Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, December 16, 1992, Image 1

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ÌjfortÌattìt ©lisEtuur,
Urban League Senior
Center To Host 1992
Kwanzaa Celebration
The Urban League’s M ulti-Cul­
tural Senior Center at 5325 NE Martin
L uther K ing Jr. Blvd. w ill host a
Kwanzaa Celebration from December
26-31. Kwanzaa is a 26-year-old A fri­
can-American Celebration that com ­
bines traditional African principles with
the African-American experience. E v­
eryone is invited to attend the series of
free Kwanzaa events.
Kwanza is a Swahili word meaning
“first fruits.” In 1966 Dr. Maulana
Karenga added an “a: to the word and
established a seven-day holiday he
called Kwanzaa. Foran increasing num­
ber of African-Americans, the annual
celebration has become a lime for re­
flection, rejoicing and coming together
as a people.
The foundation o f Kwanzaa are the
Seven Principles o f blackness or Nguzo
Saba. Each night of Kwanzaa celebrates
a different principle. The seven prin­
ciples and this year’s schedule of events
are as follows:
Dec. 26, Umoja (Unity) - Tostrive
for and maintain unity in the family,
community, nation and race. The Black
Educational Center presents a children ’ s
Program from 2 - 4 p.m .D ec. 27,
Kujichagulia (Self-D eterm ination)-To
define ourselves, name ourselves and
speak for ourselves. The Sirius Study
Group presents an African History Jeop­
ardy Game from 3 - 5 p.m.
Dec. 28, Ujima (Collective work
and Responsibility) — To build and
maintain our com m unity together. The
Coalition o f B lack Men presents a Trigut
to the Elders from 7 - 9 p.m.
Dec. 29, U m jam aa (Cooperative
Economics) — To build and maintain
our own businesses and profit together
from them. The Black E ducational
Center presents the African M arket­
place from 7 - 9 p.m.
Dec. 30, Nia (Purpose) - To co l­
lectively build and develop our com ­
munity in order to restore our people to
their traditional greatness. G raduation
Ceremony for youth in the Urban League
Rites of Passage Program from 7 - 9.m.
Dec. 31, Kuumba (Creativity) -
To do as much as we can to leave our
community more beautiful than when
we inherited it. Com m unity organiza­
tions present Karamu (The Big Feast)
from 6 - 9 p.m.
Jan. 1, Imani (Faith) - To believe
in our parents, teachers, leaders and in
our people. Families are encouraged to
celebrate thisday with activities at home.
Project Network Plans
Holiday Celebration
Honoring African Heritage
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. B ailey’s
boom ing b u sin ess fo r the
home at 1424 N.E. D ekum
holiday season. The Bailey
gives real m ea n in g to th e
home has a sign which is deco­
Christm as season. The Bailey
rated to let everyone know
hom e h a s b e e n d e c o ra te d
their son W alter Bailey, who
ja c h
plays for the Washington Hus­
year
by
th e ir
so n
iodell Bailey, who started deco-
Walter Bailey
kies, will be going to the Rose
ating hom es as a project for neighbors
Bowl again for the third time. W alter is a
nd
graduate o f Benson High, class o f 1988.
f r ie n d s .
It h a s
tu r n e d
in to
a
Project Network, a program for
chemically-depenijcnt pregnant m oth­
ers and their children located on the
Emanuel Hospital & Health Center cam­
pus, will sponsor a traditional holiday
celebration for 50 children of Project
Network clients and members o f the
community who have worked with them
throughout the year on Thursday, De­
cember 17 from 3:30 - 5:30 at 2749
North Kerby, Portland.
The Christmas party will feature
an African-American Santa who will
present the children with gifts donated
by Legacy Health System employees.
Legacy Health System selected Project
Network to be the recipient o f the gifts
from their 1992 gift-giving tree.
In addition, the Black Education
Center will present an educational pro­
gram on Kwaanza. Kwaanza is a non-
denominational African-American cul­
tural event based on the harvest cel-
Holiday Trims Offered
To Boys and Girls
Packwood Makes Statement
Concerning Allegations
At a time when public officials and
public institutions are correctly under
scrutiny and w hen cynicism about
people in public office is at an all-tim e
high, there m ust be accountability and
responsibility for official actions and
conduct. I am here today to take full
responsibility for my conduct.
I believe 1 have an unequivocally
strong record o f support for w om en’s
issues. Furtherm ore, my office has been
a beacon o f opportunity for many women
in O regon and in W ashington, D.C. My
belief in w om en’s rights and the politi­
cal agenda o f the w om en’s movement
has been one o f the cornerstones o f my
political career.
But now all of my past record is
clouded because o f incidents in which
my actions were unwelcome and offen­
sive to the women involved.
This is clear; my past actions were
not just inappropriate. W hat I did was
not just stupid o r boorish. My actions
were ju st plain wrong.
Before com m enting further, let me
tell you a bit o f my background and the
evolution o f my convictions on women
in the workplace.
My childhood o f the 1930s and
1940s was typical o f the times. Male
and fem ale students w ere on separate
tracks, even in the co-educational pub­
lic schools I attended. Boys took shop;
girls took cooking, boys were doctors,
girls w ere nurses.
Through college and law school it
was the same. Even when I started to
practice law in 1958, there was still a
major debate in law firms about whether
women should be made partners.
A sea o f change occurred for me in
1960 when I was elected chairman of
my county Republican Central Com ­
mittee. It had a very gender biased
structure. The women on the com m it­
tee, equally com petent or in many cases
more com petent than the men, were
nonetheless confined to subordinate
roles,doing tasks traditionally assigned
to women. Seeing both their frustration
and the waste o f their talents, I moved
these women into positions of authority
and responsibility.
From that time forward all my po­
litical activities have been, for lack o f a
better term “gender neutral.” Those
who could perform best, regardless of
gender, were given the greatest respon­
sibilities.
I have had talented men and women
asm y C h iefofS taff. Indeed, for the past
15 years women have held that posi­
tion.
G reat women and men have passed
th ro u g h m y o rg a n iz a tio n . C aro l
Crawford, one of my first hires in 1969
as a legislative assistant, was the Assis­
tant Attorney General o f the United
States and is now a Commissioner on
the International Trade Commission.
Bill Diefenderfer, my Chief ofStalf
on both the Commerce and Finance
Committees became the Deputy Direc­
tor of the Office of M anagement and
Budget.
Karen Phillips, who served on the
staffs o f both the Commerce and Fi­
nance Committees, is now a Commis­
sioner on the Interstate Commerce Com­
mission.
Alan Holmcr, my second Admin­
istrative Assistant was subsequently
Deputy United States Trade Represen­
tative.
During all o f these years in the
Senate, we functioned as a team. We
were men and women bound together
by a com mon and demand ing cause and
a serious purpose. The work was hard,
but if the term “ fraternal” can be used in
a gender neutral sense, we were a politi­
cal fraternity. We argued together.
sometimes vehemently, over policy.
We ate and drank together. W e joked
and laughed together. We sang together.
But through it all ran equality and merit
and performance, regardless o f gender.
In light o f my com m itm ent to
w om en’s issues and my deep belief that
the workplace must be gender neutral,
the current charges about my behavior
trouble me in a profound way. I recog­
nize now that my personal conduct has
been at variance with these beliefs --
not because my convictions are not
genuine, but because my conduct was
not faithful to those convictions.
Although most of these incidents
arc a decade or two decades old. and no
one’s job or pay or status in the office
was threatened, my conduct was wrong.
"I just didn’t get it.” I do now.
I said I am here to take full respon­
sibility for my conduct, and I do so. The
issue here is my conduct, and conduct
alone. I will not debate the recent ac­
counts o f my actions toward my staff
and those who worked with my office.
The important point is that my actions
were unwelcome and insensitive. These
women were offended, and I am truly
sorry.
Continued on p a g e 7
Boys and girls from North Portland
-a g e s 16 and under - wanting to look
their holiday best can get free haircuts
Monday, D ecember21 from 10:00 a.m.
to 3:00 p.m. at the Salvation A rm y’s
Moore Street Community Center, 5335
N. W illiams Avenue in Portland.
;, ,i. •
■
In its tenth year the holiday pro­
gram offers professional cuts to any kid
on a first come first serve basis.
The haircuts enable children to feel
good about themselves during a very
special time of the year. For more infor­
mation call 282-2571.
Needy Children
Receive New Shoes
On Saturday, December 12, W il­
liam Tem ple House took 155 children
from Portland Public Schools, the Inde­
pendent Living Program .Y outh Progress
and other foster care program s and pur­
chased new shoes with funds provided by
the Friends of W illiam Temple House.
The children, ages 5-18, were taken
by bus to Volume Shoe Store on Martin
Luther King Jr. Boulevard in three shifts
(9am, 1 lam and 1pm). They then return
to W illiam Tem ple House for a holiday
party. Activities include videos, games,
crafts and story-telling, a clown also
provide entertainment. Party tim es were
set for 11am, 1pm and 3pm.
Various groups have donated items
or reduced their fees for the event.
Participating organizations include
Nike, Laidlaw Transportation and Christ
Community Church.
S
P
E
C
I A
L
E
“W e arc particularly excited about
this event because it directly touches
needy kids,” said Giny Finch, chair of the
Friends of William Temple House. “W hat
a wonderful thing to do at Christm as
tim e.”
The Friends o f W illiam T em ple
House raise funds for the agency through
an annual m embership drive. In the past
five years, the group has raised over
$57,uOO for W illiam Tem ple House p ro ­
grams. Their mission is to provide direct
client aid.
A nonprofit organization, W illiam
Temple House provides free short-term
counseling and emergency services. This
is accomplished without governm ent or
United Way funds. The agency has served
the greater Portland metropolitan area for
27 years and is located in the historic
Mackenzie House in Northwest Portland.
D
I T
I O
COMMING JANUARY 13, 1993
4
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ebrations held in many African com ­
munities.
The seven day holiday is observed
from December 26-January 1, and is
based on seven principles: unity, self
determination, collective work and re­
sponsibility, cooperative economics,
purpose, creativity and faith. Each night
celebrants observe one of these prin­
ciples with a candlelighting ceremony
followed by activities which reflect the
theme for the evening. Gifts are given
to the children on the last day o f the
celebration for the good work they have
done throughout the year.
Legacy Health System includes:
Emanuel Hospital & Health Center,
Good Samaritan Hospital & Health
Center, Holladay Park Medical Center,
Meridian Park Hospital, Mount Hood
Medical Center, Visiting Nurse A sso­
ciation and Managed Healthcare North-
west/PPO.
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