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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!”