Page 2...The Portland Observer...October 23,1991
Howard Law Dean To
Head ABA Section On
Education And Bar
Admission
PDC To Finance Construction Of Portland’s First
New SRO Housing In Half A Century; Funding For
Two Other Low-Income Housing Project Also On
Commission Agenda
The P ortland D evelopm ent C o m ­
m issio n (P D C ), pending fin a l approval
b y C o m m issioners at their m o n th ly
m eeting O cto b e r 16th, w ill p ro vid e a
$4.1 m illio n Investor Rehabilitation Loan
(IR L ) to D o w n to w n C o m m u n ity H ous­
in g , Inc. (D C H 1) fo r construction o f the
C it y ’ s firs t new Single Room O ccu-
pance (SRO) housing fa cility in 50 years.
A p p ro v a l o f this loan marks a new
era fo r P D C ’ s IR L program as it adds
as the general partner in a lim ite d p a rt­
nership form ed w ith N orthw est N atural
H ow ard U n iv e rs ity School o f L a w , has
been named ch a ir o f the A m erican Bar
A sso cia tio n ’ s section on L e gal Educa­
tio n and A d m issio n to the Bar. He
assumed the p o sition at the A B A an­
nual meeting in A tla n ta in August.
Ramsey is the First A frica n -A m e ri­
can to ch a ir this section, w h ich is re ­
sponsible fo r a ll standards and rules o f
procedure fo r adm ission to A B A -a p -
proved law schools. The section also
has a u th o rity o ver and re sp o n sib ility
$275 per u n it in clu d in g u tilitie s . T e n ­
ancy w ill be reserved fo r in d iv id u a ls
w ith incom es that are 60% o r less o f the
m edian incom e, o r $16,400 annually.
incom e rental properties. The program
has successfully financed the re h a b ili­
ta tio n o f over 4,000 housing units since
fo r a ll accreditation matters concern­
The b u ild in g w ill also house street-
level shops and non-residential park­
1978.
The land, located at Southwest 13th
and A ld e r, w ill be leased to D C H I, a
n o n -p ro fit organization dedicated to
p ro v id in g affordable rental housing fo r
ing.
lo w income individuals. D CH I w ill serve
o f 1992.
J
/
by Professor M cKinley Burt
H enry Ramsey Jr., dean o f the
Gas, K ey Bank and Standard Insurance
C om pany to share in fin a n c in g and
ow nership o f the property o ver a 40-
year lease period w ith F irs t Presbyte­
rian C hurch, the ow ner o f the land.
The seven-story com plex w ill fea­
ture 101 SRO units and 30 ju n io r studio
apartments. Rents w ill range trom $255-
“ new co n stru ctio n ” loan fin a n cing to
its o rig in a l charter o f rehabilitating low -
p e r s p e c tiv e s
ing U.S. law schools.
The U.S. D epartm ent o f E ducation
has recognized the A B A section as the
national accrediting agency fo r profes­
sional schools o f law . G raduation from
an A B A -a p p ro v e d la w school is recog­
nized in a ll 55 a d m ittin g ju ris d ic tio n s
and states, and it is required in 44.
Ramsey cu rre n tly serves as presi­
dent o f the C o u n c il on Le g a l Education
O p p o rtu n ity (C L E O ) and as ch a ir o f
W alsh C o n stru ctio n C om pany w ill
be the general contractor. The architect
is C arter Case A rch ite cts. Project
c o m p le tio n is scheduled fo r December
the La w School A d m issio n C o u n c il’ s
turnover;
driving you
up the wall?
B ar Passage Study W o rk G roup.
A form er C a lifo rn ia Superior Court
ju d g e, Ramsey became the 21 st dean o f
the H ow ard School o f L aw on N ov. 26,
1990.
45lh Annual Dinner
Y o u are in vited to the S t. P hilip
Hire a Goodwill
graduate
& get lower!
N eri parish 4 8 th annual spaghetti
and m eatb all dinner a t 17th and
S E D iv isio n , S u n d a y , N ov em b er
3rd, 12 noon til 7:0 0 p.m. A d u lt.
$6, child ren 12 and under, $3.
T ah e-ou ts available.
Won’t They Ever Give Up?
Once again the self-appointed (but
w e ll paid) guardians o f the histo ry,
ethos and psyche o f A frica n s and A f r i ­
can A m ericans have sallied fo rth to
a tta ck P o rtla n d ’ s S ch o o l d is tric t
B A S E L IN E E S S A Y S . L ik e the C R U ­
SADERS o f a past age, they have donned
a racist and se lf-co n tra d icto ry arm or
fo r the rescue o f th e ir o w n special h oly
g r a il (There being several A frica n s
best revealed in R aspberry’ s fatuous
d iscla im e r, “ W e have learned, h o w ­
ever, that a healthy expression o f c u l­
am ong them ).
O n September 23, we had the pres­
tig io u s “ N ew sw eek M agazine” pre­
senting a m u lti-p a g e p u t do w n o f the
e ffo rts to p u t fo rth m o stly w e ll-d o c u ­
mented recitations o f the co n trib u tio n s
the p rin c ip a l authors o f the Baseline
Essays (John H e n ri C la rke , Ivan Van
S ertim a, et al) — and shocked and
puzzled, they, not the essayists, H A V E
M A D E TH E ASSESSM ENT OF SU­
P E R IO R IT Y . A s Shakespeare said “ I
o f blacks to the w o rld ’ s cu ltu re and
te chnology; “ W as C leopatra B la c k !”
It is easily preceived that w h ile this
fear thou doth protest too m u ch .”
A fric a n Queen was more lik e ly to have
been b la ck than to have resem bled
E liza b e th T a y lo r, the choice o f title
and m odel fo r the a rticle indicated a
less-than-serious (or scholarly) approach
to a c ritiq u e o f the Baseline Essays.
T h is flim s y piece was fo llo w e d , on
O ctober 8, by the syndicated co lu m n o f
W illia m Raspberry o f the W ashington
Post. Frequently referred to as an estab­
lish m e n t N egro by most blacks and
lib e ra ls, this apologist dared to specu­
late that the great Bayard R ustin, o r­
ganizer o f the 1963 M arch on W ash­
ington, w o u ld n o t have “ clam bered
aboard the A fro c e n tric bandw agon.’ ’ I
suppose that i f one cannot fin d support
fo r one’ s vie w s among liv in g blacks o f
prid e and in te g rity , it m ig h t seem safe
to denigrate the dead. I am ashamed fo r
this man w h o q u a lifie s as a soul mate o f
Judge Clarence Thomas.
There is a com m on theme running
through the positions (a d m onitions) o f
the w rite rs o f both these articles. It is
In Loring Memory of
EVIE D. BOWLES
tural id e n tific a tio n can too easily esca­
late in to extravagant cla im s o f gourp
s u p e rio rity .” W hat ob vio u sly has hap­
pened is that this type o f person has run
squarely up against the fundem ental
and docum ented truths o f b lack c o n tri­
butions to c iv iliz a tio n — as narrated by
In th is context, w e w o u ld note that
the detractors are q u ite lik e ly d rive n
in to the unm asking o f th e ir unease by a
co n fro n ta tio n w ith one o f the m any
fo rth rig h t and documented cita tio n s o f
the essay authors; such as the A fric a n
m athem atics, astronom y, steel manu­
fa ctu rin g (Y a le U n iv e rs ity ) and sim ila r
accom plishm ents as reported b y the
Greeks. Y o u w ill fu rth e r note that the
detractors never cite this type o f re­
search and scholarship in the Baseline
Essays - o n ly the occasional slipups
that are kn o w n to o ccu r in any such
large scale pro d u ctio n .
A n d then, on O ctober 16, Prichard
G. G arret o f the O regonian penned a
piece, “ Baseline Essays A d d to M is ­
takes o f Past.” Though the title o f the
article suggested another denigrating
approach, I was about to begin a fa ir
and open assessment o f the piece u n til
I was the note on the a u th o r, “ has
taught in the Portland P ublic Schools
fo r 17 years and currently teaches mathe­
m atics at S e llw o o d M id d le S ch o o l”
The co m b in a tio n o f these tw o circu m -
stances prepared me fo r the exact same
m anifestations o f the o ther articles, a
predeterm ined m indset and a deliberate
om ission o f those basic documented
facts o f black achievem ent p reviously
cite d here. In te re stin g ly, this scholar
calls in support the very “ Newsweek
a rtic le ” described e a rlie r (Septem ber
23). O ur resident m athem atician at
S ellw ood M id d le School doubts the
Essays a u th o r’ s statement that A fric a
“ was the birthplace o f m a th e m a tics."
F o r m yself, I ’ ll go along w ith Plato,
Isaac N ew ton, Peter T h o m p kin s and
A .K . A dkinson (re sp e ctive ly, Tim aeus;
Isaac N ew ton: H isto ria n ; Secrets o f
P yram id; M a g ic, M y th & M e d icin e ).
I m entioned m y negative feelings
upon seeing that an adversary position
was taken by a teacher in Portland Public
Schools. Ten years ago I was am ong the
firs t lo ca l consultants chosen and ap­
proved by the p rin cip a l w rite rs o f the
Baseline Essays (M a th and Science). In
a d dition to w ritin g lesson plan models
we conducted seminars and orie n ta tio n
fo r the teachers. F o r this reason the
attitude o f M r. G arrett does not surpirse
me at a ll, fo r at these sessions (o r ou t in
the h a ll) w e encountered a num ber o f
instructors w ho wanted no part o f a
h isto ry that suggested others m ig h t have
been c iv iliz e d very early on.
In the ensuing ten years I have
constantly updated and re fin e d m y sup­
p o rtin g research u n til today I have the
largest data base in the fie ld in the
country. A s we hear fro m the detractors
and assess th e ir fears we realize that
tru th alone w ill never be enough. I f
m in o ritie s are to gain their factual posi­
tio n in the h isto ry and cu ltu re o f the
w o rld , there m ust be constant e ffo rt and
E T E R N A L V IG IL A N C E !
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letters to the editor in response to any articles
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Are • The • Proud • Sponsors • Of
Reinvestments —
What Happened to Minority Business?
B y P ro fe sso r M c K in le y B u r t
W hen a b la ck business fa ils,
the situ a tio n is not lik e a certain s o l­
emn occasion in the great h a ll o f
“ L lo y d s o f L o n d o n ,” no grave and
austere o ffic ia l bangs his gavel to
b rin g a ll a c tivitie s to a h a lt as the
traditional ringing o f an ancient ship’ s
b e ll precedes the announcem ent that
a vessel has been lo st at sea. B usincss
gonc-gonc business. A no th e r statis­
tic.
L e t us get on w ith our a n a ly­
sis. W hen I described the operation o f
the bla ck lu m b e r b ro ke r last w eek, I
should have connected this success
w ith the advice I gave to m y m in o rity
business students at Portland State
U niversity:’Expand your horizons-join
the campus business elubs-engage in
e xtra -cu rricu la r a c tivitie s, associate
w ith students o f o ilie r e thnic groups
w hen possible o r com fortable, gener­
a lly , they have superior in fo rm a tio n
sources-exploit those contacts. T h is
k ———— ———— — — — J
decided he w o u ld set them both up in
business. A fte r an o n -th e -job le a rn ­
ing p e rio d in San francisco the black
required employm ent criteria o f a c iv il
service exam w ritte n by a ’ n o n-busi­
ness person-or have demonstrated an
young man was financed in purchas­
ing an available Portland o p p o rtu n ity
in specialized “ R e d w o o d ” market.
A n everyday occurrence in
the nation’s business w orld-cxcept fo r
a b ility to ‘ successfully re la te ’ in some
social co m m u n ity service area. A year
o r tw o o f college business courses is
the ‘ c o lo r scheme.’
N o w , w hen we posed the question,
“ Is your Government User Friendly?”
(title o f O ctober 17 A rtic le ), we co u ld
have to ld you this: a L O T D E P E N D S
O N Y O U ! C onsider the scenario as
you arc directed (encouraged) to in ­
terface w ith any o r a ll o f a host o f g o v ­
ernm ental in stitu tio n s, a ll w ith the
advertised goal o f b rin g in g m in o ri­
ties and w om en in to the econom ic
mainstream o f A m e rica . W here to
em bark? Sm all Business A d m in is tra ­
tion-B usiness In c u b a to r-M in o rity Set
A sidcs-Lcasc
G uarantccs-S pccific
quite acceptable, as is kn o w in g som e­
one already on board.
These points should p ro m p t
a consideration that ‘ y o u ’ m ay be in
m in d rather than the system , w hen the
ju d g m e n t is pronounced, “ D esigned
T o F a il. " The m ore p re lim in a ry re­
search and investigation perform ed,
the better and m ore detailed in fo rm a ­
tio n and advice you w ill receive when
firs tc n tc rin g the system. U su a lly yo u r
in itia l contact w ill q u ic k ly re fe r yo u
program s o f various P u b lic A gencies
to some one more knowledgeable when
re a lizin g that he is inadequate to the
occasion. T h is is n o t alw ays the case
and often one loses a great deal o f
valuable tim e in such a situ a tio n . It is
best to a llo w a good measure o f ‘ lead
o r Large C orporations?
tim e ’ in a ll phases o f your p ro je ct.
‘ n e tw o rk in g ’ is the A m erican w ay,
There arc, o f course, m any
Y o u m ay th in k it o f little
w hatever yo u r o p in io n o f the m a t­
advisors and consultants around, some
te r.”
independent, but m ost em ployed o r
contracted by the agencies named
above. Y o u m ust understand, h o w ­
ever, that fe w i f any o f these persons
have had ‘ real-tim e* successful b u si­
ness experience-m eeting p a yro lls,
m a rke tin g a product, o r m a kin g a
p ro fit ( i f so, they w o u ld s till be in
business!). M o s t have s im p ly m et the
consequence that you have neither
the required ca p ita l o r experience p re ­
requisite to success in the p a rticu la r
business enterprise. “ A fte r a ll they
kn o w I ’ m a m in o rity , and i f I had a ll
that ’ good s t u f f 1 w o u ld n ’ t need them
a n yw a y.” Y o u w o u ld be surprised at
how many enter the system w ith this
attitude; I encountered dozens o f them
in the business classes 1 ta u g h t
In the p a rticu la r case, this
bla ck lum ber broker had established
a frie n d sh ip w ith a w h ite teammate
on the S tanford basket b a ll squad.
T h e y fre q u e n tly exchanged v is its at
th e ir respective homes. W hen they
graduated w ith business degrees, the
w h ite father, a w ealthy lum berm an,
_______
¡ T hank Y ou F or R eading !
¡T he P ortland O bserver ]
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