Page 4... I he Portland Observer...February 26, 1992
Employment in Oregon
January 1992
OACWC Holds Annual Black
History Celebration
The Children’s Trust Fund of
Oregon Expresses Sincere
Thanks to State Employees
For Their Participation in
1991 Combined Fund Drive
The Children’s Trust Fund of
Oregon would like to thank all state
employees who generously partici
pated in the 1991 Combined Fund
Drive. Their support is truly com
mendable.
This year’s fund drive earned
$150,996, an increase of $13,761
over last y ear’s S 137,235. This is an
accomplishment that we can all be
proud of.
The Children’s Trust Fund was
established in 1985 by the Oregon
Legislature to support local programs
throughout Oregon which show the
most promise for preventing child
abuse, using available revenue to
award grants to those programs. The
Trust Fund currently funds twenty-
two programs who share the goal of
lowering the incidence of child
abuse. Gratefully, the state employ
ees heave helped make this goal a
reality.
Pauline Bradford, Coordinator
Dr. Dolores Harris, President, Mrs. Carrie L Holliday, State President
The Oregon Association of Col
ored Women’s Clubs held their Annual
Salad Luncheon, Black History Pro
gram and Exhibit, Saturday, February
22,1992 at the Bethel A.M.E. Church.
“Viewing Our Past As a Guide to the
Future” was the program theme.
Mrs. Carrie Cannon was Program
Chairman; Mrs. Pauline Bradford, Pro
gram Co-Chair was Mistress of Cer
emony. Mrs. Carrie L. Holliday, State
President, welcomed the 200 guests.
President Holliday presented corsages
to the National visitors. Devotions
were led by Mrs. Natalie Carter,
Champlain. The Negro National An
them was led by Mrs. Mattye lies. A
special Gospel Song Medley was pre
sented by Mrs. Gladys Young, soloist.
The special youth program, presented
by the Soldiers of Light Girls Club and
guest youth, was outstanding. The va
riety progiam featured poetry readings,
rap, group singing and presentations on
Black Inventors. Youth participants
were Kimberly Barney, Cassandra
C alvin, T iffan y G oundy, R icky
Harrison, Shelton Harrison, Chaunte’
Johnson, Natasha Love, Marqui Jack-
son, Christopher McCoy and Wendy
Murray. Mrs. Queen Ann Deloney was
presented at State Supervisor of Youth,
together with assisting Club Supervi
sors, Ms. Sally Hurst, Mrs. Lillian Bell
and Mrs. Harriet Boyd. Miss Kimberly
Barney, N. W. Region Penny Queen,
who will compete for the National Title
at the Youth Convention in Portland,
was introduced. Special guests in at
tendance were Dr. Dolores M. Harris,
President, National Association of Col
ored Women’s Clubs, Mrs. Margaret
Cooper, National Third Vice President
and Mrs. Carole A. Early, National
Executive Secretary and President of
the Washington and Vicinity Federated
Clubs. Dr. Harris, selected by Ebony
Magazine as one of the “ 100 Most
Betty Thompson, Co-Loordmator
Influential Black Americans,” made a
brief presentation. Response to her
address was given by Mrs. Harrie Belle
Paris, Executive Board Chairman. The
Rev. Dorsey McCollugh, host church
pastor, welcomed the group. Mrs.
Lillian Whitlow, Music Chairman,
closed the program with a circle forma
tion and singing of “We Shall Over
come” led by Rev. and Mrs. Mary
Harrison, Ways and Means Chair for
the event, extended special thanks to all
Committee and club women working
towards the annual benefits success.
Portland Observer encourages our readers to write
letterato the editor in response to any articles
we publish. • rid — .
b
Dennis Cole Elected as President of
U.S. Conference of Mayors’
Employment and Training Council.
Dennis Cole, president of The Pri
vate Industry Council in Portland, Or
egon, has been elected as the president
of the Board of Trustees for the Em
ployment and Training Council of the
U.S. Conference of Mayors. The group
serves as an advocacy group for em
ployment and training issues within the
U.S. Council of Mayors, as well as with
congress and the administration.
Cole has participated on the Em-
ploymentandTrainingCouncilforfour
years. During the last two years, he has
served as second vice president and
first vice president of this organization.
All Employment and Training Council
positions are voluntary.
“The need for investing in our
workforce is greater than ever, espe
cially in those traditionally outside of
the mainstream in schools and those
lacking the skills required in the work
place of the 1990s. The U.S. Confer-
ence of Mayors is a strong voice for
such an investment,” stated Cole.
Cole also serves as the president of
the Oregon Private Industry Council
Association (OPICA). OPICA brings
together representatives from all six of
Oregon’s private industry councils, who
work together to advocate for employ
ment and training issues at the state
legislative level. This is also a volun
teer position.
The Private Industry Council is a
private, nonprofit organization that pro
vides a wide variety of job training and
stay-in-school services for low-income
youth and adult residentsof Multnomah
and Washington counties, as well as
those out of work due to plant closures
and layoffs. Cole has been the president
of The Private Industry Council since
1987. Previous to that, he was the presi
dent of the Portland Private Industry
Council for three years.
Warning: Children Are Breakable
So Handle With Care
Millions of fragile items are care
fully packaged and transported across
the country everyday. If the item is
damaged in any way when it arrives,
the recipients get upset because it was
not shipped carefully. These may be
the same people who transport chil
dren in a car without proper use of
restraints.
A child is breakable, like a fragile
package, and must be handled with
extra care when in an automobile.
Children may hold up to rough
housing in everyday play, but in a car
crash, they don’t do so well. “In an
accident, a 10-pound infant riding in a
car traveling 30 mph is thrown forward
with a force of 300 pounds. This is
equivalent to dropping a child from a
third story window,” says Jim Wil
liams, a safety expert for the Country
Companies insurance group.
Car accidents are the number one
cause of death of young children, espe
cially those under age five. The most
common causes of death and injury in
a car crash are: being thrown into the
windshieldor dashboard, being crushed
by adults who are not wearing safety
belts, and being thrown from the car.
In 1990, 670 children under the
age of five died in car accidents. These
deaths could be prevented with the
proper use of child safety scats and scat
belts. The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration estimates that,
when correctly used, restraints cut the
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risk of a child’s death by 71 percent
and from being seriously injured by 67
percent.
While some parents don’t know
the importance of car restraints and
choose not to use them, others are
improperly using the device they al
ready own.
“The impact of misused restraints
is enormous. If all cars had restraints
and they were used correctly, the lives
of more than 300 children would be
saved every year,” said Williams.
All 50 states and the District of
Columbia have laws requiring infants
and children to be restrained while
traveling in vehicles.
Now, in all but six states,a person
can be charged with neglect due to
child restraint laws even if they arc not
the child’s parent. Ideally, these laws
should save the lives of hundreds of
children who arc placed in the care of
those other than their parents.
Police across the country arc be
coming strict in the area of child re
straint. In Gulfport, Miss., citations
went up 2(X) percent when officers
were placed outside of schools and
day-care centers looking for violators.
Williams feels that even with all
the laws and increased enforcement,
young lives will still be needlessly
taken if adults don’t bother placing
children in restraints.
Williams says, “Fragile, handle
with care applies to children too.”
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Your ad could
be here!
Call for rates and
information:
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288-0033
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The two major surveys of employ
ment activity in Oregon gave different
signals today, according to the Oregon
Employment Division. The state’s sea
sonally adjusted unemployment rate,
based in part on data from the federal
Current Population Survey, rose sharply
from 6.6% in December to 7.2% in
January. Early analysis of these unem -
ployment data indicates that the rise
was largely due to a substantial in
crease in the number of Oregonians
claiming regular unemployment ben
efits.
On the other hand, data from the
Employment Division’s monthly sur
vey of Oregon employers suggested
that most industries performed well,
for this time of year. While layoffs
were widespread, most industries lost
fewer workers than would be typical
for January.
“Normally, data from the two sur
veys give a similar picture of Oregon’s
employment outlook,” said Pamela A.
Mattson, Employment Division Ad
ministrator. “However, we do occa
sionally see the two surveys going in
different directions. Our analysts will
be looking closely at the January data
to determine where the differences
occurred.”
Turning again to the monthly em
ployer survey, more than half of last
month’s layoffs came in the retail trade
sector. Despite early fears that the holi
day season would prove to be extremely
weak, employment levels were actu
ally higher in December 1991 (244,500)
than the year before (241,400). Even
with the loss of 11,000 jobs in January,
the 233,500 retail workers last month
represent the highest January level ever.
Oregon’sconstruction industry con
tinues to provide surprising strength to
the state’seconomy. Mild winter weather
has certainly helped this industry to
maintain employment levels during the
past few months, but cooperative weather
would be worthless without a substan
tial amount of work for the industry.
Job losses continued in the lumber
industry, particularly in veneer and ply
wood. Several mills recorded major lay
offs, bringing veneer and plywood em
ployment down to 11,000-the lowest
January employment level since 1953.
However, overall industry employment
was somewhat helped by the same mild
weather which has been so beneficial to
construction-log supplies m ight be tight,
but at last loggers have decent access to
the worksite.
Elsewhere in manufacturing, Janu
ary appeared to be a very stable month.
A seasonal decline (down 800) in food
processing and a 300 increase in ma
chinery were theonly significant changes
in employment. The machinery increase
was of particular interest because, while
most manufacturing industries have re
mained very stable in spite of the na
tional recession, machinery is one o f a
handful, which have lost fairly substan
tial numbers of workers in the past year.
Given that widespread job gains in the
lumber industry appear unlikely at this
time, it will be up to other manufactur
ing industries to lead Oregon out of
recession.
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Portland Saturday
Market Opens 19th
Season
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Nissan Donates Cab*
Over Truck to Benson
High Auto Program
Nissan Diesel American donated a
cabover truck to Benson High School
automotive training program Thursday
Feb. 27 at the Benson Diesel Technol
ogy shops (between Irving and Glisan
streets on Northeast 15 th St.)
Thursday morning’s ceremonial
delivery of a 1989 UD Nissan Diesel
American truck transfered the truck’s
title to Benson High School from Larry
Shultz, regional service manager for
Nissan Diesel American of Irving,
Texas; John Cravens, district service
manager UD trucks of Fontana, CA;
and Rudy Busch, service manager for
DSU (diesel service unit) Pctcrbilt/GMC
of Portland.
“For the first time at Benson, stu
dents will be able to learn the differ
ences in how engine and other compo
nents are arranged in a cabovcr truck
versus those in a traditional car or
pickup,” said Bruce Higbee, Benson
High School auto instructor.
Agency Sets Sights On
Volunteer Recruitment
The Boys and Girls Aid Society of
Oregon is continuing 1992’s major re
cruiting drive for volunteers. Orienta
tion sessions are held the first Monday
of every month from 6 to 9 p.m. at 18
S.W. Boundary Court in Portland. Up
coming sessions are March 3rd and
April 6. Information and registration
are available by calling Ralph Coulson
at 222-9661.
The 106-year-old Oregon child
welfare agency seeks people to work
with pregnant and parenting teens,
abused and neglected children, and other
youth and families facing crises. Last
year, Boys and Girls Aid Society as
sisted nearly 15,000 Oregonians deal
ing with these issues.
The orientations arc part of B reak
ing The Cycle, Boys and Girls Aid’s
innovative volunteer training program
which provides a solid foundation for
volunteers. The trainings include ori
entation to the agency’s mission, meth
ods and clients as well as lively and
practical instruction in basic tools that
help heal young lives.
Following the Breaking The Cycle
training, placement options arc dis
cussed with staff. Additional program-
specific training is available. There is
no charge for attending the sessions,
and no obligation to volunteer after
wards. Call Boys and Girls Aid Society
of Oregon at 222-9661 and challenge
yourself to make a difference in
someone’s life!
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Oregon unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted)
7.2% up 0.6 from December
National unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted)
7.1% unchanged from December.
B
Lee Owen Stone
C ooperative Preschool
Saturday
March 7
7:00 p.m.
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Northwest Service Center
downstairs
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1819 N.W. Everett
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admission: $3.00
for luilhcr information, call 282-6574
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The grand opening of Portland
Saturday Market’s 19th season is Satur
day and Sunday, February 29 and March
1,1992. The Market, in historic Down
town Portland, offers a festive family
outing filled with food, fun and fantas
tic finds. And throughout the month of
March, customers will be given a ticket
for a free ride on Portland’s Vintage
Trolley System with any purchase.
Craftspeople from all over Oregon
and Washington will greet those who
stroll down the aisles of the Market’s
308 booths between S.W. First and
Front, from under the shelter of the
Burnside Bridge over to Ankeny Park.
There is a myriad of original arts, crafts
and foods on display every Saturday
and Sunday, making Portland Saturday
Market the largest open-air crafts mar
ket in continuous operation in the United •
States.
Portland Saturday Market is open
every Saturday and Sunday, March
through Christmas. Admission is free.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 11
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Ride
MAX free from Downtown’s Fareless
Square to the Skidmore Fountain Sta
tion. Parking validation in theOldTown
Garage (S.W. Front and Davis) with
minimum $15 purchase.
My Conscience And The Haitians
BY MIGNON PIKE
My Conscience has been giving
me a bad time about the Haitians. I
don’t know whether consciences in
general are male or female, but I am
positive that mine is a lady, an outsized
creature with a strong voice who won’t
take “No” for an answer. But then she
is no real lady because she is not above
giving me some pretty painful punches
and kicks at times.
For instance, take that letter form
Haiti which she held before inc menac
ingly. It recently came from Pastor
Emmanuel Eugene, a young Haitian
pastor we know in Cap Haitien, north
ern Haiti. He wrote that he is letting
some of the orphan children from the
streets sleep at night on the cement
floor of his little church. They have
nowhere else to go since they have been
turned loose to forage for themselves.
My Conscience pointed an accus
ing finger at the letter’s punch line: “I
would like to feed them but I don’t have
the money to buy the beans and rice. It
might cost $350 a month.”
After that my conscience woke me
up in the night with a painful prod
where it hurts the most: in the heart
region. “Can’t you just see those little
kids with pipestem arms and legs curl
ing up on that hard cement llixir trying
to sleep? Dotheycry in thenight? Then
they wake up in the morning with that
aching hurt in their empty stomachs and
go out in the streets again w ithout any
breakfast!’
“Now stir your stum ps!” she
barked. “You know how plump and
well fed your own grandchildren are.
Quite a contrast, wouldn’t you say?
They know where their three square
meals a day arc coming from!”
I replied feebly, “You know I have
to have dental work done and how
much it costs. Besides, the pastor said
it would cost $350 a month because
over 100 hungry children would come
to eat. That’s a lot of money!” She
didn’t even hear me.
As usual, after these sharp ex
changes I submitted to her bullying.
When she rode me hard after World
War II about the starving Greek chil
dren, our efforts sent a shipload of food
andclothingovcr. She still harps at me
on what one person can do if they care
enough.
My conscience has had a lot of
practice since bustling around our Big
Sky Youth Ranch for twelve years as
we brought out inner-city kids to the
country. She bossed the kitchen with a
high hand, making great platters of hot
biscuits and huge kettles of chili, beam
ing happliy on the hungry kids as they
dove in.
So she rudely pushed me down to
the post office where I started to write
out a $1(X) check to send to Pastor
Eugene for beans. But she grabbed my
hand and wrote out $200 instead. She
can be a very forceful lady at times.
She snatched the check.
“ N ow , q u ic k ,” she ra sp ed .
“There’s no time to lose. Make it out
to Pastor Eugene, in care of Portland
City Temple, Inc., P.O. Box 203, Or
egon City, OR 97045. That will get
you tax exemption. Pastor Eugene
will get the money in a week and start
feeding those kids.”
She added,“You’rcmighty lucky
to have such an honest person to do
your duty for you over there.” She
loves that square word “duty” and hits
me with it often.
So 1 dropped the check in the mail
and breathed a sigh of relief. This was
fun.
But then I heard her grating voice
over my shoulder. “Those kids should
have some bread to go with the beans,
don’t you think? The pastor’s cousin
has a bakery in Cap Haitien. Flour is
only $40 for a 50 lb. sack. You’re not
off the hook yet.”
I sighed, clasping my thin purse,
“Here we go again.”
Pastor Eugene has now written.
His feeding program is off the ground,
starting with 38 children. My Con
science whooped with glee: “W e’re
feeding 38 hungry Haitian kids! How
about that!” Then she added “Of
course it is only a drop in the bucket.
Think of all those other starving kids
who’ll want to come.”
Like I said, she’s a natural bully.