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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1990)
II nside F ra n c e ^ ° Do not believe everything you hear about people: rumors Expressing yourself as Christian Spotlight on Greg Smith Pepsi launches minority partnership ü n i* e u q e r ,e * Scboeo b r a rV n re q °n V „9 7 4 0 3 Qr e q ° ° 25<P Volume XX, Number 29 August 1,1990 "The Eyes and Ears o f The Community' African-American Role Models: Yesterday and Today Business Profile: Donnie's Accessories By ULLYSSES TUCKER, JR. or many Blacks, who hail from cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, Adanta, New Y ork, Dallas, St. Louis, and other large cultural centers, Portland is consid ered a wasteland. They com plain about not being able to find A fr i can fabrics, Black greeting cards. B la c k a rt and p a in tin g s , and other items that m ight add sanity during periods or moments o f feel ing isolated. Raleigh and D onnie L e w is have solved this problem w ith the opening o f D on nie’ s Accessories in Northeast Port Photo by Ullysses land (925 N E Broadway, 249- 7204), that is the problem o f finding Black oriented accessories like the one mentioned above. L ik e many people in America, Raleigh and Donnie wanted to w ork for themselves and eventually gain economic independence. The Lewises have been dreaming together for a long time. I t all started back at Lincoln U niversity in Jefferson C ity, M o. where they attended college. Raleigh, a native o f Connecti cut, majored in sociology and Donnie majored in elementary education. She was raised in St. Louis. They met, shared more dreams, marriage, and out o f their vision evolved three children (K evin, 27; Djuana, 26; and Cheryl, 24). They also have two grandchildren P o rtla n d O bserver - What made you realize that you did not want to w ork for F From left, Dr. Hallie Johnson: "First lady, white or colored" to receive a certificate to practice medicine in th e S ta te o f A la b a m a : Eugene Burkins: Inventor of the "Burkins Automatic Machine Cun," 1903 Chicagoan’s Innovation was unsurpassed in world's military technology until World War II: Veronica LaVonne Holland: Local Honor Roll student at Jefferson High School, recipient of "Image Award" and a "Black Academic All- Star" Students and Parents Win One! School District and Board May Get on Track By PROF. MCKINLEY BURT I t is sure great to “ w in one’ ' in this unceasing struggle to gain educational equity fo r the m in ority (all) children in the State o f Oregon. I do feel that my testimony last Wednesday before a key state commission may have led to this reassuring subheading fo r an article in Saturday’ s Oregonian newspaper, * ‘The Teachers Standards and Practices C om mission Wants to be Sure Prospective Instructors Have Basic S k ills .” T H E TEST W IL L BE R E T A IN E D ! Be sure to see the Observer’ s fo llo w -u p on this page. W e promised to “ be back at the School D istrict ‘ ranch’ for further ex amination o f the Lesson Plan D elivery System.” W hat we are most concerned w ith in respect to the Lesson Plans - or w ith the entire C urriculum and Baseline Essay process — is the delivery o f a F IN A L PR O D U C T to the classroom. Just as in a w ell run comm ercial enter prise where management expects/de- mands close and structured cooperation between every department and all sup port personnel to expedite a successful M A R K E T IN G P L A N - a ll the way down to the “ detailer” who polices the shelves in the stores to be certain that T H E PR O D U C T IS R E A D IL Y A V A IL A B L E TO T H E C U STO M ER A N D H IG H L Y V IS IB L E . I f this does not happen the entire e ffo rt and investment IS W A S T E D ! For the past three weeks (really three years) the Observer has highlighted significant, documented models and ex amples o f A frican Am erican innova tion, historic and current technological, cultural and role model material that has been submitted to the Portland School District (under contract, yet!) -- but which vita l inform ation has not surfaced on “ the shelves o f the stores,” i.e. in the classroom, according to those quoted in that Oregonian article by B ill Graves which we reprinted last week; or ac cording to innumerable additional re ports and inspections by pupils, parents and teachers. A t the same time there have been cited several documented examples o f forw ard-looking, successfully tested, award w inning programs submitted to the district that have received only the most cursory examination and dismissal - i f any attention at all. However, in November, when I spent three fu ll days and evening in conversation w ith many score teachers and school administra tors attending the annual conference o f the National Association o f Black Edu cators - 1 not only found a great deal o f interest in these proven models but sev eral administrators have returned this summer fo r further orientation. They were put up at the customer’s guest house maintained by the Beaverton computer/software company I cited. I t ’s real folks! That ‘ ‘ Partners For Success: Business and Education.” “ W H E R E ’ S TH E BEEF?” L et us run down a few more o f the significant A frican and A frican American contribu tors that seem not to have found their way to “ the shelves in the D istrict’ s stores.” It was, we know , B ill Cosby who made that provocative video,’ ’Black H istory: Lost, Strayed or Stolen,” Last week, the front page article portrayed pictures o f my teaching demonstration at the local Black Education Center. A t the left: “ Geometry and Algebra, using the famed ‘Golden Section’ (3-4-5 tri angle) invented by the Egyptian Survey ors - not the Greeks. ’ ’ Interestingly, th is master element o f computation was also used by Renaissance artists, and was recommended on Educational Channel, 10, by the "This O ld House’ ’ program as a boon to do-it-yourself carpenters w ish ing to make highly accurate additions to their properties. In the photo to the rig ht 1 am dem onstrating that “ A ll computers use ‘ B in ary’ mathematics (base 2) devel oped by the A frican Scribes.” This paradigm was the basis for the com- puter/com munication project I put on in The Dalles, and which won the N A - tional Science Foundation Award. Again, an interesting aside. Dr. Stanley Jacob sen, a famed scientist on the sta ff o f Oregon Health Sciences U niversity (invented DM SO ) read an Oregonian feature on m y project and called to have me introduce the concept to the Lake Oswego Montessori School; but nothing then or since from the Portland School D is tric t I ’l l list ju s t several o f m y “ African Benchmark Series” that were submit ted but have yet to surface. Napoleon’s 1803 Expedition to Egypt: Here I de tailed the impact upon Europe and the w orld when the ‘ general ’ took boat loads o f savants, mathematicians, astronomers, scientists and artists to A frica . Standing his troops before the Pyramids, he stated, “ 40 centuries o f greatness look down upon you. “ He then proceeded to cart back to Europe the treasures o f the ages from Egypt and the Sudan — form ing the basic collection o f the newly-constructed Louvre Museum. The Em pire style o f furniture and dress, new mathematical concepts including projective geome try, the so called, “ Fibonacci Series,” and much, much else. Also, I submitted documented ma terial demonstrating that the Russian scientist credited w ith developing the basis fo r “ X-R ay C rystallography,” began w ith and acknowledged that the North A frican M uslim s had incorpo rated into their art and architectural designs a rendition o f a ll 230 space groups and subsets that define the “ m olecular constructs o f a il matter” (since their religion forbade the repro duction o f the human visage or body, they concentrated on complex and so phisticated abstract design). More next week. Statement by John E. Jacob, President and Chief Executive Officer National Urban League, Inc. on Visit of Nelson Mandela to the United States Nelson Mandela’s visit to the United States is a momentous occasion. As African Americans, we greet out brother Nelson Mandela with joy and gratitude for his soul stirring fight against racism and injustice. Nelson Mandela has suffered greatly for his leadership in the struggle to replace aparthed. In the process, he has given the world a shining example of strength and fiath. We have long supported his righteous cause, and today we urge our national leadership to heed his advice, to retain sanctions until a new order is negotiated in South Africa, and to fully support South Africa’s freedom movement. another three or four years to capitalize on it, but it feels great to be able to do what you want to do. R ight now, I ’ m s till making up my m ind about exactly how I want to evolve. Fortunately, I have the lead way to do that because again, my husband is w orking w ith me.” P o rtla n d O b server - Can you seethe lig h t at the end o f the tunnel or are you still walking in dark ness? Lew is - “ I ’ m s till w alking in dark ness, but I ’m hope ful. I ’ m really encouraged by the 9k . people that come in and the com ments we get. I ’ m convince that it is going to work. We are going to make Tucker, Jr. ’ __________________ it.” P o rtla n d O b server - Do you believe that Blacks do Black-oriented atmosphere. Our goal is not support Blacks in many business to provide Blake books, cards, paint situations? ings, and we are talking to a person right Lew is - “ Yes, I do think that. I think now to get some African fabric (from that i f yu want them to support you, you Ghana and Nigeria). We want to be have to get out there and cultivate them. African-oriented, but we don’t want Even I w on’t support a business because people to be afraid to come in or label us it is Black. Now, I ’ ll go and try to a certain way. We are Black-oriented.” support it, but they have to give me P o rtlan d O bserver - People say that encouragement to come back. They they would like to establish their own have to show me something for me to business, but most procrastinate and never keep coming back to them. I w ill not get around to it-w h a t advice do you o f support a business sim ply because it is fer these people? Black. I w ill attempt to support them fo r Lewis - “ Do it. The only thing to do is that reason, but whether or not I keep to get out there and try. Y o um igh th ave coming back is entirely up to them.” to start on a small scale. I started slightly P o rtlan d O bserver - Are you one o f the on a larger scale because my husband is best-kept secrets in Portland? s till w orking a fu ll-tim e job . So, that Lewis - “ I have to wonder because we gives me a little more “ lead w ay” to do have people coming in day after day the type o f thing that I ’ m doing. I f telling us how their friend or sister told you’ re w orking a nine-to-five and don’t them about us. N ot just Blacks are have anyone to help you, you can start coming in; a ll types o f people are buy smaller by doing something on the ing our products and it’s happening more weekends or evenings. I f you have and more. W ord o f mouth really puts something in mind, get started...” our business out there...” P o rtlan d O bserver - H ow does it feel P o rtla n d O bserver - Good luck in the to run your own business? future. Lewis - “ Great! I t ’ s a w onderful feel Lewis - “ Thanks.” ing even though (sm iling) w e’re not making any money. I t ’ s going to take start it. Once I left m y jo b to move here w ith my husband, I said that i f I ’ m ever going to do it, this would be the tim e...” Portland Observer - describe your store? Lew is - “ W e have alittle b it o f every thing. We are trying to evolve into a DONNIE LEWIS someone else anymore? Lew is - “ Doing the same thing day after day and year after year. I did n ’ t know what else to do because like most people, you don’t want to give up that steady paycheck. Y o u ’ ve got that and every thing else is chance, especially when you’ re going out on your own. I had never been in business before and I did n ’ t know how it worked or how to I Teacher Testing Intact: Well, Sort of! W e take this opportunity to pro mission was inclined to allow those who Redmond, Oregon who gave some o f vide our readers with this follow -up on the July 25 hearings at Salem on “ The Proposed Repeal o f the Basic Skills failed one section o f the three-element examination to seek a W A IV E R to become certified. Consistent with a de scription o f the commissions action as “ w afflin g ” , Deanna Woods is quoted in the Oregonian article as saying, “ W e ’re the most telling testimony in favor o f Test.” Professor M cK inley Burt, a feature writer for this newspaper pre sented very telling testimony in favor o f retaining the C -B E S T , an evaluator o f the “ most m inim al skills” . W h at is new is that last Friday (July 2 7 ) the Teachers Standards and Practices Commission, State o f O re gon, galloped to die monumental hedge o f the century. As headlined by B ill Graves, education reporter for the O re gonian, we have the following, * ‘Panel Seeks Compromise on W a y to Test Teachers: The Commission wants to be sure prospective instructors have looking for a compromise because we still have a public that doesn’t feel it is A S S U R E D O F Q U A L IT Y T E A C H E R S .” W e ’U attest to that, which is why the Observer has mounted a determined advocacy for students, parents, and those competent teachers who highly resent any further deterioration o f the system. There has been a very pronounced increase in tempo at die Observer o f fices since several pro-test advocates made an Oregon (and multi-state) m ail ing o f M r. Burt’s key critique o f the C - retaining the test. She was a prime mover in the 1983 effort that brought the tests to Oregon. Johnson had only recently returned from Washington, D .C . where she gave structured input to the national meeting o f a teacher credentialing organization. Ms. Johnson was a member o f the State Board o f Higher Education, 1962-1975 and is a member o f the American Association o f H igher Education; Professor M c K in ley Burt was also privileged to a lengthy conversation w ith D r. Richard Mtyetic, Administra tor o f theCom m issiononTeacherCre- dentiahng, State o f California. Burt BES test and its detractors. Phone calls was thanked for his thought-provok ing article and his key testimony be fore the commission. D r. M ajetic is promise. Right? The commission asked it’s chair and subscription orders have come in from a ll over (the article was published sending him a recent test evaluation, along w ith important statistics as soon woman, Deanna Woods, to appoint a committee to structure proposals for June 27, front page). There was a very inform ative con versation with Ms. Elizabeth Johnson o f as the package is completed. A ll re basic skills.” And, then o f course there was the famous Missouri C om its September 27 meeting. The com- quested subscriptions to the Portland Observer (D o you have yours?). r >