Page 6 Portland Observer SEPTEMBER 28,1989
Perspectives
Daily Journal of Commerce and
American Contractor in joint venture
IReorinted with permission from
the Daily Journal o f Commerce}
by McKinley Burt
T od ay’s article w ill end the cur
rent series on education. Next week,
October 5, the Portland Observer w ill
feature M in o r ity Business and Eco
nom ic D evelopm ent in the N orth
east com m unity.
From reader response we gather
that few were aware o f the very early
on apprehensions concerning the qual
tty o f instruction in the Portland School
D istrict(1 9 6 0 ’ sand 1970’ sprotests).
Fewer yet were aware o f poorly-
supported attempts to bring legal
actions as a remedy to an intolerable
situation, vis a vis last w eek's de
scription o f the successful Hobson
vs b oa rd o f E d u ca tio n suit fled in
W ashing to n , D.C. On the other hand,
many had lavish praise fo r such al
ternative education institutions as the
B la ck E ducation C e n te r, a group
that has sign ifican tly and positively
affected the local educational proc
ess.
I fo llo w on here some notes ab
stracted from an essay I am prepar
ing fo r an education journal.There is
no particular organization here, just
items the reader may fin d o f interest.
A basic truth that has been fo rc i
b ly brought to m y attention is th a t,
alm ost w ith o u t exception, an urban
school reflects the leadership role
furnished by the p rin c ip a l. This ap
plies to the learning process as w ell
as to the d isciplinary mode. I found
this to be true not o nly in Portland,
but in most o f the many scores o f ele
mentary and high schools I visited
across the country during the 1970’ s
and early 1980’ s. Where schools are
seen to range from exemplenary
models to absolute disasters, one
always finds leadership or a lack o f
it to be the fulcrum upon w hich the
process turns.
I am reminded here o f the tim e
when I was active in the area o f
A ffirm a tiv e A c tio n , both as a u ni
versity instructor in the fie ld and as
an activist. W ith many a ffirm a tive
action officers in m y classes-from
both the public and private sectors. 1
soon learned that the level o f im
plementation in these institutions de
pended almost entirely upon the com
m itm ent o f those in charge (as w ith a
school principal), effective leader
ship is the key. Further reinforce
ment to this opinion has come through
m y interaction w ith that group o f
educators selected as the to p tw e nty
five p rin c ip a ls in the n a tio n (The
Partners in Excellence organization
initiated by Ron Herndon).
I w ould also make the p oint that
despite frequent critica l analysis and
evaluations, I am not unaware o f the
social and econom ic changes that
have occured in the urban population
since W o rld W ar II. T ru ly , teacher/
pupil/parent interaction has ofttim es
become a traumatic experience
( “ combat pay’ ’ .armed guards). But
the problem is here and we have to
deal w ith it-effectively-there is no
choice. And as I have revealed here
the past weeks, there is really no
dea rth
of
p ro ven
w o rk in g
models,methodologies or community
know how. The o nly question is, w ill
it be used, and is there leadership?
The Am erican Contractor news
paper w ill jo in the D aily Journal o f
Commerce and the local Associated
General Contractors chapter’s News
Update next week to expand its reach
to disadvantaged businesses and prime
contractors across the state.
Bruce Broussard, publisher o f the
Am erican Contractor, said the news
paper hoped to be a vehicle to focus
attention on m in o rity - and women-
owned businesses.
* ‘There is a need, and there’s a cry
a cry from those prime contractors
and agencies out there asking, ‘where
are the m in o rity and women subcon
tractors who can perform on the job,” ’
Broussard said. “ O ur plan is to com
municate with these people. And we’re
going to o ffe r the private sector a
chance to communicate w ith the
women- and m inority-ow ned busi
nesses out there.”
The newspaper w ill be published
each M onday beginning Oct. 2.
Content w ill include information about
disadvantaged businesses, jo b leads
and articles on ways to im prove work
and business fo r small companies in
both construction and the general
m arket
Broussard and his w ife, Norma,
who is co-publisher and editor, w ill
operate the news paper. It w ill be
published by the D aily Journal o f
Commerce and distributed as pan o f
the DJC’ s regular M onday8 edition.
Bruce and Norma Broussard have
published the Am erican Contractor
each month since 1983. The paper
focuses on issues affecting m inority-
and women-owned businesses.
Norma Broussard said the first
issue was scheduled to be published
during the year’ s M in o rity Develop
ment Week, a program geared to
ward disadvantaged businesses.
“ T his relationship is appropnate
because o f the focus o f that week and
the focus o f the newspaper,” she
said.
The Am erican Contractor joins
the Oregon-Colum bia chapter o f
A G C ’ s News Update, in the Monday
Edition o f th8eDJC. The A G C news
section has been published in the
D aily Journal o f Commerce fo r more
than a year.
Broussard said the Am erican
Contractor, The D aily Journal o f
Commerce and the AGC News Update
w ould be mailed in one package to
each disadvantaged and emerging
small business certified through the
governor’s O ffice o f M in o rity and
Women A ffairs. It also w ill be sent
to prime contractors, legislators and
public agencies, he said.
M in o rity- and women-owned
businesses must be certified as dis
advantage business enterprises to com
& ii'a
B e a u t y S a l o n
.om bard w
&
B E A U T Y S U P P L IE S
231 N. Lombard
Suite 200
Portland, OR 97217
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Community citizens
counterattack criminals
Hundreds of N.E. residents have banded together to return
their neighborhoods to the community. City votes to establish
Fahtah type Umoja Houses in Portland.
pete fo r federal and state highway
projects contracts. Legislators adopted
the “ emerging small business" con
cept this year as a race and gender-
By Etienne de la Plume
neutral d efinition to avoid legal chal
The com m unity rescue squad
lenges to subcontracting set-aside
programs fo r m inorities and women. showed o ff its muscle yesterday w ith
a litan y o f the coordinated efforts so
Broussard said the newspaper far implemented in order to regain
w ould target those businesses that control o f the streets and abandoned
traditionally subscribe to trade pub homes that slow ly had become occu
lications. Through the D aily Journal pied by a crim inal element over the
o f Commerce the disadvantaged firms last several years.
w ill fin d inform ation about construc
Part o f that e ffo rt was to adhere to
tion, banking, finance and bonding, strict code enforcement established
he said.
within the building department Com
missioner D ick Bogle indicated that
The A G C News Update also pro during the last weeks the Bureau o f
vides a weekly lis t o f jobs that m in or Buildings had surveyed more than
ity - and women-owned firm s can fo l 1,000 buildings. In one particular
low fo r leads, Broussard said.
area that contained about250 houses,
four had been found to be abandoned
“ We take pride th8at the AG C and dangerous. O f these, tw o were
chapter has given us this opportunity already boarded up to prevent occu
to be a part o f the package,” he said. pancy another was vacant and s till
“ W e hope to stand up to that respon another was fire damaged. Arrange
s ib ility .
ments have been made to demolish
these structures under guidelines
provided for dangerous buildings. Ad
E D . Note M r . and M rs . B ro u s
d itio n a lly 14 houses were cited for
sard are A fric a n A m e rican s. I t is
serious violation o f the building code
possible th a t th is h is to ric union is
and given the amount o f tim e pro
the fir s t in the U n ite d States w here
vided by law to make corrections.
a m in o rity owned business has en
M in o r violations were found in 50
tered in to such a jo in t venture w ith
other homes w hich were also cited,
a m a jo r fin a n c ia l news m edium .
36 o f these infractions were related
T he New O bserver salutes its fe l
to outward appearance such as paint
low c o m p a trio t!
ing and general maintenance. Four
teen other homes were cited fo r n u i
sance Violations.
It was also indicated that the state
legislature has allocated $14,000 to
the neighborhood associations in the
low er Northeast. This e ffo rt would
provide seed money to establish at
least tw o U m oja Houses by Mrs.
Falaka Fahtah. M rs. Fahtah visited
Portland last year at which tim e she
acquainted the Northeast com m unity
and c ity o fficia ls w ith her 21 year
success in dealing w ith ex-chemical
abusers through the several residen
tial halfw ay houses she had founded
in the Philadelphia. M rs. Fahtah was
perceptive enough to recognize the
many differences between problems
here in the C ity o f Roses and those
that she had overcome in the C ity o f
B rotherly Love. The " U n it y ” house
she w ill establish in the Portland area
w ill be tailored specifically to ad
dress the unique parochial needs o f
the targeted population.
Additionally the juvenile court has
identified and augmented ways in
w hich it can service youths at risk.
T he ir efforts are being supplemented
by the Youth Gang Task Force and
Outreach groups w hich help local
lay residents to recognize drug houses,
assist landlords in screening and
evicting tenants w ho u tilize their
property for illegal purposes. A group
o f com m unity volunteers have been
trained to promote the entire thrust o f
the rescue plan by going from door to
door w ith in the affected enclaves to
inform the vast number o f law abid
ing citizens about the existence o f a
coordinated e ffo rt to rescue besieged
neighborhoods and to return them to
a state o f tran qu ility once enjoyed by
everyone. A fu l, report w ill be made
to the com m unity in an open meeting
which w ill be held in the K in g Neigh
borhood F acility at 7pm, Thursday,
September 28,1989. A t that tim e the
hundreds o f people involved in making
this e ffo rt a success w ill not only
review what already has been ac
complished, but w ill also take sug
gestions and questions from the gen
eral public.
Peggy Sumner
(503)289-0205
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Portland Marathon
by Danny Bell
T he 18th a n n ua l Portland Mara
thon was dominated by tw o in d iv id
ual inexperienced runners in the men
and women divisions.
The w inner o f the M ens’ division
was Tusuguis Sadakata, 25 o f O ita
Japan.He was running in ju s t his
second marathon. The w inner o f the
wom ens’ d ivision was Debbie M yra
27 o f Beaverton, Oregon. M s. M yra
was a form er track and fie ld standout
at Portland State University. Sadakata
completed the race in 2 hours 18
minutes, and 45 seconds-52 seconds
o ff the record. M yra completed the
course in 2:44:09-three minutes ahead
o f her nearest com petitor, Heather
T olfo rd.
In addition, to the 26.2 m ile race,
the Portland Marathon sponsored
several other events in order to en
courage participation from a broader
segment o f athletes, and the health
conscious. Other events included the
26.2 m ile Sidewalk Marathon C hal
lenge, the fiv e m ile run, the five jn ile
M ayors W a lk, and the tw o m ile kids
fun run.
A pproxim ately 4,000 people par
ticipated in the marathon, which has
become among the top 15 marathon
runs in the country.
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