June 27, 1990 The Portland Observer
SPIDER-MAN TACKLES SCIENCE
ILLITERACY AMONG MINORITY
STUDENTS
In a Tradition of Excellence
Tara Louise Johnson graduated this
cates. O n 28 February o f this year she
of this newspaper. If you read that ac
June from Beaumont Middle School
was honored at a luncheon o f the
count, you know that these young la
with a 3.86 G.P.A. The personable 14
M ultnomah Chapter o f the Daughters
dies follow in an illustrious family tra
y ear-o ld d e m o n
of the A merican Revolution (DAR).
dition.
strated a com m it Tara Louise Johnson
That luncheon was held at W estminster
Throughout
ment to excellence
Presbyterian Church on N.E. 16th and
T a r a ’s
m iddle
th ro u g h o u t
her
Hancock. Tara received a savings bond
school y e ^ s , she
school years and has
for her winning essay on American His
consistently re
been accepted into
tory. T ara’s essay “ A Black A m eri
c e iv e d
honor
can ’s Inventions o f the 1840s Makes
the “ Institute For
grades, awards and
Life Sweet for Us A ll” was judged the
Science and Math
numerous certifi-
(ISM )’’ at Grant
A Black American's Inventions of the
High School begin
ning her freshman
for Us All
By Tara Louise Johnson
year (1990-91).
Norbert Ril-
ented his sugar-making improvement
T ara is the old
lieux
is
the
Black
“ Evaporating P an” with the United
est o f the three
man
who
invented
States
Patent O ffice on D ecember 10,
daughters of Lula
a
superior
way
of
1846.
He
had patented his “ Vacuum
Stroud Johnson, an
refining
sugar.
His
Pan”
invention
on A ugust 26, 1843.
equally committed
Rillieux’
s
invention
has been called
invention
made
the
single parent. The
refining
o
f
sugar
“
the
greatest
in
the
history
o f chemical
other girls, Tova, 12
engineering...giving
the
United
States’
easier,
less
danger
andK elva, 10, have
su
g
a
r
in
d
u
stry
w
o
rld
w id e
ous,
less
expensive
show n the same
supremacy.”
Because
of
racism,
Norbert
and
sim
pler
than
dedication to aca
Rillieux has never been recognized for
ever before. Before
demic excellence
his inventions in any chemistry , phys
R
illieux’s
inven
becoming involved
ics or technical journals. The basic prin
tion,
the
refining
in structured extra
o
f
sugar
was
of
ciple
o f R illieux’s is used throughout
curricular activities
the
world
today in the making of sugar,
poor
quality
and
unhealthy.
The
job
from photography to journalism. If the
was
messy
and
difficult
and
dangerous.
name “ Stroud” sounds familiar, it is
Our congratulations to a young
The fumes were unhealthy. Norbert
because “ Kelley D. Stroud” , their grand
African
American who will go far in
Rillieux of New Orleans, Louisiana pat
father, was featured in the “ Junc-
providing a role model for the aca
T eenth” article in the June 13 edition
demic excellence Black youth must
Oregon State winner and sent to the
Northwestern Division for further judg
ing. Another luncheon sponsored by
the Oregon State Society honoring Tara’s
winning essay was held in Coos Bay on
24 March. Tara was awarded a Stale
Winner Certificate and Medal from the
National Society o f the DAR at that
time.
Significant excerpts from that prize
winning essay follows:
1840s Makes Life Sweet
4 ÄPCP
i$
gelatin, condensed milk,soap and glue.
Rillieux’s methods are also used in re
covering waste liquids in factories and
distilleries.
Norbert Rillieux also designed a
plan to get rid o f yellow-fever infested
mosquitoes in the sewers of New O r
leans. His plan involved draining the
sewers. New O rleans’ city authorities
refused to approve the plan because it
had been put together by a black man.
Yellow fever was permitted to con
tinue killing the citizens of the city
until a similar plan was submitted by
whites.
Johnson’s bibliography was a book
authored by a writer for this news
paper: Black Inventor s o f Amer
ica, by McKinley Burt).
Page 9
X
9W4V i c
I*
h i O h
<CWCVL
•t*
*
r
J
*O U U
w e e rT c u M É
lv * * Of
Í C 1OV wAW uEARN
T e À 'M M U N wU’ B y
GOENCE
M ATP
:
FLaeßßA X
a e o p e rp y
A L6E8U A X
T p /G O N O H g TRY
CALCUL U f
: :
4
if Y O U
- there
.
1C
Tc? kHCNV U l V E
l CT*
of
wfl'Tp
ruure#
“8 1 olo a y
CUEAAUTRy
P A Y f IC S
1
1 7o r/u o ourABour crreers /E EN&RReR/RG
vwtirsn
WrtoHAi. Aerrom counol
A a I'/ v o a / t / e s - /X
Fua/ueeAiua, sue ( n a c h e ) 3
STteeer
N p w roRtc, n y
achieve (Included in Tara Louise
io o o i
- 2201
Fon
info rm aho / ii atou r O'rrgRgNr SNaiNggR'N&RAi IV,
s e n o a iTAKAgea fei^APPeefseoÉN\,eLcce rc
jUR/oRENSTgegR/tr» TECH m e al F o e /g r r ( J E T S )
■ y ìa
tre g g r f u n e » u c g A^erA^OR' a , \A,xz2»iR -t7fE
~
'¿ C *
'¿SRI
7, .
■ F o n luKgMAiioii Ateijr a stggee uu>euu • ras - cu ,
g a -g A fro c /A t/o u o r f t /e g e e Teenvoi 06Y
e g g r a t s f A S T C ) H-/3 F eTR ecr M W
A/AfU/H6ToR,0C 7 0 0 /8
FOR / noo aeour eofc/*u •ROORAAt/* sue'•ce
ANO <MTH rnATAMY8S AvA/iAgLgmwvgARIAHfcrg
A*»eeicAL AftociAriOL KAzue AD\Aucf/»gyr oe
~&encg AAA9) uer/ce ooooPoRTUN'T'gy
/N fC/SNCg 3 3 3 H iTgegTNM V/AiU'N,AON o c
2OOCS
The Amazing Spider-M an wove a web
of wonder for Chicago school chil
dren as he unveiled Chaos at the Con
struction site, a custom comic book
featuring the w all craw ler and a band
of potential minority engineers. Pro
duced by the National Action C oun
cil for M inorities in Engineering
(NACME) and Marvel Comics, the
issue prem iered at a special session
of N A CM E’S tenth annual confer-
ence-FO R U M ’90.
According to NACME President George
Campbell Jr., the com ic book targets
fifth through seventh graders with
engineering career information, strong
minority role models and an action-
packed story.
“ The comic book project rests on
N A CM E’ determ ination to reach
young children before they make
critical career path decisions,” says
Dr. Campbell. “ Our objective, “ he
adds, “ is to convince these students
to put themselves on an academic
track in the eighth or ninth grades and
to replace general math with Algebra
I.”
The comics will be distributed initially
to students in the 15 U.S. cities with
the highest minority populations.
As the first recipients o f the NACM E/
Marvel Com ic, 100 sixth and seventh
graders form four o f C hicago’s in
ner-city schools were treated to an af
ternoon o f magic, miracles and w on
der in science. Dr. Campbell opened
the session by asking the students if
there was anyone in the audience
interested in a science career. Not
one hand was raised.
Dr. Campbell then introduced Earl F.
Zwicker, professor o f physics at the
Illinois Institute of Technology, and
David A. Katz, associate professor of
chemistry at the Community College
of Philadelphia. The professors used
bubbles, toys and other everyday items
to convey scientific principles.
At the end of the session, Dr. Campbell
repeated his question. This time, more
than fifty hands shot up in the air, and
cries o f delight and enthusiasm ech
oed throughout the audience.
“ The point is,” Dr. Campbell explained,
“ the innate curiosity of children makes
them natural scientists. It doesn’t take
a lot to show children that scientists
are approachable people, and that
science itself is both fascinating and
fun.”
NACME us a not-for-profit corpora
tion that works to increase the num
ber o f African Americans, Hispanics
and American Indians who pursue
careers in engineering. Basing its
strategies on an intensive applied
research effort, NACME provides
scholarships and grants, develops
precollege and university interven
tion programs and publishes a library
of materials that build interest in and
access to engineering careers.
W ith support from more than 170 do
nors and through partnerships with
industry, NACME expands opportu
nities for minority engineers and elimi
nates barriers to achievement.
The Amazing Spider-M an is a trade
mark of Marvel Entertainment Group,
Inc.
WHY CAN'T BLACK JOHNNY READ?
’■ ^ J O T M IN G FEELS BETTER
1^1 than knowing you re
1 1 improving yourself.
Whether you're broadening
your mind by satisfying a
hunger for knowledge, or
strengthening your body by
selecting the good, nutritious
foods you've always known.
Choosing to attend a Black
college means you're striving
to improve yourself, too.
Because a Black college
provides an environment that
places no lim its on how far you
can go. And Black colleges
produce 40% of Black college
graduates.
So while you re away at
school exercising your mind
and your body, exercise good
judgement by sticking with
some of the wholesome foods
you were raised on—like the
great taste and nutrition of
Post Cereals.
I
General Foods, makers of
these and many other family
traditions you grew up with,
wants to remind you that
we ve always been there for
you... and we re still with you
All the way.
GENERAL
FOODS
USA
dollars brought in by King Cotton to
Because Johnny does not see him self as
finance the further developm ent of
a reader or as an academic; Johnny
the country. The electric light, one o f
does not see him self even as intelli
the greatest scientific accom plish
gent. But Johnny can sure enough
ments of our time, was invented by a
dance; Johnny can rap and Johnny
Black man who worked with T hom as
can play basketball. In a society that
Edison. George Washington C arver’s
demands answers to the serious prob
experiments brought plastics to the
lems that face us today, Johnny is out
world. The accom plishm ents o f Ida
of time.
B. W ells, Charles, Drew, Frederick
If Johnny saw him self in the roles that
Douglass, Elijah M cCoy, H arriet
the community rcquircs-doctor, law
Tubman, Marcus G arvey, Benjam in
yer, engineer, scientist, falher-he might
Bannckcr, Nat Turner and many others
grow up to be an asset to society
have never been fully explored by the
rather than the liability he now repre
Boston Public School system. The
sents. And there is plenty for him to
economic contribution of the Black
see. Hidden under a dense veil of
misunderstanding is a wealth of ac
slaves to the growth of A m erica has
complishments that all Boston Pub
never been fully appreciated by Blacks
lic School students should know. The
or Whites.
great universities of Africa were teach
ing advanced sciences, medicine, Certainly, if our children were taught
that they are more than a savage from
architecture and m athem atics well in
the jungles o f A frica and that they
advance o f the em ergence o f Greek
contributed more to A m erica than
civilization. It was the African pyra
“ zippity doo d a,” they will feel
mid builders whose knowledge of
confident that the higher studies are
construction and mathem atical sci
within their reach they will aspire to
ences has not been decoded to this
more than drugs, guns sports, (sneak
very day.
ers) and dancing. T heir potential is
In America, Blacks have been respon
being criminally neglected and so ci
sible for some o f the greatest techno
ety is losing. It is tim e to change our
logical advances in her history. The
course of study to challenge their
cotton gin alone, invented by a slave,
powerful minds.
was responsible for the billions of