»è * ♦ V ■>' •*■“• ri V olum n XXII. Number 10 / > *«> + b r*** > r > "• 1 * ►■ t ■ & • + i « r » . F r a n c e s S c h o e r. ■New ’P û p e r U n i v e r s i t y o f O r, 9 on L ib fc-ugfci , e f O r e g o n 37403 ‘ The E yes and Ears o f th e C o m m u n ity -’ RC ^prrrtlanh © b a rte r News In Brief United Way Installs New Board Members Two members of the African- American community have been elected to serve three-year terms on United Way of the Columbia-W illamette's board of directors. The Rev. Alcena Boozer, princi pal, Jefferson High School; and John Collins, US Marines Corps, retired, are among 10 members elected to United Way's board during its 72nd Annual Meeting, February 10. In addition to her position at Jefferson High School, Boozer serves as assistant director of Alternate Edu cation^ ummer Schools for the Port land Public School District. She has held numerous positions in the district, including Student Discipline Programs coordinator and Grant High School administrative vice-principal. She is an ordained Episcopal priest and is a mem ber of the Urban League and the Port land Leaders Roundtable. Collins is a long-time volunteer with United Way of the Columbia- Willamette, currently serving as chair man of the Community Organization Fund Distribution Committee, which coordinates community wide human services and distributes United Way resources. Board members are responsible for determining the strategic goals of United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, for mulating organizational policy and au thorizing and approving all major fi nancial decisions. Urban League President Reports on Act III Cinemas Statement by Dr. Darryl Tukufu For several years members o f Portland's African American commu nity have expressed concern about the failure of Lloyd Cinemas to show mov ies with predominantly African Ameri can casts or movies directed by African Americans. In the fall of 1991 three members of the African American community - Darryl Tukufu, Art Alexander and Ri chard Brown - met with staff from Act III Cinemas (owners of Lloyd Cinemas) to inform them how this situation was perceived in the community. Act III staff were asked to inform their booking agents about how their booking decisions were viewed in the community. The three community rep resentatives said they would wait three months to see what booking changes were made. The week Dr. Tukufu spoke with Act III Cinemas' Tim Wood and in formed Brown and Alexander of the discussion. Based on the conversation with Wood, the community representa tives are confident that: 1. The b la c k -o rie n te d film "Mississippi Masala" will play at Lloyd Cinemas after the Portland Film Festi val (beginning on or about March 7). 2. Movies by African American directors and with large African Ameri can casts will begin to be seen at either of Act Ill's multi-screen Theatres at Lloyd Center. (However, this will not include every movie that comes out). S. I. Communications' "Just Go!" Travel Radio Program to Premiere in April S. I. Communication'" Just Go!", a daily program that serves as a unique travel guide for the African-American consumer, will air nationally begin ning the first week of April. Hosted by Arthel Neville from The Entertainment Channel, "Just Go!" is comprised for five 60 second vi gnettes describing places of interest to the African-American traveler as well as providing tips on getting the most economical airfares and hotel rates. These original vignettes will air twice daily Monday through Friday. A five-minute weekly Saturday pro gram on destinations in the United States and around the world will in form listeners about great ethnic res taurants, museums, art galleries and more. Another five minute program giv ing listeners the inside scoop on get ting the best cruise values will air each Sunday. For more information regarding "Just Go", please contact Pat Tobin or Paulette Johnson at Tobin & Associ ates, (213)856-0827. Federal Dollars Coming to Oregon Seniors Oregon Senator Bob Packwood announced this afternoon that Oregon seniors will be the beneficiaries of al most $6 million in federal funds aimed at providing housing for the frail eld erly. The funds will be paid from U.S. Housing and Urban Developm ent (HUD) Section 202 monies. Packwood has been working with HUD Secretary Jack Kemp to bring the grants to Or egon. "Oregon's frail elderly deserve the best we can give them," commented Senator Packwood. "The housing units these federal dollars will provide are critical to maintaining the dignity of our seniors citizens. I am very pleased that Secretary Kemp has authorized these worthy projects.” Packwood has long been an advo cate of measures designed to allow Oregon seniors to remain in non-insti- tutional settings. Older Women's League Meetings Mid-life and older women are in vited to the Portland Chapter of the Older Women's League (OWL) at 2145 NW Overton. Topic: "V. I.E. W.'s: A volunteer Counselling Program To Help Elders with Aging Problems. How to be a Peer Counselor of How To Refer An Elder." Speaker: Mary Reardon, Volunteer Recruiter, Good Samaritan Hospital. Meeting is open to the public, no admission charge. No-host coffee available. Ample street Parking, wheelchair accessible. Tri- Met available on NW 21st or NW 23rd. Call 228-5701 for directions or information about OWL Whats Inside... Page 2 News Page 4 Birthday Page 6 Kid Talk Page 7 Entertainment Page 8 Religion Page 9 & 10 African American Academic All Stars Page 11 Classifieds Page 12 -14 Legal National Council of Negro Women Concludes Black History Month With Third Annual Walk The National Council o f Negro Women (Tri-County Section) held their Third Annual Walk this past Saturday. The Walk began at the O. B. Williams Convention Center and proceeded down Martin Luther King Blvd. Following the March was a program featuring several choirs and gospel groups and concluded with a continental breakfast. The national Council O f Negro Women was founded in 1935 by Mary McLeod Bethune, (1875-1955). This daughter of former slaves was an Edu cator and devoted much of her life to the improvement of educational opportu nities for Blacks. In 1904, she opened a school for Black girls in Daytona Beach, Florida. This school merged with a boy's school in 1923 to form a college, now called Beihune-Cookman College. From 1935 to 1944, she served as President Roosevelt’s Special Advi sor on Minority Affairs and becam the first Black woman to head a Federal Agency. The organization was con ceived to unite womens organizations on a national level for the purpose of empowering women of color culturaly, socially and spiritually. The National Council of Negro Women, Inc. Tri-County Section, be gan in 1977 as a split off of the Portland Section. In March of 1984, they re ceived their charter. Locally, their mission is to promote unity among women of color in the areas of Educa tion, Culture, Economics as well as the Social and Spiritual life of our commu nity. Recognizing the magnitude of the misssion, they have focused primarily on youth and issues of importance to them. They organized and implemented youth awareness seminars and work shops with a wide variety of topics including teen pregnancy, gangs, drugs, and AIDS. They also focused on self- enhancement and goal setting bringing in motivational speakers from the com munity. All of this is at not cost to the community and funded totally by two major fundraisers. The Cotton Caper Beach Trip which is scheduled for April 25th, 1992, in Newport Oregon and a Spring Boat Ride aboard the Columbia River Stemwheeler. N.C.N.W. participated in job fairs and have given sholarsnips to college bound students. This year, there has been enhanced services to youth by targeting IRIS Court,adopting the cen ter for Christmas. Their commitment also includes services to Senior Citizens, by visiting nursing homes at Mother and Fathers Day; services to the needy by deliver ing Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets. These are just a few of the many things National Council of Negro Women Tri-County Section do in the community. Black Leadership Conference: Candidates Forum ‘92 Concerned about the future of your community? Interested in sharing your ideas with the candidates running for public office? Do you know their posi tion on your issues? The Black Leader ship co nference is sponsoring a condidates Forum '92 and invites you to participate in discussing these ques tions with local condidates. Candidates Forum ’92 will provide an opportunity for community mem bers to hear comments from local can didates and ask questions about issues of concern. The Forum will be facili tated by Ron Herndon, Chair of the Back Leadership Conference and is scheduled for Thursday, March 19,6:00 p.m., at Harriet Tubman Middle School located at 2214 N. Flint. The Black Leadership conference serves as a catalyst to identify and sup port national, state and local candidates and initiatives that are sensitive to is sues that impact the black community. Over 100 community organizations are represented by the Black Leadership Conference in hosting this Forum. Individuals invited to participate in the Candidates Forum '92 include State Representative Margaret L. Carter, the incumbent for House District 18 and her challenger Fred Stewart; several may- oral candidates including Commissioner Earl Blumenauer and State Representa tive Vera Katz; and City Commission ers Mike Lindberg and Dick Bogle along with their challengers for City Council seats. The general public and press are encouraged to attend and take advan tage of this opportunity to meet one on one with the candidates. Voter registra tion material will be made available at the Forum for individuals who need to register or change their address. For additional information or questions re garding Candidates Forum ’92, please call 229-9031. New Program Provides Young Women Alternatives to Gangs Saturday, February 29, the Mult nomah County Juvenile Justice Divi sion and community agencies recog nized the accomplishments of young women who have participated in a pro gram designed to provide alternatives to gang activity. The awards ceremony and open house for GIFT, the Gang Influenced Female Team, was held at the Grace Collins Memorial Center gymnasium (128 NE Russell), from 2:00-4:00 P.M.. The afternoon's program included dramatic and musical presentations by program participants. Multnomah County legislators, local government officials, representatives from congres sional offices and community leaders attended. In September of 1991, the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention awarded the Multnomah C ounty Juvenile Justice Division $500,000 in grant funds to provide ser vices to gang affected and gang in volved young women. This funding was made available following legisla tive action initiated by Congressman Les AuCoin that formally recognized the county's success in establishing in novative services for gang youth, and submission of a competitive grant pro posal by county staff. The GIFT program is a collabora tive effort between the Multnomah County Juvenile Justice Division and thrcccommunity-bascdnonprofitagcn- cics: Portland Youth Redirections, the Northeast Coal ilion of Neighborhoods, and the Tri-County Youth Services Consortium. The program has established a full array of service for gang involved and gang affected gang women and their I children towards the goal of providing immediate and long range alternatives to gang activity. Specific elements include a Women's Collective, which seeks toestablish positive relationships, role models, and support systems as a replacement for the unhealthy and abu sive relationships that result from gang involvement. A Family Services com ponent provides health care, substance abuse counseling, and parenting educa tion for young mothers. Collaborative Crisis Interventions provides a 24-hour crisis line, crisis transportation, and temporary shelter for clients and their children. Current estimates indicate that there arc 400 gang involved women between the agesof 13-19 in Multnomah County. This program anticipates serv ing 150 clients a year at an annual cost of $500,000. * 25« City Council Approves Blumenauer Plan to Jail Drug Dealers More drug dealers convicted in Portland would go to jail and serve longer sentences under a plan proposed by City Commissioner Earl Blumenauer and approved unanimously this after noon by the City Council. "Drug traffickers, kingpins and small fry alike, have figured out how to beat the system," says Blumenauer. "Since the Oregon sentencing guide lines went into effect, more and more convicted drug dealers have received shorter and shorter prison terms or none at all." According to local law enforce ment officials, many drug dealers are sentenced to as little as 30 to 60 days and sometimes, avoid jail time alto gether under guidelines developed by the state legislature. Blumenauer wants the Multnomah County District Attorney to ask Port land judges to consider to negative impact of drug dealing on a comm unity when sentencing drug dealers. "This would allow judges to go outside the state guidelines and hand down tough sentences that make sure drug dealers do hard time," Says Blumenauer. "I have been advised by the State Sentenc ing Guidelines Board that it is possible to do this now." "Today's Council resolution lets the District Attorney and local judges know they have our support to take this step," days Blumenauer. "It gives them another tool to use everywhere in Port land and sends a strong message to narcotics traffickers that there is no place for them in our city." Blumenauer's resolution also calls on the state legislature to change the sentencing guidelines themselves. "In the long run, we need longer jail terms for all drug dealers," says Blumenauer. "But Portland cannot afford to wait until the legislature meets in 1993. We must act now." "Without the kinds of sticks this resolution provides, all of our other efforts to shut down the drug trade in Portland could prove fruitless," says Blumenauer. "Let's move these hard cases off our streets and into our jails." m g ?" ' ' Tri-Met Applying for Grant Tri-Met is applying for a $ 150,000 federal grant to make it easier for Dis advantaged B usiness E n terp rises (DBEs) to participate in the Westside MAX project. The Tri-Met Board of Directors yesterday authorized the grant applica tion to the U.S. Department of Trans portation. The grant would fund local and regional training workshops and an informational videotape to show na tionwide. Tri-M et would provide $37,500 for the project. "We plan to prov ide information to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises on overcoming barriers to participating in public construction contracts," ex plained Julius Evans, Tri-Met Civil Rights Program Manager. Some of those issues including financing, bond ing and insurance, marketing, cost esti mating, accounting, general manage ment evaluation of bids or proposals, and patronage by prime contractors. "Tri-Mel's goal is to use Disadvan taged Business Enterprises to the full est extent in the Westside MAX project, Evans said. The $944 million Westside MAX project is the largest public works project in the state's history. Construction of the 12-mile light rail line from down town Portland into Washington County will begin early next year. Tri-Met expects to open Westside MAX in fall 1997.