by being appointed to the Spokane public schools. Black Americans also pursued pro fessions outside the usual stereotypic tract. For example the B u ffa lo Hump M in in g Company was made up o f African American entrepreneurs who mined a number o f successful gold claims. A number o f very important news papers were published in the Spokane area, among them the Forum was established by this w rite r’s father more than one h a lf century ago. “ A L L TH R O U G H T H E N IG H T: The History o f Spokane Black Ameri cans, 1860-1940” is a very im por tant contribution to our understand ing o f the innumerable legacies Black people have given to our society. Joseph Franklin, its author, w ill be discussing this m ajor piece o f A f rican Am ericana on Saturday, June 10th from 2-5 pm at the Y W C A Olocated at 5630 M artin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. (formerly Union Ave.). This event should be quite exciting since the author w ill be autographing cop ies o f his new book.. Alberta Street Festival Scheduled “ A lberta Street Festival, N.E. 16th to 19th streets on A lberta Street, Sat urday, July 8th, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Food, Entertainment and Art. Contact: Royal Esquire C lub, Com m unity Service Dept. 288-8569.” Club Opening Under New Managment JEANETTE FEGAN Day Care 606 N.E. Fremont 287-5656 by Dan Bell Catrell Blockson successful res- tauranteur has ju s t opened N iecey’ s Restaurant and Lounge (form erly M a ry ’ s Place) on Union at Jarrett. The C lub now features a fa m ily food form at w ith veteran & popular cook M avis Smith, and live entertainment on weekends. To celebrate the Restaurant and Lounge’s grand opening there w ill be an inform al bar-b-que in the park ing lo t Saturday June 18, 1989. M r. Blockson say’s that drinks from the bar w ill be discounted up to 50%, w ith $.50 beers available. N icey’ s fills a void in the fa m ily dinning arena that has been existing since the close o f M a ry ’s Place last summer. The grand opening is an opportu nity fo r the com m unity to show sup port fo r such an establishm ent Hours 6:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Enroll now for Summer and Eall Infant thru S years (before and after school) Summer Program Kindergarten Swimming Field Trips Computers b all Program Pre-School & Kindergarten Reading Readiness Number Concepts Social Studies Music & Drama Ai ls & ( rails Back to Basics and of Los ing ( ’arc Hot Lunch l icensed bs l be Stale of Oregon S la lf qualified teachers S upport O ur Advertisers! Say You Saw It In The PortlandObserver! Johnny Mathis Stellar performer Johnny Mathis w ill appear in Portland, June 11, at the Civic auditorium. Mathis has been recording for approximately 33 years. He has recorded such memorable hits as “ W onderful, W o n de rfu l” . “ Chances A re ” , " T o o M uch,Too L ittle , too Late” ,and many others. Know n fo r his artistry, fine m usi cianship, and pow erful, lyricism , he brings a wealth o f talent and experi ence to the stage. He has more than 50 G old and Platinum albums and singles from his domestic and international sates. Mathis tours year round, giving live concerts in such diverse places as London, New Y o rk, M onte Carlo, Mexico, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Portland Oregon. Niecey’s Restaurant & Lounge 5700 NE Union 248-1893 Now open Featuring Mr C’s Bar-B-Que hours 6:00am-2:00am Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner By Marie Wide Selection of Beverages in our comfortable lounge Come get acquainted and enjoy Safeway is in your Neighborhood to Stay Ad Prices Effective 6/7 Thru 6/13/89 B eef Blade Chuck Steak Or Roast... Your Choice. Two delicious grain-fed beef cuts for a delicious meal for your family. Both have our famous ’/«-inch trim. Fix your favorite way for a family dinner. 2-Pound Tillamook Cheese Choose from 2-Lb. Tillamook Medium Cheddar, Monterey Jack or Tillamook Colby Baby Loaf. Produced right here in the Coastal Tillamook Valley. A selection of quality cheese that is very versatile in so many recipes. Half Gallon Ice Cream Snow Star Brand. Choose Vanilla, Chocolate. Neapolitan or Special Flavor. Half Gallon. Delicious!