Page 4...The Portland () bserver... August 28,1991 Geneva’s Shear Perfection Q W N YOUR HOMp, BY BILLY DON MOORE W hen you think o f the word suc cess. and look it up in the dictionary, don’t be surprised if the definition says “ one who achieves the most out of life in accom plishing one’s goal.” D on’t be shocked when it says, “ see Paul Knauls Sr. for additional inform ation.” Paul Knauls breeds success like Clay- bourn stables breeds thoroughbred race horses. Paul and his wife G eneva are the most recognizable couple to come out o f the North inner N ortheast neighbor hood, dating back to the days o f G e neva’s Lounge. I know of no other businessm an who cam e close to P aul’s level o f success in running a nightclub. Well Show You How Whether you're just dreaming of owning a home or you're ready to buy. First Interstate Bank would like to show you how. Because at First Interstate, we re committed to revitalizing our neighbor hoods through home ownership. And, through our Community Lending Center, we place a special emphasis on first-time home buyers. The Community Lending Center offers potential homeow ners a step- by-step approach to buying a home. We ll help you put together a plan to realize your dream of home ow ner ship. We'll focus on finding the loan that best meets your needs and then assist you throughout the home o b l k t loan process. .And we ll provide information and support after your home loan closes. We also sponsor community seminars on home ownership. .And if you already own a home we can help, too. We ll show you how to use the equity you’ve built up in your investment to make home improvements or repairs. So when it comes to any aspect of buying, owning or maintaining a home, call First Interstate. We re here to show you how. Whitney M. Young, Jr. Education and Cultural Center Reopens In New Location Community Lending Center 5730 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97211 Phone: 225-3751 First Interstate Bank b k k k M U S C IN lE O N O R G l k k r r r r r r r r r r r •H’ I*S • O ‘ PH’ N H‘O eN • b y U l l y s s e s T u c k e r , J r . Is There A Cure For Jungle Fever? W ithout a doubt, “ jungle fever’’ has to be the most overused buzz words or description used this sum m er of an interracial relationship. Regardless of the econom ic, social, or professional strata one m ight exist on, the topic of mixed marriages or relationships is bound to make its way into discussion. It’s not uncommon to hear constructive/destruc- tive conversations about the issue in ckurch, at work, in gyms, or while get ting a haircut at W aves on Sandy B lv d ,. G u e ss w ho is dating a black man or a white woman? This seem s to be acom m on ques tion or concern by those opposed to such unions. The ques tions HIS OPIN ION is asking are who cares, since it’s an individual choice and why question an o th er’s wife/mate selection if they are pleased happy ? The Whispers, a popu lar soul/pop recording group once made a song entitled “ Love Is W here You Find It.” But is that possible in such a race concious society like America? You can thank the talented filmmaker Spike Lee and entertainer Stevie W on der for the new dialogue addressing interracial relationships and the social/ political realities associated with such unions or choices. Stevie wrote/pro- duced the soundtrack for “ Jungle Fe v er” and Spike produced the movie. Interracial relationships are noth ing new to the big screen as most saw in “ M an d in g c," “ Guess W ho’s Coming to D inner.’,” and “ Mama, T h ere's A Man In Youi J e d ,” io uai..c a »cw. Spike did a wonderful job produc ing the m ovie, “ Jungle Fever,” but HIS O PIN ION wonders if his perspective (or atti tude) would have been different if he had grown up in Portland as opposed to Brooklyn? Spike’s position was indica tive o f those culturally isolated indi viduals in America, lacking multi eth nic experiences or information about other groups. in many areas of the country, a black child can progress through a school system w ithout having a w hite teacher or student in his/her class. The same situation is true in reverse with white students never having black instructors or classmates. Both races exist in worlds of their own. N ot to mention the barriers created by racism , econom ics, class, and discrimination. It’s easy to see Spike’s mindset going into the project. The level o f class displayed at G e neva’s went unparalleled. Those were the good old days at G eneva’s where friends met. There you would find the am bassador, Paul Knauls, and his in fectious smile greeting you with a table for two, and the first lady o f Portland, Geneva, dressed to kill, exchanging light banter with all the patrons. A family-owned and operated business, Paul K naul’s Jr. worked there, his sis ter Robin Carter and all the other kids. W hen G eneva’s finally closed, it was like a part o f you died. Paul just got tired o f the night club business. Now they’re back with an old busi ness at a new location. Geneva, Paul’s lovely wife o f 20 plus years, has been Now, let’s talk about Portland for a moment, to establish the difference in attitudes com pared to the south and back east. Many blacks in those areas never consider mates outside o f their race because, there arc so many to choose from within the black com m unity. Fra ternities like Kappa Alpha Psi and so rorities such as Alpha Kappa Alpha are extremely active socially, as are many other black professional/social organi zations. There is, unlike Portland, a very visible and established black com m u nity. W hites, for the most part, are the minority in large urban cities like C hi cago, W ashington, D .C .,and Baltimore. It's highly unlikely that a black child will grow up in Portland without having attended class with white children. The k... .,1 i i i s i g i i t u . i i u o , i l l a t i o n about eachothcrcan only reinforce sterolypes, racist opinions, or negative attitudes to wards the other. Residents of Portland arc used to interracial marTiagcs/relalionships, if not tolerant, because it is the w hitest city in America. (84.6% of the population is while.) So should blacks limit their dating options? It’s a shock to m ost new O re mg from geographical locations where relationships of this nature are rare. So, should a black man or woman date someone within their race because it’s the “ politically correct” thing to do or should they date (or marry) som e one because he or she is attracted to the person and they have values, goals, dreams, or convictions that match each others? In W ebster’s definition of love, there is no mention of race, creed, or color. It only talks about affec tion anti feel ings for an other human being. W hat ? 1 'm ■ m be a iion-lisuc for most in terracial families or couples united to gether is a bigger issue with those not in favor o f such relationships. Again, why worry about who som eone else decides to love? The important elem ents in any relationship should be honesty, respect and true love, not race. It is wrong to enter into a relationship with dishonest intentions or with the purpose of con sciously exploiting, using, or abusing another human being. Treating people properly is far more important than the issue o f race. W ith the low population of minorities in the state of Oregon, both blacks and whites had better a c cept the fact that interracial love is here to slay despite the history, politics, and attitudes on the issue. The national average for interra cial I lk a liages last y u i........ , cut O regon’s average crushed that figure with a whopping 39%. “ Jungle fever” is here to stay. So, is there a cure for “ jungle fever” as described by the movie? You can look as close as your attitude about the issue for the answer. W hether it’s within your race or not, lind love and happiness where you can... NEXT WEEK: CAN MEN RE gon residents, especially those rclocal- ALLY CHANGE? “ ...A/z intense affectionate concern fo r another person. 2. An intense sexual desire fo r another person. 3. A beloved endearment. 4. A strong fondness or enthusiasm for something...” -Love, defined by Webster’s The Urban League of Portland’s W hitney M. Young, Jr. Education and Cultural Center will reopen Septem ber 16 at a new location at 10 N. Russell Street. The Center offers free homework/tutorial assistance and edu cational resources to students in grades 6 through sophomore in college and to other residents of North and Northeast Portland. The Center was previously located at 4919 N.E. Ninth Street. Students and their parents or guardi ans are encouraged to enroll during early registration at the Center from 3 - 8 p.m. betw een Septem ber 9 - 12. Students in grades 6 - 1 2 must be ac com panied by a parent or guardian on their first visit. Parents also arc en couraged to register for a new parent enrichm ent program which will ex plore ways parents can become in volved in their children’s education. “ W c have extended enrollm ent this year to younger students in order to help kids learn good study habits early,” said Herman Lessard, Jr., U r ban League vice president for programs. “ At the same time we are inviting col lege freshmen and sophomores, par ents and people in the com m unity to com e in and use our educational re sources.” The Center is open from 3 - 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The League plans to expand hours this fall. The remodelled Whitney M. Young, Jr. Education and Cultural Center will feature study space for 70 students, a reference library and tutorial assistance. Center programs include a student new sletter, guest speakers, films and special activities. W ith the move to the Urban League o f Portland building, visitors will have easier access to other League program s, such as youth and em ploym ent services. The rem odelling project was sup ported by agrant from theC ollinsFoun- dation o f Portland, which also funded the purchase o f audio visual equipment 1992 Young Miss of America Also Budding Journalist BY NIKESHA HUNTER W hen I was crowned 1992 Young M iss o f A m erica Pre-Teen National Q ueen, all the fun began. I started out by sending press releases to all the new spapers and television stations in Portland. O ne of the newspapers that called me back was the Portland O b server. The Portland O bserver is the oldest m inority press in Oregon, and its readers are from the ages of 5-95. So it sounded like a great opportunity for try to help everyone I can to do their best and believe in them selves in all they do. So a big thanks to the Portland O bserver!! P S . I f anyone is interested in this, please call or write: Young Miss o f America, P.O. Box 2732, Citrus Heights, CA 95611-2732 (916) 971-0977. me. W hen they called me for an inter view I got really excited. My interview went so well they offered me the chance to do some personal appearances and get some experiences in journalism . I was very pleased. Now I have had the opportunity to go to grand openings, learn about die interworkings of a news paper, being a secretary and m eeting many new and interesting people such as Gary Aan Garnett. Gary Ann is the Portland O bserver’s Business Manager and sh e’s very nice. I also met Joyce W ashington. She is the Portland O b server’s O perations Manager and she’s great. And last but certainly not least, I m et Tony W ashington. Tony is the E n tertainm ent Editor at the Portland Observer. He has graciously helped me in making tny personal appearances and teaching me the newspaper busi ness. He has offered me a job at the Portland O bserver after my year of reign. I think that will be really fun and exciting! I c a n 't wait! I promise I will represent Portland to the best of my ability and live by The Young Miss of America concept, “ That all young people should learn early that they will be judged throughout life on their ability to think, their willingness to help others, and their ability to use their talent to the fullest.” And I will 4 « « -A < 4 A 4 * « • « * and a van which will provide transpor tation for students. Another new feature is a m ulticul tural library of 1000 reference books on the varied cultures that make up A m er ica. The library was donated by the Henry Lea Hillman, Jr. Foundation of Pittsburgh, PA. The Center is seeking volunteers with educational experience to serve as tutorial assistants. Interested individu als should contact the Urban League of Portland. An open house at the new C enter is planned for Friday, Septem ber 27 from 4 to 7 p.m. During the 1990/91 school year, the Center served more than 250 stu dents. The facility is nam ed for W hit ney M. Young, Jr., who was executive director o f the National Urban League from 1961-71. For more inform ation, contact the Urban League of Portland at 280-2600. Jamie’s Place invites the public to a birthday celebration for Clara Peoples & Mildred Tillman Friday, August 30 8:00pm - 2 :00am 1313 NE Fremont Food (including cake) will be provided fo r your enjoyment. MRS C’ s WIGS Wholesale & Retail Hundreds of Wigs For your everchanging lifestyles LFLf Betty Cabine proprietor TUES - SAT 11:30-6:00 VISA • Naomi Sims • Bornfree • Michael Weeks And other name brands Everything from current styles to specialty wigs unique hair ornaments Hair beads & beauty supplies Mrs. C’s Ebony Essence Cosmetics Zuri Cosmetics BEAUTICIAN 4 STUDENT DISCOUNTS 281 -6525 7th & Fremont ( 707 N.E. Fremont ) 100% HUMAN HAIR FOR BRAIDING A WEAVING D ad ’ s O il S ervice heating oils Best Cash Prices 104 NE Russel St Portland, Or 97212 (503) 282 5111 Í I grooming some of Portland’s finest busi nessmen for years. She was one o f the first women barbers the city ever had; you could say she paved the way for women barbers. After 29 years at the same location, they decided it was time to m ove on. They purchased the old W inchell’s donut shop on Martin Lu ther King, Jr., Blvd and rem odeled it completely. The shop is com plete with every hair and nail service needed; a full service salon with its own art gal lery featuring Afro-American lifestyles through the years. The color scheme is cayenne and sand which is a clay pink that is continued onto a smooth brick floor. The shampoo room is done in mint green with flowers adorning every inch o f vacant space. Paul did all or m ost of the rem odeling him self and if he wanted to go into that business he would do well. Paul and Geneva agreed that they both wanted to do something positive for the community; and even though this business venture cost a great deal, they kept all the prices the same to make your groom ing affordable. They have a total staff of about six stylists. John Phillips, Linda Scott, Marion Frison, S hari Preston and even Mr. Cash who got Geneva started. W hat you have is a full service salon. G eneva’s Shear Perfection is located at 5601 N. E. Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd. You can see the shears in the window as you drive by. W hen you decide to pam per yourself, G eneva’s Shear Perfection is the place to do it, from a shoe shine to haircut, to the latest in curls, let G eneva’s bring out the perfection in you. Speedy Service Friendly Call for Quote!