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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1992)
Page 2...The Portland Observer...January 15, 1992 - — ■ '■ ;.w. ' p e r s p e c tiv e s BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT UNE ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ What We Need To Get Ready To Take Advantage Of The Many Opportunities In Construction: Part I > by James Posey > by Professor McKinley Burt Peer Group Dynamics A t the top o f our agendas today are the problem s o f our youth. You may w ish to argue that the disintegration of the econom y offers a greater threat, but in either case the losses can be cata strophic. If you notice, the ream s o f material w ritten or aired on the subject o f gangs, juvenile delinquency and educational failure tend to em brace a common approach; a problem is being A T TACKED! A war is being waged against “ this insidious cancer that is eating aw ay at the very fabric o f our society.” If we are fighting a disease then we obv iously have concluded that we have a p a tien t and that it is he who must be cured. An unfortunate consequence of either position is that we are found com ing AT an enem y in the one case, and the disabled in the other. Under; these circum stances one should not expect favorable (friendly) responses from the target groups, and to date their certainly has not been that much. The one fact that has stood out nationwide is that this population develops and functions around PEER GROUP PRES- SURE. Then, it seems not unlikely that real time solutions could be built around the very same dynamic. Those o f you who read my recent series, “ N ostalgia, D on’t Leave Home W ithout It” , are aware that I frequently cited the num ber o f cooperative, appar ently self-starting activities that went on am ong the youth. I had written before about this interaction between PEERS that encompassed a host o f positive activities ranging from the in vention of games to sophisticated o r ganizations: Bicycle clubs, science clubs, boat excursions, sports contests between neighborhoods, dances and picnics, benefits for the disadvantaged, you name it! And so many years ago! W hat 1 would draw attention to, here, is not so much what may seem to the modem reader a fascinatingly high level o f sophistication - as important as that is - but the fact that these social structures had a LIFE OF THEIR OW N THAT WAS TRANSM ITTED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. First, older siblings transmitted the know how to the younger, and then there were always neighborhood oldsters who were a fountain o f information and guidance. The conclusion I have reached after exam ination of the dynam ics of youth social structures within the timeframes o f both yesterday and today is that the CONTINUITY HAS BEEN LOST - that we have been severed from our his tory and tradition in such a way that we no longer know what “ we are supposed to do, can do and should do." The approach that is needed is one that will restore among our \ outh a PEER GROUP STRUCTURE based upon universally accepted rules of behavior and conduct that lead to mutual love and re sp e c t-a type o f consaguinity that enhances support and discourages violence. Carefully selected films and docum en taries can be o f tremendous help. It follows from this that if we are to restore the former level o f admirable social interaction among our youth, then we must intervene in a structured m anner-an approach that assures this population they have a lot to offer and always have, vis a vis not only a docu mented past, but contem porary achiev ers from astronauts to business people. I, o f course, concentrate on inventors and technology which leads to an op portunity for practical experim ents and building models. And it is here that we can develop the techniques of PEER GROUP ASSISTANCE. Kids love to teach each other and, further, they will enthusiastically RECRUIT from a population o f their peers. I had concrete proof o f this in anumber of the youth programs I con ceived and developed over the years: Several U.S. Forest Service supported programs; Providence Medical Center program for health-related occupations and so forth. A principal criterion would seem to be that the activities be interesting, structured and relevant to the contemporary world. And of course the program must lend itself to a great deal o f self-study and goal-seeking. Above all the youth must be reintro duced to the idea of respecting and sup porting p eers-an d relying on them for reciprocal considerations. And WE must be there, again, for counsel and guidance. Inner-City Kid Makes Good: Spears Receives UNCF Scholarship Continued from front page rican American woman must rise up, stand her ground and be strong. Ms. Spears has excelled in many ways and on many occasions; but, re cently her hard work and academic achievem ents received national recog nition. Velma is currently enrolled at Prairie View A & M University in Prai rie View, Texas as an Electrical Engi neering major. The United Negro Col lege Fund o f America awarded Ms. Velma M aria Spears a $5,000 scholor- ship in recognition of her achievem ents in the field of engineering. During the UNCF Telethon, Ms. Spears, who was introduced by Ms. Sharon M itchell, was seen on television by thousands as her excellence was heralded. This achieve ment should end the myth that says, “ All inner-city kids are at-risk o f fail ure and are not going to am ount to anything. So why should anyone waste their efforts to help these kids...?” Number one and foremost, society should stop labeling and lumping our children in one big heap of nothingness. Society feels that if you com e from a one parent home, you’re African American, you live in the inner city, you are on w el fare, you’re earning below the m ar ginal level and skimming poverty, you arc automatically a failure. WRONG! Congratulations Ms. Spears! May you continue to excel and ride the winds of success. You are one o f Portland’s babies and we are proud o f you. Alberta Learning Center Receives $2,500.00 Bank o f America, although num bered am ong the largest banking con cerns in the United States, has taken the time to dem onstrate its willingness to become active partners in community service in Northeast Portland. Mr. Stanley Emerson, Manager of the Walnut Park Branch on Northeast Martin Lu ther King Jr. Blvd, recently presented a check for $2,500.00 to Oregon O ut reach, Inc. to assist in the efforts o f the A lberta Learning Center. The A lberta Learning Center is located at the Yaun adm inistrative of fices at 3010 NE A lberta St. This pro gram is a joint effort of the Alfred Y aun program, the Oregon National Guard and Oregon Outreach. Through the Aberta Learning Center, youth and adults can study for their high school diploma, prepare for their GED , or receive tutor ing in any academic area. Addition ally, the Oregon National Guard pro vides to assist NE Portland residents who want to prepare for the ASVAB exam. The Alberta Learning Center (Efjt Observer (USPS 959-680) OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBUCATION Established in 1970 also offers a classroom for students who are temporarily suspended or expelled from public schools. There is no charge to anyone desiring to im prove their basic skills. More informa tion on this program may be obtained by contacting the center at 281-9597, or by contacting Oregon Outreach at 287-6112. The donation from Bank of Amer ica will enable the center to provide both day and evening classes to inter ested community participants. Contributing Writers McKinley Burt Bill Barber Sharon Camarda Mattie Ann Callier-Spears Operations Manager Joyce Washington Accounting Manager Gary Ann Garnett Production Staff Dean Babb Sharon Camarda Gary Ann Garnett Jennifer Johnson Public Relations ! S ubscribe ! I 'Sip ^ n rila n h (©bseraer ! I j CAN BE SENT DIRECTLY TO j IT he P ortland O bserver | YOUR HOME ONLY $25.00 | I * , I [ enclose check or | MONEY ORDER, I i S ubscriptions ’ Deadline for all submitted materials: Articles: Monday, 5:00 pm -Ads: Tuesday, noon • T he P ortland O bserver . , PO Box 3137 , POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: Portland Observer, P.O. Box I P ortland , O regon 9 7 2 0 8 g Chuck Washington Sales & Promotions Tony Washington The PORTLAND OBSERVER is published weekly by Exle Publishing Company, Inc. 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97211 503-288-0033 • Fax 288-0015 from these programs are slow to hire other minorites and women. As if this situation was not bad enough there is also the notorious infighting among minority contractors and preda tor quasi-contractor com panies and or ganizations which purport to represent minority contractors but in effect are in business only to line their own pockets even at the expense o f the minority contractors they’re supposed to serve or represent. In the old post civil w ar south they used to call these scoundrels carpet baggers, who lived o ff the slaves’ m is fortune and took advantage o f programs to help displace slaves. Also, today as in those post civil war slavery days, those who are reponsible for today’s programs seem indifferent to the abuse or at least impudent to correct the misuse and abuse. So in many ways the programs are de signed to fail with many o f the program dollars never reaching the individuals who are supposed benefactors. Another very negative consequence o f years o f squandering these resources, if we tell the truth, is the fact that as an African American community we have developed chronic deficiencies more correctly inefficiencies, are so pronounced that existing programs and resources no m atter how well intended are totally inadequate and don’teven come close to addressing the problem. Now what to do about all this? The first thing we must do is tell the truth. W e must next assess what our strengths and weakness are in real world terms and systematically gather and employ the neccessary resources to guarantee our survival as people not only in construc tion but throughtout the economic fabric o f the country. Make no mistake about it, this is clearly an issue o f ethnic sur vival. In doing so we must become fanatically knowledgeable and hold ourselves, agencies, organizations, busi nesses, and yes, individual community leaders accountable. In the next article we will discuss from a very biased point o f view, a number o f various programs, their pur pose and intent and how effective or ineffective they have been specifically as they relate to construction opportuni ties. Albina Academy Skills for the 21st Century winter class schedule, Jan 21-Febl3,1992 class size limited - all ages welcome R u n n in g a B u s i n e s s T u e s 6 : 3 0 - 9 pm g e t t i n g y o u r b u s in e s s o f f th e g ro u n d — th e 5 e s s e n t i a l s ; v is io n $50 & p l a n ; m a n a g in g t h e m oney r ———— ———— ———n Publisher Alfred Henderson W hat m ust one do to get ready to answ er the call and take advantage of the many opportuniites in construc tion? In our last article we discussed the basic need to get involved and explore the possibilities o f entering the con struction field based on what appears to be unlimited future opportunities. If it could only just be that simple. The truth o f the matter is that it is a very complex endeavor latent with pitfalls and potential discouraging prospects. Conversely, if you are successful, it is one of the very few areas where you can make some money and end up with a sense of accomplishment. It may take a few years to get into it, but the finan cial rewards are definitely there. Maybe what is more important in a personal sense is the fact that you can visually point to distinct accom plishm ents long after the work is completed. I don’t know of anything more psychologi cally important the the African A m eri can community than to establish refer ence points o f accom plishm ent. The construction industry provides “ con crete” examples o f accomplishments. But before we get all hyped, let’s talk somewhat historically about the pitfalls. It’s not as if Black folks have not previously tried to get into various construction arenas as business owners and workers. Il is just that a com bina tion of factors and circum stances have effectively kept them out. The primary limiting factor has been our own lack of understanding and preparedness in entering the industry and adhering to its prerequisites for success. In many ways we exemplify the biblical w arn ing: * ‘O ur people parish for the lack of knowledge.” W e have also had a strong tendency to self-destruct based on our unwillingness to trust one another and share among ourselves. In many ways we have not learned the lessons o f our m ost recent history. Like many m ajor cities in the coun try, black Portlanders experienced the benefits o f the Model Cities programs of the sixties and early seventies opened on President Johnson’s “ war on pov erty.” We also know during that period a lot of money was spend that went into the hands of unscrupulous community leaders, both black and white who basi cally heisted the money. We know that many o f these programs were strongly politically motivated and designed to institute a quick fix to keep the natives from becoming more restless in the quake of nationwide riots and discon tent. Many o f these programs sprung up overnight and were all touted in general as m echanisms to eliminate poverty. Some programs akind to this era like Head Start have proven very successful over the years, but others were “ D O A ,” dead on arrival. Today in Portland, revised versions o f the above scenario continue. The same devious schemes are resurrected. For example, especially in construc tion, would be minority and women contractors using the benefits o f gov ernm ent programs designed to assist m inoritites and women to enter the construction industry, have taken con tracts both prime and subcontracts os- tensively to perform work but have in reality functioned primarily as fronts for majority culture contractors. This one major misuse and abuse of the program has had devastating effects. W hile there is a litany of negative con sequences, the most destructive is the denial o f accruing certificable experi ence by black contractors and the ca pacity to perform real commercially useful work in the industry. In selling out for the quick dollars many o f these so called contractors have in fact sold our birth right to the industry. In doing so it has had a dom ino effect in closing doors and extinguishing other opportu nities in such areas as building a viable minority workforce capacity and de veloping technical knowledge and experience within the industry (qualifi cation prerequisites). Another shameful consequence is the fact that minority contractors who have historically and currently benefit PER YEAR. 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