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!