Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, February 19, 1994, Image 7

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    Volumn XXIV, Number 07
Servimi the community through cultural diversity.
February 16, 1994
’ ’ r 74-
1.
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L ife in the P ortland M etropolitan A rea
<3IÍ je
(© b s e rtte r
” am ttiuttttj) Storytelling Workshop At Lewis & Clark
✓ a le n it a r pi
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PORTLAND SCHOOL BOARD
BUDGET HEARINGS
JL
he Northwest W ritin g Institute O f
Lewis & Clark College w ill sponsor
a s to r y te llin g w o rk s h o p w ith
Opalanga D. Pugh beginning on Friday,
Hundreds o f teachers gone, music and Fcb.25, from 8 to 9:30pm, in the Agnes
PEout o f theclementary schools, and e lim i­ Flanagan Chapel, 0615 SW Palatine H ill
nating athletics. Those arc just some o f the Road. The Friday performance is free and
ideas talked about as the Portland School open to the public.
Board budget hearings continue next week.
The workshop w ill continue on Saturday,
[Tuesday and T h u rsd a y (Feb. 15 & 17), Feb. 26, from 9am to 5pm, and on Sunday,
beginning at 6:30 p.m .). The district has to Feb. 27, from 10am to 1pm. The cost o f the
cut $23-25 m illio n next year and $50 m il­ workshop is $200and earns one-quarter-hour
lion for the 1995-96 school year. Those cuts o f credit.
must come from somewhere. Tuesday’s
Denver native Pugh was introduced to
p u b lic hearing at M adison H igh (2735 the story te llin g tradition w hile liv in g in
N E 82nd Ave.) combines small group dis­ N igeria, West A frica , as an exchange student.
cussions and general testimony in which She worked in various fields including mass
parent, school staff and com m unity mem­ communications, public relations and audio­
bers ask questions and o ffe r comments and visual and video productions.
suggestions regarding the school d istrict’ s
Pugh has been traveling fo r the past 10
proposed cuts. The Board continues budget years nationally and internationally, sharing
discussion at a meeting T h u rsd a y at the and collecting stories from numerous c u l­
B la n ch a rd E d uca tio n Service C enter, tures, hosting ceremonies and conducting
located at 501N Dixon. Call Lew Frederick, workshops in 20 states. Pugh received the
director, Dept. o f Public In fo rm a tio n , at Mayors Aw ard fo r Excellence in the Arts in
331-3304 for details.
1990.
The workshop includes a collection o f
SIX INMATES FROM SHERIDAN
games, songs and and emphasis on stories as
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL
the transmitter o f fa m ily and cultural values,
INSTITUTION SPEAK
participants w ill also have opportunities to
What can a group o f W ilson High express themselves in language, song and
students learn from a bunch o f convicted movement, use imagination and explore fam ­
felons? They can learn about choices - how ily folklore and personal myths. Pugh often
the irchoicesaffectnotonly themselves, but accompanies her stories w ith percussion in ­
their fam ilies and society; and how much struments and songs.
their choices can cost, both themselves and
In West A frica , storytellers are called
the community. Six inmates from Sheridan “ G riots” or “ Jali,” which means Guardians o f
Federal C o rre ctio n a l In s titu tio n speak the W orld. They are viewed as members o f the
a t an all-school assembly Wednesday artisan class along w ith blacksmiths and gold­
(Feb. 16) fro m 10-11:30 a.m. at W ilson, smiths. Pugh has taken an active interest in pro-
located at 1151 SW V e rm o n t Street. Part
o f the school’ s Human Relations Month
activities, the assembly w ill provide stu­
dents w ith dramatic lessons about the im ­
portance o f clear decision-m aking and re­
specting the rig ht o f others. F o r details,
ca ll O pal C h a n cle r-M o o re , W ilso n Vice
President, at 280-5280.
:.
That’ s not the only place to learn about
becoming a doctor, police officer, nurse or
artist. The possibilities arc endless when
Portsmouth M iddle School students come
face to face w ith some 80 professionals and
othercom m unity members on Wednesday
(Feb. 16) fro m I I a.m. to 3 p.m. at the
Portsm outh 2000 Career F air at theschool
(5103 N W illis B lvd .) Students w ill get
insights and firsthand perspectives on ca­
reers in ares o f health, public safety, law,
service, construction, transportation, arts
and business. T his is more than a simple
career day, students completed a survey o f
their career interests. Then their teachers
matched them up w ith local professionals.
Teachers and the other adults hope that this
prepares students for the future and makes
a strong connection between school and
real life. C all A lliso n Couch o r David
M enely, P ortsm outh M id d le School, at
280-5666 fo r m ore in fo rm a tio n .
FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH
This is the tim e when many Portland
students and their parents learn about A fr i­
can-American contributions in LJ.S. his­
tory and the comm unity today. “ Love H on­
ors D iv e rs ity ” is the theme for a week o f
a ctivitie s Feb. 14-18 at W h ita k e r M id d le
School (5700 N E 39th). A “ college b o w l”
Tuesday (Feb. 15) tests students kn ow l­
edge o f historical African-Am erican fig ­
ures. E th n ic Day T h u rsd a y (Feb. 17)
features displays o f artifacts from various
countries. Performances by Jefferson H igh’s
choir h ig hligh t entertainment at an a ll­
school assembly F rid a y (Feb. 18) at 10:30
a.m. Students art also w ill be display
throughout the school. F or details, con­
tact L ucy Ellen Thom as, at 280-5620.
S ubmissions : C ommunity C alendar
I nformation
must be dated two weeks after
THIS issue ' s PUBLICATION DATE
by
ames W ard, Ph.D., has been named
chairman o f the board fo r United Way
o f the Columbia-W illam ette.
W a rd, dean o f the G raduate School
o f S ocial W o rk at P o rtla n d State U n iv e r­
s ity , was elected at the o rg a n iz a tio n ’ s
74th A n n u a l M e e tin g held W ednesday at
The Benson H o te l.
M ic h a e l M o rg a n , an a tto rn e y at
T onkon T orp Galen M arm aduke & B ooth,
was a p p o in te d T re a su re r; and M ilt ie
V e g a - L lo y d , p e rs o n n e l m a n a g e r at
K P T V , was named secretary.
A d d itio n a lly , s e v e ra l in d iv id u a ls
w ere elected to th e ir fir s t th re e-ye ar term
as U n ite d W ay board m em bers. Board
m em bers are resp on sible fo r d e te rm in ­
ing the s tra te g ic goals o f the o rg a n iz a ­
tio n , fo rm u la tin g p o lic ie s , and a p p ro v -
in g and m o n ito rin g its fin a n ce s. New
m e m b e rs in c lu d e :
• Jane H. B a rb e r, President, Barber Associ­
ates
• Neva T .l C am pbell, Partner, Schwabe,
W illiam son & W yatt
• D avid Chen, President and CEO, A m e ri­
can Pacific Bank
• Ron F ortune, Executive Secretary/Trea-
surer, Northwest Oregon Labor Council
• C om m issioner Darlene Hooley, C hie f E x­
ecutive O fficer, Clackamas County Board
o f Directors
• D a v id L . H o p k in s , P ayroll M anager,
F reightliner Corporation
• Yvonne K atz, Ph.D. Superintendent, Bea­
verton School district 48
• G era ld M cFadden, President and CEO,
Volunteers o f America
• J ill B. N ichols, Executive Director, A m e ri­
can Red Cross-Oregon T ra il Chapter
• Diana Snowden, Senior Vice President,
Pacific D ivision Operations, Pacific Power
and L ig h t
• T im o th y Thorsteinson, Vice president,
T otal Q u a lity and Human Resources,
Tektronix, Inc.
U n ite d W a y o f th e C o lu m b ia -
w illa m c tlc c o lle cts and d istrib u te s m oney
in C lackam as, M u ltn o m a h and W a sh ­
in g to n co u n tie s in O regon and in C la rk
C o u n ty , W a s h in g to n . D o n a tio n s fro m
lo c a l residents fu n d m ore than 180 h u ­
man se rvice program s in th is area, in ­
c lu d in g c h ild care and a fte r-s c h o o l ac­
tiv itie s fo r c h ild re n , em ergency services
fo r fa m ilie s , and health care fo r lo w -
incom e and e ld e rly in d iv id u a ls .
J
Opalanga D. Pugh
moling the tradition o f story telling in America.
“ Inside her m ind is a w orld o f wisdom
and laughter. She opens wide her soul, and the
fo lk heroes o f a hundred stories step forth and
say h ello!” wrote Patricia Raybon, Rocky
Mountain News.
“ Opalanga has a high amount o f pres-
ence and calm control. Her stories are d e liv ­
ered w ith spirit and show insight into human
nature,” said Leslie Fusick o f the adolescent
psychiatric unit, M ercy Medical Center.
For more inform ation on registering fo r
the workshop, contact the Northwest W riting
Institute at (503) 768-7745.
“ M y activities as regional co-ordinator
w ill take place during the summer and after
school and on weekends” , she explained.
Mrs. Darby is planing to get the school
district involved in HO5O in order to expand
and embrace a ll that are interested.
The coordinator is not bothered by funds
to finance this program.
“ I am not w orrying or looking fo r fund­
ing at this point. M y main concern is to create
awareness that this program is available” .
She is sure that some money could be raised.
A ll it takes for a school to operate this
science program is $200.00 per eleven stu­
dents and Mrs. Darby says “ there is that kind
o f money in Portland.”
“ When we are talking about after school
programs, having kids to learn and reaching
these kids before the street reach them.”
The King School HOSO program is the
only school in Portland that runs the program
fo r now, w ith students from kindergarten to
the 5th grades participating.
The science program has about fifty five
P romise K ing
he exude a characteristic toughness
and a no nonsense mien o f a disci
plinarian in her mannerism and car­
ries in her face, the elegance o f a seasoned
politician. She is revolutionary in her thoughts
and in her mission. She is Mrs. L o lita Darby.
The new regional coordinator o f the Na­
t io n a l- H a n d - O n - S c ie n c e - O u t r e a c h
(H.O.S.O.)
The H.O.S.O program is an after school
science program designed to give young stu­
dents “ hands-on” experience in science,
particularly among minority and female students.
«The Hands-On-Sciencc has been in op­
eration since 1985 but its operations have
been confined to the east coast. Mrs. Darby
before now has served as a volunteer co­
ordinator for her program at M .L .K . Elemen­
tary school fo r tw o years. Her new role as
regional co-ordinator w ill entail recruiting
more volunteer teachers and w orking hand-
in-hand w ith the Bonneville Power A dm inis­
tration (B P A ) the program local sponsors.
Mrs. L o lita Darby, who is a teacher her­
self, has a big vision for the HO8O. “ I like to
see Hands-On-Scicnce in every school that
has a high m inority population, whether they
arc A frican-Am erican, Asia or Hispanic.”
The Regional C o-ordinator also want to sec
Mrs. Lolita Darby: Coordinator - NW
National Hands-On-Science Outreach
(HOSO)
all inner c ity schools in Portland adopt her
program. “ I want these kids to realize that
science can be fun and learning and to wake
up to the reality that every day we wake-up, we
arc involved in multitude o f scientific a c tiv i­
ties.”
students.
Mrs. Darby, 55, has eighteen years expe­
rience as a teacher. She says she w ill continue
to teach as long as her legs could carry her.
Prospective students, are expected to con­
tact the Co-ordinator at 288-9328.
Black America Needs To Change Direction, Activists Say
/
“ This report is going to change the way
politicians and civic leaders look at the black
com m unity. We recognize that i t ’ s a tim e for
the black leadership to change gears. The
governm ent-intensive approach that was
needed to bring about equality in c iv il rights
is just not w orking when it comes to real
economic empowerment and preserving the
black fam ily,” says Raynard Jackson, a chief
contributor to the report, published by The
National Center for Public Policy research, a
non-partisan Washington-based think tank.
Jackson, a native o f St. Louis, notes that
die report was written by activists w orking at
new generation o f A frica n-A m cri
can leadership w ill outline its own
vision for black America w ith the
release o f a comprehensive report and set o f
proposals at a press conference that was held
at the National Press C lubon Thursday, Janu­
ary 6.
The report, “ B lack America 1994: Chang­
ing D irection” assesses and proposes new
solutions for the most persistent problems
facing the black comm unity: economic stag­
nation, rampant crim e, welfare dependency,
poor schools, and the disintegration o f the
black fam ily.
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James Ward, Ph.D.
Nrs Lolita Darby:
For The Love Of Science
PORTSMOUTH 2000 CAREER FAIR
Ward Named United
Way Chair man
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the local level. “ This report isn’ t the result o f
a bunch o f social engineers sitting around a
conference table somewhere inside the Capi­
tal Beltway. Many o f the contributors to this
reportare the people who actually have to deal
w ith the problems that too many politicians
just talk about.”
Contributors to the report calls theirs an
“ empowerment” agenda. “ W e have to recog­
nize that the old system o f mandates and
entitlement has failed. A n ’ empowerment’
agenda recognizes that only businesses create
real jobs, families w ork, and people w ill strive
to improve their standard o f liv in g i f they’ re
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given the o p p o rtu n ity ,” e xplains Peter
Kirsanow, a labor attorney who wrote the
report’ s section on employment policies.
Other contributors to the report include
LarStclla Parker, a former welfare mother
who now owns a publishing company in Los
Angeles, Council Nedd, co-host o f National
Empowerment Telcvision’ s“ Capitol W atch,”
and Stuart DcVcaux o f Howard U niversity in
Washington, D.C. More than a dozen A f r i­
can-American grass-roots activists co ntrib ­
uted to the report, which The National Center
for Public Policy Research intends to publish
annually.
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