(THie
Ja n u a ry 19. 1994
4.
‘Serving the community through cultural diversity.
Volumn XXIV. Number 03
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A
—
ulminate
NIKE Employee
Diversity Celebration
Insurance
Company
Cancels
Child's
Coverage
e>
s a prelude to its observance o f the Dr.
M artin L uther King, Jr. national
holiday , em ployees o f NIKE, Inc.
heard first-hand about the slain civil rights
leader’s legacy form one o f his heirs. Yolanda
King, the eldest o f the four King children,
visited the NIKE W orld Cam pus today as the
closing speaker for the com pany’s annual
“D iversity W eek” celebration.
Ms. King, an actress, director/producer and
lecturer, spoke to NIKE employees during abreak
in the national tour of her multi-media theatrical
production ‘TRACKS,” which celebrates the life
and philosophy of her father.
“W e are thrilled to have had such a
unique opportunity to share and learn form
Ms. K ing,” said NIKE President Richard K.
Donahue. “This marks the third year that our
com pany’sdom estic operations haveobserved
this national holiday, and w e’re proud to
com m em orate our Diversity W eek effort in
such a positive fashion.”
Divesity W eek has becom e N IK E ’s an­
nual celebration of the com pany’s own global
diversity. Em ployees plan and execute a range
o f educational and interactive program s, all
designed to highlight various ethnic groups
and cultures w hich make up the N IK E em ­
ployee family.
N IK E ’s connection to the King legacy
Yolanda King and students from Harriet Tubman Middle School
Mexandra Ellis
extends beyond the cam pus visit by Yolanda
^our-year-old A lexandra Ellis has can K ing, according to V irginia H ensen, the acted program s with strong m essages about rate sponsor for the “ Kids Day segm ent of
i cer, and a group o th e r parents' friends com pany’s Public A flairs Director.
education and achievement. The I Have a “ K ingFest,” an annual cultund festival in
“W e’ve been supporters o f the I Have a Dream Foundation d o esa su p e rb jo b o f teach- A tlanta sponsored by the M arnn Luther King,
are soliciting donations and staging a
Dream Foundation program in the Portland
« n e tit concert in January to help raise funds
ing children about achieving their goals.”
Jr. C enter for Nonviolent Social Change,
area
over the years,” said Hensen. ‘T h ro u g h
o pay her m edical expenses.
Last sum m er, N IK E was also the corpo- Hensen said.
A lexandra, daughter o f C liff and Regina its public affairs program s, NIKE has tar-
illis of Southw est Portland, w as operated on
n A ugust to rem ove a m alignant tum or. In
November, tests showed new growth o f the
um or on her spine, and evidence o f another
nopcrable one in her chest. T he cancer is also by P romise K ing
n hte child’s hip bones and m arrow .
nce upon a dream . It was like a story
A lexandra iss currently undergoing in­
of som e sorts, hung in every one’s
tensive chem otherapy treatm ents and faces
mind. It’s echo reeled through the
the possibility of a bone m arrow transplant.
steel rafters o f the Jefferson High School
The Ellis family has no insurance, because the
auditorium where the tales about a “ D ream ”
insurance carrier term inated coverage for
were being told in chronological succession.
A lexandra after her surgery in A ugust, claim ­
The date, the 17th of January, 1994. It was
ing that her condition was “pre-existing.”
M artin Luther K ing,Jr.’s birthday. Ritually,
The fam ily already has accrued about $55,000
the descendants o f the “ D ream ” had gathered
in m edical bills, and faces a possibility of
to dance as the “ D ream ” beat goes on.
$250,000 more.
The stage was set and every light glared
In an effort to raise funds to cover some in riveting precision. The director o f the
o f those expenses, friends o f the family have
o ccasion, M ichael “ C h ap p ie” G rice had
created the A lexandia Ellis D onation Fund
walked into the cozincss o f the curtains b e­
through U .S. B ank. D onations to the fund can
neath a banner that carried the them e - “L iv ­
be made at any branch, or sent to A lexandra
ing The D ream ” . By exactly, twelve noon, the
Ellis Donation A ccount, U.S. Bank, S.W .
vast expanse o f the auditorium had been
Nyberg Rd., T ualatin, O R , 97062.
filled. Motley dressed ladies clad in w hite
In Jan u ary , the a c o u stic -fo lk group
apparel, shoved everyone to a settee. Feelings
M otherload will perform a benifit concert to w ere high. T ales and m em ories o f tears and
Shirley Brown
raise m oney for the fund. The event will be
fears Dr. King shed w hile alive were in every
em onies, quipped on the m icrophone to the J.W . Friday, A ssociate M inister, M orning
held Sunday, Jan. 23, at 2:30 p.m . at the
conversation. To every one present. It was
panel, that had Portland Police Bureau C hief Star Baptist Church, D onald Y houngchu,
U nitarian Church at S.W . 12th and Taylor in
tim e to talk about the”D rcam ” .
C harles M oose, Luvlcnc Sham ausdr-D in, D irector M ultnom ah Com m ission on Aging
dow ntow n Portland. Tickets will be available
W hat does living the ‘D ream ’ mean to
C hair C om m issioner on Black A ffairs, Lauri and Imam o f the Portland M uslim s C om m u­
at A rtichoke Music and It's My Pleasure.
you?” , Dick Bogle former Portland City C om ­
nity C enter, Sheikh Uikhal Shabazz.
Persons with questions about the dona­ m issioner, w ho served as the M aster o f Ccr- W im m er, Oregon C om m issioner on women,
tion fund or the concert may contact Stephanie
F
Ms. K ing’s visit to the N IK E cam pus also
included a talk with a group o f students from
the H arriett Tubm an M iddle School and the
M artin L uther King Jr. Elem entary School
from N ortheast Portland.
I had earlier cornered the form er C ity
C om m issioner with some questions. He e x ­
pressed concern over black on black and
white and black violence, while blam ing the
use o f drugs as the driving force for these
crim es. “ I think if Dr. King was here today, he
would be focusing on the violence that is in
our com m unity and pressuring those in pow er
to com e up and develop som e policies that are
real”. To Mr. Bogle there is no single solution
to black on black violence. He advised those
in authority to tame these teenagers at a tender
age with proper care. He is worried that there
is a lot to be done at the city hall, where he once
O
▼
Continued to page 6
When Are You Ready To Buy A Home?
Lam bcrson at (503) 292-2650.
S teve C arter , D irector of S pecial
S ervices , C entury 21 N orthwest
by
February Is
Black History
Month
R egion
l /
Join
The Portland Observer
In Our Annual Celebration
Of Black History Month
ruled.
To m em bers o f the panel, “Living The
D ream ” m eans changing influence using d i­
versity to create harm ony, hoping to the hate
and racial crim es, and looking seriously into
ways and means of alleviating poverty in our
com m unities. M oose decked in his police
regalia did not m ince words. His face sobered
as he talked about the need to take position on
“G un C o n tro l, e d u catio n and p o v e rty ” .
Youngchu who spoke on behalf o f the Asian
ith low interest rates, plenty of
available housing and an abun
dance o f affo rd ab le m ortgage
plans, especially for first-time buyers, you
may feel ready to buy a home. But are you
prepared? To determ ine if you are ready,
ask yourself a few questions.
How are my finances? There are clos­
ing costs, insurance m oving expenses and
property taxes to consider. W ill your in­
com e support your monthly m ortgage pay­
m ents? No m ore than 28 percent o f your
gross monthly income should be dedicated to
house payments although some lenders will
consider higher ratios depending on your
other bills. Take into consideration other
outstanding bills such as credit cards and car
payments. Estimate your new monthly utility
bills. It’s also important to have a cash reserve
set aside for unexpected emergencies such as
broken pipes or a new furnace.
How is my credit history? Past delinquent
paym ents can stay on your record for up to ten
years and can affect your eligibility for a
mortgage. Check your credit record and clear
up any discrepancies before applying for a loan.
How long do I plan to live in the home?
Along The Color Lino
‘The Perils O f Centrist Government”
There are m any costs and factors to con­
sider when purchasing a home. An experi­
enced real estate agent can help you decide
whether you are really ready to buy and
determine how much house you can actually
afford. Now is the best time to buy a h o m e -
the affordability index is the strongest it has
been in 20 y e a rs-b u t purchasing a home is
probably the biggest investment you’ll ever
make, so be sure you’re prepared.
For more real estate information contact
Steve Carter, D irector Special Services, Cen­
tury 21 N orthw est Region at (206) 258-2100,
18000 International Boulevard, Suite 1021,
SeaTac, W A 98188.
Entertainment
Sports
Religion
Editorial
The length o f your stay affects the type of
mortgage you should choose. For exam ple, if
you anticipate starting a family and m oving
into a larger home in five to seven years, and
adjustable rate mortgage can mean lower
monthly paym ents during the first few years.
How are the appliances, fixture and lay­
out o f the home? Will you have to com e up
with even more money to replace floor cover­
ings or kitchen and bathroom appliances and
fixtures? W hat about the furnace, hot water
heater, w asher and dryer? T hese are major
purchases that can set you back financially.
Consider also if the seller will pure!.use a home
protection plan covering some of the above.
Totally Committed
Blazers Reward Kids
Garland Lee Thompson
God Can't Use Complacent Christians
How four small town high school
teenagers become the most
popular kids in school overnight.
Developing A New Generation Of Writers
EDITORIAL
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