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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 11, 1992)
Page 2...The Portland Observer...March 11, 1992 p e r s v e c t i v es • Homeless Families Find Affordable Housing & Support Services at Newly Rehabilitated Cambridge Court Complex - The Result of Rare Joint Venture of Three Public Agencies > by Professor McKinley Burt Three p u b lic agencies, in an u n usual jo in t venture, have transform ed the C am bridge C o u rt A partm ents in to safe, a ffo rd a b le housing fo r homeless fa m ilie s and have set up a system lin k ing them w ith on-site counseling and o ther services to help them re b u ild th e ir African American Health Providers: From Day One And Before T h is is the last o f three articles on m a jo r b la c k co n trib u to rs to the m edical professions. In fact, documented his to ry te lls us that it was A frica n s w ho firs t raised the healing arts to the level o f p ro fe ssio n a lism that characterized the fie ld as a science. W e provide the fo llo w in g fo r o u r readers, and espe c ia lly those teachers and students fo l lo w in g this series w hich began du rin g B la c k H is to ry M onth. I have the p riv ile g e o f c itin g “ D r. H a llie T a nner Johnson” w ho before the tu rn o f the ce n tu ry graduated fro m the W o m e n ’ s M e d ic a l C ollege in P h ila d e l ph ia and sh o rtly thereafter became the R esident P hysician at Tuskeegee In s ti tute. She passed the Board o f M e dical E xam iners fo r the State o f A labam a and “ became the firs t lady, w h ite o r c o l ored, to receive a ce rtifica te to practice m e d icin e in the State o f A la b a m a ” (p .4 1 1 -4 1 2 ) Evidences o f Progress A m o n g C o lo re d People, G.F. R ichings, 8th e d it., P hiladelphia, 1902). H er name is incorporated in to the title o f the n o n -p ro fit organization I set up to place A fric a n A m erican high school and college students in w o rk / study positions in the health sciences; “ D re w Johnson M e d ic a l E d u ca tio n P ro je c t” (n o w in 4 th y e a r). M r. R ich in g ’ s book lists (w ith photographs) m any o f the very early black fem ale physicians, D r. C aroline V . Anderson o f P hiladelphia, D r. Susan M c K in n e y o f N ew Y o rk , and D r. A lic e W oodby M cK a n e “ w ho has la te ly organized a nurse’ s tra in in g school at Savannah G e orgia” (1 8 9 0 ’ s). I w o u ld acquaint the reader, too, w ith several names o f black c o n trib u tors o f w hom are do not hear that much any m o re -b u t w ho made v ita l advances in the healing arts. “ M illio n s o f suffer - ers from A R T H R IT IS owe th e ir co m fo rt and health to the soybean chem ist PER C Y J U L IA N , who brought the heal ing drug C O R T IS O N E w ith in their reach.” W ith o n ly one p u b lic h igh school in B irm ingham fo r a ll the hundreds o f thousands o f b lack ch ild re n in a ll o f A labam a (1912), Julian was sent to the State N orm al School fo r Negroes in M ontgom ery. Despite a thousand such handicaps he w ent on to graduate at the lo p o f his class at a ll-w h ite DePauw U n iv e rs ity in Greencastle, Indiana, Phi Beta Kappa and Sigm a X : honorary societies, and was the 1920 C L A S S V A L E D IC T O R IA N . “ The fo rm a tio n o f The Institute o f Food Technologists in 1939 o ffic ia lly co n firm e d the opening o f a new branch o f in d u stria l chem istry by that p ioneer in g food chem ist, D R . L L O Y D A . H A L L ” . It is to this pioneering A fric a n A m erican genius that we owe so much o f our essential know ledge o f preserv ing foods (especially meats) in a safe and e ffic ie n t manner. H is m ost p ro d u c tiv e research was p e rform ed at the G r iffith Laboratories in C hicago, 1922 to 1959. It was D r. H a ll w ho discovered that contrary to p o p u la r o p in io n , the Vaunted-SPICES such as cloves, c in namon, ginger, paprika, allspice, sage and o th e rs-in ste a d o f P R E S E R V IN G F O O D S -w e re usually infested w ith spores o f m olds, yeasts and bacteria. W e are able to use these substances now because D r. H a ll perfected the method o f using the chem ical ethylene oxide to n o t o n ly k ill insects, b u t to K IL L G E R M S IN FO O D S TU FFS by his in ve n tion , “ flash d ry in g .” I could cite m uch, m uch m ore about Messrs. lives. The Portland D evelopm ent C o m m ission (P D C ), the H ousing A u th o rity o f P o rtla n d (H A P ) and M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty ’ s H ousing and C o m m u n ity Ser vices D iv is io n jo in e d forces to give new life to the C am bridge C o u rt, lo cated at 5224 N . V ancouver A ve . T e n ant support services are being financed through a grant fro m the R obert W ood Johnson Foundation, one o f o n ly nine Julian, H a ll and others, lik e D r. Ernest E ve re tt Just, the fam ous zo o lo g is t whose pioneering w o rk at the renowned W oods H ole M arine B io lo g ic a l Lab o ratories paved the way fo r those w ho have gotten most o f the c re d it fo r w o rk w ith the C E L L and G E N ES . T o read about these pioneers and others see a copy o f B la ck Pioneers o f Science and Invention, Louis Haber, Harcount Bruce & W o rld Inc. 1970 (T ry lib ra ry i f s till out o f p rin t). given to cities n ationw ide. A t cerem onies held M arch 5, o f f i For the documented record o f those early and seminal A fric a n c o n trib u tions I m entioned earlier, see “ M a g ic, c ia lly opening the re h a b ilita te d c o m p le x , C ity C o m m issio n e r G retchen K a fo u ry hailed the p ro je ct as consistent w ith the goals and guidelines o f the C i t y ’ s C o m p re h e n s iv e H o u s in g A ffo rd a b ility Strategy (C H A S ) and as “ another step in o u r plan to com bat the cycle o f homelessness in P o rtland.” M y th and M e d icin e ” by the fam ous B ritis h A u th o r and h is to ria n D .T . A tk in s o n ; (P re m ie r P o cke t B ooks, F aw celt W o rld L ib ra ry , 1956, 1958). W e see that the firs t great physicians developed th e ir arts in the N ile V a lle y; the great IM H O T E P , a rch ite ct and physician to K in g N arm er, practiced his art several thousand years before the Greek Hippocrates was bom. These A fric a n pioneers also le ft m any o f th e ir form ulas and treatments on papyrus “ T he lin k in g o f safe, a ffo rd a b le housing w ith support program s is p ro v in g to be the m ost e ffe ctive strategy fo r h e lp in g fa m ilie s becom e s e lf-s u ffi cient,” said Com m issioner K a fo u ry, who has been charged by M a yo r J.E. Bud C la rk w ith d ire ctin g the C ity ’ s housing (T h e Ebers Papyrus U n iv e rs ity o f L e ip z ig ). strategy. H A P ’ s involvem ent insures a ffo rd able rent fo r tenants by assisting w ith Section 8 certificates through the U.S. A no th e r very interesting and in fo rm a tive book is “ The Physicians o f Pharaonic E gypt” by Paul G halioongui, A l-A h ra m C enter fo r S c ie n tific Trans lations, C a iro , E gypt, 1983. Here we see that 4000 years ago the A frica n s had already organized m edicine in to the crafts, d iscip lin e s and ranks we have to day." C h ie f o f Physicians, Inspector o f Physicians, R egional So cieties and Schools, R oyal P hysician, Surgeons,Coroners, internal m edicine, D e p a rtm e nt o f H o u sin g and U rban D evelopm ent (H U D ). T hrough thiscer- tifica te pro g ra m , rents at the Cam bridge C o u rt average $471 per m onth. In a d d i tio n , H A P oversees the management o f the p roperty through its agent, G reat N orthw est M anagem ent C om pany. In his rem arks, Denny W est, H A P E xecutive D ire cto r stressed, “ A s o w n ers o f the apartm ent co m p le x, we saw an opp o rtu n ity to w o rk w ith M ultnom ah eye doctors, pharmacists, obstetricians and so fo rth . S im p ly am azing! C o u n ty, using the Section 8 C e rtifica te g ently studying the M e tro p o lita n H u man R elations C om m ission (M H R C ), re vie w in g the charge o f the co m m is sion and made recom m endations that w o u ld make M H R C a m ore integral part o f the co m m u n ity. The U n ite d States o f A m e rica is an advocate fo r H um an R ights a ll over the w o rld , but the Hum an R ights o f m any in o u r ow n co u n try are being severely vio la te d. M a n y p o litic ia n s in our re g ion verbalize th e ir concerns and sup p o rt fo r H um an R ights, but fo r w h a t ever reason, they have (except fo r a few w ho have alw ays been on the fro n t lin e ) been relu cta n t to take a d e fin itiv e stand. P o litic s is p o litic s ; maybe some are a fra id to ru ffle the feathers o f some o f his o r her supporters. The C ity o f Portland, as w e ll as the T ri-c o u n ty area, needs a Hum an Rights e n tity that w ill address the v io la tio n s on a human level v o id o f p o litic s (even though that m ay be im possible). The present c o n fig u ra tio n o f M H R C w ill not accom plish that goal. The task force made numerous rec om m endations that in m y o p in io n w ill strenghten M H R C and b ring it in to the 9 0 ’ s. One o f the main bones o f conten tion is the com m ission its e lf. The present com m ission is com prised o f (15) members. The new com m ission w o u ld be made up o f tw enty-one (21) members. The recom m endation is that the present com m ission should resign and it should. The present com m ission has no executive d ire cto r. There are o n ly eight (8) seated members, thus fa c ilita tin g the appointm ent o f seven (7) new members. In o rder fo r the com m ission to have a business meet ing, a ll members w o u ld have to be present in o rder to have a quorum . In essence, the present com m ission is non existent. I know that the governing bodies, The C ity o f Portland and M u ltn o m a h should be easy to make. I, as a citize n o f the C ity o f P o rt land, strongly recom m end that a d e ci sion be made and soon, so that M H R C can get on w ith the business o f Human McKinley Burt Bill B a ite r Sharon Camarda Mattle Ann Callier-Spears Operations Manager Joyce Washington Accounting Manager Gary Ann Garne.t Production Staff Dean Babb Sharon Camarda Gary Ann Garnett Jennifer Johnson Public Relations Chuck Washington Sales & Promotions Tony Washington The PORTLAND OBSERVER is published weekly by Exie Publishing Company, Inc. 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97211 503-288-0033 e Fax 288-0015 Deadline for all submitted materials: Articles: Monday, 5:00 pm-Ads: Tuesday, noon POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: Portland Observer, P.O. Box » J * r ; ¿ « ** •V'«> The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned If accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and can not be used in other publications or personal usage, without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 1991 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. Subscriptions:$25.00 per year. The Portland Observer-Oregon's Oldest African-American Publlcatlon-ls a member of the National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., New York, NY. $451,000. P D C ’ s Rental H ousing Pres ervation program provided an acq u isi tion and rehabilitation loan o f $391,000. P D C ’ s loan u tiliz e d funds fro m a P ri | YOUR HOME ONLY inhum an and im m o ra l treatm ent o f H a itia n refugees by the governm ent o f I j I I j i I j PER YEAR. P lease fill out , ENCLOSE CHECK OR MONEY ORDER, and M ail to : | i ■ T he P ortland O bserver I PO Box 3 1 3 7 I P ortland , O regon 97208 . | | I Address | Cffy, State___________________ : ! zip-code___ H o sp ita l in East St. L o u is, Illin o is , D unham w rote to President Bush ap p ealing fo r an end to the in h u m a n ity tow ard the H a itia n refugees, she slated, “ I fin d the m ost recent decisions re g a rd in g H a itia n refugees shocking. Please believe me, M r. President, those returned w ill receive no w elcom e. H a v ing live d in H a iti sporadically fo r over f if t y years, I fin d H a iti too valuable to ignore o r a llo w to disintegrate.” D unham , w ho is a w orld-renow ned dancer and teacher, is a liv in g legend. It seems that K atherine Dunham is now I J S ubscriptions I Name __________________ tio n o f m illio n s . She has helped to keep the national and in ternational sp o tlig h t on the p lig h t o f thousands o f H a itia n refugees w ho are s till being m istreated te rrib ly b y the Bush A d m in istra tio n . From her hospi tai bed in S t. M a ry ’ s { $25.00 | ____________ ! ¡ T hank Y ou F or R eading ] ¡T he P ortland O bserver ] bridge C o u rt included paint, new w in dows, ro o f and siding repair, landscap ing, parking lo t repair, handrails and new playground equipm ent. In te rio r im provem ents included in su la tio n , a com plete e le ctrica l upgrade, recon struction o f kitchens and baths in a ll units, new pa in t and flo o r coverings, ing fo r the case management. M ultn o m a h C ounty C om m ission the basement im provem ents (w ith a new in d o o r play area), and w a ll re- C h a ir G ladys M cC o y echoed the need fo r a tie between affordable housing and support services to p ro vid e hom e less fa m ilie s the o p p o rtu n ity to m ove tow ard se lf su fficie n cy. She fu rth e r o f a ll. Several days ago, we visited w ith K atherine D unham in St. M a ry ’ s H os p ita l. A lth o u g h she had not eaten food fo r m any days, her s p irit was strong and vibrant. In fact, w e were impressed w ith her keen sense o f m oral and social re sp o n sib ility as w e ll as a profound co m m itm e n t and understanding o f A f rican heritage am idst the pressures o f protracted struggle. Standing at the side o f D un h am ’ s bed was her physician, D r. Lee B lo u n t, Jr., w ho has been o n e o f the physicians that has rendered de cades o f service to the A fric a n lib e ra tio n m ovem ent here and abroad. As we w alked in and greeted sister D unham , she sm iled and said, “ I hope you are not com ing to te ll me to stop fa stin g !” A nd o f course we said, “ Oh I T he P ortland O bserver I j CAN BE SENT DIRECTLY TO j C ity . The P L P A program blends private bank funds w ith federal grant d ollars e ffe c tiv e ly h elping the lim ite d p u b lic dollars to go farther. O ther fin a n cing sources included $17,300 in energy rebates through the C ity ’ s Energy O f fice fro m N orthw est N atural Gas w ith the re m a in in g balance p ro vid e d by various sources w ith in H A P . E x te rio r re h a b ilita tio n at the C am Com m erce, through the Homeless A c tion Fund, provides social service fu n d r — — — — — — — — — — — ■1 D unham has w on the p ra ye rfu l a d m ira I © ip ^txrilanit ®bsm ier ! vate Lender P a rticip a tion A greem ent (P L P A ) w ith S ecurity P a cific Bank Oregon as w e ll as C o m m u n ity D e ve l opm ent B lo c k G ra n t dollars fro m the C ourt. The basement o f the com plex has been converted to a m eeting hall w ith o ffice s fo r counseling services and an in d o or play area. The U nited W ay and M e tro P ortland Cham ber o f e xe m p lifie s the best o f A fric a n tra d i tion: persistent struggle fo r the freedom S ubscribe velopm ent. T o ta l p ro je ct cost fo r re h a b ilita tio n o f the C a m b rid g e C o u rt was in essence, a dem onstration p ro je ct show ing how the linkage o f ap p ro p ri ate services and suitable housing can help fam iliesrecovering from substance abuse and other d iffic u ltie s return to product lives. The approach is called “ services-enriched perm anent hous in g .” The M ultn o m a h C ounty H om e less F a m ilie s P rogram w ill screen homeless fa m ilie s w ith dependent c h il dren fo r residency at the C am bridge States back to the repressive situation in H a iti. T h e b o ld d e te rm in a tio n o f Sincerely Y ours, O liv e r (O llie ) S m ith, Jr. 3137, Portland, OR 97208. Second class postage paid at Portland Oregon. r rehab loans through P D C .” M ultnom ah C o u n ty ’ s H ousing and C o m m u n ity Services D iv is io n a d m in isters P o rtla n d ’ s Homeless Fam ilies Program through a five -ye a r grant from the R obert W o o d Johnson Foundation to ta lin g $600,000. C am bridge C o u rt is, the U n ite d States. K atherine D unham has refused to eat u n til the U nited States changes its cu rre n t p o lic y o f “ forced re p a tria tio n ” o f H a itia n refugees from the U nited Publisher Alfred Henderson Assistance Program , and Jane K aradbil, program analyst, O ffic e o f P o licy D e fo r Haitians? W e thank sister D unham fo r her courage and fo r her sacrifice. A t a tim e when there are m any w h o are seeking our leadership models, we thank sister Dunham fo r her consistent leadership fo r over six decades. D unham ’ s life ©Ip JJorilattit (©bseriier i Contributing Writers M u lle n said, “ substandard rental prop erties also con trib u te to neighborhood deterioration. T h is re h a b ilita tio n Ioan program has money to lend and we urge rental property ow ners to lo o k into this nation to c o n fro n t the ongoing trag edy o f o u r H a itia n sisters and brothers. W ill the A fric a n A m erican c o m m u n ity respond to the challenge o f one o f the “ mothers o f the freedom m ovem ent?” W ill the m illio n s o f persons o f good conscience in this nation stand up w ith D unham and others to demand ju stice A t the w isdom age o f 82, Katherine D unham continues to p ro vid e e ffe ctive leadership and inspiration fo r m illio n s o f persons throughout the w o rld fo r the Portland, Oregon (USPS 959-680) OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION Established in 1970 A c tin g as emcee at the event, Randall M u lle n , PDC H ousing D ire c tor, indicated the C am bridge C o u rt was a pro je ct o f P D C ’ s Rental H ousing Preservation Program (R H P ). The RHP program offers low -interestrepair loans to ow ners o f substandard rental prop erty in m any Portland neighborhoods. j pairs. PDC is the C ity ’ s agency fo r urban renew al, housing and econom ic devel opment. Helping Haitians: The Inspiration of Katherine Dunham cause o f ju stice and human d ig n ity . F or m ore than fo u r weeks, this strong A f r i R ights advocacy. Both governm ents can A m e rica n woman has sacrificed have an o p p o rtu n ity before them. M ake and risked her ow n life to protect the the change recom mended by the task force and ask fo r the resignation o f the present com m ission. N o one is ques tio n in g the in te g rity o f the present co m m ission members, but deep dow n in side, they, too, know a change is needed. needs; a home and c o m m u n ity sup p o rt.” Present at the opening ceremonies (besides K a fo u ry , W est, M cC o y and M u lle n ) w ere D r. Jim O ’ C o n n ell, d i rector, and Julie H a rd in , co -d ire cto r, o f the R obert W ood Johnson Foundation Homeless F am ilies P rogram , based in Boston. A lso present fro m H U D head quarters in W ashington, D .C . were Jim F o rs b e rg .d ire c to ro f the Special Needs By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. C ounty, are under considerable pres sure from both sides: the com m ission and the task force. There are those who w ant to m aintain the status quo and those who w antchange. Change is hard fo r many to accept, but w hen it is clear that a change is needed, the decision n a n cial assistance. T o d a y , we are pleased w ith the results o f this coopera tive e ffo rt and are strongly com m itted to this type o f co m m u n ity partnership.” CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL Present MHRC Should Resign L e tte r T o the E d ito r: O ver the past few m onths, a nu m ber o f very cre d ib le in d iv id u a ls in the Hum an R ights arena have w orked d ili stated, “ T o tw e n ty fa m ilie s, it w ill be a co rn e rs to n e -u n itin g tw o basic human program . PDC stepped in w ith the f i no.... W e are here to support you and to te ll you that m illio n s o f sisters and w illin g to risk death in order to wake up Gang Peace brothers throughout the nation, in H a iti and in other parts o f the w o rld are p ray ing fo r you and stand behind you a ll the w a y.” D ic k G regory journeyed to East St. L o u is to show support fo r D u n h am ’ s fast and protest. L o ca l and federal au th o ritie s, how ever, d id not lik e the fact that brother G regory was in tow n and im m e d ia te ly arrested h im fo r “ dem on stra tin g ” at a federal b u ild in g . Once G regory was released, he was subse q u e n tly re-arrested tw ice to “ harass” h im o u t o f tow n. Katherine Dunham remains a d e d i cated freedom fig h te r. The e ffo rt to see that ju s tic e is done on b e h a lf o f H a itia n refugees deserves the in vo lve m e n t o f m illio n s . Sister Dunham is m aking her co n trib u tio n s at great personal risk at the age o f 82. W e m ust not le t Dunham make this im portant challenge alone. L e t us w ith one united voice and jo in t action demand ju stice fo r H a itia n re fu gees. W e recom m end that everyone take the tim e to do the fo llo w in g im m e d i ately: (1) Telegram President Bush c a ll ing fo r stronger action by the U n ite d States to help restore the le g itim a te d e m o cra tically elected governm ent o f President Jean-Bertrand A ristid e and to stop forced repatriation o f H aitian re fu gees u n til President A ristid e is restored back to o ffic e in H a iti; and (2) contact members o f the U.S. Congress to autho rize support fo r the O rganization o f A m erican States (O A S ) to oversee ac tiv itie s in H a iti to ensure the return o f dem ocracy to H a iti. What do gangs, Camp Fire, the Trailblazers, Vera Katz and \ and Nestle have in common? “ O ur A celebration o f Gang Peace was held Saturday, M arch 7, at the U n iv e r sity Park C o m m u n ity C enter in N orth P ort lan d , a cc lebra lio n i h at i n trod uccd youth in the co m m u n ity to the project w ith speakers, m usic, food and prizes. State Representative Vera Katz and Portland T ra ilb la ze r Lam ont Strothers talked about alternatives to gang p a r ticip a tio n . M cD onalds provided food and food coupons. Gang Peace, a new project of The Nestle Very Best in Youth Program provides leadership training and posi tive group activities lor boys and giris friends w ho m ig h t get in volved in gangs w ill listen to us be ages 6-12 in the Portland area w ho are a l risk o f becom ing gang members. cause we arc closer to th e ir age, and we understand them more than adults,” says Rosanna B la in an 11-year o ld Portland youth leader. The Ncsdc C hocolate V e ry Best in Y outh Program was designed to The Portland Area C o u n c il o f C am p Fire w ill adm inister Gang Peace w ith the help o f a grant from Nestle. D avid Jackson, the Gang Peace C o o r d in a to r hired by C am p Fire, w ill assist in the h irin g and tra in in g o f fo rm e r b u ild self-esteem in young people by a llo w in g them to make decisions and by p ro vid in g the resources to make their choices become a reality. For m ore in fo rm a tio n about Gang Peace, please ca ll D avid Jackson or Nancy Snodgrass at the Portland Area gang teens to serve as peer leaders fo r the youth. A c tiv itie s w ill include sports, m usic, science and advanced outdoor liv in g . The backbone o f Gang Peace is co m m unication -the idea that kids lis ten to other kids. C ouncil o f C am p Fire 224-7800. •j *