Page 8...The Portland Observer.. January 13, 1993
"Muslims In America Overcoming The
Myths And El Hajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm
X) A Model Of Human Development.”
“ By (the Token o f Time (through
the Ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except
such as have Faith, and do righteous
deeds, and (join Together) in the mutual
teaching of truth, and o f Patience and
Constancy.” sura 103, Holy Quran
This was the attitude shared by all
in attendance Sunday night at the ban­
quet sponsored by the Muslim Com m u­
nity Center of Portland and the Islamic
Forum, Northwest entitled, “ Muslims
In America Overcoming the M yths and
El Hajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X) A
Model of Human D evelopm ent," It was
a night of trust and bridge building, and
“blessed is he who is trusted,” stated
Imam Mikal Shabazz, resident Imam o f
the Muslim Community Center o f Port­
land. Imam Shabazz thanked the crowd
o f about 250 Christians and muslims for
coming to the deliciously prepared din­
ner and even more tasty dessert that was
about to be served by the many eloquent
speakers.
The M asterof Ceremony was Omar
Shabazz who kept the crowd stirred up
in betw een speakers. T here w as a
Quoranic reading in Arabic and English
by Bro. Husain Houdrige and Sis. Marie
Dawan. Sisters Rasheeda Shabazz and
A m inah Shabazz ta lk e d ab o u t the
w om an’s role in Islam and Dr. Betty
S h ab azz, w idow ed w ife o f M alik
Shabazz (Malcolm X), respectively. Dr.
Safia Baggis of the islamic Society of
G reater Portland, and representatives
from Islamic Forum Northwest and the
Islamic T rust of O regon talked about
their organizations and unity among
muslims. Ahmad Pulliam of the rap
group 20/20 gave the crowd a sample o f
one o f the songs off the newly released
album, “The W orld According to 20/
20.”
The special guest speaker was Imam
Faheem Shuaibe, director o f the Sister
Clara M uhammad School and resident
Imam at M osjidul W aritheen in O ak­
land, California and author o f many
books, more recendy The Peculiar Needs
O f African-American Muslims Volume
II.
Imam Shuaibe gave a detailed his­
tory o f the Nation o f Islam, while ex­
plaining their hypnotic like influence on
the African-American. The false doc­
trine o f the Nation of Islam (NOI),
S h u a ib e s ta te d , w as in a se n se
“Christianity painted black,” it w as some­
thing familiar to the African-American
and something he could call his own.
Shuaibe explained that the African-
American is a case that has never been
duplicated in the annals o f mankind. No
race o f people had”...ever Ibeen] so
com pletely undone to their essence.
Completely reduced to nothing but soul
and blood, and that is what we call each
other...
.. .W hat’s up soul, w hat’s up blood.”
With lively quips and antidotes Shuaibe
explained that the African-American was
a “riddle” that everybody had an answ er
for. A frican-Americans have been try­
ing to put themselves together for the
last 400 years through the efforts o f
OLCC vs Gabi’s
BY DEREK RASHEED
On Thursday, January 7, at 9:00
am OLCC and G abi’s squared o ff for
their last round of punches from a battle
that has been going since May 1991
until October 1992. One hundred or
more supporters ca/ne out to support
Cordell and Etta Blockson G abi’s own­
ers. As the exam iner for OLCC called
the hearing to order. The attorney’s for
both sides gave their closing statement.
Cordell Blockson and his attorney W il­
liam B. Crow looked very calm and
Confident as M r Crow very Convinc­
ingly presented his defense against al­
leged allegation from OLCC against
G abi's owner Cordell Blockson. O n eo f
the many strong points that C ordell’s
attorney M r Crow presented was video
tapes o f inconsistent and incompetent
testimony given by OLCC official Mr
Reed, Ms Hanson and Portland Police
detective Dick from a hearing given in
late 1992. In closing from M r Crow he
stressed that OLCC has no crim inal
evidence that Cordell did any thing
wrong Mr. Chow further went on to say
that in a three year under cover investi­
gation by Portland Police Dept for alle­
gation of drug deals and a secret owner
other than the Blockson’s found no
evidence or made no arrest. Mr Crow
concluded that the commission has acted
in a arbitrary and deceitful m anner that
prejudice has been used against G abi’s
ow ner’s and their civil rights valuated.
Mr. Crow says that G abi’s is owner of
only two minority businesses in the
state o f Oregon that have class A liquor
licenses and that G abi’s license should
be renew ed Armonica Gilford attorney
for OLCC content in her closing state­
ment that the commission has been
consistent and accurate in allegation
and that the commission has done ev­
erything that it possibly could to assist
G abi’s in complying with regulation of
OLCC. OLCCattorney saidthat Cordell
has not complied with the plan set forth
at that continual problems have con­
tinually assisted and that G abi’s license
should not be renewed The OLCC
exam iner David L Slanskv has been
tasked with taking all evidence and
information and coming up with a deci­
sion on whether or not the Blockson’s
will be allowed to keep their class A
liquor license M r Slansky said it w ill
take about two months before he will
come up with a decision
great leaders like Frederick Douglas,
Martin Delaney, Nat Turner, W.E.B
DuBois, David W alker, Martin King Jr.
and others, but no other leader appealed
to or stated so eloquendy the feelings o f
die masses of African-Americans like
Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X).
Shuaibe outlined that in the sixties
when the media was showing daily pic­
tures of churches being blown up, police
beatings, women being washed down
the gutter widi firehoses and Martin
Luther K ing’s movement following the
path o f nonviolent resistant, when “M al­
colm spoke up and said, "you’re singing
and you should be sw inging’ that made
sense to a lot o f people.” While Malik
Shabazz (Malcolm X), with the ideas o f
Elijah Muhammad, gave African-Ameri­
cans a sense o f self that they never had,
“he didn 't ha ve the truth,” stated Sh uaibe.
“ M a lc o lm ,” co m m en ted Im am
Shuaibe, is a role model, but he “is not
the exam ple for Muslims around the
world, “ ...the Prophet Muhammad [Ibn
Abdullah] (SAW ) is the example [for
muslims].” Shuaibe also stated that there
is a ‘deliberate effort' in the media, “not
to allow the [public] to get a distinct
view o f what is and what is not a muslim,
and that it is necessary to confound and
confuse the public in America to “ main­
tain the status Q uo.”
“ Malcolm had a moral conscious
and that is what many people tend to
overlook, it brought him into the NOI
and it drove him out.” Furthermore, says
Shuaibe, “ the X [of NOI] represents,
myth, mysticism, and the mystery...do
notconfuse Mr. Farrakhan and the people
that follow that ideology with me, [Imam
Shabazz] or any other muslim in the
world. There are 1.2 billion muslims in
the world and they reject all the myths,
mystery and madness that is in those
ideas.”
Imam Shuaibe congratulated the
Muslim Community o f Portland on their
great work. Shuaibe also stated that the
Muslim Community o f Portland was a
model community for their cooperative
work with other communities, both non-
muslim and muslim. The banquet was
put together in roughly 30 days in prepa­
ration to answer the many questions
about Islam the Spike L ee’s movie M al­
colm X would cause. It showed what
could be done with G od’s help and the
support of the surrounding com m uni­
ties, Christian and muslim. “ ...W e don’t
have to agree on everything as long as
we agree not to be disagreeable on the
things that we disagree on” echoed Imam
Shabazz.
Community Meetings
To Focus On High
Capacity Transit
Eleven community meetings are
scheduled between Jan. 13 and Feb. 10
throughout the m etropolitan Portland/
Vancouver region to discuss M etro’s
North/South Transit Corridor Study.
The study will determine which
corridors(s) in the metropolitan area
will be the next priority for the develop­
ment of high capacity transit improve­
ments following the Westside/Hillsboro
projects. Examples o f high capacity
transit include light rail and bus-only
lanes.
The hour-long meetings, which run
from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., are sponsored
by Metro and the local jurisdictions,
and are intended to be informational.
Each m eeting will include a slide show
presentation outlining the study and the
Federal Transit Administration plan­
ning process; and a study update and
timeline.
T he m eetings are intended to
present information and provide citi­
zens w ithagreater understanding of the
study process. It is also an opportunity
to learn how to become part of the
decision-making process. Questions are
welcome.
Alton Johnson
Named Walnut
Park Liquor
Agent
The Oregon Liquor Control C om ­
mission recently appointed Alton John­
son as the new operator o f the W alnut
Park liquor store, located at 903 N.
Killingsworth, Portland.
Johnson will succeed Ron Taylor,
who has resigned as liquor store opera­
tor. The appointment of Johnson, who
currently works at the Parkrose liquor
store, is effective Feb. 1,1993.
PORTLAND OBSERVER
*Pie Eyes and Ears ol ¡he Community'
Office: (503)288-0033
Fax#: (503)288-0015
Civil Rights
Activist Shirley
Chisholm To
Speak At Lewis &
Clark
Shirley C hisholm , form er New
York congresswoman and fighter for
racial equality , will speak on “unity
Through Diversity” at 7:30 p.m., Thurs­
day, Jan. 21, in Agpes Fanagan Chapel,
Lewis & Clark College, 0615 SW Pala­
tine Hill Road, The free public lecture
honors Martin Luther King Jr.
Chisholm became the first black
woman to be elected to Congress in
1968. She earned praise for her efforts
on behalf o f black colleges, com pensa­
tory education, American Indians, H ai­
tian refugees, migrant farm workers,
the poor, and minimum wage for do­
mestics.
Chisholm made history in 1972 by
campaigning for the Democratic Party
nomination for president - the first black
woman to seek the nation’s highest
office.
Chisholm is the author of two
books: Unbought and Unbossed, her
autobiography, and The Good fight, the
story o f her 1972 id for the presidency.
She is the co-founder o f the N a­
tional Political C ongress o f B lack
W omen and served as its chair from its
founding in 1984 until June 1992.
Chisholm graduated cum laude
from Brooklyn College. She received
her m aster’s degree and a professional
diploma in education al supervision
from Colum bia University. She has re­
ceived honorary degrees from 31 insti­
tutions.
Chisholm visit is sponsored by
Lewis & C lark’s O ffice o f Ethnic Stu­
dent Services and the Northwestern
School of Law. This event is part o f a
week-long celebration o f Martin Luther
King Jr.’s birthday.
MASTER
OK ARTS
TEACHING
The 1 l-month Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)
degree offered by George Fox College is a fifth-year program leading
tc elementary or secondary teacher certification.
The 1993-94 academic schedule for the M.A.T. program
w ill be June 14.1993 - April 30. 1994.
George Fox College, founded in 1891. is a Christian liberal arts college
accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges and
recognized as one of America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News and
World Report magazine - (September 28. 1992).
For an application for admission and an informational
brochure concerning the program, please call:
1/800/765-4369
I'aith and Learning since HM I
N e w b e rg .
O re g o n
0 7 13 2
I DC
PORTLAND
DEVELOPMENT
COMMISSION
CO M M ISSIO N MEETING
Date: January 20,1993
Place: P ortland B uilding
1120 SW Fifth Ave., 11 th Floor
P ortland, O regon
Time: 9:30 a.m .
C om m ission m eetings a re open to
the public. A com plete ag en d a is
available at PDC or by calling
823-3200. C itizens with disabilities
m ay call 823-3232 o r TDD 823-6868
for assistance at least 48 h o u rs in
advance.
PDC is the City of P o rtlan d 's urban
renewed, h ousing a n d econom ic
d evelopm ent agency.
Free Health
Screenings For Seniors
(Age 55+) Offered At
Neighborhood Sites
February 5 , 1993 Fook Lok Loaves
and Fishes, 4937 SE Woodstock, 9 a m.
to noon. Please call 771 -7977 to sched­
ule appointment.
February 12, 1993 Peninsula Se­
nior Center, 7508 N. Hereford, 9 a.m. to
noon. Please 289-8208 to schedule ap­
pointment.
February 19. 1993 Clay Tower,
1430 SW 12th, 9 am. to noon Please
call 222-7467 to schedule appointment.
February 26,1993 Mittleman Jew­
ish Community Center, 6651 SW Capi­
tol Hwy. 9 a.m. to noon. Please call 244-
0111 to schedule appointment.
Among the service at the screen­
ings are blood chemistry tests which
includecholestcrol, glucose, andam enia
measurem ents, blood pressure, lung
function and hearing testing Vision
and glaucoma assessments, nutritional
counseling and foot care evaluation are
also usually offered, appointm ents are
necessary and may be made by calling
the screening site. There is no charge
for the screenings which are funded by
Legacy Health System hospitals and
healthcare organizations.
NAACP Presents
ACT-SO
Competition
The Afro-Academic Cultural Tech­
nological Scientific O lym pics (i.e.
ACT-SO) is a major project of the
National A ssociation for the Advance­
ment o f Colored People (NAACP).
P o rtla n d ’s local “ O lym pics o f the
M ind”, which begins in January and
ends in June of 1993, will be conducted
by the Portland Branch of the NAACP,
assum ing adequate funding, local w in­
ners will be represented at the N A A CP’s
1993 National Convention. During the
convention the N ational A CT-SO ,
Olympics o f the Mind Com petitions
will be conducted.
Presentation of the 1992
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Edward J. Perkins ’54.
United States Ambassador to the
United Nations
Introduced by Professor Donald G? Balm er
The Honorable Edward J. Perkins
currently serves as this nation’s 20th
ambassador to the United Nations. Ap­
pointed by President Bush in February,
Ambassador Perkins is a career diplo­
mat who has served in the Foreign
Service since the early 1970s.
Throughout his distinguished ca­
reer with the Department o f State, he
has served in m ultiple roles around the
world and is widely regarded as an
expert in personnel issues and African
affairs.
In 1985, former Secretary of State
George Schultz sent him to head the
embassy in Liberia and then tapped h im
in 1986 to be the first black ambassador
to South A frica.aposition he filled until
1989.
W hile in Pretoria, he played a piv­
otal role in stim ulating discussions
among political and racial factions, ini­
tiating trade expositions to bring to­
gether white and black business people,
and opening an art exhibit o f works by
black South Africans in Johannesburg.
He also made his position clear on racial
injustice by attending trials and funerals
for political activists.
Secretary o f State James Baker III
appointed him Director General and
Director o f Personnel for the Foreign
Service in 1989, and Ambassador Perkins
again fought discrimination, this time
within the Foreign Service. He initiated
changes to address testing and hiring
procedures that were biased against
women and minorities. He traveled fre­
quently to visit numerous embassies and
the 25,000 employees who staff them.
Ambassador Perkins seeks ways to
improve world trade, education, and
peace-keeping during a period o f great
change and promise. His keynote ad­
dress is entitled “The United States As A
Global Citizen.”
Public Notice
Wholesale to the Public 35% to 50% off
100% Human Hair 16" from $15.95
braiding and weaving
Wigs and Beauty Supplies
We will meet or beat
anyone’s prices.
Sales and Promotional Items excluded.
Mrs. C’s Wigs and Beauty Supply
707 N.E. Fremont
Portland, Oregon 97212
(503) 281-6525
Open: 11:30 - 6:00 Tues thru Saturday