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African American Festival 1990
ERVER
PORTL
Volume XX, Number 22
"The Eyes and Ears o f The Community"
How The " June-Teenth" Celebration Came to
the Pacific Northwest
Photo courtesy of the Oregonian
By Prof.McKinley Burt
There are as many stories told in
support of how the southern tradition of
the June 19, celebration of ‘‘Emanci
pation Proclamation Day" came to the
northwest as there are cases made for
the import of black-eyed peas .Chitter
lings, hog mows,Skins and tripe sand
wiches.
Some say that it was first observed
very early on by the African American
loggers who were brought here by the
giant Louisiana and Georgia Pacific
corporations, when they branched out
from the south to exploit the western
forests. Historic photographs of these
pioneers of the Rogue River Valley and
other locations are to be found in the
archives of southern Oregon historical
societies.
Many Black families of the Pacific
Northwest will celebrate this “ holi
day” next Tuesday, particularly those
who, like myself, have southern roots.
There will be picnics, dances, parties,
barbecues, fish frys, and all sorts of
family-centered gatherings of a gala
and festive nature; though not at all
observed here with the intensity and
region-wide participation found in the
southland of origin. In many parts of
the southern states early June is still a
month of busy preparation and schedul
ing for the upcoming events from ro
deos and horse races to ball games,
river boat excursions to prayer meet
ings. That’s the way it was in my home
town of St. Louis, M issouri-people
echoing the historic news of the end of
slavery!
There is more, but first we need to ask
how it is that since the official date of
the “ Emancipation Proclamation” was
January 1,1863, how is it that for over
a hundred years African Americans have
celebrated the occasion six months later
on the 19th of June? We have it that
President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed
that “ .. .as a fit and necessary war meas
ure for suppressing rebellion...I pro
claim for a period of 100 days from this
date (Jan. 1, 1863) the freedom of all
persons held as slaves within certain
designated states and parts of: Arkan
sas, Texas, Louisiana [certain parishes
excepted], Mississippi, Alabama, Geor
gia, South and North Carolina, and Vir-
ginia except the 48 counties designated
as West Virginia.”
For fuller details readers should see at
the library, “ Documents of American
History” , edited by noted historian Henry
Steele Commager. It appears as Docu
ment No. 222, The Emancipation Proc
lamation, January 1, 1863 (U.S. Stat
utes at Large, Vol. XII, P. 1268-9). A
short preface describes the American
and international political and economic
ramifications, as well as corollary ref
erences. But back to the question of
why the six-month delay in celebrating
such a momentous event. This can be
most interestingly (and humorously)
explained within a short narration of
the adventures and contributions of a
Black Texas school teacher to the his
tory of the Northwest.
My dearest and most poignant re
membrances of the June 19 holiday are
in connection with Mr. Kelly Stroud
who came here in World War II to work
in the Vancouver, Washington ship
yard as an electrician. If ever I were to
write a book, ‘ ‘The Most Unforgettable
Characters I’ve known” , his story would
be the lead vignette. A mentor, athlete,
scholar, entrepreneur and pride-filled
promoter of the African American heri
tage, he touched all our young lives in
the most meaningful way.
The June 19 celebration would be
well taken to also honor him and his
supportive wife. A lasting contribution
of theirs was a group of very talented
children whom many of you have known,
all of them scholars, innovators, entre-
preneurs-from an early and committed
involvement in the “ Black Revolution”
to a geodesic engineer updating to
pographical maps on the African conti
nent, from originating the first “ Flea
Market” on the grounds of the Coli
seum to designing and building the first
Oregon “ Dune Buggy” in which the
family would ride down Union Avenue
before taking off for the sands of the
coast.
It was Kelly Stroud who with his sons
formed the first African American owned
Moving and Storage Company in Port
land, located on N.E. Dckum. In the
very apartment where I am writing this
article, I visited one son a number of
years ago and was startled to find a 3
month-old “ lion cub” scampering
around the living room playing with his
infant son. I was not nearly as startled
as die meter reader, who, after the grow
ing beast was tethered in the basement,
encountered tne uon ana, nysterical,
spent an hour on the telephone before
convincing the gas company that he
was not drunk. An army o f police,
sheriffs, firemen and zoo keepers de
scended upon the comer of N.E. 17th
and Alberta and hauled off a playful
“ Leo” to the zoo.
June 19 took on new meaning and
significance in this region when, to
ward the end of World War II, Kelly put
a notice in the Vancouver Washington
daily newspaper: ‘‘First Annual Mara
thon Race From Camas-Washougal to
Vancouver to be Held on June 19.”
Details of rules and prizes followed
with a solicitation of sponsors and ad
vertisers. It was a success from day one
and the entrants (all white except for
our enterprising Mr. Stroud) came mostly
from the area’s police and fire depart
ments. Naturally, Kelly, a superb ath
lete, won the race, receiving his trophy
and prize money from the hands of
Vancouver’s mayor. (As a footnote it
should be added that at the time Kelly
was listed in the Guiness Book of World
Records as holding the record for run
ning up Pike’s Peak “ backward” .)
Now, Vancouver, Washington was
not a city noted for racial harmony or
“ equal opportunity” , but everyone
seemed to go along with th is-to the
laughter of the Black population. But,
when Kelly also won the race the fol
lowing year, inquiries began to pour
into the city’s newspaper; “ Why in the
world was the date of June 19 chosen
for such a popular event-w hy not the
Fourth ofJuly or Memorial Day?" After
questioning Mr. Stroud, the paper re
ported to the readers that this was
“ Emancipation Day-M r. Lincoln freed
the 'N egroes’” .
No sooner had a shocked populace
absorbed this fact, then they immedi
ately descended upon the newspaper
offices to point out that, even given this
unpleasant news, the correct date was
January 1,1863! Why the six months’
delay? Again the question was shunted
to Kelly Stroud. The following Friday,
and apparently with tongue-in-cheek,
the paper dutifully reported without
further comment, “ Mr. Stroud has stated
that “ /T TOOK THE M ULE SIX
MONTHS TO CARRY THE MESSAGE
FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. TO THE
DISTANT PLANTATIONS OF THE
BRAZOS VALLEY IN TEXAS!”
PSU Unveils Program in
Training and Development
Portland State University’s
newly designed Certificate Program in
Training and Development begins this
summer with a three-credit prerequisite
course, Principles of Training and De
velopment, being taught by Janet M.
Bennett, Ph.D. The director of the Inter-
cultural Communication Institute, Dr.
Bennett specializes in adult education
and organizational and intercultural com
munication. She has been training train
ers for 13 years, as well as developing
training programs for colleges and uni
versities, corporations, and public agen
cies.
The Certificate Program in
Training and Development was designed
to provide a solid instructional back
ground in skills and competencies needed
to perform in a Training and Develop
ment role. The competency-based pro
gram will meet the needs of a diversity
of adults with organizational experience
who are committed to enhancing their
professional skills in training and Devel
opm ent
Jesse Jackson, Jr. To Join
Summit for Black Teens at
McDonald's Hamburger
University
OAK BROOK, ILL.-Jesse Jackson, Jr.,
vice president of Operation Push, will
joint the 1990 “ McDonald’s Black His
tory Makers of Tomorrow’’-b lack high
school juniors honored for outstanding
character, leadership skills and scholar-
ships-for the “ McDonald’s Leadership
Conference,” June 19-21, at the Com
pany’s Hamburger University in Oak
Brook, Illinois. Jackson and Barack
Obama, the first black president of the
Harvard Law Review, are among a number
of young black leaders who are sched
uled to participate in the three-day summit.
Happy Father's
Day!
Special
Career
Section
25<P
June 13,1990
First Annual Gospel Jubilee
Comes to Portland
Weaverly and Sheila Davis
The first annual Northwest Global Jubi
lee, a celebration of the culture and arts
of the African American community,
will take place Saturday, June 16,1990
at 7:00 p.m. in the Arlene Schnitzer
Concert Hall.
The Northwest Gospel Jubilee
explores the history of gospel music
from its roots in the early 1600’s to
today, with the presentation of vocal and
instrumental music, Afrikan dance, Afro-
centric theatre and educational narra
tions.
“ This concert will be an an
nual, premier event to showcase and
promote the culture and heritage o f the
African American community here in
Portland,” said Waverly Davis, presi
dent and manager of the African Ameri
can Festival Association, sponsor of the
Gospel Jubiless. “ We see this as an
event that can involve youth, families,
churches, schools and businesses, and
we strongly encourage all to share in this
celebration.”
The Northwest Gospel Jubiless
is a sanctioned event of the Rose Festi
val Association. “ We are delighted
about having the Gospel Jubilee as an
official part of the Rose Festival,” said
Marie Dodds, director of Public Rela
tions for the Rose Festival. “ This is the
first time the African American commu
nity has come together and sponsored an
event. Portland’s Rose Festival is meant
to be a celebration for the entire commu
nity and every year we seem to add
another element to compliment its di
versity,” Dodds concluded.
Featured performers include: ihe
Inspirational Sounds, a 50-voice choir
under the direction of John Gainer from
Eugene, Oregon; the Sermonettes, six
female vocalists from Portland; soprano
Mattie Ann Callier-Spears, a soloist from
Portland who conducts a singing minis
try outreach; Bruce Smith and the North
west Afrikan American Ballet; and the
Sojourner Truth Theatre.
Tickets for the Northwest Gos
pel Jubiless are $9.50 and $15.50 and
can be purchased in advance at all G.I.
Joe’s ticket outlets. Tickets can also be
purchased at the Performing Arts Center
and will be available at the door the
night of the concert. Group ticket sales
of 10 or more can be purchased at a
discount by calling 230-6702. To charge
tickets, call 248-4496.
The Northwest Gospel Jubilee
is a Rose Festival Association sanctioned
event and is sponsored by U.S. Bank,
Oregon’s largest bank, B.E.T.A. and U.S.
West Communications.
Two-Parent Welfare Ends for Summer
SALEM-Oregon’s welfare program for
two-parent households is soon to end for
the summer. The program is ADC-UN,
which stands for Aid to Dependent Chil-
dren-unemployed two-parent household.
ADC-UN will resume in the
autumn as a permanent, year-round pro
gram under welfare reform which is aimed
at moving welfare recipients toward self-
sufficiency. Welfare reform requires
extended benefits for recipients in order
to simplify their job training and work
search.
ADC-UN will temporarily stop
June 30. A special closing notice has
been sent to all ADC-UN families in
forming them that their cash and regular
medical assistance will soon end for the
summer. Medical assistance continues
all year for needy pregnant women and
children under 7 years of age.
This year, ADC-UN will re
start October 1 with the implementation
of welfare reform under the federal Fam
ily Support Act. Welfare reform makes
ADC-UN mandatory throughout the year.
ADC-UN families who find
themselves in immediate need - caused
by such events as eviction from their
homes or utility shut-off - may qualify
for help through the Emergency Assis
tance program, also operated by Adult
and Family Services.
Approximately 2,000 ACD-UN
families receive cash and medical assis
tance from the Oregon Adult and Fam
ily Services Division and the Oregon
Medical Assistance Program. Both
operate under the purview of the state
Department of Human Resources.
YWCA Holds Summer Plus Program for Children
The N.E. YWCA Is holding
lts second annual Sum m er Plus
Program from Ju n e 18 to August
17 for children age 6-14.
The Summer H us Program
offers your child an opportunity
to meet new friends, explore their
community, arts and crafts, thea-
ter. storytelling, and esteem build
ing activities, all In a fun and
supporting environment.
For more information or
to register your child in the
Sum m er Plus Program, contact
the N.E. YWCA at 282-0003.
The Portland Observer is the Official
Newspaper of the African-American Festival
I