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African American Festival 1990
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Volume XX, Number 19
"The Eyes and Ears o f The Community'
Will Science Bring Back The Sun —
Or Is This The Dawn Of A New Age?
by Prof. McKinley Burt
There was a time not too long ago
when many African Americans believed
that an economic and social era as bright
as the noon day sun had risen in the sky
as high as its solar counterpart. Was
there not to be immediate surcease from
the turmoil and strife of the frightening
fifties and sixties? Had not the “ Great
Society” Programs been launched--and
had not civil rights legislation of un­
precedented scope been enacted? Was
it not the dawn of a “ New Age ’ ’ for the
true believers? They had their program
rhetoric and icons, and for them, things
looked as promising as when the Freed-
mens Bureau was set up a hundred
years earlier.
We are painfully aware o f what has
ensued and except for the few of a
middle class that has “ made it” , the
mass of minorities are now struggling
with problems of health, education,
housing and employment which were
never contemplated (or at least not
voiced). We need not elaborate here
for these issues have been cited many
times in these columns. What needs to
be elaborated upon-and critically ex-
am ined-is the position and belief of
those who state that this great new era
of science and technology “ at hand”
portends a bright new future for African
Americans.
Now, there is hardly to be found
anyone who has worked harder to en­
courage Black youth to prepare early
Dr. George Washington
Carver
on for entry into these realms of science
and technology-nor many who have
designed, or implemented or taught more
special programs directed toward that
purpose. And, certainly, for over twenty
years I have been writing books and
articles in that vein--and these efforts
have been accompanied by those in this
community who have shown an exem-
planary dedication and commitment to
the same cause.
What we need at this point is an im­
residents was shown to have had a di­
rect effect on improving the living
conditions at the development. HAP
was also recognized for having devel­
oped strong partnerships with govern­
ment, businesses, and social service
agencies. These partnerships proved
that the community as a whole was
committed to solving the illegal drug
and gang problem in public housing.
HAP’s second award was for the
success of its Minority Business Enter­
prise Program. HAP took to heart its
policy to encourage the growth of mi­
nority and women business enterprises.
The HUD requirements call for 20% of
all dollars expended in projects to be
spent with minority businesses. HAP’s
modernization, housing management
and development projects have consis-
Community Thanks to BP Oil
by Tony Washington
B.P. Oil of Scramento, California
and station manager Ray Sutton of the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd./Broad-
way location have showed continued
support of community fund-raising
efforts in Northeast Portland.
B.P. Oil recently launched a demon-
stration on a trial basis, allowing youth
groups and church organization to util­
ize station facilities and equipment at
no cost. Several hundred dollars have
been raised for Mallory Church of Christ,
and an undertermined amount for the
youth organizations.
May 23,1990
President Bush Salutes
Self Enhancement Inc. During Portland Trip
mediate assessment of the reality sub­
tending these hopes and beliefs. To this
end The O bserver newspaper will be­
gin a series next week on “ Blacks and
Science: The Twenty-First Century” .
The picture here of the famed Black
scientist, Dr. George Washington Carver,
sets the tone for that element of a past
glory of technical achievement which
will be examined as well as the possible
future. The entire infrastructure of the
nation’s scientific community will be
looked at-a n d specifically, how (if at
all) the hopes and aspirations of Afri­
can Americans can be successfully in­
tegrated.
We are beautiful people
With African imaginations
Full o f masks and dances
and swelling chants
With African eyes, and noses,
and arms
Though we sprawl in gray
chains in a place
Full o f winters, when what
we want is sun.
Amira Baraka
Columbia Villa Earns Regional Award Of Merit
The Housing Authority of Port­
land (HAP) is proud to announce
that the Community Service Project
at Columbia Villa received an Award
of Merit from the regional chapter of
the National Association o f Housing
and R edevelopm ent O fficials
(NAHRO) in Spokane May 16. HAP
also earned an Award o f Merit for
the success of its Minority Business
Enterprise Program during the
NAHRO regional conference.
The Columbia Villa Service Proj­
ect was recognized for its innovative
use of public and private partner­
ships to address the problems of ille­
gal drug and gang activity in HAP’s
largest public housing development.
The successful implementation of a
service network for Columbia Villa
ERVER
tcntly expended about 68% of their
dollars with minority businesses. HAP’s
commitment to this program is strength­
ened by the fact that 33% of its em­
ployees and one third o f its manage­
ment are minorities.
HAP successfully competed for the
NAHRO Awards of Merit with hous­
ing and community development
agencies from Oregon, Washington
and Idaho. The regional NAHRO as­
sociation will now submit HAP’s two
successful programs for national com­
petition. HAP will be competing with
agencies from across the United States
for national Awards of Merit, which
will be awarded at the national NAHRO
conference in October.
.f
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photo by Steve Slocum
President Bush, flanked on left by Tony Hopson and Ray Leary, right, addresses Self-
Enhancement students and guests and National Guard Armory during Portland visit.
Hopson and Leary are co-directors of the Self-Enhancement program.
Self Enhancement, Inc. a program which began in summer 1981, as a model for student athletes was
praised on Monday, May 21 by President George Bush as an “ outstanding program dedicated to the to­
tal development of young people.”
President Bush praised the organization for it’s involvement with over 700 Portland area youth, and
for initiating projects which help to divert them from drugs and crime.
Self Enhancement, Inc. is co-directed by Ray Leary and Tony Hopson.
NECDEC Receives Grant From Meyer TVust
A three-year $450,000 grant to sup­
port revitalization of housing in North-
Northeast Portland was announced today
by the Meyer Memorial Trust
The funds will go to the Northeast
Community Development Corporation
to increase staffing for the Nehemiah
Housing Opportunity Grant Program,
chartered to convert abandoned North-
Northeast properties into saleable real
estate.
“ The commitment of the Meyer
Memorial Trust is critical to the success
of this ambitious project, and we are
grateful for their support,” said Ron
Herndon, Chairperson of NECDC.
The NECDC, founded in 1984 by
members of the minority community, is
College In Deep South Found To Be Model
Of Racial Progress
New York, May 2 4 - ” I believe that the
upward mobility of Black Americans
depends on education,” declared Dr.
Carroll Hardy, the associate dean of
student affairs for minorities and the
disabled at the College of William and
Mary, who is widely credited with the
college’s racial progress.
At a time when many colleges and
universities are experiencing racial
tension, William and Mary, which is lo­
cated in Williamsburg, Virginia, and
was lily-white until 1963, is cited in an
article in this Sunday’s Parade maga­
zine as a trendsetter in race relations
and minority progress.
“ We are trying to achieve an inte­
grated society, so we’ve got to have
people coming together at critical
moments in their lives,” asserted W il­
liam and Mary President Paul Verkuil,
explaining the school’s philosophy of
incorporating the study of black history
and culture in the total curriculum. “ 1
am skeptical about things that tend to
isolate a campus by race,” he added.
Dr. Hardy, who is Black, agreed.
“ Why do you need an all-blackdorm?”
she asked. “ That doesn’t make sense
here. If you need that support, I suggest
f
going to a predominantly Black school.
Children from Black communities with
little outside exposure could feel un­
comfortable at William and Mary.
“ But the times they are a-changin’,
and a Black child may want to forego
comfort for the chance of connecting to
the old-boy network. And William and
Mary’s network has been operating since
1963.”
Her argument has convinced many.
Despite competition with Harvard and
Yale, Princeton and Brown, the number
of Black freshmen at William and Mary
has increased from 44 when Hardy ar­
rived ten years ago, to 114 this past fall.
The total Black student population has
more than doubled, from 2.6 percent to
6.8 percent.
Known for helping white students as
well as Black, Dr. hardy is proud of the
success of George DeShazo Jr., a white
dyslexic student, who became William
and Mary’s first Rhodes scholar. “ I
went from a 3.0 student to a 4.0” DeShazo
recalled. " I wouldn’t have gotten
through without her.”
Reprinted with permission o f
Parade magazine.
I
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committed to improving the quality of
life of inner North-Northeast Portland.
They will act as the developer for the
Nehemiah Housing Opportunity Grant
Program.
In September, 1989, the NECDC re­
ceived the second largest award in the
country from the United States Depart­
ment of Housing and Urban Develop­
ment and the only grant funded at 100
percent of the original request.
The three-year, $3.75 million grant
will finance the construction o f 100
new homes and the rehabilitation of an
additional 150 residences in the North-
Northeast area. The Boise, Humboldt,
King and Vernon neighborhoods are
earmarked for assistance.
Under the Nehemiah Housing Op­
portunity Program, 250 eligible middle-
and lower-income families can receive
a zero interest second mortgage up to
$15,000 for the purchase of designated
property in the area. “ Assistance in
providing low income housing is an
interest of the Meyer Memorial Trust. ’ ’
The Nehemiah Housing Opportu­
nity Grant Program is also receiving
significant additional funding and tech­
nical assistance from the City of Port­
land, Multnomah County, the State of
Oregonandprivatesectorservices. The
Nehemiah program is expected to flood
between $12 to $15 million into the
revitalization of North-Northeast Port­
land within the next three years.
5-
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V anport R evisited
N ext W eek :
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■ -
Special Section in the May 30 Issue of
The Portland Observer
Remembering the Vanport
Flood