Page 2...The Portland Observer...December 25,1991
Citizens Invited To Help Solve Traffic Problems
Neighbors and business people from
N orth and Inner Northeast Portland are
invited to take an active role in resolv­
ing Portland's traffic problems. V o l­
unteers fo r the C ity 'sC om m unity T ra f­
fic Safety Initiative: Reclaim ing Our
Streets w ill serve on w orking groups to
write and implement a community-wide
action plan to:
1. Reduce the speed and volume o f
tra ffic on local streets.
2. Increase bicycle and pedestrian
safety and encourage bicycling and
w alking.
3. Reduce tra ffic accidents, in ju ­
ries, and fatalities caused by drunk
driving and not wearing safety belts.
4. Promote alternative transporta­
tion (carpools, vanpools, transit, ets.)
The action plan K ic k O ff meeting
w ill be held Thursday, January 2,1992
6:45 - 9:00 p .m ., Hearing Room C o f
the Portland B u ilding, 1120 S.W. F ifth
Avenue, Second Floor. Come early for
refreshments. Free parking is available
in the Portland B uilding garage (enter
on fourth Avenue), and current T ri-M e t
receipts w ill be reimbursed.
The K ich O ff meeting w ill provide
orientation and background inform a­
tion fo r volunteers, as w ell as an oppor­
tunity to share ideas on issues, strate-
gies, and solutions for the goals o f Re­
claim ing O ur Streets.
Each w orking group w ill meet
approximately twice a month from Janu­
ary through A p ril, to w rite an action
plan for one o f the four goals. Target for
completing the action plan is March 31,
1992. Plan implementation w ill begin
imm ediately and w ill run through Sep­
tember 1992. Plan implementation w ill
begin imm ediately and w ill run through
September 1992. Both the planning and
implementation w ill be guided by a c iti­
zen Task Force comprised o f represen­
tatives from a ll four w orking groups,
and a few at-large members.
p e r s p e c tiv e s
>
> by Professor McKinley Burt
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
Nostalgia: Don’t Leave Home Without It; Conclusion
As we wrap up this trek along
memory lane, it occurs to me (and
others) that to a kid, liv in g conditions
described by sociologists as traumatic
are often only adventurous to youth.
From the age o f twelve, I remember a
series o f moves, each deeper into the
ghetto (whenever the rent became too
far past due). But each time there was a
new set o f interesting playmates and
schoolmates—each w ith its own dis­
tinctive approach to life , games and
States.” A host o f studies have found innovative economics.
that at least one fourth o f a ll women in
It may sound like a “ Theatre o f the
hospital emergency rooms are there Absurd” as we recount these depres­
because o f battering. Bradley-Angle
sion years, buL then you’re aware o f
constantly seeks volunteers and public
our capacity to live it to the max. I was
support to assist us in bringing an end to able to introduce my new and rougher
the tragic cycle o f violence.
playmates to some scenarios learned
We are searching fo r women to from that past (richer?) life ; like going
join our volunteer staff at Bradley-Angle out to the huge “ Forest Park” in the
House. W e w ill match potential volun­ center o f the c ity w ith its free “ St.
teers’ skills and interest w ith our pro­ Louis M unicipal Opera. ’ ’ For 12 weeks
grams. O ur next training w ill take each summer, this outdoor amphithea­
place Monday and Thursday nights ter featured productions that ranged
starting Feb. 3,1992. Please call 281-
from colorful operettas like ‘ ‘The Stu­
3540 fo r more inform ation.
dent Prince and New M oon’ ’ to “ Show
Raz Mason
Boat” and other Broadway musicals. I f
Volunteer Recruitment Com m itte
one arrived early before curtain time
(sunset), enough g o lf balls could be re­
trieved in an adjoining area to pay fo r
all the popcorn and soda pop.
In turn I was introduced to startling
Health Maintenance Organizations may
plays from the ghetto “ Commcdia del
handle access to these benefits. It also
A rte .” One evening as we sat on the
lists questions fo r consumers to ask o f
project steps facing the second flo or
an insurance company about benefits
offices o f a juke box distributor, we
fo r mental health and chemical depend­
could hear the older boys trying to
ency service coverage.
hammer open the safe. Failing in this,
The brochure also teels consumers
they pushed it out the window onto the
what to do when a mental health or
concrete driveway below. Miraculously
chemical dependency claim is denied.
it came open, spilling out what seemed
To get a free copy o f the Guide,
like a m illio n dollars in coins. For the
send a self-addressed stamped envelope
next half hour an entire neighborhood
to “ M ental Health and Chemical De­
o f kids and housewives armd them­
pendency," 440 Labor & Industries
selves w ith pots and pans and began
B u ilding, Salem, OR 97310.
cleaning up the mess.
Another time a front wheel came
Help To Stop Violence: Volunteer Now
T o the E d ito r:
Greetings from Bradley-Angle
House! Since 1975 we have provided
emergency shelter, inform ation and re­
ferrals, legal advocacy, and counseling
services fo r women and children es­
caping the cycle o f fear and violence.
Some 600 residents and 5,000 crisis
callers a year receive support form our
agency.
Volunteers are a vita l resource to
Bradley-Angle House. We staff a 24-
hour crisis line w ith trained volunteers
and are able to miantain a 24-hour in­
take policy into our shelter. O ur serv­
ices include one-on-one peer support
for women and children, advocacy emer­
gency food at the shelter, and out-of-
shelter support groups. A ll o f this is
provided in a safe and supportive at­
mosphere in which women are encour­
aged to explore their options and make
decisions that are rig ht fo r them.
Bradley-Angle House serves the
highest number o f people o f color o f
any domestic violence shelter in the
state. We are com m itted to anti-racism
work and o ffe r at least fifteen hours o f
staff in-services per year and three hours
each o f unlearning racism and internal­
ized racism per tri-yearly volunteer
training.
Accnrding to form er Surgeon
General C. Everett Koop, “ domestic
violence is the single most significant
cause o f inju ry to women in the United
New Brochure Explains Mental Health Coverage
Consumers can get help understand­
ing insurance coverage for mental health
and chemical dependency services with
a new brochure released today. The
new publication, entitled Consumer
Guide to Oregon M ental Health and
Chemical Dependency Insurance C ov­
erage, is a jo in t effort o f the Oregon
Chapter o f the National Association o f
Social W orkers (N A S W ) and the Ore­
gon Department o f Insurance and F i­
nance.
“ Fam ilies face a complicated
choice in selecting the rig h t insurance
plan to meet their needs fo r mental
health services,” said M arie Evans,
Executive Director o f the Oregon NASW.
* ‘ We want consumers to know their
rights to this important coverage,’ ’ said
Insurance Commissioner Gary Weeks.
“ W e ’re pleased to share the responsi­
b ility fo r this new inform ative publica­
tio n .”
The guide describes the m inim um
benefits fo r mental health and chemical
dependency services in most group health
insurance policies. It describers how
Preferred Provider Organizations and
Employment Division Discontinues
Placement Use Of Job Aptitude Test
A test measuring employment apti­
tudes w ill be discontinued as a job place­
ment tool in Oregon according to the
Oregon Em ploym ent D ivision. A d m in ­
istrator Pamela Mattson says the Gen­
eral Aptitude Test Battery (G A T B ) used
w ith race-norming is now prohibited by
the C iv il Rights A c t o f 1991 enacted by
the U.S. Congress last session.
G A T B was developed by the U.S.
Department o f Labor and is prim arily
used fo r jo b referrals and vocational
counseling. The test is used by Oregon
and approximately 35 other states and
800 fie ld offices o f public employment
services nationwide. In Oregon, the
b ulk o f use is in counseling.
Adustments in test scores have been
used since the early 1980s to remove
cultural bias from the instrument.
However, since its introduction, race-
norm ing has been controversial accord-
Benchmarks.”
The Em ploym ent D ivisio n w ill
be holding an inform ational hearing
in January to address the issue o f
whether the G A T B should continue to
be used for vocational guidance and
jo b counseling purposes. Mattson said
the input received in those hearing
Observer
(USPS 959-680)
OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established in 1970
Publisher
Contributing Writers
McKinley Burt
Bill Barber
Sharon Camarda
Mattie Ann Callier-Spears
w ill help guide the development o f a
new testing program. Organizations
currently holding contracts w ith the
Em ployment D ivision fo r use o f the
G A T B are encouraged to attend.
The hearings w ill be held W ed­
nesday, January 29 from 1 to 5 p.m. in
the E m ploym ent D iv is io n , 2510
Oakmont W ay, Eugene, Room 9 and
on Thursday, January 30 from 1 to 5
p.m. in the State O ffice B u ild ing , 1400
SW 5th. Portland, Room 26.
Written testimony w ill be accepted
anytime before January 30 at the
Em ployment D ivision Test Research
Center, Room 205, 875 U nion Street
N E Salem, OR 97311. Questions con­
cerning the public hearing should be
directed to Brenda K e lly in Salem at
378-8290 or statewide at 1-800-237-
ing to Mattson.
“ As we put the mechanism in
place to stop use o f G A T B fo r place­
ment w ithin the Em ploym ent Service,
we began taking a critica l look at our
test utilization program. We now be­
lieve we need to develop a new and
better tool fo r evaluating and assess­
ing job skills,” said Mattson. “ Our
hope is that though a partnership proc­
ess, we can im plem ent a replacement
test that helps the Governor in achiev­
ing her w orkforce agenda, and pro­
vides a measurement tool fo r Oregon
Alfred Henderson
Production Staff
Operations Manager
Dean Babb
Sharon Camarda
Gary Ann Garnett
Jennifer Johnson
Joyce Washington
Accounting Manager
Gary Ann Garnett
Public Relations
Chuck Washington
Sales & Promotions
Tony Washington
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o ff the bus on O live Street and the axle
dug up a h a lf block o f asphalt pave­
m ent-exposing a sub strata o f creo­
sote-soaked wooden paving blocks. The
next morning the St. Louis Post Dispatch
had a banner headline * ‘C IT Y STREET
STOLEN O V E R N IG H T !” Again, the
neighborhood had gone to work and
every baby carriage and kids wagon
had been pressed into service to gather
up this fu e l fro m heaven in the middle
o f a bitter winter.
In later years this area became the
site for the “ Wendell Pruit Project,”
the first o f a series o f disastrous experi­
ments in building huge highrise apart­
ments for the poor (W endell as a high
school classmate o f mine who became
famous in W orld W ar II was a flying
ace w ith the 99th squardron from Tus­
kegee). You’ve probably seen this project
a number o f times on television as the
entire six N ock complex was dem ol­
ished in 30 seconds with carefully placed
explosives.
The same Sumner H igh School,
though a great learning place, was also
the scene o f many a ludircous event.
L ike the time “ M cD u nkin ’ s” father
died and somehow the 16-year-old stu­
dent received the $3000 cash from the
insurance policy. Among other things
he bought a new Ford and six suits
which he kept in two adjacent lockers
at school. He would change clothes
before each class and before long “ Pretty
M ac’ ’ had everybody’ s woman. This is
the same high school where, as I ’ ve
mentioned before, the father o f “ Bobby
M cFerrin” sang in our choir. We knew
he was M etropolitan Opera material
even before a g irl jumped out o f the
balcony when he sang ‘ ‘Goodnight M y
Love. ’ ’ Evelyn survived and went on to
have six kids.
And at the same school in 1939,
the Royal Canadian A ir Force was so­
lic itin g those black youth (so good at
math) for service overseas in the “ Battle
o f B rita in .” You got a huge salary for
the times, 90 days o f training in New­
foundland and an opportunity to ferry
your own plane over to England. You
had to be 18 and m y mother w ould not
sign o ff fo r me, but C arl Cable, my best
friend, went and when I met him again
in Los Angeles 20 years later, he re­
counted his adventures. Sitting in the
tavern he owned at West Adams and
Normandie, he said he s till remembers
coming to him self at 6000 feet over
France in his Spitfire and atop all that
high octane gasoline: “ Mama, what am
I doing here? Pray for your c h ild .”
The kaleidoscope o f memory has
too many images to record here. Mother
had a shirt-tail relative who lived across
the river in East St. Louis in the 1920’ s,
“ Josephine Baker,” who had gone to
Paris and “ made good.” When the
famous entertainer was here in Portland
I went backstage to visit and she asked
about “ Gladys” and my Aunt M ar­
jorie. I can remember the early cumber­
some braces thay had fo r children’ s
teeth. They had two tiny screws that
held them in and because the kids at
school called me “ brass mouth” I would
take them o ff when I le ft home and put
them in my pocket. Predictably, I lost a
screw one day and it took me to 11 p.m.
to find it-s o I got it anyway. Man, that
woman was angry.
From 1939 to 1943, I must have
accumalated a bale o f Postal Money
Order receipts from money sent home
while working on various railroad “ Extra
Gangs” building and repairing tracks
across the country: “ Decator, Illino is;
Cheyenne, W yom ing; Denver, C olo­
rado, Pocatello, Idaho, Riparia, Wash­
ington; Oakridge or Klamath Falls,
Oregon; you name it, a ll interspersed
w ith a m yriad craft and labor jobs. A
learning experience about people and
folkways that cannot be duplicated.
Portland Observer encourages our readers to write
letters to the editor in response to any articles
we publish.
United Airlines
Wlje l^orilavb Observer
Are • The • Proud • Sponsors • Of
Reinvestments ^4^ Community
Albina Announces Transfer of
Emergency Services Program
• rt»
, • ' •
•
Albina Ministerial Alliance (AMA) Board of Directors announced the
arrival of the Emergency Services Program for the North and Northeast Portland
area, effective date was November 1,1990.
AMA Emergency Services Program is designed to assist in meeting the
needs of homeless families and predominantly low income persons residing in the
service area of 1-5 to NE 82nd, and Columbia Blvd. to E. Burnside. Helping to
provide for basic life needs: rent, transportation, energy assistance, community
resources and/or referral, and dental services, will be the primary focus of this
program.
The press conference took place on Wednesday, November 21, at the main
office of AMA, 1425 NE Dckum. Speakers for the event included Mr. Darryl
Tukufu, President and CEO of the Urban League of Portland; Rev. Dr. JOc Hardie,
President and Chair of Albina Ministerial Alliance; and Commissioner Gladys
McCoy, County Chair.
Louise Burton, who has been thcLIEAPCoordinator/Community Services
Coordinator with Urban League since 1980, is now the Director of AMA Emergency
Services Program.
The Director of AMA Emergency Services Program reports directly to
Cornetta Smith, Chief Executive Director of AMA. Ms. Burton along with two case
managers began their new jobs on November 1,1990.
For more information on this or other Albina Ministerial Alliance Pro­
grams, contact Ken Ives at (503) 285-0493 or write to 1425 Northeast Dckum Street,
j
Portland, Oregon 97211.
The President of AMA is Dr. Joe S. Hardie and can be reached at St. Mark
Baptist Church in Portland.________________________________________________
b -j
"Reinvestments in the Community" is a weekly column appearing
in API publications through out the USA