Page 2—The Portland Observer -August 22, 1990
Poetry Committee
Honors Askari's
Poem
JTPA
accepted this and headed for the hills,
‘Staying
C lean’ In
Southern
Oregon
Moving right along in rural
Northwest, we present another true life
episode in the continuing saga of a ‘young-
Burt-in-Oregon’ (In fact, a recap of my
adventures would make a very good
‘soap’).
The time is almost 40 years
ago, I had completed two years of law
school (now Lewis & C lark)-adm itted
despite being a high school dropout,
after passing a strenuous entrance exam.
I had scored the second highest mark in
the state, a point I make with school ad-
minimstrations when we argue about
the preparation they are providing the
high school graduates o f today. That
situation has carried significant weight
when I make the case that high school
graduates of the 1930s were, for the
most part, significantly better educated
than the current crop.
I had been certified to PRAC
TICE IN FEDERAL TAX COURT, and
for a while enjoyed a thriving public ac
counting practice in Portland-interra-
cial in natue (80% white). However,
there was a sharp downturn in the North
west economy around 1952 and as my
mainstay clients, used car dealers and
“ Union Ave. Finance” company, fled
Union Ave. for Beaverton and Hillsboro,
it was ” back to the boondocks for me ’. A
fellow owved me several thousand dol
lars which he was unable to pay, and the
only thing of value he had to discharge
the debt was A CAR WASH IN AL
BANY, OREGON. Looking it over, I
1953-1954.
Albany, Oregon was a very
strange place in those days (now). No
one within the city limits would rent to
a Black. The president of the Albany
Chamber of Commerce WAS AN
AFRICAN AMERICAN WHO OPER
ATED A SHOE SHINE STAND. He
lived in town, owned property in town,
but would not rent to either Blacks or
Hispanics. However, an elderly Ger
man widow leased me a farmhouse on
the outskirts and this served to house me
and the carwash crew.
The Albany operation proved
to be a classic exercise in small business
operation and development. The tech
niques and methodologies employed are
just as applicable today. In conjunction
with these economic considerations, we
should keep in mind my last week’s
com m ents-where I detailed the level of
BASIC SKILLS and INDUSTRIAL
CRAFTSMANSHIP possessed by the
youth of my generation. There was very
little we could not do (southern-bom
youth) in setting up or maintaining an
enterprise. Also, we had been provided
the necessary education in math and
language very early on in high school-
in fact, the process had begun in gram
mar school.
Nothing very exciting at the
carwash until one day a farmer stopped
by with a turkey pen in his pickup truck.
Pointing at the steam cleaner we used
for white sidewall tires, he demanded to
know why it couldn’t be loaded onto a
truck and brought out to his farm where
the rest of his turkey pens could be
cleaned on site. The Oregon State De
partment of Agriculture had requested
that all such pens be sterilized with
steam in view of a spreading epidemic
among the fowl.
I bought a pickup at first, but
after going through the effort of loading
and unloading the ‘stationary’ unitatthe
car wash scores of times, I bought a
large trailer-mounted mobile unit which
could be towed behind the pickup. As I
visited dozens of farms with this unit, I
would be hailed by people with a variety
of cleaning needs: farm er with com
Working In Oregon
bines and tractors, drivers of truck and
trailer rigs, logging contractors, con
struction equipment operators. Veteri
narians and kennel operators.
At the end of the first quarter in
business, I had to add a second unit and
operator. I placed a large ad in “ The
Albany Herald” , “ Burt’s Kar Kare’
now has a Mobile Steam Clean Divi
sion” (© 1954 & 1990 McKinley Burt,
all rights secured). Soon a member of
the Oregon Restaurant Association called
and had me speak at a regional meeting.
I described how a steam cleaner or hotwa-
ler washer could remove the accumu
lated grease from restaurant grills and
hoods, eliminating a dangerous f ir e haz
ard and reducing insurance rates. Soon,
a third unit was added, mostly cruising
up and down 99W and 99E servicing
restaurants from one end of the state to
the other. Also, we cleaned shopping
carts for food markets.
Very soon afterwards, two things
were happening simultaneously (late
1954). Again, there was a severe de
pression in Oregon and an extended
loggers’ strike closed down almost eve
rything. At the same time I was getting
bored with the “ boonies” and looking
at Los A ngeles-to be around ‘the folks’
again and to enroll at City College and
UCLA. Too, a visit had determined that
were excellent opportunities for resum
ing my accounting and Federal Tax Court
Practice (and at age 32 I thought it was
about time to settle down, get married
and start a family).
A wealthy local rancher and
restaurant owner made me an offer I
couldn’t refuse-he wanted a business
for his newly-married son. Los Angeles
turned out to everything promised and
much more, maybe too much. I stood at
the comer of 47th and Central Avenues
and true to the folklore, within a half
hour I saw several people I hadn’t seen
since childhood. Here, too, I had my
first personal encounter with one of the
famed Black Inventors of History; Rich
ard Spikes: Railroad Semaphore, Mag
netic Torpedo, Early Automatic Trans
mission, Trolley for the San Francisco
Cable Cars, ad infinitum; blind at 93
and still inventing!
New Tide Commercial Features
African American Talent
» '4 • * •.
1’-.
•V-
/
’•'3
A new television commercial
unites the classical music of Beethoven,
and world-renown African-American
cultural institution, to demonstrate the
whitening power of Tide with Bleach.
The 30-second spot, features
members of the Dance Theatre of Har
lem (DTH), a premier African-Ameri
can ballet company, rehearsing to the
strains of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
The spot opens on members of the dance
company rehearsing with white socks
over their shoes, socks that quickly show
danced-in the dirt. Voiceovers note that
when socks get this dirty, it takes a
“ Tough performer” like Tide with Bleach
to whiten better than other detergents.
“ We knew that dancers often
rehearse in socks,” said Anna Morris,
Clip of New Tide Commercial
Chief Creative Officer for Burrell Ad
vertising. “ We chose DTH as a dra
matic way to capture the attention of the
ERVER
PORTI
viewer. The dancers strike an emotional
response in our target audience because
of their achievement and stature in the
black community and internationally.”
DTH was established in 1969 by Arthur
Mitchell, a former principal dancer with
the New York City Ballet, to introduce
young people, especially those who were
economically and culturally disadvan
taged, to the beauty and discipline of
dance.
Procter & Gamble also is spon
soring the Dance Theatre’s fundraising
event, “ Not BlackTie/Black Tights,”
to be held September 12.
The commercial was directed,
and choreographed by Otis Salid whose
background includes performing with
the Dance Theater of Harlem.
Joyce Washington
Operations Manager
Gary Ann Garnett
Business Manager
Leon Harris
Editorial Manager
The PORTLAND OBSERVER is
published weekly by
Exie Publishing Company, Inc.
4747 N.E. M.L.K., Jr. Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97211
P.O. Box 3137
Portland, Oregon 97208
(503) 288-0033 (Office)
FAX#: (503) 288-0015
Deadlines for all submitted materials:
Articles: Monday, 5 p.m. - Ads: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
P O S TM A STER : Send Address Chsnges to: Portland Observer, P.O. Box 3137,
Po rtland , OR 97208. Second class postage paid at Portland, Oregon
The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions Manuscripts and photo
graphs should be clearly tabled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed
envelope All created design display ads become the sole property of this newspaper and
can not be used in other publications or personal usage, without the written consent of the
general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad 1990
PO R TLA N D O B SERVER ALL RIG HTS RESERVED, REPRO DUCTIO N IN WHOLE
O R IN PART W IT H O U T PERM ISSIO N IS PROHIBITED
Subscnpbons $ 20 OO per year in the Tri- County area $25 00 all other areas
The Portland Observer- Oregon's Oldest African-American Publication - is a member
of The National Newspaper Association - Founded in 1885, and The National Advertis
ing Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc , New York, NY
K
• w
LA
i• V
: i:
f
* f. 9 P •
♦
f
»5-1 ».
Dr. Dolores Orfanakis, Eman-
uel’sm Director of Ambulatory Pediat
rics, has been named to a 50-member
North American Commission on Chemi
cal Dependency and Child Welfare by
the Washington, D.C.-based Child
Welfare League of America (CWLA).
The commission was formed to study
and respond to the effects of alcohol and
other drug dependency on children and
families served by child welfare agen
cies. Dr. Orfanakis has extensive expe
rience in the evaluation and treatment of
children affected by alcohol and drugs.
The multi-disciplinary com
mision is composed of experts from the
United States and Canada who are charged
with addressing the complex legal, leg
islative, medical, economic and prac
tice issues surrounding families with
chemical dependency problems. The
commission will meet quarterly and is
expected to issue the first of a series of
recommendations early next year. Se
lected to chair the commission were
Richard L. Jones, executive director of
Boston Children’s Service, and Julia
Tri-Met will be adding a transit cen
ter in Oregon City that will serve
buses # 33, 34,35, and 79. Opening
in January between Main and
McLoughlin, it costs $843,000 and
is funded primarily by the Urban
Mass Transportation Administration.
Teens on Welfare Urged to
Return to School
Many teenagers on public as
sistance will have to head back to school
under Oregon’s new welfare reform
program, and the state’s welfare agency
is urging them to start thinking now
about enrolling in classes this fall.
“ Welfare reform concentrates
on teen parents and how to prepare them
to be financially self-sufficient,” stated
Stephen Minnich, administrator of Adult
and Family Services Division (AFS).
“ An education is the groundwork for
finding employment and earning enough
to support a family, so it naturally is the
first step in this program.”
Under welfare reform, teen
parents from 16 to 19 years of age who
do not have a high school diploma must
be part of an educational program in
order to keep getting full welfare bene
fits. Welfare reform officially begins
October 1, but since schools will be
reopening before then AFS wants teen
parents to think now about reluming to
classes in the fall.
Teens do not have to enroll in
traditional high scholls to meet the wel
fare reform requirement. Alternative
programs, such as GED courses at
comunity colleges, may offer them a
I
The World of Poetrys’ execu
tive committee has chosen Nyewuâ
Askari’s poem “ Meeting With A
Stranger" as eligible for presentation at
its sixth annual poetry convention in Las
Vegas, August 26-28. At the presenta
tion Askari will be honored as a Silver
poet and will receive a beautiful com-
memorative trophy.
Nyewusi will be honored as a
Golden Poet for 1990
LINDA HORSLEY
months as an inside sales representative
for AAA Heating Company in North
Portland. She speaks with prospective
clients at trade shows and in telephone
contacts, giving them information about
heating and cooling systems. Gordon
Spesa, owner of AAA, says that Linda is
very personable and spontaneous. “ We’re
proud of her! At first she was a little bit
shy about pressing the flesh, but now
she’s really come out of her shell. She
makes people around her happy.” This
month, Linda is fulfilling a long-term
goal by starting a new job as a vault
teller with Security Pacific Bank. She
hopes to train as an assistant manager.
Reflecting on the difference
between her life before and after becom
ing involved with JTPA, Linda says, “ I
didn’t like myself before. I felt drugs
were a way to say ‘I’m okay.’ Now,
being me is okay. I'm not ashamed to
admit my problems. I’m not a bad per
son. I have a future now.”
better chance of success and are an op
tion under welfare reform.
“ We realize this return to an
educational setting may be stressful for
many of these teens, but we must also
keep in mind the potential benfits to
them,” Minnich pointed out. “ Toease
the transition, many areas are setting up
special day care centers and offering
support groups to help teens as they
continue their schooling.
The state will be paying for
child care and support services such as
Iran
ution for teen parents when they
return to classes.
Teenagers who are required to
continue their education but do not do so
will risk losing part of their welfare
benefits. As an example, $136 would be
deducted from the $444 monthly grant
given a mother and two children.
Oregon’s welfare reform pro
gram, known as “ JOBS For Oregon’s
Future,’ ’ stresses education and training
for welfare recipients to enable them to
find jobs that pay them a living wage.
Teen parents who want to find out more
about the requirement to continue their
education should talk with their AFS
worker as soon as possible.
Lopez, general manager of the San Fran
cisco Department of Social Services.
CWLA is a 70-year old federa
tion of more than 600 voluntary and
government agencies whose staffs an
nually serve two million children and
their families. It plays a major role in
advocating for children, issues interna
tionally recognized standards of prac
tice, published child welfare materials,
and conducts training and consultation
throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The Holladay District Public
Safety Action Committee announced
today a new comprehensive neighbor
hood safety strategy plan to the Portland
City Council.
The plan was created as a re
sponse to the rapid urbanization of the
neighborhood. The imminent opening
of the Oregon Convention Center and
the redevelopment of the Lloyd Center
are just two of the many improvements
transforming the district. The greatly
accelerated activity created a need to
explore proactive public safety meas-
ures to maintain the present positive ex-
periecne of those who live, work and
visit the area.
Immediate actions proposed in the plan
include:
-Coordination of existing private secu
rity with the Portland Police Bureau.
This includes various communication
efforts from information sharing to
common radio frequencies for security
staffs;
-Street Clean-up efforts, both public and
private sources are being coordinated
ensure an attractive and clean commu
nity;
-Lighting Improvement measures to be
undertaken by the Portland Department
of Transportation with the support of
private businesses to initially improve
lighting on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.,
Grand Ave., Holladay and Multnomah
Streets, and
-Employee education programs to be in
troduced to enhance public safety skills
as well as training programs to improve
hospitality.
...And Justice For All
by Angelique Sanders
Last Saturday, I attended a soft-
facility.
ball game at Donald E. Long home,
My complaint with this is not
which, for those who are unfamiliar
to question whether or not the home
with the home, is a juvenile crime “ middle
needs the millions, or even whether we
home” of sorts, with the objective of re can afford it, because both those ques
forming the students and returning them
tions become moot when you examine
to the streets. The Donald E. Long home
what venue the city selected to obtain
needs updating, claims the city: it is out the money from: property taxes. Prop
dated and overcrowded, not suiting its erty taxes-which anyone who hasn’t
intending needs, and the cheapest way
already moved to Vancouver has surely
to improve it would be to tear it down
noticed-are terribly out of proportion
and rebuild it. So far, so good...a good
already. Oregon has one of the highest
idea, children in need, community
rates for property taxes already, for the
support...what could be wrong? I was
simple reason that homeowners bear the
intrigued, too...why would anyone ar burden of funding education.
gue with a bill that could help get to
So, I'm not saying, vole this
crime by its roots via juvenile reform?
measure down, as when I visited the
But this softball game was called home, it did look short o f space to me,
for more of a reason than exercise. Gladys and I think this is a good way to spend
McCoy, Lisa Naito, and Barbara Roberts
tax money. However, there is a need for
were all scheduled to -an d , indeed, did— this measure to be funded from another
attend. Roberts, who I’ve had the ten source. If you arc paying property taxes,
dency to like since Bush came to town
you should consider investing a quarter
(Frohnmayerand Bush breakfasted, and
for a stamp, clipping this article, and
charged people $ 1 ,000 a plate to bene mailing it to Barbara Roberts campaign
fit-arc you rcady?-Frohnmaycr. After
headquarters at P.O. Box 69308, Port
the event, he sneered to the press, in a
land, 97201, or calling at (503) 273-
comment clearly intended for Roberts,
8765.
******
that he’d made more at that breakfast
than Roberts probably had in her entire
Item: The other day 1 saw something
campaign fund. To this, Roberts re heartening I'd like to share. On the side
sponded simply that she felt the cam walk, in a heap o f garbage-this obvi
paign for governor would be won on
ously isn’t the heartening p art-I saw a
integrity, not money. That same morn
bum'' passed out, clearly very drunk.
ing, by the way, Roberts ate at the “ Sisters
While I was wishing that there was an
of the Road” cafe, which is a diner that organization or some solution for this
feeds the homeless for $1.25 per meal. 1 man, up pulled a vanslcr labeled "Cen
found this to be a moving political ges tral City Concern", out scooted a woman
ture, and a beautiful way to contrast
and a man to help out the unfortunate
Frohnmaycr’s hunger for power with drunkard, and while they were gently
her hunger for improvement), was there
shaking him, they called him by
to push measure 26- 2. The measure asks
name..apparently a "regular" of theirs.
for $23.8 million to rip down and revise
A thousand kudos to Central City Con
Multnomah’s only juvenile detention
cern for helping people, and adding a
humane touch!
j B
■
Formal presentations are sched
uled to take place at he Las Vegas Hil
ton. Last year over 3,700 poets attended
from around the world.
In its sixth year. World Of Poetry
is the largest poetry organization in the
world, boasting 1.4 million poets. Fewer
than twenty percent of its worldwide
constituency have submitted poems eli
gible for a presentation as a Silver poem
at the conference.
During the presentation Askari
will have two minutes or so to read his
poem and to offer personal remarks.
(The Academy Awards usually limit
recipients to one minute) after Askari
has shared his poem, he will be pre
sented with the commemorative trophy,
acknowledging him as a Golden poet for
1990.
Heading the three day affair
are, John Campbell, Joan Rivers, Bob
Hope, William Shatner, Eddie Lou Cole
and Red Buttons. Actress-singer Pearl
C. Bailey has been scheduled to appear.
Emanuel Physician Named to National
Commission on Chemical Dependency
CORRECTION; Our July 18 front page picture i' takenly identified the
African American Festival contestants with inci. • ect titles. The proper
titles should read, from left: Jeannice Hartley (contestant), Christie Green
(contestant), Paul Knauls (King), Carolyn Warren (First Princess Runner-
up), Cora Benjamin (Queen), Nathaniel Warren (Contestant), and Rukaijah
^Adams (Princess). We apologize for the error.
(USPS 959-680)
OREGON'S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established In 1970
Alfred L. Henderson
Publisher
Linda Horsley did drugs for 14
years. She is serving three years of pro
bation, and her two sons were placed in
the custody of the state. She was unem
ployed for five years, and was a long
term welfare recipient
As of August 1990, Linda has
been off drugs for ten months and work
ing for eight months, in a dramatic life
style turn-around that she attributes di
rectly to JTPA services. She has her
children back and the family is doing
well.
In October 1989, Linda enrolled
in The Private Industry Council’s North
east Employment and Training Center
(NEET) in Portland. She states that this
was the turning point, recalling her first
experience at NEET, Linda says, “ The
staff at NEET takes the time to listen.
The self-motivation training really
boosted my self-esteem. I’ll always carry
that with m e.”
Linda participated in a four-
week workplace skills class that empha
sized basic skills upgrade, job search
techniques, and word processing-oriented
computer training-transferable skills to
help her achieve her employment goals.
JTPA “ helped me find out who I am ,”
she says. “ They boosted me up and gave
me a life-lift.” Linda recently submit
ted a proposal to create a participant
support group at NEET, which could
help others who are struggling to start
their lives over again.
Linda has worked for ei<’ht
* > *
jijK
»