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UFE K T M
OF OUR
HOOK
ÖKERVER
PORTL
Volume X X I, Number 12
'The Eyes and Ears o f The Community"
Center Closure Eminent
Without Funds.».Now
Ron Daniels alludes
to the shamefulness
of war
PAGE 2
Retaining Religious
Duality, by A. Lee
Henderson
Grace Collins with her kids
PAGE 3
he Grace C ollins M em orial
C om m unity Center which was
founded by Grace and Evelyn C ollins
over 40 years ago is facing yet another
threat o f shut down.
The Center has been plagued with
numerous problems recently includ
ing threat o f closure by C hildren’ s
Service D ivisio n in October, 1991 for
violations that had gone uncorrected
fo r some time. W ith support from a
few o f the parents whose children are
cared fo r at the Center, some con
cerned citizens from the com m unity
and some public o fficials, the board
o f Directors chaired by Ralph L. Davis
o f the M ultnom ah County S h e riffs
Department, won a ninth hour appeal
and was granted a temporary license.
The Jefferson
Dancers prepare for
a busy spring
PAGE 4
The Center, under the direction o f Stan
Peterson has been operating according
to plan and is up fo r a fin al CSD review
in M ay o f 1991 at which time CSD w ill
determine i f sufficient progress had
been made in the areas o f staffing,
sanitation and curriculum . A t this time
CSD expresses optimism about the future
o f the Center. The regulatory agency
has taken an unprecedented and excep
tional ro ll o f resource and support o f
the Center to assist during this period.
The Center has operated as an in
tentionally subsidized program since it
was founded. M iss C ollins and her
mother Grace C ollins wanted to pro
vide low cost day care fo r mothers who
wanted to w ork rather than remain on
welfare and other assistance programs.
Local student seeks
funds to visit Africa
PAGE 5
The Harlem
Renaissance and
Marcus Garvey
examined in
upcoming book
■
8 r
PAGES
Vera Katz urges
Governor Roberts to
respond to the gang
problem
PAGE 8
Unified School District Fund Raising
Event For The Martin Luther King, Jr.
Scholarship Fund
The M artin Luther K ing, Jr. Schol
arship Fund o f Oregon is having a fund
raising banquet to commemorate the
life o f Dr. K ing on Saturday, A p ril 6,
1991,6:30 pm, at the Red Lio n Jantzen
Beach Hotel, Portland, Oregon.
Dr. George J. McKenna III , super
intendent o f the Inglewood U nified
School D istrict w ill give the keynote
I*
I
INDEX
News
Religion
Entertainment
News
News
News
Classifieds
Bids/Sub Bids
Next Week
In thg, Locker Room:
Robert Parish: A Sec
ond Wind, by Ullysses
TUcker, Jr.
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
9
Dr. George J. McKenna III
Superintendent of the Inglewood
address on “ Recommitment To The
Dream...Educating Youth For The
W orkforce In The 90’ s And Beyond.”
As the principal o f George Wash
ington Preparatory High School, lo
cated in south central Los Angeles, Dr.
McKenna developed and implemented
the preparatory school m odel, a progam
stressing academic excellence at all
levels. In four years, he successfully
changed an inner-city high school that
had been tom by violence, low achieve
ment and lack o f com m unity c o n fi
dence into a school which now has an
attendance waiting list, and where nearly
80% o f the graduates enroll in college.
Because o f his success, Dr. M cKenna’ s
programs are being w idely modeled
throughout the nation.
The scholarship fund incorporated
in 1971, and located on the Portland
State U niversity campus offices do
nated by the U niversity, has provided
about 1,700 scholarships to students:
totalling more than $400,000 in educa
tional assistance. Better than 95% o f
the contributions are utilized in direct
scholarship assistance, w ith the small
remainder going to defray the operat
ing expenses as a n on-profit charitable
corporation. These contributions have
been made available to the fund over
the years through the generosity o f
corporations, organizations, and mem
bers o f the Oregon com m unity, who
are concerned about the future o f our
youth.
Proceeds from this event w ill pro
vide scholarship assistance to m inority
students who m ight not otherwise be
able to get a college education.
Make a com m itm ent to jo in us for
this celebration. Tickets may be pur
chased for $30.00 per person at the fo l
low ing locations:
Ms. C ’ s W igs: 707 N.E. Fremont,
G I Joe's: A ll Locations, H ouscof Sound
Record Shop: 3634 N. W illiam s.
In keeping w ith that mission the Cen
ter has continued this practice and
until recently had been able to oper
ate at a loss because o f contributions
from friends and support for the w ork
M iss C ollins was doing in the com
m unity. The Center was also able in
past years to obtain grants from such
organizations like the C ollins Foun
dation, Fred M eyer and the Tem ple
ton Foundation. Several churches,
prim arily outside the Community have
been ongoing supporters o f the work
o f Miss C ollins.
Today many o f the past support
ers have passed on and their contribu
tions have not been replaced. Rates at
the Center have gone virtua lly un
changed yet the cost o f all aspects o f
running the Center have increased.
The Center runs deeper in the red
w ith each passing day. Miss C ollins
and the Board have w ritten nearly
1000 letters during the past three
months to local churches, organiza-
ubns, private individuals in the city
and around the state and public o f f i
cials, local, state and federal, many o f
whom know Miss C ollins and her
w ork in the comm unity.
W ith all their combined efforts
the Center is barely able to make pay
ro ll from week to week for its 18
members who are paid only m in i
mum wage and have no benefits.
The Center's worst financial woes
are now facing it in the form o f unpaid
payroll taxes in collection w ith the
IRS. In order to pay staff the Center
has calculated wages and made all
deductions, but has not paid payroll
taxes assessed on a quarterly basis.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Congressman
Wyden Hosts
Town Meetings
M arch 20,1991
A Lion At Bay?
BY PROFESSOR MCKINLEY BURT
Oregon-who at the beginning o f his
tenure received a carte blanche accep
here is a common saying when
tance from taxpayer, staff and commu
a person is caught in a deep,
nity alike. Today, however, the climate
pensive pose,” Y o u ’re a study is in remarkably different. And the man is
“ defensive, indignant” it is said. The
blue...what on earth is on your m ind?”
Black United Front is “ angered.”
That was the immediate reaction
It is the school board, o f course,
when we saw school superintendent
which has earned the same critical ap
M atthew Prophet’s full-page portrait
praisal as the “ lion at b a y ". This is not
on the cover o f the Sunday Oregonian
a situation where comprehension yields
Northwest Magazine. The feature ar
sim ply to being made aware o f such
ticle, ‘ ‘ The Perils o f Prophet: The Head
O f Portland’ s Schools Feels The Heat” ,
transgressions as when “ Prophet and
board member Joe Rieke took steps to
undoubtedly brought the same pensive
keep a labor agreement w ith classified
school workers quiet u ntil after the
election-chief Deputy Donald M cElroy
in agreement.” School board member
Joe Rieke is directly quoted, “ We are
attacked fo r behavior in the p olitical
arena, and attacks like that divide
people.” Wasn’ t something once said
about ‘ Caesar’s w ife ’ ?
Reader may recall that last July I
did a two-page spread which highlighted,
among other gross and arrogant fa il
ures o f this district, a description o f a
black parent’s frustrating exchange with
the implacable mindset o f Portland’ s
Matthew Prophet
school board. B riefly, this particular
look to our own features. Hardly into
piece focused upon a board member’s
the article, another fa m iliar standard
d iffid e n t (contemptuous) reply to cita
was recalled as w riter B ill Graves set
tions o f the district’s failure to acquaint
the tone, “ The best laid plans o f mice
their child with any vestige o f her A f r i
and men often go astray.”
can American heritage-this, after m il
But, here, we are not reflecting
lions in monies and man hours were
upon the characters o f a play (“ O f
spent to import noted historians in the
M ice A nd M en” ), but upon the frus
field, and to develop a number o f re
trated hopes, plans and aspirations o f a
lated Baseline Essays along w ith cur
community and a school district-all now
riculum aligned materials. Earlier, I
at loggerheads over the most divisive
had frequently cited ‘ ‘ a consistent fa il
(and confusing) issues ever to confront
ure to deliver the ‘product’ to the con
Portland’ s education system. And as
sumer. Something that would not be
reported, this is occurring in one o f the
tolerated in industry.”
state’ s wealthiest school districts, led
I do not believe this com m unity is
by the highest paid public executive in
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
T
Anti-Hate Crime
Legislation Introduced
.
*»
Saturday March 23,
1:30 to 3:00 PM
Lake Oswego Com m unity Center
505 SW G Street
Lake Oswego
Monday, March 25
7:00 to 8:30 PM
Cherry Park United Methodist
Church
1736 SE 106th
Portland
Wednesday, March 27
7:00 to 8:30 PM
Troutdale C ity Hall
104 SE K ib lin g
Troutdale
SPECIAL FORUM ON VIOLENT
CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN
Saturday, March 23
10:00 A M to 12:00 PM
Westminster Presbyterian Church
1624 N E Hancock
Portland
The latest crim e figures for our
community show violent crimes against
women arc up significantly. Please jo in
law enforcement officals, social serv
ice agencies, leading wom en’s organi
zations, and Ron to discuss new strate
gies to protect womcn-and federal leg
islation that can help.
25<P
Rep. Bill Dwyer (D-Springfield)
C alling his anti-hate violence pro
posed legislation a “ fittin g response to
utter cruelty and inhum anity, “ Rep.
B ill D w yer (D -Springfield) pressed his
House colleagues to pass HB 2488,
which calls fo r adding racially m oti
vated murder to Oregon’s death pen
alty statute.
Referring to the November 13,1988
m u rd c ro f Ethiopian national M ulugcta
Seraw and to the earlier murder o f
Portland resident Stanely Reed, D w yer
called fo r the Legislature to “ send an
undiluted crystal clear message that we
mean business on this issue.”
“ Hate crimes were reported in 20
different counties in Oregon,” Dw yer
said, “ This isn’ t just a Portland prob-
J c n rC n m c s o fjirc ^ u d ic ^ tre jn c re a s ^
ing in Oregon.” He cited a 40% in-
crease in reported crimes o f prejudice
between 1989 and 1990 in Oregon.
“ Just in 1990 there were 343 re
ported hate crimes in our state,” Dwyer
said, citing a recent report by the Ore
gon law Enforcement Data System. “ I
am appalled at the extent o f racially-
motivated crimes in this state-the threats
and the violent acts.”
Citing National Council o f Churches
data o f 121 hate inspired murders be
tween 1980 and 1986, Dwyer said, “ we
must send the message to Skinheads,
Neo-Nazis and any other hate apostles
o f any race that i f you k ill in Oregon,
you face a harsh penalty.”
“ Neo-Nazis organizers have ap
parently targeted Oregon as a haven for
hatred," Dwyer said, “ But the judge
ment against Tom Metzger and the in
creased discussion, w ithin your col
leges and political forums, shows that
people are ready to unite against this
monstrous brutality,”
D w yer’s b ill would add murder
‘ ‘because o f the v ic tim ’s race or co lo r”
to the existing aggravated murder stat
ute (ORS 163.095). I f adopted, racially
motivated killin g s would jo in murder
fo r hire, the k illin g o f a police o ffice r
and other heinous homicides among
those eligible fo r the death penalty.
U rging House Judiciary members
to "elevate into the fraternity o f hei
nous homicide those who k ill with racial
hatred as their cause,” the Springfield
legislator said that the current legisla
tive session needs to “ send a message
that we w o n 't tolerate this type o f gar-
bage in our state!”