July 3 , 1991—The Portland Observer-- Page 3
• Portland Observer
RELIGION
The Power To Do Something About It!
BY DEE NITSON &
MATTIE ANN COLLIER-SPEARS
Saturday, June 22,1991, marked a
day o f special significance and aware­
ness. There were Juneteenth Celebra­
tions being held everywhere. I at­
tended three. One o f the celebrations
was at the Colum bia R iver C orrec­
tional Institution. The inmates gath­
ered together in the cafeteria to hold a
very sophisticated program. There were
soloists, choral selections, creative
w ritings, poems and personal testimo­
nies. One o f the female inmates once
lived in A frica w ith her husband. She is
o f Greek origin. She told o f her adven­
ture in the prejudice and segregation o f
South A frica... How she was thrown
into ja il fo r w alking in a district w ith ­
out a sponsor... H ow she met W innie
M andella and the many hardships she
had to encounter w hile in a South A f r i­
can prison.
The fo llo w in g is a detailed ac­
count o f some o f the personalities o f
the C iv il Rights Period who touched
the life o f another presenter, Dee Nitson.
This is the presentation she rendered:
Before I begin, I have something
fo r both blacks and whites to think
about:
I f the whole w orld follow ed you -
Follow ed you to the letter -
T e ll me --
I f I follow ed you --
W ould the w orld be any better?
“ Ig n o ra n t people fear
w h a t they d o n ’ t und ersta nd .”
T w o people, through the years,
have brought m y attention toward the
black people. M eeting them was years
apart but their effect on me s till re­
mains. They gave me the learning
curiosity I have about the black people,
and the wishing that there were no
barriers between blacks and whites.
ROBERT KENNEDY
He was m y hero. He was m y
inspiration. T o me, he was alm ost eve­
rything. He was the hope o f people.
Yes, people o f both races. He had
knowledge to bring to both blacks and
to whites, and the power to do some­
thing about it. It was a great loss, to all
o f us, when he was kille d. He was a
healer between the tw o races. He could
open the ears o f white people. He made
them listen to the unjust and w rong­
doings that were fa llin g on the blacks.
Learning on May 20, 1961 that a
hostile mob threatened M artin Luther
K ing, Jr. and 1200 o f his supporters.
Attorney General Robert Kennedy sent
400 federal marshals to protect them.
In other racial crises, he used long tele­
phone sessions to work out strategics o f
the peace officers in the south. He put
vigor into protecting c iv il rights through
adm inistrative action and he played a
role in shaping the c iv il rights law in
this country.
He was a black m an’s friend and
he was admired by whites.
The chance o f m y lifetim e came
when I was able to w ork fo r him and
w ith him on the campaign circuit. I
worked four o f six states for him . He
did w in five o f six states, on his way to
becoming the next president o f the United
States. He was kille d June 5, 1968. I
was there! I was devastated. M y dedi­
cation to him and his memory did and
s till exists unshaken. He was the door
to knowledge and he had the a b ility to
bring out compassion from both sides.
I was w ith him on numerous occasions
and w ould m elt every time...
ANGELA DAVIS
The second was Angela Davis. She
was a U.S. Black m ilita nt philosophy
professor at the U niversity o f C a lifo r­
nia in Los Angeles, C alifornia. She
gained an international fo llo w in g dur­
ing her imprisonment and tria l charges
from 1970 to 1972. She was discharged
from teaching after she admitted to
comm unist party membership. A fte r
com ing out and adm itting this - it, at
once, made her a popular figure among
both races.
She was devoted to the cause o f
justice fo r black prisoners. She was
attached to one o f the so-called Soledad
Prison brothers. In an abortive escape
and kidnapping attempt from the Jus­
tice H all o f M arin County C alifornia,
in the c ity o f San Rafael, C alifornia, the
brother o f the black man she liked was
kille d also. This happened in August o f
1970.
M iss Davis made the “ M ost
W anted” crim inal lis t after she went
underground. She was found in O cto­
ber and was charged w ith kidnapping,
murder and conspiracy.
Held in solitary confinem ent fo r
many months, Angela Davis and her
couse became the focus o f a w o rld ­
A
GOSPEL MUSIC
CONCERT
JUST
FOR
YOUTH
w ide campaign. It was probably the best
organized defense e ffo rt in the history
o f recent United States p o litica l trials.
A committee to free Angela Davis
collected thousands o f dollars, not only
from radicals but from moderate sym­
pathizers.
There were “ FREE
A N G E L A ” posters, rallies and protests
blanketed around the w orld on her be­
half. F ollow ing a thirteen-week trial,
she was acquitted on all charges by an
all-w h ite ju ry . This was in June o f 1972.
She went out on a three-week United
States speaking tour. Then she toured
the world.
I went to one o f her appearances in
San Francisco. When she came out on
stage, she stood behind a bullet-proof
shield with a lot o f security guards around
her. This was the first experience that I
had hearing and seeing the hostility,
confusion, ignorance and the lack o f
comm unication between blacks and
whites. It was scary being there and not
know ing i f you w ould be shot or w h a t
Just like a lot o f innocent bystanders, I
stood in awe. I was then one o f the
chosen few who got to meet her and
shake her hand.
What she brought out in me was the
need fo r “ w a n tin g to le a rn .” I wanted
to learn w h a t was keeping blacks and
w hites fro m u n itin g .
It is never safe to consider in d iv id ­
ual people in groups, classes or races.
T o accredit rightness or wrong doings to
a ll the individuals o f a group is sense­
less. It is unjust and inaccurate.
The opposite o f ignorance, o f one
m an’ s race, is knowledge. As a rule, an
understanding o f the nature o f a person
should rule out hostility. This holds
good between races as w ell as between
individuals.
♦ I t ’ s not what people eat, but what
knowledge they digest that makes them
strong.
♦ I t ’ s not what they read, but what
they remember that makes them learn.
And learning w ill eventually lead to
knowledge.
♦ Once people possess the k n o w l­
edge o f other races o f people, they can
easily accept each other as individuals.
Remember: There is one God and
one God O N L Y ! He doesn’t see color.
He sees us. W e should a ll try to do the
Christian Women Against Crime
120 N.E. IVY Portland, Oregon 97212
(503) 282-1316
A lb t n . Phllllpa, P ra a P fn t
Come to the...
C.W.A.C. SUMMER DAY CAMP
FUN, ARTS 4 CRAFTS
GAMES 4 MINI TRIPS
READING 4 MATH
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a Lunch Is Free
WHEN: JULY 1, 1991-AUGUST 15, 1991
WHERE: MORNING STAR BAPTIST CHURCH ANNEX
120 N.E. IVY
TIME: 6:30 A M - 5:30 P.M.
AGES: 4-13 YEARS OLD. BOYS 5 GIRLS
FEE: $6.50 PER DAY
SIGN UPI
1991 “Let’s
Bag Hunger”
Food Drive
A Success
The 1991 “ L e t’ s Bag Hunger”
statewide food drive, held M ay 6-24,
raised 117,500 pounds o f food and nearly
$11,000 to benefit Oregon Food Bank
network agencies.
For the sixth year in a row , Orego­
nians fille d grocery bags w ith nonper­
ishable food items and brought them to
their nearest First Interstate Bank branch.
T hirty-eigh t newspaper publishers
(members o f the Oregon Newspaper
Publishers Association) inserted 700,000
printed grocery bags in their publica­
tions to promote the drive. W illam ette
Industries, Georgia-Pacific and Cupples
Paper Bag Co. donated the printed bags
for distribution. Nearly 180 First Inter­
state Bank branches served as collec­
tion sites throughout Oregon.
Jesus L oves You/
Alhriü Wurphi
(Stattäh
Psalm 3 4 :3
4236 NE Eighth Avenue
(comer ot 8th 4 Skidmore)
Portland, O regon 97211
Featuring from Oakland, California
The Sensational
(503) 287-0261
Gospel Hummingbirds
Phillip S. Nelson, Pastor
The Churches Of God In Christ Hold
Annual State Convention
The F irst Jurisdiction o f the
Churches o f God in C hrist w ill hold its
47th Annual Stale Convention July 8
through July 14 at its state headquar­
ters, M cK inney Temple, 1737 N.E.
Alberta S t
Services w ill be at 7:30 p.m. nightly.
Day services w ill be 10 a.m. Monday
through Friday. Bishop A.R. Hopkins
w ill preside.
Guest speakers fo r the C iv ic Pro­
gram o f the convention w ill be Ken
Boddie, news anchor and reporter fo r
K O IN -T V , and president o f the Port­
land Association o f Black Journalists,
and O ffice r Dorothy Elmore o f Port­
land Police Bureau’s Gang Enforce­
ment Team.
Both Elmore and Boddie w ill speak
Monday, July 8 at 8 p.m. Elm ore w ill
address the issues o f gang a ctivity in
Portland: Have gangs gone away? What
to be on the lookout for? W hat can the
church and com m unity do? Boddie w ill
discuss alternatives to gang activities
and introduce the newly formed PABJ’S
plans to encourage youths to stay in
school and prepare fo r the future. The
public is welcome.
Dorothy Elmore
A pre-musical fo r the convention,
w ill be held July 6 at 7:30 p.m., at the
G reaterS olidR ock.C O G IC , 1705N.E.
Dekum St. Host pastor w ill be Bishop
A.R. Hopkins. Adm ission is free.
For more inform ation contact Dee
J. W alker, D irector o f Public Relations
fo r Oregon First Jurisdiction, at 281-
5593 or 283-1524.
MT OLIVET BAPTIST
CHURCH
1■
WE ARE MOVING
SUNDAY SERVICES
TO
Stone Tower Church,
N.E. Sandy Blvd. & 3Oth
Worship Services 8:00 A.M. & 11:00 A.M.
Church School 9:30 A.M. to 10:30 A.M.
Bible Study. Wednesdays, 116 N.E.Schuyler
10:30 A.M. and 6:30 P.M.
Radio Ministry each Sunday, 8:00 A.M.-KBMS
A Teaching Church With A Reaching Ministry
Dr. James E. Martin, Senior Pastor
Church Office 116 N.E. Schuy er,
Maranatha
Church
4222 N.E. 12th Avenue, Portland, Oregon
Sunday Services
Sunday School
9:00 A.M.
M orning Worship
10:30 A.M.
Danny Osborne & Phillis Whitmore
St. Mark Baptist Church
with
103 N.E. Morris Street
Portland, Oregon 97212
Church Phone: 287-7457
The First A.M.E. Zion Gospel Choir
Special Guest Lenanne Sylvester
July 13,1991
THE SALVATION ARMY
COMMUNITY CENTER
(Gymnasium)
5335 N. Williams Ave.
D O N A T I O N $ 5 .0 0 A T D O O R
7:00 P.M.
7:00 P.M.
■Jt*.
*■ ”
Fam ily Owned and Operated
Since 1954
Serving the C ity o f Portland
for over 37 years
In your hour o f need
Vann &Vann are there to serve
Bible Study, Wednesday 5:30 PM.
Prayer Service, Wednesday 6:00 PM.
Rev. Dr. Joe S. Hardie, Pastor
Cleodus Vann
503/281-2836
5211 N. W illia m s P o rtla n d , O r. 97217
M allory Avenue Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)
God's Presence promises
Power through Jesus Christ in
G ood Times and Bod Times
n. es
"Come to m e a l you who ore
w eara and heavy laden and I
w ill give you m st"
9:45am
1 1 :00am
7:30pm
"Maranatha Live" Radio Program/Talk Show KPDQ 93.7 FM 800 AM
11:00 P.M. to 12:00 midnight (Each Sunday)
St. Paul Missionary
Baptist Church
Sunday Worship 11:00 AM.
M o tth w
Rev. Wendall H. Wallace
Senior Pastor
—
Sunday School 9:30 AM.
He That Loveth Not, Knoweth Not God;
For God Is love 1 John 4:8
RECTORS
6:00 P.M.
M idw eek Service - Wednesday
Saturday- B A S IC Youth Service
Bar-B-Q Dinners NOT Included in Cover Charge
FUNERAL
Scripture o f the Week M icah 6:8
Evening Worship
Plus
&
Scripture o f the
Church Phone: 289-0147
Sunday Service
10:45
Sunday School
-9:90
Bible Study
6:00
Evening Service
7:00 P.M.
Theme: Whatever you’re going to do
for the Lord, do it now.
Sunday School
M orn ing UJorshlp
Tuesday Bible
Study and Prayer
126 N.E. Alberto
PortJond, OR 97211 (503) 280-5173
lnt»r-raclol Congregation
8101 N. Fiske Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97203
I Peter iv.ll
Denise ft. Bell Pastor
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