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!