March 6 ,1 9 9 1 -The Portland O b s e r v e r -Page 5
African-American Women Make History
b> Bonnie Freeman
PM Eflitonal Services
SiMy-five years have passed since
histonan Carter G. Woodson started
Negro History U eektoheightencultural
awareness among blacks at a time when
segregation and racial unrest were a
way of life around the nation. That
week has since evolved into Black
History Month celebrated in February.
It continues to showcase excellence
among individuals in the fields o f sci
ence and technology, politics, lit
erature, arts and entertainm ent, and
athletics.
Martin Luther King Jr. — lead ero f
the civil rights m ovem ent — is perhaps
the most recognizable indiv idual asso
ciated with Black History Month. Others
include Frederick Douglass, who was
bom into slavery and devoted his life to
abolition; George W ashington Carver,
the scientist who developed hundreds
of products from the peanut, revolu
tio n iz in g S o u th e rn a g r ic u ltu r e ;
Thurgood M arshall, w ho rem ains the
only
A frican-A m erican to be ap
pointed to the U.S. Suprem e Court, the
highest court in the nation; and
Douglas W ilder, w ho m ade history in
1990 when he took the oath as governor
o f the C om m onw ealth o f V irginia —
becom ing the first A frican-A m erican
governor in m odem history.
The accom plishm ents o f these ex
ceptional men are equaled by the
pioneering efforts o f countless A fri
can-A m erican wom en. Rosa Parks.
Barbara Jordan, Shirley Chisholm .
M axine W aters and. m ost recently.
Sharon
Pratt Dixon, along with
M arian Anderson and Leontyne Price,
are ju s, a few exam ples o f w om en
who defied the odds to direct the
course o f history.
Rosa Parks gained notoriety in 1955
when she was arrested for refusing to
Photo courtesy of Moorland-Spingarn
Research Center Howard University
Leontyne Price, the first international
opera “ prinia donna assoluta."
give up her seat on a M ontgom ery.
Ala., bus. Parks' arrest ignited the
historic Montgomery bus boycott, and
her arrest was a catalyst in the civil
rights m ovem ent. She challenged the
system and helped dism antle the laws of
segregation on public transportation in
A labama.
The political arena was taken by storm
in 1966 w hen Barbara Jordan w as elected
to the Texas Senate. She becam e the
first black senator to serve in the Texas
Senate since 1883 and the first black
female senator ever in Texas. In 1972.
Jordan was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives where she served three
terms.
M e a n w h ile . S h irley C h ish o lm
shaped history by serv ing the state of
New York in the U.S. C ongress from
1968 to 1982. C hisholm was the first
black w om an elected to the U.S. C o n
gress. In 1972, she launched an un
precedented bid for the presidential
nom ination o f the D em ocratic Party.
A nother accom plished politician.
M axine W aters is considered the most
powerful w om an in California politics
today, as well as the most influential
black w om an in the D em ocratic Parly.
Elected to the C alifornia Slate A ssem
bly in 1976. W aters was instrumental
in passing a wide range o f legislation.
W aters m aintained her political m o
m entum by being elected to the U.S.
House o f Representatives in 1990.
Politically . 1990 proved to be a stel
lar year for A frican-A m erican women.
A nother landmark accom plishm ent was
recorded when Sharon Pratt Dixon
b ecam e the first fem a le. A fric an -
A m erican m ayor o f W ashington, D.C.
A ccom plishm ents o f black women
in other areas have been equally o ut
standing. O ne o f the m ost com pelling
events in the world o f arts and entertain
ment took place on Easter 1939, when
Marian A nderson — considered to be
the greatest contralto o f her generation
— perf orm ed outdoors before a crow d
o f 75.000 in W ashington. D.C.. after
being denied perm ission to sing at
Constitution Hall. In 1955. A nderson
made history by becom ing the first
black soloist to sing at the Metropolitan
O p era H ouse in N ew Y ork C ity .
A nderson dem olished racial barriers in
classical music.
Vestiges o f A nderson's efforts re
m ained in place, and in 1961. when
Leonty ne Price debuted at the M etro
politan O pera House, she received a 42-
nnnute ovation for her perform ance in
the opera "II T rovatore.” Price was the
first to achieve international status as a
"prim a donna assoluta."
All these w omen faced daunting
obstacles, yet they waged battle against
incredible odds using their courage and
perseverance to elim inate inequities in
this country — not only am ong the
races, but am ong the sexes — further
enriching life for us all. Id
t 1991 PM Editorial Services
CHILDREN OF COLOR
MODELING AGENCY
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MODEL SEARCH
OPEN AUDITION
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ALL CHILDEN/TEENS
AGES 3 MONTHS - 19 YEARS OLD
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
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In Tribute to Pvt. Robert Talley
BY BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS, JR.
SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1991
WHEN
WHERE INTERSTATE FIREHOUSE
CULTURAL CENTER
5340 N. INTERSTATE
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
TIME
(by appointment only)
CALL 282-1734 FOR YOUR
APPOINTMENT TODAY!!
ALL CHILDREN/TEENS ARE WELCOME TO COME TO THE
OPEN AUDITION. DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE A
FUTURE STAR!!
REGISTRATION $10.00
W hat has been the impact and
human cost o f the W ar in the G ulf on
the African American commuinty?: In
addition to the tragic loss o f life, there
are many w ho are now trying to com
pute and assess the full impact on the
domestic situation in the United States.
It appears that there will be a long term
negative effect on the plight o f the poor
and those millions o f Americans who
are increasingly being caught in the
ravages o f poverty and economic ex
ploitation.
We caution against the rising cele
brations o f victory and the tendency to
ignore the real pain and suffering that
this war has caused here and abroad.
especially in the African A m eri
can com m unity as the tragic death of
Pvt. Robert D. Talley, 18 years old
from Newark,New Jersey, exposes the
lingering pain of the G ulf War. But also
the life and contributions o f Robert
Talley to his family, community and
nation need to be paid a lasting tribute.
There is no greater sacrifice than to
give your life for your country, yet the
question remains, will America honor
Robert Talley’s memory by doing greater
justice at home in the interests o f T al
ley’s family and community?
W e pay tribute to this young A fri
can American U.S. Army soldier who
was killed in action February 18,1991
on the frontlines o f the war in the Gulf.
Robert Talley was one o f our best! He
graduated from Barringer High School
Minority Student Tuition Waivers Announced At PSU
Minority students with good aca
demic records are eligible for special
tuition waivers at Portland State U ni
versity, according to Dan Fortm iller,
Director of the Academic Support Center
at PSU.
30-35 scholarships will be avail
able to students in each o f two groups,
Fortmiller said.
The Underrepresented M inorities
Achievement Scholarship aw ards tui
tion waivers to entering freshman. The
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Y
U nderrepresented M inorities A chieve
ment Scholarship for College Juniors
aw ards waivers for students with junior
level standing.
“ W e get a high caliber o f students
applying for these scholarships,” says
Fortm iller. “ Last year’s grade point
average for freshmen scholarship ap
plicants was ju st under a 3.0 It’s really
com petitive.”
The program is part of the Oregon
State System o f Higher Education’s
m inority student enrollm ent initiative.
135 PSU students are currently on the
O SSH E scholarships.
D eadlines for scholarship applica
tions for academic year 1991-92 are
M arch 1 (for entering freshman) and
April 1, 1991 (for juniors).
For more information or to receive
a scholarship application; call PSU ’s
O ffices of Adm issions, 725-3511, M i
nority Students Recruitment, 725-4457,
or Academic Support Center, 725-4005.
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in Newark last year and joined the army
in order to receive the benefits o f get
ting a college education.
Ms. Deborah Talley , R obert’s
m other stated, “ I am extremely proud
o f my son and the efforts and contribu
tions that he has made on behalf o f his
country, although I am concerned about
the large percentage of African A m eri
cans serving in the military. I am like
wise concerned that w hile African
Americans are serving in the military at
such large num bers, the President ve
toed the Civil Rights Bill offered pro
tection to us from racial descrimina-
tion.” The family o f Robert Talley
should also be commended. His mother
Deborah, and his grandm other, Lou
Ann M onroe have been outspoken in
challenging the imm orality o f the war
itself.
Robert Talley w anted to be a doc
tor. He was killed by a U.S. Lt. Col.
who fired a U.S. ’’H ellfire” missile
that hit the arm ored personnel carrier
transporting Talley and seven other U.S.
soldiers. The United States refers to
T alley’s death as being the result of
“ friendly fire.” But there was nothing
“ friendly” about this tragedy. How is
it that a young person joins the U.S.
Army and in less than 6 months time is
ordered stationed on the frontline o f a
ferocious war? Do Army recruiters
instruct young people “ volunteering”
for a tour o f duty with the military
concerning the life-threatening risks
involved?
President Bush hails the military
as being the greatest equal opportunity
em ploym ent agency in the nation. If
this is true, then the President’s asser
tion becomes a confession to the reality
o f the institutionalized racism that
operates throughout this society to deny
equal opportunity based on race at all
levels o f our society.
Grandmother Lou Ann M onroe
sighed, “ To think that my grandson
died for a drop o f oil m akes me sick.
Robert didn’t even get a chance to live
his life.” Since the news o f R obert’s
death, thousands o f persons throughout
the nation have sent expressions o f
sympathy to the family. A t the funeral
held at M ount Calvary Baptist C hurch
in Newark, numerous tributes w ere made
in honor o f Robert Talley including
from Newark Mayor Sharpe James, Con
gressman Donald Payne (D -N J), and
the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
W e must not allow R obert T a l
ley’s death to be in vain. N either should
we allow the deaths o f all o f those from
our communities w ho w ere sacrificed
in this immoral war to be in vain. O ur
best tribute to R obert Talley and to the
others who lost their lives in the G u lf
W ar is to demand ju stice and peace at
home as well as abroad. W e m ust not
allow Robert T alley’s nam e to becom e
just a statistic at the Pentagon but rather
the memory o f Talley should serve as a
constant rem inder o f our collective
responsibilities to prevent w ar and to
make our society m ore ju st and eq u i
table.
Celebrating 25 Years Of Service to the Community
(Spring Term Registration Gets Underway At MHCC)
Spring term registration at M l Hood
Community College begins March 4
for continuing students with appoint
ments. Open regiztration begins March
11.
Appointment cards will be avail
able for continuing students beginning
February 26 at 7:30 a.m. in the College
Theatre. After 10:30 a.m ..appointm ent
cards will be handed out in the Addmis-
sons and Records Office.
Registration for students with ap
pointments will take place March 4-8.
Hours are M onday-Thursday, 8 a.m. - 7
p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Open registration will be March 11-
29. From March 11-22 registration hours
are M onday-Thursday,8 a.m. 7;30p.m .,
Friday, 8 na.m. -430 p.m. M arch 25-29
hours will be Monday-Friday, 8 a.- 4:30
p.m.
For students taking 8 credit hours or
less, telephone registration is available
during the following dates and hours:
March 18-22, M onday-T hursday.
1-7:30; Friday, 9:30 a.m . - 4:30 p.m.
March 25-29 telephone registration is
available M onday-Friday, 9 :3 0 a.m -
4:30p.m . Students registering by phone
should have their course and section
numbers, visa or M asterC ard number
and social security n u m ber ready when
they call.
For m ore inform ation call the
MHCC A dm issions and Records o f f ic
at 667-7392.