Volume XX, Number 41
"The Eyes and Ears o f The Community"
October 24, 1990
House of Umoja Hopes for Early 1991 Opening
T
he House o f Umoja, a Philadel
phia-based safehouse fo r gang-
related youth, is hoping for project re
ality in early January or February, 1991.
The program was originally scheduled
for mid-summer operations but was
beset w ith numerous funding problems
causing a delay in renovations.
Umoja incorporates traditional
African tribal values, in which there is
a mother and father figure, basic fam
ily principles o f respect and love fo r
the com m unity, responsibility fo r one's
brothers and sisters, accountability not
only fo r oneself but the longer comm u
nity as w ell, and strong work and edu
cational ethics w ith group dynamic,
tutorial components and counseling
components. There w ill be a computer
lot to aid w ith the tutorial component
in contributions thus far. A dditionally,
as well.
some 26 private contributions, numer
The Portland House o f Umoja
ous construction firm s, accountants, at
has guided significant corporate, gov
torneys, foundations, Congressman Ron
ernment and community sponsorship
Wyden and Les AuC oin have donated
in the entities o f Nike, Inc., $100,000;
services, materials or cash to the pro
C ity o f Portland, $75,000; Portland
gram. S till, according to Lolenzo Poe,
Police Bureau Sunshine Division,
Chairman o f the Board o f Directors for
$10,000; Oregon State Drug and A lco
Umoja, some $100,000 is s till needed to
hol office, $14,000; and Washington
open the doors. N ike, Inc. recently held
Federal Savings and Loan, two dona
a breakfast meeting at its corporate hcad-
tions totalling approximately $195,000
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One Church One
Child, Banquet for
’T he Children Who
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quarters to try and solicit more support
from the business sector. Poe states the
success o f the meeting is unknown as
results are s till being calculated.
W hile the House o f Umoja has
been hailed as Pordand’ s salvation from
gang-troubled youth, it is not a contro
versy-free project. When first intro
duced in March, the concept was out
lined to neighboring residents and busi
nesses.
Some o f the residents and busi
nesses claim they were informed by
Umoja and City officials that there would
be no more than six or eight youth
housed in the fa cility, supervised by
two on-site specially trained adults. But,
according to Poe, the House o f Umoja
at Seventeenth and Alberta (form erly
the Black Education Center) is being
renovated to accommodate 16 youth
and two live-in adults. However, Jeff
Parks, owner o f the Royal Esquire Club,
across the street from Umoja, when he
was approached by C ity and Umoja o f
ficials, he was informed that a m axi
mum o f six youth would live there.
“ I f 1 had known that 16 former
gang members were going to be my
next-door neighbors, I would s till be at
C ity Hall today, possibly as a resi
dent,” he claims. Parks concerns are
echoed by businessman Joe Benjamin,
owner o f Joe’ s Place, one block away.
Benjamin, too, claims he was informed
that no more than six youths would be
there. But, both Parks and Benjamin
indicate they are w illin g to meet w ith
the House o f Umoja to work out any
problems. Meanwhile, work at the Sev
enteenth and Alberta locations was finally
underway at press time.
PAGE 2
Local Color: Then and Now
Locker Room
features
Shaun McDaniels
V
regon Public Broadcasting spe
cial local color which aired last
week on PBS (Channel 10) gave
< \ r ) D an interesting insight into Ore
V / I D g o n Racism during the early
migration o f Blacks to this state.
It showed how far we Blacks have
come since the early 1920s and how far
we must go into the 21st century before
we can truly say Oregon racism is “ on
the decline” .
It was interesting to hear the “ hor
ror” stories as remembered by Otto Ruth
erford, Katherine Bogel, M cKinley Burt,
Fred and Regina Flowers, B ill H illard,
and others as they recounted just how
racist this state was in years past
Blacks who owned businesses in
downtown Portland during those years
tragically saw their dreams o f early pros
perity, and in most instances, survival,
quickly diminished either their intim ida
tion or The Great Depression. Relying
PAGE 5
See our special
Halloween Page,
Trick or Treat for
Halloween tips and
events
PAGE 7
p rim arily on the “ colored” trade, one by
one, slow ly but surely, they were forced
to migrate back across the bridge or the
Oregon State boundary to jo in the ranks
o f the already unemployed Black Popu
lation.
As recountd by these Black Pio
neers, the only jobs available were as
Pullman Car Painters, shoeshine boys,
dishwashers, or maids. W orking in
department stores or other white estab
lishments was not only unthinkable but
in many instances, it was against the law.
Blacks could noteat, drink, sleep,
or attend a movie in downtown Portland
unitl the w ar ended in 1945. The only
somewhat enjoyable livin g environment
was in Van port, which disappeared in
the 1948 flood. Many old-tim e Black
Portlanders recall that Vanport, too, was
as racist as downtown w ith its popula
tion being 3:4 white.
B ill H illa rd recalls growing up in
LOCAL COLOR
«
HISTORIC PORTLAND LANDMARK
RELOCATED BY KAISER PERMANENTE
Body and Soul
PAGES
Index
News
2
Religion
3
News
4
Locker Room
Entertainment
Trick or Treat
Business
Classifieds
Sub-Bids
Bids
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Business Profile Is
now located on the
Business Page
Southeast Portland where he
was not allowed to deliver
the Oregonian door-to-door.
Today he is the Oregonian’ s
Return to a part of Oregon that is less than proud —
editor.
her history of civil rights ...
Helen Law remembers
attending the University o f
Oregon, where as a fresh
man, she and other Blacks
were not allowed to reside
on campus.
The others who ap
peared on the show all had
memories o f the “ good old
days” , which in reality were
bad.
But one thing about
the show which w ill remain
. . . as told by those
v iv id ly in the minds o f many
who were there.
is that in watching, Blacks in
Portland, young and old were
To this embattled faction we say
once again given a ‘ ‘ b it o f history ” to go
“
thanks”
. ToPortlandwesay “ when” !
along w ith the culture o f Black America.
The 83-year-old Town Hall in north Portland begins moving io its new
home on the Edgar F. Kaiser Health Center. Built by Finnish immigrants,
the education and conference center was moved by Kaiser Permanente
n 83-year-old landmark building
it fo r use as an education and conference
center.
in north Portland is resting on a
new site fo llo w in g a weekend move Oct. The move o f Town H all is part o f the
13. Town H all, which was b u ilt as a long-term development plan for Kaiser
social center by Portland’ s Finnish im Permancnte’s Edgar F. Kaiser Health
migrants, was transported a block and-a- Center. The plan calls for expansion o f
h alf atop giant dollies to a new location patient services a nearby Kaiser Perma
ncnte facilities, more parking close to
near North Interstate Avenue.
Declared a historic landmark in 1970, these buildings, and construction ot a
Kaiser Permancnte purchased the wooden building to house the program’ s Center
for Health research (currently located in
structure six years later and refurbished
A
southeast Portland).
Kaiser Permanente contracted fo r
the Tow n H all project w ith Brockamp
and Jaeger, Inc., o f Oregon C ity. Crews
from subcontractor Emmert International,
based in Clackamas, handled the actual
move. Emmert has been moving struc
tures fo r more than 20 years throughout
the United States and in other countries.
According to Emmert International, Town
Hall is reportedly one o f the largest build
ings ever moved on wheels in Oregon.
The building, which measures 50 feet
wide, 100 feet long and 50 feet high, was
moved atop eight Emmert hydraulic trans
portation dollies, each d olly resting on
six industrial mine tires.
In the coming months, Town Hall
w ill be set onto a new foundation now
being constructed. An elevator w ill be
installed and the b uilding 's wheelchair
accessibility w ill be enhanced. Town
Hall w ill continue to be used as an edu
cation and meeting center for Kaiser
Rice to Speak
on Women,
Minorities in the
Workplace
Constance PV. Rice, PhD.
T
The W alker Institute o f Portland,
Oregon has announced the speaker
fo r its Fall Lecture: Constance W . Rice,
PhD. Dr. Rice w ill continue w ith the
1990s theme o f The Emerging M ajor
ity -W o m e n and M inorities in the
Workplace.
Dr. Rice, (Mrs. Norm Rice, First
Lady o f Seattle) is President and Owner
o f CW R, Incorporated, a Public Rela
tions and Management Consultants’ firm,
Seattle, Washington. She is currently on
the Board o f Directors, U.S. West Com
munications, Washington State and Se
curity Pacific Bank, Washington-Alaska-
Idaho. She is also on the Board o f
Directors o f Evergreen State College.
A form er professor at the Univer
sity o f Washington and Seattle, Wash
ington, Dr. Rice is known throughout the
Northwest fo r her thoughtful, dynamic,
insightful, and inspirational presentations.
She w ill be appearing on Thursday,
November 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Northwest
Natural Gas on 220 N. W . Second, fourth
floor. For additional inform ation, con
tact Kay D. Toran, Vice President o f
M arketing and Public A ffairs, 653-3140.
Schools Schedule Grandparents Week
Portland Public Schools next
week (Oct. 22-26) welcomes senior c iti
zen, friends and neighbors during Grand
parents and Special-Friends Week.
Observed since 1975-76, when
701 guests attended, the annual event
now draws more than 14,700 vistitors to
62 elementary, 17 middle and 10 high
schools.
Schools typically set aside one
day during the week fo r classroom vis
its, assemblies, musical programs and
various other activities. Some schools
also host receptions and lunches a ctivi
ties. Some schools also host receptions
and lunches catered through PTAs and
other support organizations.
Don’t Forget!
Just a reminder to set your timepieces back
Sunday, Oct. 28, 2:00 a.m.
Permanente.
Kaiser Permanente is a group prac
tice health maintenance organization
providing a fu ll range o f medical care to
375,000 people in Northwest Oregon
and Southwest Washington, and dental
care to more than 125,000 people in the
same area.
I
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