Portland observer., March 16, 1994, Image 1

“Serving the community through cultural diversity."
Volumn XXIV. Number 11
(LI tc ^Jni*tlanh
by
The M agnificent Healing
Lady
By Prof. McKinley Burt
I was saving this gem fo r a special
m onograph to be published th is sp rin g , but
le t me add this b it o f reassurance to those
w om en w h o m ig h t w o n d er i f they had
carved a place in the early h is to ry o f the
h e a lin g arts.
Page A 2
March 16. 1994
(
er
Neighborhood Rejects Liquor
Sales In Mini-Mart Store
THE®
REW
«
P romise K ing
4T1 HE KING'S NEIGHBORHOOD
SENT A STRONG SIGNAL LAST
JL WEDNESDAY NIGHTTOOWNERS
The Arco
Am-Pm
Mini Mart
site under
lock and
key may
be locked
to liquor
OF MINI-MART, THAT IT WON’T SUPPORT
THE SALE OF LIQUOR IN THEIR STORE.
The A rc o A m P M M in i- M a rt at 3435 N E
M a rtin L u th e r K in g Jr., B lv d was a denizen o f
gangsters, d rug-addicts and a lc o h o lic s and
had a h is to ry o f no to rie ty and loudness.
The n e ighborhood group is contending
that sales o f liq u o r in the store w o u ld b rin g
back nefarious a c tiv itie s that co u ld re-play
some o f the vices that has ravaged the co m m u ­
n ity in the past.
It was three years ago when fo rm e r o w n ­
ers o f the M in i- M a rt closed dow n w hen it was
apparent that the tro u b le in the spot co u ld not
“Women Who Go Above
And Beyond”
B eauty and p o w crca n to hand in hand,
and R e vlo n C o lo rS ty le , ce le b ra tin g the
be curtailed.
beauty, o f w om en, and AJee, a new scent
cap tu rin g the p o w e r o f w om en every where
by Fred S tew art is not pleased that the A M /
unite to sponsor the second “ W o m e n W h o
T o A b o ve A n d B eyo n d ” contest w ith Es­
sence M agazine, the c o u n try ’ s p reem inent
life s ty le m agazine fo r B la c k W om en.
Page A 5
“Retirem ent Housing:
W hat’s Right For You?”
A class explores the m any housing
o p tio n s a va ila b le d u rin g re tire m e n t years
w ill be h e ld at A lam eda C o m m u n ity School,
2732 N .E . F rem ont, P ortland. The class
w ill m eet fo r 2 sessions, on M o n d a y , A p r il
4 and A p r il 11, fro m 6 :3 0 p.m . to 9 pm cost
o f the course is $13 plus a $1.50 m aterials
fee.
Page A 6
The N e ig h b o rh o o d A ssociation headed
P M M in i Stores new ow ners, Denise and
D o ria n B o y la n d had a p plied to O regon L i ­
q u o r C o n tro l C o m m issio n fo r a license to sell
alcohol.
The N eighborhood Association,rose from
its m eeting in 1991 to place ban o r oppose any
new liq u o r sales o u tle t in th e ir dom ain.
T h e A s s o c ia tio n b o a rd in J a n u a ry
had w ro te a le tte r to th e B u re a u o f L i ­
censes a n d O L C C o p p o s in g B o y la n d ’ s
re q u e s t f o r a lc o h o l lic e n s e . H o w e v e r, the
n e ig h b o rs in t h e ir m e e tin g la s t m o n th
had d e c id e d to re -e x a m in e its n o - liq u o r
p o lic y a n d o p e n its d e c is io n to ha ve the
g e n e ra l p u b lic c o m m e n t.
nian that “ a lo t o f people never expected this
p o lic y to be overturned” .
A s m u s t as S te w a rt w o u ld s u p p o rt
th e B o y la n d ’ s b u s in e ss v e n tu re in the
n e ig h b o r h o o d , he w o u ld re s e n t in the
It fin a lly , refused any new liq u o r sales a n y l i q u o r s a le s . “ W e w o u ld lo v e
o u tle t, in it last m eeting held last w eek. The B o y la n d ’ s to ha ve b u s in e ss th e re , w e ju s t
body C h a ir, F red S tew art had to ld the O rego- d o n ’ t s u p p o rt th e liq u o r lic e n s e .
T h e B o y la n d ’ s had pledged that to m a in ­
tain sanity, she w o u ld decrease the hours o f
a lco h ol sales and e m p lo y 2 4 -h o u r security
service to stop social nuisance i f th e ir license
is approved b y O L C C . It wasn ’ t c lear i f by this
neighborhood decisions w hether the O L C C
w ill go ahead to approve B o y la n d ’ s a p plica­
tio n .
B u t B e tty W o rc e s te r, R e g io n a l M a n ­
a g e r o f th e O L C C to ld th e c o n c e rn e d
n e ig h b o rh o o d th a t “ th e r e ’ s a le g itim a te
c o n c e rn th a t i f th is lic e n s e is g ra n te d
h e re , e v e ry o th e r p a c k a g e s to re w i l l g e t
o n e . T h a t’ s n o t n e c e s s a rily the case a t
a l l ” . A n in d ic a tio n th a t th e O L C C m a y
g ra n t B o y la n d s l iq u i r sa le s a p p lic a tio n .
lack Business Fronts: Not Just A Blow To The Knees
Two Roads: The Black
Woman’s Powerful
Influence
J ames
F rom the slave blocks to the co rp o ra ­
tio n m eeting room s, her v e ry presence has
sustained o u r e n tire way o f life not w ith o u t
m u te d co m p la in ts , and a s p iritu a l fire that
burned deep w ith in , d id she bear the hu­
m ilia tio n o f the slave-m aster’ s advances
yet o u r race possessed the in b o rn a b ility to
persevere and su rvive !
Page A 4
L. P osey
HIS IS THE SECOND IN A
SERIES OF ARTICLES TO
INFORM THE COM M UNITY
ABOUT THE NAT-URE OF FRONTS.
JL
In the firs t a rtic le on B la c k fro n ts, I trie d
to define a fro n t. B o tto m lin e , I said these are
businesses w ith B la c k faces w h ic h , in va ryin g
degrees, are s e llin g o u t in o rd e r to obtain
short-term fin a n c ia l gain. B u t th is says little
about how fro n ts in s id io u s ly sabotage the
v ita lity , aspirations and ca pacity o f real B la ck
businesses to com pete in the m arket place.
Black Business Fronts:
Not Just A Blow To The
Knees
L e t me begin to count the w ay s fro n tin g
a c tiv ity in general, and B la c k fro n tin g in
p a rticu la r, is one o f the w ays B la cks are
prevented fro m g a in in g auth e n tic w o rk
experience, s k ills and a b ilitie s . F ro n tin g
denies le g itim a te B la ck business people
access and o p p o rtu n ity to re a l-w o rld b u si­
ness e n v iro n m e n ts w h ic h are essential
preparation to com pete in open m arkets.
G enuine B la ck businesses are e ffe c tiv e ly
handicapped, ever dependent on others;
w hen it comes to b id in g w o rk , the average,
not so -w e ll-m e a n in g w h ile p rim e co n tra c­
to r w ill say, “ T h e y a in ’ t q u a lifie d .”
Page A 4
L ik e a w e ll placed b lo w to the knees, m any
le g itim a te B la c k business have been crippled.
H ow ever, B la c k businesses aren’ t ju s t able to
get up, w in O ly m p ic medals and go skating
o f f to D isneyland. A fric a n -A m e ric a n b usi­
ness interests are being se rio u sly hurt, and
h u rt in a num ber o f ways.
L e t me begin to count the ways. Fro n tin g
a c tiv ity in general, and B la c k fro n tin g in
p a rtic u la r, is one o f the w ays B lacks are
prevented fro m g a in in g authentic w o rk expe­
rience, s k ills and a b ilitie s . F ro n tin g denies
le g itim a te B la ck business people access and
o p p o rtu n ity to re a l-w o rld , business e n v iro n ­
ments w h ic h are essential preparation to c o m ­
pete in open m arkets. G enuine B la c k b u si­
nesses are e ffe c tiv e ly handicapped, ever de­
pendent on others; when it comes to b id in g q u e n tly, B la ck businesses are d ro w n in g in a
w o rk, the average, not-so-w ell-m eaning w hite co m p e titive m arket, unable to keep th e ir heads
prime contractor w ill say, “ They ain’ t qualified.” above the econom ic water.
A n d yet, perhaps the greatest im pact is
W h a t th is situ a tio n does is put B lack
how
fro n tin g sells fu tu re generations short.
businesses in a perpetual dow n spin. They
M
aybe
o n ly a few can m ake th is connection,
ca n ’ t get re g u la r w o rk. A n d any fo o l knows
that consistent, m e a n in g fu l w o rk is w hat re­
a lly determ ines the level and q u a lity o f expe­
rience, and u ltim a te ly , the q u a lity o f the p ro d ­
u c t o r service. I t ’ s no secret that in order to
hire a com petent, e ffic ie n t w o rkfo rce and to
acquire and m a in ta in dependable equipm ent,
a serious bla ck business m ust have consistent,
but w h ile young w hites are surrounded by
prosperous ro le m odels in every fie ld , B la ck
yo u th have a ll but lost th e ir role m odels in the
construction trade and o ther la b o r-in te n sive
fie ld s where w e were once com m onplace.
T h is was w hen B la ck men w ere real p ro d u c­
ers and bread w in n e rs fo r th e ir fa m ilie s. In
spite o f its b lu e -c o lla r image, it was a vocation
p ro fita b le w o rk.
black
yo u th had to respect, and m any looked
A c c o r d in g ly , B la c k fr o n ts s ip h o n o f f
m u c h o f th is w o rk . S om e a u th o ritie s agree up to.
B u t today, B la ck fro n ts, the new role
th a t fr o n tin g is one o f th e m o s t p o te n t
tim e and tim e again, lik e lam bs to slaughter,
in to fro n tin g a ctivitie s.
W e ll, one do e s n o t h a ve to w o n d e r
to o lo n g a b o u t w h a t p e rp e tu a te s th is p h e ­
n o m e n o n . I t ca n be s u m m e d up in tw o
w o r d s : d e s p e ra tio n a n d d e p r iv a t io n .
T h e se t w in e v ils fo re s h a d o w th is e n tire
issu e . B la c k s g e n e r a lly re a liz e th a t m i l ­
lio n s o f d o lla rs ha ve flo w e d lik e w a te r
th ro u g h th is c o m m u n ity a n d c o n tin u e to
cascade on w h ite s , lik e s h o w e rs fr o m
M u ltn o m a h F a lls . B u t B la c k s h a ve been
c o n s is te n tly d y in g o f e c o n o m ic t h ir s t in
th is m id s t o f p le n ty . U n fo r tu n a te ly , som e
B la c k s a rc w il li n g d o a n y th in g to d r in k
fro m th is e c o n o m ic w e lls p r in g , in c lu d ­
in g s e llin g o u t th e ir o w n b ro th e rs a n d
fo rm s o f ra c ia l d is c r im in a tio n . I t ’ s p o ­ m odels, have alm ost become the rule rather
te n t beca u se o f its d e c e p tiv e n a tu re - than the exception. T he fro n t is qu ite c o m ­
g iv in g th e a p p e a ra n ce o f p ro g re s s fo r m on, g rin n in g up in the w h ite m a n ’ s face, lik e
s is te rs . I t is , w it h o u t a d o u b t, a c a rr y o v e r
so m e B la c k s , w h ile m o s t are d e n ie d re a l a Cheshire cat o r even a “ to m ” cat, begging fo r
g ro w th
o p p o r t u n i ­ contracts and ending up passing the benefits
on to w hites w h o already have steady w o rk.
tie s .
T he le g itim a te B la ck business is strug­ A n d the way the w h ite and B la ck gatekeepers
B u t w hatever the cause, som ehow se ri­
ous-m inded B lacks m ust take action to arrest
g lin g to keep its w o rk crew s em ployed, stay patronize th is sort o f behavior, it is calculated
o u t in fro n t o f the IRS and insurance com pa­ to rew ard the w rongdoers and punish those
nies, pay the mandated high wage rate fo r less w ho arc try in g to d o itr ig h t. In fa ct, any B la c k
than p ro fic ie n t w orkers, and patch up less business that has been around fo r a w h ile can
than acceptable equipm ent. A n d , on and on c le a rly chart the h isto ry o f fro n tin g in O r­
action, along w ith the cu m u la tive h ostile
e n viro n m e n t fo r B la ck business, is s trik in g
econom ic death b lo w s to the head and heart o f
and on, ju s t dealing w ith the everyday head­ egon. A n d o ver the years, m any have w atched
aches o f ru n n in g a sm all business. Conse­ how num erous B lacks have been beguiled
w ith a background in social w o rk and c o m ­
fr o m th e le g a c y o f s la v e ry in th is c o u n ­
tr y .
these B la ck fro n ts w ho have been s trik in g us
on the knees fo r some tim e. B u t fo r no w , th e ir
A fric a n -A m e ric a n business enterprise.
James Posey is a sm all business o w n e r
m u n ity a ctivism .
Historic Orphanage Restaurant Opens Its Doors
ro lls in its m ain d in in g room , M onday through
those who appreciate a unique volunteer enter­
prise, w o n ’ t want to miss morning coffee and
breakfast rolls at A lbertina’ s Restaurant in The
O ld Kerr Nursery. A dedicated staff o f volunteers
F rid a y , fro m 9 :30 a.m . to 10:30 a.m.
A lbertina’ s Restaurant, at 424 N E 22nd
Avenue in Portland, is located on the firs t floor o f
has been serving reasonably priced gourmet
lunches fo r over 13 years to repeat customers who
appreciate a comfortable, charming and unusual
a former orphanage. People who love to savor
good food, learn about history, support endeavors
dining experience.
Visitors to the stately three-story Georgian,
M
Ib c rtin a ’ s Restaurant, a hidden
je w e l in the c o m m u n ity fo r o ve r 13
years, is now serving co ffe e and
w hich benefit children and others in need, and
play o f the former orphanage, depicting days and resale shops. Shops are on-site and open at
gone by. The O ld Kerr Nursery building has been 10:00 a.m. For 13 years, each o f the volunteer-
placed on the National Register o f Historic Places, managed businesses has been donating its pro­
chiatric day and residential treatment services for
adolescent boys and girls; adoption and foster
and in 1979, became an o fficia l Portland Historic ceeds to benefit the programs o f Albertina Kerr
Landmark, under the “ humanitarian” designa­ Centers, one o f Oregon’s largest human service
vention for young children; outpatient counsel­
ing services fo r fam ilies; and residential, sup­
ported 1 iving, and employment services fo r people
w ith developmental disabilities. Enjoy coffee and
tion.
Customers who enjoy coffee and breakfast
rolls may also wander through The Kerr G ift break coffee and breakfast rolls venture w ill be
Shop, w hich sells new and consigned g ift items, donated to assist the programs o f A lbertina K e n
breakfast rolls w hile at the same time helping over
the K e rr’s Economy Jar and T h rift Shop, K X V ) Centers. Programs which benefit include: Psy-
through Albertina K err Centers!
Civil Rights Journal
Why The Cuba Embargo?
To Americans the little yellow school bus
is a symbol fo r children and education.
B y B ernice P ow ell Jackson
Jobs move to Portland from
California as Housewares
Im porter comes to town
W/r/i the help o f the Portland
Development Commission, Portland will
welcome to town a new company...
Page A 6
Page A 2
EDITORIAL
HOUSING
A2
A6
SPORTS
B2
6,000 people annually w ho receive services
Arts & Entertainment
Sports
Housing
Editorial
agencies.
A ll proceeds raised from this new morning-
care fo r children w ith special needs; early inter­
Benson Saves Face For P.I.L.
By John Phillips.
Inner City Blues Festival -
March 26
The Benson Tech Boys Basketball
Team kept the P .I.L . in a position
to hold their heads up after taking
fourth place.
Page B6
.The Portland Rainbow Coalition is
hosting the fifth Annual Inner City Blues
Festival on Saturday, March 26, 6:30 p.m.
-1 a.m. at the texas II.
Page B 3
ENTERTAINMENT
B3
RELIGION
BUSINESS
B5
B6
” ” ~~ .... . * - • ..... .................... .....................■■ ■ ■■
...
CLASSIFIEDS
B7
' "■! '■!■! »