Serving the community through cultural diversity.
Voinnin \ . \ I V . Number 22
June I. 1994
“Olile ^partíanh (©bserlier
SECTION
Junior Queen Feels Lucky To Call Portland Home
by
M icheál L eighton
my chan , of our lady of
SORROWS E L E M E N T A R Y
SCHOOL, WAS CROW NED
JUNIOR ROSE FE STIVAL QUEEN
WEDNESDAY IN A CORONATION
CEREM O NY AT W ILS O N H IG H
SCHOOL.
A
Chan, 11, represents Southeast Portland’s
Sellwood neighborhood.
She received a crown, scepter, roses and
a special gift from Portland Mayor Vera Katz.
“I proclaim the official beginning of the
Junior Rose Festival,” she said, upon her
installation as chief royalty in the magical
kingdom of Rosaria.
Chan is one of eight princesses partici­
pating in the festival’s junior court.
C han’s referred to her immigrant par­
ents, Samaantha and Loi-fu Chan, during the
ceremony. She called Portland, a special place.
“I’m glad my parents moved from China
to Portland,” she said. “I feel so lucky Port­
land is my home.”
Her favorite pastimes are music, hockey
and soccer.
Paul Linnman, a news anchor at KATU
Channel 2, presided over the coronation.
He said the eight young ladies were the
good news of children in Portland, and pro­
vide a positive counter balance to the report­
ing of kids in trouble, too often seen on TV.
Linnman praised each princess as repre­
senting the best o f youth, each with hundreds
of boys and girls just like them, who are good
students with good grades and making out­
standing citizens.
“Some think the coronation is silly,” he
said. “I think they’re wrong.”
Portland's 1994 Rose Festival Junior Court with princesses Kristin Ellis (from left), Elyse Taylor, Ashley Scheitel, and Jessie Runyan, Queen Amy Chan, and princesses
Continued to page B3
^
Kristina Brown, Shauncey Mashia and Amy Weberg.
Jay In Memphis
For Conference
0 m in u n i t y
a le n i* a v
Gloria Stelnem, Art
Exhibit Featured
Fem inist w riter G loria Steinem and
a special a rt ex h ib it are planned June
5 on the U niversity o f O regon cam pus
in E ugene.
Steinem w ill speak and sign co p ­
ies o f her new book, “ M oving Beyond
W ords” at the Erb M em orial Union
B allroom , 1222 E. 13th Ave. The event
is free. For inform ation call 346-4331,
ex t. 33.
At noon, the art ex h ib it, “ David
M cC osh: O b serv ation and A b stra c­
tio n ,” co n tin u es at the u n iv e rsity ’s
M useum o f A rt, 1430 Johnson Lane.
The m useum is open from noon - 5
p.m ., W ednesday-Sunday. A dm ission
is free. F or inform ation call 346-3027.
Graduates Show Art At
Oregon Campus
The M aster o f Fine A rts Show c o n ­
tinues at the U n iv ersity o f O regon
M useum o f Art at noon, June 8. G radu­
ate stu dents from the D epartm ent of
Fine and A pplied A rts are show ing the
b est o f their w ork, ranging from p ain t­
ing to m u lti-m ed ia displays.
Also on display, w ill be the ex h ib ­
its, F o o tp rin ts A cross Asia: B uddhist
Art from the C o llectio n , C hinese C e­
ram ic Tom b F igurines and L ater C h i­
nese P orcelain: for K ings and C om ­
m oners. The m useum is at 1430 Jo h n ­
son Lane in E ugene and is open from
noon-5 p.m ., W ednesday through S un­
day. A dm ission is free. For inform a­
tion, call 346-3027.
UOf o
Commencement Set
U niversity o f O regon C om m ence­
m ent takes place June 12 at A utzen
Stadium in Eugene, or Me A rthur C ourt
in the event o f rain. For inform ation,
call 346-1160.
New Leaders At Portland
Urban League
he Urban League of Portland
Board of Directors has elected new
Marketing Portland As Tourism Destination
officers to one-year terms.
They are Michael Lewellen, chair; Judi Pitre,
ortland was the center o f a t­ reporters from Black C onvention M aga­ vice-chair; and Rian Brown, treasurer. Secre­
tention at the A frican A m eri­ zine, Essence M agazine, E m erge, W ash­
tary Laura Glosson was re-elected.
can T ravel and T ourism C on ­ ington V iew , and Success Source, as
Lewellen is Director of Corporate Devel­
w ell as representatives from travel ag en ­
feren ce in M em phis, T enn.
opment at Nike, Inc. He was recently elevated
P ortland b usiness entrepreneur, Roy Jay cies, convention and v isito rs bureaus, to that position after successfully establishing
was a keynote w orkshop speaker before governm ent agencies and tra n sp o rta ­ the Urban and Minority Affairs focus for
a standing room only crow d consisting tion com panies.
Nike’s public affairs programs. He joined the
“I was really im pressed w ith the
o f predom inately B lack convention and
Urban League Board in 1992, and previously
tourism professionals at a dow ntow n positive enthusiasm and p ro fessio n al­ chaired the league’s fundraising committee.
ism dem onstrated by P o rtla n d ,” said
M em phis convention cen ter hotel.
Pitre is Director of Housing Manage­
Jay, a pioneer o f P o rtlan d ’s m inor­ A ngelia D eSilva of St. L ouis.
ment for the Housing Authority of Portland.
U nder J a y ’s leadership, P o rtland is
ity c o n v e n tio n and to u rism e ffo rts ,
Brown is Director of Personnel Services at
the
only
city w hich as estab lish ed m i­
opened his non-stop presentation by
Providence Medical Center. Glosson is a re­
burning m oney to the am azem ent o f the nority tourism rep resen tatio n in W ash ­ tired Portland school educator and serves on
p artic ip a n ts, national m edia reporters ington, D .C ., w hich is the head q u arters the Urban League’s Senior Center Advisory
and W ilbur Hawkins, the U ndersecretary o f m any national Black o rg an izatio n s.
Committee.
Jay is P resident and C h ief E x ecu ­
o f the U.S. D epartm ent o f C om m erce.
The board also elected two new mem­
Jay explained that it was to signify the tive O fficer o f O regon C onvention and b e rs, E m m ett W h eatfall and Am oy
$30 billion annually that Black and other V is ito r S e rv ic e s N e tw o rk . He w as Williamson. Wheatfall is a Corporate Equal
minority conventions, conferences and tour­ aw arded a m ulti-year co n tract by M etro Employment Opportunity Specialist with
ism generate on a nationwide basis. Jay’s regional governm ent last O ctober as an Portland General Electric and a pastor at
topic “Black To The Future... The Benefits of “o ffic ia l” convention and tourism agent Maranatha Church in Northeast Portland.
Ethnic Convention and Tourism” brought for the O regon C onvention C en ter and Williamson is a Senior Management Auditor
rave reviews and gave Portland more recog­ m etropolitan P ortland.
for the City of Portland and a certified public
A lthough the m arking e ffo rts are
nition as a possible destination site for future
accountant.
scheduled to begin in 1995, Jay said that
conventions.
Lewellen said that one of his goals as
At a gala recep tio n , hosted jo in te d his convention sales m anager, Lynda board chair would be to enhance the league’s
by the G reater M em phis B lack Tourism G rice and R. W eldon W oodruff in W ash­ transition under the new leadership of
and C onvention N etw ork and the M em ­ ington, D.C. are already receiv in g in ­ Lawrence Dark, named earlier this year as the
phis C onvention and V isitors B ureau, quires from individuals and o rg a n iz a ­ organization’s new president and chief ex­
Jay was suddenly surprised when M ayor tions that w ant to consid er P o rtlan d as a
ecutive officer.
Dr. W .W . H erenton asked him to step destination site for future co n ventions.
“These will be some very exciting times
“Portland and Oregon arc finally start­
forw ard and accept a sym bolic “key to
for the League and for the Portland mctropoli-
the c ity ” on b ehalf of the A frican A m eri­ ing to get a favorable presence with many
groups and other contacts. This is the first
can T ravel and T ourism A ssociation.
The conference attra cted p a rtic i­ step in part of our long-range marketing
pants from coast to co ast, including plans,” said Jay.
T
P
Michael Lewellen
tan area.” said Lewellen. “It will be important
that the urban league not only maintain its
current momentum, but continues to solidify
its role as a positive catalyst for community
growth, development and partnership. We
will also work to strengthen the league’s
financial reserves, and broaden its menu of
community services and programs.”
Lewellen also noted the league will cel­
ebrate its 50th yearof service in 1994, “Some­
thing the entire Portland community should
be proud of.”
The Urban League of Portland is a non­
profit, com m unity-based human service
agency serving at-risk youth, students, job
seekers and seniors in the metro area. The
league is a local affiliate of the National
Urban League.
Graduation For At-Risk Students
16th Annual ACT-SO Competition
The national Association for the Ad­
vancement of Colored People, Portland Chap­
ter, is sponsoring it’s 16th Annual Afro-
Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Sci­
entific Olympics (ACT-SO).
The purpose of ACT-SO is to provide an
atmosphere in which high school students of
African decent arc encouraged to develop,
nurture and showcase their academic talent.
Area students will compete in the following
categories including: sciences, visual arts,
performing arts, and humanities.
This year’s local competition will be held
on June 4, 1994 at the Interstate Firehouse
Cultural Center (IFCC) beginning at 12:00
noon. For more information, please call ACT-
SO chairman, Lucious Hicks IV at (503) 464-
5768.
The Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center, Inc. Alternative Learn­
ing Center w ill hold its second annual high school graduation, June 4 at 2:30
p.m. at the Portland Community College Cascade Campus Auditorium. 705 N.
KUlingsworth St. State Rep. Margaret Carter w ill be the featured speaker.
The alternative education program serves at-risk and dropout students
referred by Portland Public Schools, youth service centers, the urban league,
juvenile courts and other youth diversion agencies. The center is under the
direction of Rosemary E. Anderson, executive director, and Dr. Samuel E. K elly,
director of education.
The center is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and
Colleges, registered by the state of Oregon as a private school and approved by
the Oregon Dep; tment of Education to serve handicapped children.