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November 13 ,1 99 I
“The Eyes and Ears of the Community”
Volumn XXI, Number 46
®1{2 ^urtíanit ODhser v ^ r 25*
Three Words Every Black Person Should Know:
AIDS Doesn’t Discriminate
‘Magic’ Is Still Magic!
Magic Johnson is a fighter. He doesn’t grit his teeth
and scowl. He disarms you with his smile.
BY BILL BARBER
hink o f all the times a refe
ree made a close call against
him. He never got nose-to-
nose with the ref. He would
ju st give him that patented
Magic sm ile that said, “ I don’t de
serve that call, but I’ll accept it. I’ll
deal with it.” You know the smile. W e
have all seen that M agic smile.
M ost of the people I Hiked to in an
informal survey never knew anyone
who was HIV positive. But everyone
knew M agic Johnson. I doubt there
was any time in recent history that
more people around the world were
affected by som eone e lse’s medical
problem.
“ Because o f the HIV virus I have
obtained, I will have to retire from the
Lakers today,” he said. In the few
seconds it took to make the statem ent
on Nov. 7th, the world was catapulted
into the harsh reality that AIDS could
happen to anyone. The shock o f look
ing at your own immortality through a
TV screen has shaken all o f us who
“ know ” Magic Johnson.
He has that effect on people. L is
ten to people when they talk about
him. People who have never m et him
face-to-face, speak o f him as if he was
the tall guy who lived in the house next
door. It couldn’t have had any more o f
a devastating im pact on our lives if it
had happened to the guy next door. He
asked people to think before they acted.
It's advice we have all heard before.
W hen M agic says it, it has a whole new
can happen to anybody.” People, not
meaning. Magic is one o f the most
ju
st kids, will play it safe now. Not just
quotable figures in America. “ I think
because
o f what he said, but because if
som etim es we think, well, only gay
it
can
happen
to one o f A m erica’s great
people get i t.. It’s not going to happen
est
role
models
it CA N happen to any
to m e.” And here I am saying that it
T
body.
Some critics say the increased
aw areness will blow over in a month or
so. M aybe they shouldn’t sell M agic’s
efforts short. H e’ll beo u tth ere fighting
this dreaded disease, just like the cham
pion he has always been. Magic Johnson
is one of those rare “ Citizens of the
W orld’ ’ who destiny sm ileson tom ake
a contribution that has an im pact on
the entire planet. We all feel saddened
and cheated by what has happened to
him. If there is a bright side, Magic has
found a new purpose in his life. He will
save countless lives o f people he has
never even met. He has left a legacy on
the basketball court that thousands will
remember. He embraces the opportu
nity to create a legacy on the world
through AIDS education that millions
will remember.
His cheerfull smile and positive
smile are trademarks. They are a large
part o f the Magic package. Johnson, at
32, said at the news conference he
plans to use his status as a celebrity to
help educate people about AIDS and
the virus that causes it. That is so typi
cal o f the man. Putting other people
first. It seems haunting to paraphrase
what he told a reporter when Michigan
State suffered a particularly bitter defeat.
“ Sure we want to win, but it’s a bas
ketball game. It isn ’t like w e’re saving
lives.” Now he has an opportunity to
do just that. Through education. “ Life
is going to go on for me, and I ’m going
lo b e a h a p p y m an,” he said. O u to fre -
spect, we w on’t talk about Magic
Johnson in the past tense. He is the
same man he was before Nov. 7th.
Except now he doesn’t play profes
sional basketball. He would probably
tell you he has a more important job.
Like the man said: “ W hen your back
is against the wall, you have to come
out sw inging.”
Magic Johnson still sounds like a
fighter.
A.K. Rucker Gives 155%. Do You?
A.K. Rucker
Outstanding on the job and on the
field, Northeast Portland’s A.K. Rucker
is a role model for co-workers and
youngsters alike.
On the job, Rucker’s outstanding
work record and rapport with his peers
EDITORIAL
2
earned his recognition as August Bus
Driver of the M onth.
On the field, R ucker’s coaching
involvement in W hitaker Youth Foot
ball is reducing gang activity one child
at a time. His team finished third Sun
day in the Portland Youth Football
Association City Cham pionships at
Cleveland High School.
“ I ’m not one to take a lot o f credit
for what I do, but the people in my
neighborhood are glad Tri-M et recog
nizes something good out o f the North
east,” Rucker said. “ I accepted the
Driver of the M onth award on behalf of
the com m unity, not ju st me. Som e
thing good does come out o f Northeast
Portland, not ju st gang activity.”
W hitaker Youth Football takes
boys-as young as 7 and 8-away from
the lure o f gangs, involving them in a
busy season o f practice and games.
“ As one of the program ’s 22 coaches,
I try to get all the kids I possibly can off
the streets and onto the football field,”
Rucker said. “ The first priority is sports
NEWS
for these kids. It’s their last hope.”
‘ ‘ More kids go to junior varsity out
of this program than any other,” Rucker
said. “ It’s the only program in North
east running four teams at the same
time. T here’s a pretty big commitment
on the field. It’s the best youth football
program in the city. I’m not the cause,
but I’m glad I play a big part.”
Tri-M et Bus M echanic Rellie
Benton, 42, o f Northeast Portland, in
troduced Rucker to W hitaker. Rucker
joined after seeing the impact of gangs
outside his window. “ With crack houses
and gang houses across the street from
me there were drive-by shootings. I
thought about being a big brother, but I
wanted to do something to make a
difference and give kids a place that’s
positive to go,” Rucker said.
The success o f the football pro
gram can literally mean life or death.
“ W e try not to kick any kid off the
team. We try to get them to stay on the
team so they w on’t get in gangs and
then they w on’t get shot. W e’ll find a
ENTERTAINMENT
2
6
I
place for them so we won’t have to
throw them back out in the streets.” If
parents are not available, coaches will
drive kids home after practice so they
w on’t have to walk across gang territo
ries after-hours.
W hitaker has come a long way.
Equipment was sparse in the begin
ning, and kids who never played foot
ball before were afraid to join because
they’d get hurt. “ Every year we had a
couple of broken arms and back inju
ries,” Rucker said. But he put his skills
in sewing and working with upholstery
to good use by designing a rib pad
which helped give players confidence,
and reduce the number of injuries. And
Tri-M et donates buses to get players
and equipm ent to games.
Rucker, 32, has been a Tri-M et bus
driver 10 years. “ I really enjoy the job
and interacting with people,” he said.
“ I ’ve become a lot wiser since I ’ve
worked for Tri-Met. It’s been like a
school for m e.” Rucker has tried to
continued on page 8
How Do People Get The AIDS Vi
rus?
AIDS is not just a white hom osex
ual male disease. Many black men,
women and children have AIDS. And,
just as AIDS affects us all, not every
one is at risk. And even those people
who are at risk, can protect themselves
if they take reasonable precautions. Being
safe from AIDS is up to you. It’s your
responsibility to protect yourself and
those you love. It starts with knowing
the three ways people get AIDS: By
having sex with someone who has been
infected with the AIDS virus. By using
a needle or syringe that have been used
by someone infected with the AIDS
virus. And, by being bom to a woman
who has been infected with the AIDS
virus.
What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for Acquired Immu
nodeficiency Syndrome. It is not as
complicated as it sounds, but it is deadly.
AIDS is a disease caused by a virus that
destroys the body’s ability to fight off
illness.
The AIDS virus alone does not
kill, but it makes it so that your body is
unable to fight off other diseases. (S uch
as pneumonia or cancer). And those are
the types o f illness that can kill.
One o f the most frightening facts
about AIDS is that once you get it, you
can carry it around for years w ithout
knowing it. And you have it forever.
Right now there is no known cure for
AIDS, and no vaccine that prevents it.
But fortunately, the AIDS virus is hard
to catch and that’s what makes it pre
ventable.
How Can You Tell If You Have The
AIDS Virus?
The only way you can tell if you’ve
been exposed to the AIDS virus is by
having a blood test. The test looks for
changes in your blood caused by the
presence o f the virus. If you test nega
tive, that doesn’t mean you can’t get
AIDS, it just means that you didn’t
have it when you were tested. If you
test positive, it means you’ve probably
been infected.
You can have the AIDS virus w ith
out having AIDS, or without even
appearing or feeling ill. And you can
transmit the virus to others. If you are
worried that you may have been in
fected, find out about the test. O ften it
is available free or at low c o st
What’s The Relationship Between
Drugs and AIDS?
If you use mainline drugs, even if
you’re just ‘dabbing,’ you should know
that sharing needles or syringes is one
o f the most direct ways of transmitting
hte AIDS virus.
How Do Babies Get AIDS?
A mother can pass the AIDS virus
on to her baby before or during birth.
Women who want to have babies should
have blood tests, because if the virus is
in their own bodies, there is more than
a chance that they will pass it on. So if
you do anything that puts you at risk,
remember, you’re not only threatening
your own life, but risking the lives of
those you love, including the life of
your unborn child. It’s a fact tnat most
babies who are infected eventually
develop AIDS and die.
How Do I Discuss Safe Sex With My
Partner?
First o f all, learn as much as you
can about AIDS. Second, be frank. AIDS
kills, so the thing you don’t want to do
is put yourself at risk. If you have oral,
anal or vaginal sex with an infected
person, chances are you will become
infected too. That means man to woman,
woman to man, man to man, woman to
woman, all of it! And because there is
no cure, we all must work at preventing
its spread.
Right now, the most effective way
to prevent AIDS besides not having sex
is a condom. Even though you might
not want to use one-or even though
your partner might not want to use one,
learn how. And learn to use them prop
erly. Your life may depend on it.
What Do My Children Need To Know
About AIDS?
Your children need to know every
thing that you know. If they are old
enough to be experimenting with sex,
they need to be taught how to keep
themselves from risk.
You have to try everything in your
pow er to educate your children about
sex, drugs and the kind o f life-style that
put them at risk o f the AIDS virus.
Likewise, you should let them know
how you don’t get AIDS.
You don’t get AIDS from a mos
quito bite, or from people who prepare
food, casual contact at work or school,
church or the movies. You w on’t get
AIDS from a toilet seat, a handshake, a
hug or even a kiss. Not even from
sharing food or donating blood.
If you’d lide to know more about
AIDS you can get helpful confidential
information from the National AIDS
information line, 1-800-342-AIDS. It’s
open 24 hours a day.
Town Hall Looks At Going Broke
Going broke used to be something
that happened to other people. Then
Oregon’s own car-wash giant Dan Hanna
went bankrupt. Now, Tom Peterson has
sought chapter 11 protection. Private
citizens are faring no better. Bankruptcy
filings in Oregon have risen 19% this
year alone. You, and people who owe
you money, are closer to losing it all
than you might think.
Americans are more in debt than
ever before: consumer debt now aver
ages 83% o f annual disposable income.
Nor can we look to governm ent to set
the example. The federal debt has
reached 2.5 trillion dollars. W ill the
bill come due in the 1990s for a decade
of decadent spending in the ‘80s?
W hat should be done about our
debt-ridden society? U.S. Bank has
pioneered an innovative ad campaign
RELIGION
CLASSIFIEDS
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10
to encourage responsible use o f credit.
Have ad agencies fueled our appetite
for material things? Are banks to blame
for inducing us to ‘ ‘charge it” ? Is it our
own fault for not taking responsibility
for our financial choices? Is borrowing
good for our economy and country? Is
declaring bankruptcy a good solution
to debt problems or a last resort? How
can you protect yourself? Join Jack
Faust and his guest for this timely debate
on Wednesday November 20th from 8-
9 p.m . For seat reservations, please call
Frank Mungcam, Alison H ighbergeror
Liza McQuade at 231-4620. Guests
should arrive at KATU studios (21st &
NE Sandy Blvd) between 7:00-7:15
p.m. The public is welcome, but reser
vation are required.
**This program will be aired
December 1st at 6 p.m.**
KID TALK
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