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December 9 , 1992...The Portland Observer...Page 9
It’s About More Than
Hardware: Try Humanity
Career Opportunity
k .
BY PROF. MCKINLEY BURT
L ei’s look behind ihc scenes in this
continuing saga 1 w rite about black
inventors and the wonderful technol­
ogy they have given the world; tor
safety, convenience, health and wealth.
1 could go in this manner, reclassifying
the brilliant contributions in terms of
industries like transportation, com m u­
nication, m edicine and so forth but
today we wish to go backstage for
another view point of this fascinating
play—warm, human and com passion­
ate.
This should not be surprising since
we find that many thousands o f years
ago the Greeks were describing Ethio­
pians (Black Africans) as “the most
noble and gentle of the races o f man­
kind” (James Baldwin). This concept is
certainly reinforced by an evaluation
o f the many devices invented by A fri­
can Americans for the American rail­
road industry. I have a chapter in my
book, “ Black Inventor’s of A m erica”
that details a number of inventions that
not only greatly advanced the “state-
of-the-art” in the w orld’s transporta­
tion in d u slry -b u t demonstrated an un­
precedented humanism and com pas­
sion for the safely and com fort of the
public and workers alike.
1 cannot overemphasize the im ­
portance of integrating these consider­
ations into any evaluation of their co n ­
tributions; there is so much more here
than the bare nuts and bolts and the
w heels and gears o f technological
progress that drove the industrial revo­
lution. In a chapter that cites “a ro­
mance with the railroad” my book seeks
to place in a human perspective a host
o f innovations driven by a greater force
than a simple quest for fame and for­
tune. The reader, parents, teachers and
youth counselors would do well to con­
sider this approach in reenforcing our
self-image against so many negatives.
Though we will discuss modern
contribution as well, there is no better
place to stan than with “Andrew Beard” ,
an illiterate Alabama railroad laborer
who invented the Automatic Railway
Coupler" around the turn of the century
(Patent No. 594,059; Nov. 23, 1897).
Depressed by hav mg witnessed s u p p ly .
men killed or maimed during their
efforts to manually connect the m as­
sive, moving coaches and box c a rs -a
task which required them to step be­
tween the cars and drop in a pin when
they met with a horrendous c ra sh -
Beard worked nights at his kitchen
table until he devised the world-famed
“Jenny Coupler”.
This is the device you see today all
over-the world, incorporated into each
endol all railcars, tenders and the like-
-and which resemble nothing so much
as the clasping of two human hands
when two cars meet with a thunderous
crash. You see, thanks to the invention
of the compassionate Beard, no longer
has it been necessary for workers to
unnecessarily lose life and limb as
they leaped between these juggernauts
to drop in a pin before the cars met. So
important to the welfare and safety ol
American workers was this invention
that die U.S. G overnm ent soon made
Beard’s invention mandatory equip­
ment early on under the series of Rail­
way Safety and Appliance Acts. The
same happened in Europe, for all told
there had been 237 different devices in
use before standardization with the
“ Automatic Coupler”, mostly danger­
ous or ineffective.
You can see, also, the rather obvi­
ous consequence that beyond the so­
licitous application of a specific tech­
no lo g y , the ra ilro a d s m ust have
achieved a fantastic saving in m anu­
facture by this slandardization-not to
mention the “amputees and widows”
they no longer had to pension. 1 think
you sec where 1 tun coming from here
as in recent weeks we have discussed
the necessity for intervention in the
traumatic situations gripping many of
our youth. W here we have those who
do not know “ who they are”, or who
lack the “self-im age” to function ra­
tionally in our society, motivational
and educational solutions can only be
achieved within a context o f reality.
In my years of delivering the
“ Black Inv entors and Scientists” pre­
sentation in text, lecture or class, 1
have found that all ages o f youth (or
adults) can readily comprehend who
they are and what they have to oiler
vyhen they can look around and see in
any of the infrastructure all ol their
genius and talent, and it works equally
well for white youth or the adults in the
workforce who have been hesitant to
accept black workers aboard, having
lived with vicious stereotypes all their
lives, this is why the U.S. Forest Ser­
vice has contracted with me all these
years throughout the Northwest—A re­
alistic “ Human rights” presentation”
It will be obvious here this week
and next that because of space my
citations of the people making these
magnificent contributions must be in
the short form of cam eos or vignettes.
I think, how ever, I have not failed in
an effort to emphasize how important
these innovations a re -a n d far beyond
technology, at that. Let me state that
Andrew Beard’s invention of the “A u­
tomatic Railway C oupler” was not the
only African American invention o f
compassion that became mandated by
the government under the “Railway
Safety Appliance Acts” . Another was
the in v e n tio n o f th e s o - c a lle d
"W cstinghouse Air Brake”.
In my book you will find a U.S.
Patent Office photostat of the original
patent by the African American engi­
neer,G ranvilleT . W oods; “Automatic
Air Brake” , Patent No. 701,981, June
10, 1902; “Assigned to (sold to) The
W cstinghouse Air Brake Company o f
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania”. This ge­
nius patented almost 90 other inven­
tions that “ made A merican industry
what it is today” from railway telegra­
phy to the “Third Rail” lor the subway.
And I had the good fortune to meet the
great Benjamin Spikes, the inventorof
the practical “ Railway Semaphore” ,
before he died at the age of 90 in Los
A n g eles-still inventing. So many,
many lives saved by his version of this
signaling device.
Next week: The black man who
invented most o f the “Heating Air
conditioning, and Plumbing Systems"
that makes all High-rise buildings in
America and the world possible (80
patents). I had many wonderful con­
versations with him during the 1970’s;
David Crosswaithe, and without him
no E m p ire S la te B u ild in g , No
Rockefeller Center, no United Nations
Building, and no Chrysler Building of
which Chrysler’schairm an is so proud!
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A dvertise in the O bserver
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The Portland Police Bureau is looking for dedicated men and women who are
interested in serving the community as a police officer.
If you want to make a positive change in your community - and want a challenging
and fulfilling career with excellent salary and benefits - the Portland Police Bureau can
offer you that opportunity.
$29,931 -$42,681
Medical and Dental Benefits
Paid Vacation and Sick Leave
Portland Police Bureau Human Goals:
“To attract a diverse group of individuals with ability, dedication and capacity for
growth” and “To make the Police Bureau a model of equal opportunity for all.”
Local Calls: 796-3200
Inside Oregon: 1-800-262-9529 (toll free)
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Outside Oregon: 1-800-248-9529 (toll free)
Portland Police Bureau
Personnel Division
Room 1542
1111 SW 2nd Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97204
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By James L. Posey
Winter Swim
Lessons
Registration has begun for Port­
land Parks and Recreation W inter Swim
Lessons. Lessons are available for all
ages and skill levels.
You may register for classes at the
pools, through the mail or by phone.
Mail-in registration forms are available
in the Park Bureau Fall Program Guide
or by calling 796-5130. If you are using
Visa or M astercard, you may register
for classes by phoning the pool loca­
tion.
For a complete pool schedule, see
the Park Bureau Fall Program Guide or
contact the Aquatics Department, 796-
5130.
B uckm an Pool
320 SE 16th, 823-3668
C olum bia Pool
7701 N.ChatauquaBlvd., 823-3669
D ishm an Pool
77 NE Knott, 823-3673
M .L .C . Pool
2033 NW Glisan, 823-3671
PCC/Sylvania Pool
12000 SW 49th, 796-5130
(lessons only)
Providence Medical Center Pool
5050 NE Hoyt, 796-5130
(lessons only)
Fitness Club To
Host Public
LITER
BOTTLE
All Flavors
In Cans
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RED D ELICIO US APPLES
A . » t
Q&lack (business.- S ome G ood S igns
SEEDLESS TANG ERINES
S atsu m a la rg e size b om U o ta
easy to p eel
Jfc
The Lloyd Athletic Club will hold
an Open House for the public W ednes­
day, December 9, from 10 a.m. to 6
p.m. to celebrate the com pletion o f its
recent remodeling.
T he fo u r-m o n th c o n stru c tio n
project update the fitness and racquet
club’s interior decor and furnishings,
added ch ikl care fac i 1 i ties, and expanded
aerobic, conditioning, massage, and
locker spaces.
T hcclub,built in 1978 by thcLIoyd
Corporation, is owned by Pacific D e­
velopment, Inc., a PacifiCorp subsid­
iary. It has nearly 1.0(K) members.
For further inform ation contact
Ellen Campbell, 287-4594.
W hile I am not as well known for
my ability to praise or give positive
strokes, when it comes to progress on
A frican-A m erican business issues,
somebody ought to note it and note it
well.
The following are some signs of
improvement that I hope will not be
short lived:
1. The state office for M inority/
W omen/Emerging Small Business has
a new Advocate who really is an advo­
cate. Faye Burch, formerly one of the
G overnor’s assistants, recently replaced
Clifford Freeman as the director o f that
officeon an interim basis. I have heaped
criticism on that office because, histori­
cally, it has been a joke. The brain child
of Representative Margaret Carter and
its firstdircctor.LeonaG arcia-Seabold,
it was suppose to help minority and
women businesses break down barriers
and gain opportunities that were previ­
ously denied. But in truth, the office has
been understaffed and underfunded
from the beginning and has never had
any legislative authority to act on b e­
half o f minorities or women. To make
matters worse, the office became the
laughingstock o f the entire construc­
tion industry when it introduced the
“emerging small business” concept.
That notion made it lawful and proper
to provide assistance to white-owned
contractors, companies that were a l­
ready receiving 98% o f the contracts in
the state.
The good news is that now that
the Governor has seen the light and
replaced the very ineffective Freeman
with Burch, for the first time the office
has a real “advocate." Faye will work
not only for African-American busi­
nesses but for all minority businesses
that have been denied opportunities in
the state. Although she is limited by
having little or no business background,
Faye has the heart of a lioness when it
comes to challenging the system for
those who have been oppressed. She
also has a dedicated staff who are ready,
willing, and able to get the jobdone. It’s
a tough job coming up against all those
fire-breathing dragons who are willing
to see African-Americans gain every­
thing except economic equality. So in
the near future, this is the agency to
watch to see if it can really make a
difference under its new and improved
leadership.
2. Another positive sign is the
city o f Portland’s work with the N a­
tional Association of Minority C on­
tractors of Oregon (N AMCO) and other
independent minority contractors. To
anyone’s knowledge, this is the first
time the city has brought the lingering
concents o f these contractors to the
table and hammered out some prelim i­
nary solutions. David Kish, from the
M ayor’s office, deserves credit for the
meetings. However, much o f K ish’s
work is the result of the efforts of a
newcomer to the scene. Darrell Simms,
working as Gretchen K afoury’s execu­
tive assistant, has done a remarkable
job o f bringing the various groups to­
gether to solve problems rather than
engaging in eternal bickering. Simms,
along with Art Alexander from C om ­
missioner Mike Linbcrg’s office, has
worked behind the scenes to trouble­
shoot problem areas and raise legiti­
mate concerns to the powers that be.
Everyone connected with these is­
sues seems to have a new sense o f
optimism. This is especially true since
Katz and Hales are coming to the City
Council with professed interest in chang­
ing the economic patterns of the city ’s
contracting system to include more
minorities and women. However, ev­
eryone needs to know that the city is
notorious for becoming befuddled when
it comes to doing something “for real”
to help Blacks folks. But, let’s be posi­
tive and wait and see.
3. The Oregon Department of
Transportation (ODOT) Civil Rights
office, under the leadership o f Bea
Brooks, has gotten the Transportation
Com mission to agree to allot some small
contracts to minority businesses. What
she has done is earm ark some contracts
for minority contractors, primarily those
connected with the upcoming light rail.
H opefully, some o f these contracts will
go to African-American contractors and
businesses in the Northeast community
who have been previously denied op­
portunities through the open bidding
process.
B ea’s office has also tried to close
some of the loop holes in the bidding
process and overhaul the way contrac­
tors approach doing business with m i­
nority contractors. One major point of
contention is simply to make sure that
a contractor has negotiated in good
faith with a minority contractor. B e­
sides this, Bea needs to get to work on
developing the much talked about re­
volving loan program to aid minority
contractors experiencing cash flow
problems. She also needs to tackle more
aggressively the problem of the fraudu­
lent use o f minority contractors.
ODOT still has a “go slow” policy
when dealing with African-Americans.
And, until Blacks are willing to get
more organized and com m itted to ex­
erting pressure on ODOT, a large agency
with lots o f dollars to spend, its pro­
grams will continue to reflect more
public relations than substance, no
matter who is directing the Civil Rights
office.
These few bright spots, occurring
over the last year, are certainly not
enough to counter the years o f discrim i­
nation and racism that has crippled
African - American enterprise in the state.
But at least it's a start, and a reason to
believe that 1993 may be better.
Jam es Posey is a local, small busi­
ness ow ner with a background in social
work and com m unity activism.
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