>• «B 4f N» ku * 4P* W w** » < •» 4 * > «R •* U .S . B A N K , Ofiutal Bank of tiu CMdnU Canut 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