P age
T he P ortland O bserver • M arch 02, 1994
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
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Not Just Black History,
3ut American History:
Am erican C om m unities must
form cooperative alliances in order to
move on progressively and should
put the bitter past away and let it stay
in history where it belongs.
T h is was the c o n te n tio n o f
N ig e ria n b o rn , E fosa O d ig h iz u
W a, w ho was the guest speaker at
m onth by the A lb in a C u ltu ra l
Aw arness G roup.
He observed that the society has
deliberately deleted most o f the con
tributions made by A frica n-A m eri
cans.
‘T here is a deliberate attempt to
erase the contributions o f A fro-A m eri
cans. In spite these contributors and
contributions stay” , M r. Odighizu Wa
said.
“ As we celebrate black history
we must ask ourselves questions.
Question on how this nation was built.
Dedication of Mr. Mayfield Stamp: Pat Mayfield WRA TV Whashmgton anchor, seateo tmro rrom me
left. During the dedication of the Mayfield stamp of which her father is featured
The Buffalo Soldier Legacy
THE BUFFALO
SOLDIER
Black V eterans have a
rich legacy o f courage,
v a lo r, b ra v o ry , p a tr io
tism , a ch iev m en ts, and
c o n trib u tio n s ; and this
p ro u d le g a c y m u st be
properly and accuretely
d e ta ile d , d o c u m e n te d ,
preserved, and told.
“ B la c k s h a v e b e e n
present in every A m eri
can conflict and w ar since
1637; how ever this co u n
try has not fully rec o g
nized or properly show n
its a p p reciatio n .”
(From left to right) Mark
Mathew Sr, John M. Craig,
William Harrington ;
members of the Buffalo
Soldiers Committee
ik licrs marched by.
The strong spirits inspired them
) rush out and challenge the troops,
he results were quite predictable as
hen any unarmed mob decides to
ttack w ell-arm ed and disciplined
unions o f the establishment. Many
icd on the spot, including the luck-
;ss Attucks, hailed as hero ever since
y many who have not fu lly examined
ic circumstances. Keep in m ind
lough that Attucks must have been
ware that slavery was in fu ll swing in
19075).
Il docs seem that there were any
number o f black men in the American
Colonics who were as rational and
freedom -loving as any other human
beings-as Anglo Saxon law puts it, as
wont to “ act as a normal person would
under the same or sim ilar circum
stances.” Consequently, we have it
that in 1775 about 15 months before
the D eclaration o f Independence,
V ir g in ia ’ s R oyal G o verno r L o rd
Dunmore horrified the rebel colonists
by "arm ing my own Negroes and re
ceive all others who come to me who
also shall be set free.”
"■ ■
W hat was the contributions o f A fr i
cans? Then we w ill begin to answer
the legality o f celebrating our his
tory.”
M r. Odighiua Wa, who is spe
cialist w ith Oregon Human and Health
Services called on a ll blacks to emu
late the actions o f M artin Luther K ing
and most o f the other pioneers in our
history.”
“ We must confront constandy
racism, injustice in a ll that we do” ,
Efosa told a gathering o f social w o rk
ers.
The h ig hligh t o f the celebration,
was a fashion show in A frican attire.
The chairperson o f the C ultural
Awareness group M ajoire Arigbon ,
said the group was founded to foster
u nity, and encourage di versity in work
places.
The Group Committee members
are G a il L a rk in , D orothy Keyes,
Efosa Odighizu Wa
Donna Hibdon, Ed Freiner, G lo ria
Tamayo, Cathy Lawrence. Others
are Joe Lopec, Paul Halposk, Floyd
C ruiser and Hai La.
Theme for Black History Month Celebration
The M in o rity A ffairs program at
the MacLaren School fo r Boys pre
sented it’ s 5th Annual Black H istory
Month assembly on February 25,1994.
It was an exciting and emotional
program, as students celebrated Black
H istory, through oral presentations,
songs, skits, and anti-drug/gang rap
music.
Anthony Washington welcomed
everyone to the program and d e liv
ered a powerful message in his speech.
Washington said “ We must focus on
us as a people” , I ’ m a firm believer
that knowledge o f self is extremely
important fo r the young Black man
and woman to grasp the process o f
human growth.
Knowledge o f Self gives us the
true power and wisdom to develop
progressively in our goals that we set
fo r ourselves. W hat is essential is that
we maintain a positive thought o f
m ind and focus our energy into the
understanding o f Knowledge o f Self.
The results o f Knowledge o f Self
stand for evil.
It was Elijah Muhammad that
turned M alcolm X form a life o f crim e
and gave him a discipline and w ill to
Umoja; Robert Richardson .Program
D irector for Youth Re-Directions and
Lonnie Nettles, Transitional C oo rd i
nator o f the Juvenile Justice D ivision
were recognized fo r their outstanding
work with at-risk/gang involved youth.
Harold W illia m s, President o f
C H 2 Associates; R ichard B row n,
Coordinator o f the Black United Front;
and Gina W ood, Manager o f Juvenile
Justice Programs State Commission
on Youth and Families were honored
fo r their leadership, service, and ad
vocacy in the comm unity.
A h ig h lig h t o f the program was
M ike W atkins, AskiaGeigle, Michael
Frison, Fred K n igh t, and Richard
Howard a ll former participants in the
M in o rity A ffairs program receiving
Anthony Washington
awards fo r their efforts in turning
their lives around. Askia who w ill
o f Black males in adult prisons.
graduate
from Marshall High School
A n othe r student said in his
this
year
said,
“ I t ’ s hard, but you have
speech, “ W e must take responsibility
to
make
a
commitment
to yourself
fo r our lives. O ur beautiful Black
sisters should be treated as the queens that you can do it” .
A special award was presented to
they are, instead o f disrespected
through the usage o f fo ul language W illia m L . Carey who w ill retire this
and negative behavior towards them” . year as Adm inistrator o f the State
The m ajority o f students in the C hildren’ s Services D ivisio n fo r a
assembly are membersof PM B (Peace distinguished career in social service
M y Brother) a positive peer support and his strong support o f the M in o rity
group at MacLaren.
Lonnie Jackson, M in ority A ffairs
D ire c to r at M a c L a re n and C o -
Founder O f M Y C A P , a gang inter
vention program in N E Portland, said,
‘T h e assembly not only honors Black
H istory, but also allows students to
positively express themselves and
showcase their intelligence, creativ
learn.
For me it was the honorable
Lonnie Jackson and Roger W ild e r
that gave me much love, wisdom,
discipline, and later on taught me the
power o f knowledge o f self.
V irg il Douglas said in his speech
entitled “ B right Future” , “ We must
stop clow ning and jiv in g , i f we do not ity , and talents.
The program also featured an
In a few American history books begin preparing ourselves, many o f
awards
ceremony. John A . Gage,
(very few, in fact) we are told o f the us w ill not have a brigh t future” .
Executive
D irector o f the House o f
several thousand black soldiers who Douglas cited the increasing number
kept the revolution alive at Valley
Forge after most whites deserted the
bitterly cold encampment. But on the
other side tens o f thousands o f free
dom -loving blacks fought on the side
o f the British under Dunmore and
General Cornwallis. They served as
Calvary, shock troops, pilots o f coastal
and river boats, seamen, canoeists,
m iners, wood cutters, carpenters,
blacksmiths, tailors, cooks, waiters
and recruiters.
When the war ended and the B rit
ish w ithdrew, at least 14,000 black
men went w ith them, evacuated from
the ports o f Savannah, Charleston and
New York. Thousands more escaped
overland to Canada, and many from
there to London. The B ritish made
good on their promises o f pensions for
all who could reach Canada or En
gland. How cruel and bitter are the 1 ies
and omissions put upon us by the
Am erican education establishment
(sec W ils o n , 138; Stephen J.
Braidwood.” Initiatives and O rgani
zation o f the Black Poor” 1786-1787
THE RIGHT KIND OF ENERGY
| Paper presented to the International
Conference on the H istory o f Blacks in
Britain, London, 28-30 September 1981)
(Sec Herbert Apthekcr, The Ne
gro in the American R evolution, N. Y.,
International Publisher 1940 & see
Benjamin Quarles same title 1961 &
Mary Beth Norton, The Fate o f Some
Black Loyalist o f the American Revo
lution , Journal o f Negro History, L V I I I ,
1973).
lA/ar A nd Peace In Black History
the Am erican Colonies (17 7 5 )-w h ile
in England in 1762 Lord Chancellor
Henley had declared that “ as soon as
a man sets foot on English ground he
is free.” (Reports o f Cases Argued in
the High C ourt o f Chancery; 1790).
To make the future o f a black man
in Am erica seem more disheartening,
almost w ithout exception the prime
movers in the revolt o f the Colonies
against B ritain were slave owners
despi le their poignant pleas and rheto
ric for liberty. “ John Locke” , the a l
leged great libe ra l’ English philoso
pher (Essay concerning Human U n
derstanding; 1690) had been employed
to w rite the constitution o f the C aroli-
nas. He prom ptly made slavery the
law o f the colony for all time; so much
for the “ inalienable rights o f man” . O f
course, we must realize that philoso
pher Locke was a heavy investor in the
Royal African Company, a major slave
trader ( see John Locke ed. Peter H.
M idditch, O xforcd Clarendon Press,
:• .
Knowledge O f Self
is very powerful and can help you
stand against all toxic things that
The role o f blacks in the A m cri-
,n m ilita ry is coming under new
rutiny these days, especially from
lunger A frican Americans (as well
some whites). It seems that cvcry-
ie is not satisfied w ith the story o f
itient ‘ Negroes’ who endured every
rm o f cruelty, indignity and dis-
im in a tio n im aginable, but then
med around and w ithout exception
mght bravely at the side o f his op-
essor against all enemies.
Increasingly, 1 have had this ques-
on p u l to m e; “ I t is n o t
ttu ra l...u n re a l...th a t’ s w hy ‘ you
jo p lc ’ don’ t get any respect, white
en w ill avenge themselves at the
op o f a hat...” and so it has been
ling as long as I can remember. In
ic early grades our parents and grand-
ircnts were told o f Crispus Attucks,
black man who was first to die
ghting the British in the R cvolulion-
y War. He was said to have been
rinking ale w ith his white compan
ies in a tavern adjacent to Boston
ommons when a regiment o f British
‘ • •
Nigerian-Born Seeks
Cooperation Among Blacks
ithe celebration of black history
■ P rofessor M c K inley B urt
& '
I
t
A ffa irs program at MacLaren.
Bruce Smith, A ffirm a tiv e A c
tion Specialist w ith the G overnor’ s
O ffic e was the p ro g ra m ’ s guest
speaker.
Jerry Anderson concluded the
program w ith a pow erful and stirring
vocal performance o f the spiritual
song “ Am azing Grace” as students
and alumni who participated in the
program came on stage and held hands
in a symbol o f unity and hope fo r the
future.
A d ve rtiz e I n
^ o r i l a r t b © b s e rtie r
Phone: 503-288-0033
Pacific Power
Celebrates
Black History
Month
George Bush,
Early Settler
PACIFIC POWER
A m ong the steady stream of immigrants to the area were
a number of black men and their families, including
George Bush. Born in Pennslyvania a free man, Bush
moved to Missouri and married Isabell, a white women.
In 1844, at the age of fifty, Bush, his wife and five children
Oiccmiri w ith Silf) others.