P age fió
THE BLACK MAN
Not a day passes by without me looking
at the sky and thinking, why did Dr. Martin
Luther King have to die?
US Bank Announces
1994 Black History
I am a black man.
See me.
Hear me.
Hold me. Know me. please.
I am alone in my life.
A piece of dust in a dustless world.
Don't change me.
Accept me.
Don’t push me, Accept me.
Don’t push me, Pull me close.
You make my life what it is.
Make it a good thing.
Beautiful
Wanted
When you are lonely, you cry.
So let me cry, for I am no different from you.
Let us be together.
Let us be o n e .
Let us be equal.
Let it be right.
Some people wonder why
people had to sit back and sigh,
but for me, I will always know why.
Then they cried as the night went by
and the Black people wondered if they
were going to die.
Month Poetry Contest
At their surprise, Dr. King came
and said, “Our race will never die."
Winners
In recognition o f N ational B lack
H istory M onth in February, US Bank
o f Oregon has announced 11 winners
o f its B lack H istory M o n th Poetry
Contest.The w in n in g poems w ill be
published in various Oregon newspa­
pers in February. M ore than 300 youth
Teah H . D uke, Age 17
Sam B arlow H igh School
G resham , Oregon
lence on the streets in sp ire d this en­
try. M a th is the fa vo rite subject o f this
Jefferson H ig h School sophomore,
w h o was encouraged to enter the con­
test by her teacher.
• Ocelene Renae C a in -P o rtla n d ,
and ad u lt w riters statewide subm itted
poems fo r the fifth -a n n u a l com peti­
tio n sponsored by the bank. A panel o f
three judges-Portland Police C h ie f
Charles Moose, M ichael G rice and
Joe F ra n k lin -s e le c te d the w in n in g
entries.
“ B la ck H isto ry M o n th reminds
us to reflect on the role A fric a n -A m e ri­
cans have played in the g ro w th and
cu ltu ra l enrichm ent o f o u r state and
our c o u n try ,” said John Eskildsen,
president o f US Bank o f Oregon. US
Bank is proud to sponsor this annual
My dad hustles for money.
My dad has a job.
My dad kills people.
My dad saves people.
My dad gives me money.
My dad gives me love.
My dad has lots o f girls.
My dad has a wife.
My dad doesn't care about life.
My dad has an important life.
My dad thinks about killing himself.
My dad thinks how to make himself better.
I don't care about my dad.
I love m dad.
Everyone is not the same.
recognition o f outstanding new po­
etry that gives expression to the value
o f that heritage.” Poems were judged
on o rig in a lity , fo rm , theme and clar­
ity in three age categories: children,
young adults and adults.
US Bank o f Oregon, O regon’ s
largest bank, is a subsidiary o f US
K enny W ilson, Age 15
P ortlan d , Oregon
Bancorp, the largest bank holding
com pany headquartered in ten N o rth ­
west. W ith assets o f 421.4 b illio n as o f
December 31, 1993, US Bancorp is
one o f the n a tio n ’ s 35 largest bank
h o ld in g com panies, and has consis­
te n tly ranked among the top tier o f
Untitled
Out of the darkness, into the light
Fighting for justice, truth and right
Struggling to be heard, struggling to be seen
Struggling against prejudice obscene
Wrestling for rights that should be yours
Gaining ground despite slamming doors
Trying to figure out what went wrong
How bigots' ignorance became so strong
No matter how cold and dark the night
Continue to hope, continue to fight
Following a legacy of hopes and dreams
No matter how tough the battle seems
One day we will win this fight
And make mankind forget Black and white
And judge people not by the Color of Skin
But for what they stood for as women and men
People who are judged and heard
By the good of the action, or the truth of the word
Then mankind will be the way it should
Not just an elusive dream of brotherhood
When a proud strong people walk out of the night
Out of the darkness into the light.
these companies in perform ance and
capital strength. O ther US Bancorp
bank subsidiaries include US Bank o f
W ashington; US B ank o f C a lifo rn ia ;
US Bank o f Nevada; US Bank o f
Idaho; and US B ank (Canada).
1994 BLACK HISTORY MONTH
POETRY CONTEST WINNERS
• E m ily Beezhold-Corvallis, Oregon
E m ily began w ritin g at age 10
after reading a poetry book. M usic,
art and histo ry are her favorite sub­
jects in school, and she enjoys basket­
b a ll, reading and spending tim e w ith
Oregon
O c e le n e has b een w r it in g p o ­
e try fo r ten ye a rs and is in s p ire d
b y w o m e n po e ts such as M a y a
A n g e lo u . H e r f a m ily and sc h o o l
c o u n s e lo r at B e n so n H ig h S c h o o l
e n c o u ra g e h e r w r it in g , and h e r
w o r k h a s b e e n p u b lis h e d in
Do you understand why
I don’t understand?
I love fiercely
I hate Fiercely
I become angry
I am not understanding
I become excited
I get depressed
I have confidence
I am not understanding
I enjoy life
I enjoy people
I want friends of all races
I am not understanding
I am a human
You are a human
We are all alike, aren’t we?
I am not understanding
We both have emotions
Inside we are both alike
So why am I being discriminated against?
Do you understand why I don't understand?
“ V o ic e s o f K u u m b a .” She c u r ­
r e n t ly is an in te rn a t th e p o rt o f
P o rtla n d , a n d hopes to s tu d y c i v i l
e n g in e e rin g in c o lle g e .
• T e a h D uke-G resh am , Oregon
T h is Sam B a rlo w H ig h School
senior has been w ritin g short stories
and poems fo r fiv e years and is en­
couraged m a in ly b y her m other. She
w ro te her w in n in g poem fo r an as­
sig n m e n t abo u t A fric a n -A m e ric a n
re fle ctio n in hercreative w ritin g class.
Teah enjoys singing in her church
ensemble and w ould lik e to become a
su rgical nurse.
• Jan et K uen zi-S ilverto n, Oregon
Janet w ro te this w in n in g entry
Janet K u e n zi, Age 15,
S ilverton Union H igh School, S ilverton, Oregon
about d is c rim in a tio n in response to
an assignm ent in her E n g lish class.
T h is S ilve rto n U n io n H ig h School
sophomore is a m em ber o f Future
Business Leaders o f A m e rica and
e n jo ys b a ske tb a ll, v o lle y b a ll and
sw im m in g . She hopes to enter the
m edical fie ld after college.
• C u rle y M assey-P ortland, Oregon
A d m ir a tio n f o r T h u rg o o d
M a rsh a ll inspired this w rite r’ s w in ­
nin g poem. T h is sixth-grade h u m a n i­
ties teacher at George M id d le School
starts class each day w ith a p o sitive
message and uses w ritin g to in s till
p ride and self-esteem in his students.
He is a mem ber o f the N orthw est
African-American Writers Workshop.
• J illia n M u rp h y -P o rtla n d , Oregon
T h is 13-year o ld , O ckle y Green
to study music in college. She shares
her w ritin g w ith her parents, grand­
M id d le School student was encour­
aged to enter the contest by her teacher
and m other. Beside po e try, she w rites
T h is w rite r uses poetry to express
P ortland, Oregon
J illia n M u rp h y , Age 13, P o rtlan d , Oregon
friends. A fte r h igh school, she hopes
parents and friends.
• M e lin d a B ro w n -P ortlan d , Oregon
Angelica I S chm itt
But all who think Dr. Martin Luther King
was the first one to speak... well, you’re
wrong. He was just the first one to be
heard.
letters to friends and fa m ily . In her
free tim e, she enjoys basketball, fo o t­
her feelings and w ro te her firs t poem
at age 13. A lth o u g h M e lin d a usually
b a ll and dancing, in c lu d in g ja zz, b a l­
w rites about love, concern about vio -
college and become a law yer.
Untitled
My grandma sits on the porch and rocks
and she say to me
Girl you know there aint' no
such thing as a free lunch
even being dead ain't free
and you gotta pay a price for living
but even if you poor you can love
much as you want, won't hurt none
and
she
rocks
and say tom e
Girl now hate cost a lot It cost people their spirit
and sometimes their lives and if you
go ‘round people who hate
close your eyes ‘cause you'll catch it
and
she
rocks.
E m ily Beezhold, Age 12, C orvallis, Oregon
let and A fric a n . Jilia n plans to go to
MARCH ON WASHINGTON
/ stand with the wind at my back.
Where he stood.
I hear him over and over in my mind,
The great words of Martin Luther King, Jr. echoing from the tall, white
Washington Monument,
“I have a dream..."
I feel the power of a million followers.
Pressed together, people formed rivers, their oneness mirrored
in the Reflecting Pool.
The trees, lush with green leaves,
Hug in the magnificence of his speech;
His words are here forever, tunneled down the passageway between two
great monuments.
At the end, the pillar stand piercing the afternoon sky,
Standing tall against time,
Like King;
Like his words.
L a u ra W itte n b e rg , Sprague H igh School
Salem, Oregon
TRIBUTE TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN
She of ebony skin
She of high cheekbones
She, whose fingers are long and elegant
Her lips are full; her legs long; her body strong
She is a survivor, a provider, an improvisor
She has had to do without, to do more with less
She is a "Saturday’s Child”
She is exotic, an enigma to many
She is a temptress, a feline in every sense
She can embrace a heart and freeze a soul
Her voice is like no other; so sweet, so strong, every word spoken, a lyrical verse
She is full of understanding, yet few understand her
She may be a candle in the wind, but can be the storm behind the clouds
She is my woman, my friend; she is my fantasy
She is a queen set adrift to grace her presence upon uncharted shores
She inspires others, she is the model for the artist’s brush
She is sensuality, an adventure explained by mythology
She is a bridge for the soul
In every recipe, she likens to be the constant ingredient
She can be the brass in the jazz; yet she can be the flute in the symphony
She is scripture
She is quiet
she is rage
She is fire and ice, in all the seasons
She is, African-American woman
John W o lfe, P ortland, Oregon
4
I
A TRIBUTE TO THURGOOD MARSHALL
People
rushing
running
walking.
People
stopping
laughing
talking.
People
loving
caring
giving.
People
taking
stealing
fibbing.
People
shooting
slanging
banging
dying.
Children
Mothers
Fathers
Crying.
P
So long Thurgood Marshall you really left your mark.
To America and the world you are a man of conscience,
You are an integrating spark.
E
You are a man of good will who fought injustice with a fervor.
You overcame incredible odds and obstacles.
Your accomplishments will live forever.
O
We the people are going to miss you, with your style, charm,
and grace, you tried to bring us all together.
As brothers and sisters of the human race.
P
L
E
M e lin d a Brown
Age 15
Jefferson H igh School
P ortlan d , Oregon
You never allowed your color to hamper you, or prejudice
to stop your quest.
You proved with your character and your sills,
you were head and shoulders above all the rest.
You were a driving force in your fight for justice and
equality, and your record stands tall. It speaks for
itself, for the whole world to see you made better
people of us all.
You stood up for righteousness; you set an unchallenged pace.
You weren't just fighting for the rights of Black people,
but for the dignity of all mankind and justice’s
proper place.
We need to reflect upon you integrity, and from your
wisdom we must borrow. You left the world a
better place than you found it, you left hope
for a brighter tomorrow.
C urley Massey, P o rtlan d , Oregon
A WORLD WITHOUT EYES
Imagine if you can if all were blind.
Would we see color, or would see what’s behind?
Like characters, minds, souls, and hearts.
Would we learn to judge others by their innermost parts?
Would we lean to see qualities and not a face?
Would we acknowledge all as the human race?
Would the holocaust, racism, or slavery ever exist?
Would a world of harmony be a reality and not a wish?
The end of prejudice we need not delay.
For all prejudge in some type of way.
So imagine if you can from the beginning of lives,
A world unaware. A world with out eyes.
Ocelene Renae C a in , Age 17, P o rtlan d , Oregon
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