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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 1994)
r- Serving the community through cultural diversity Volume X X IV Number 37 Knauls’ Reunion Success Honored F o u n d a tio n puts spotlight on area women, See Page B8. A 90th Birth day celebration! See Page B3. (the litnb C * er« etter Education Shines At Jefferson High by Community M eeting On Violence A community meeting to stop gang violence and drugs will be held Thursday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. the Vancouver Avenue Baptist Church, 3 138 N. Vancouver Ave. The Black United Front is sponsoring the session asking black men and women and other residents to stand up and address the problems in area neighborhoods. Grant Benefits Youth And Family Center In the tradition of the African proverb “It takes a whole village to raise a child," IDS Financial Services, has presented $5,(XX) to the North Portland Youth and Family Center, to reward 50 youth who have made positive changes in their lives. The center is a project of Delaunay Family services, providing help and special pro grams for juveniles. In addition, IDS hopes to acquaint its employees with volunteer opportunities in the community and pres ently is working out details for a school clothes shopping trip for center youth. P romise K ing G ood th in g s are h a p p e n in g at Jefferson High School in terms of quality education as the rays of sound learning shine on staff and stud ents. The school principal for four years, Alcena E. Boozer is excited about it all. Not even the drastic and deep cut from the Port land School District’s budget lessens her optimism. She is relentless in her pursuit of excellence and passionate about getting kids back into the classroom. This has paid off in number of the school’s programs. Boozer is banking on her staff to see her vision of building a better Jefferson. “We have a really creative and commit ted staff,” she said. She’s confident about the quality of teachers that coordinate the writing classes and those that oversee the science and biol ogy classes whom she describes as the best in the country. The school is gearing up to face Oregon’s school reforms and is including parents in the planning process. “Last year, we did our first major changes - the implementation of the block schedule where we re-organized the way we deliver instructions,” Boozer said. This shift in the length of class time is enabling Jefferson students to earn 8 credits instead of the traditional 6 credits. The school is about to launch a pilot distance learning project with Grant and Madison high schools. The project uses in teractive video and audio to allow the schools Urban League Schools Open You can provide a positive experi ence for some wonderful youth in the Urban League’s Educational and Career Development programs. Volunteers are needed for the Whitney M. Young Jr. Educational and Cultural Center, an after school to 8 p.m. tutorial program for stu dents in the lower grades; the Portland Street Academy, a learning center for middle and high school students working on their GED; and the Computer Training Center, a job training program for adults. Contact Mia Sims, program assistant, at 280-2658. Initiative Summit Addresses Drugs Community members, people in re covery and local spiritual leaders will gather Friday, Sept. 16 at the Regional Drug Initiative's second annual “Spirit Summit," held at Lutheran Inner-City Ministries, 4 2 19 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Speakers include Leonard Irv ing, of the Cocaine Outreach and Recov ery Program and Rev. Steven Lloyd John son, author of Getting Off Crack and Pat terns of African-American Addiction. A day session is held from noon to4:45 p.m An evening session from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m For more information, call 294-7074. excellence. to see and talk to each other. It is a new partnership between Paragon Cable and the district. Paragon provides all necessary cable hook ups and will wave the monthly service charges. National Organization Elects Roy Jay Vice President Children In Foster Care Soars The number ofchildren in foster care, particularly under six years old, is soaring, according to Oregon’s Children’s Ser vices Division. “We are seeing more young, preschool children than ever be fore," said Kay Toran, children's services division administrator. “The abuse and neglect is so severe or the child is at such risk we cannot return them to their home. Caseworkers are very concerned because these children have less contact with au thorities since they are not in school.” of Jefferson High School, expresses excitement about her school’s upward scale in academic he African American Travel and Tourism A ssociation Annual Convention held in New Orleans on September 1-5 has elected Roy Jay, from Portland, Oregon, to the position of National Vice president of the growing national organization. T Jay was nominated and unanimously elected at the organizations general meeting on September 3rd. The ATTA Convention was held in conjunction with the Multi- Cultural Tourism Summit, which attracted hundreds of hospitality and convention in dustry delegates from throughout the coun try Jay, a native of Portland, heads the Oregon Convention and Visitor Services Network which has been contracted by METRO to enhance ethnic minority market ing efforts from the Oregon Convention Center and metropolitan Portland, in con junction with the Portland Oregon Visitors Association. Though this project won't save money, school authorities believe it has the potential to improve educational offerings and student achievement. The school is looking outside the district’s general fund to finance the pro gram. The first year start-up costs from fig ures gathered by the Portland Observer range from $100,000 to $175,000. However, a final budget is yet to be determined due to uncertainty of the equipment to be purchased. The Jefferson High performing arts magnet and middle school arts outreach programs have become a center for artistic excellence. They offer in-depth training in areas of dance, music, theater and television ▼ Continued to page A6 Black United Fund Seeks Support I uest speakers joined in a ness, illiteracy, unemployment and other is festive celebration marking sues. the 7th annual fundraising The fund has been working to stimulate drive for the Black United Fund of and economic development in Oregon’s social Oregon. disadvantaged communities since it’s incep tion in 1983. The kick-off, to thank past supporters It has provided financial and manage and encourage new participation, was held ment assistance to more than 200 organiza last Wednesday at the Oregon Square Court tions and has been at the forefront in efforts yard on Northeast Hollady. to increase charitable giving in work places Multnomah County Chair Beverly Stein and advocate for the social and economic and Lawrence Dark, executive director for needs of low-income residents and the phil the Urban League of Portland, proclamations anthropic needs of agencies which serve these from the city and county, and music by Dan communities. Balmer were featured. The fund has hosted forums and work The Black United Fund wants to raise shops. addressed infant mortality in North $390.000 this year to assist in the social and and Northeast Portland, including the fund economic development of Oregon's low-in ing of a program to reduce infant mortality come communities and to increase cultural and increase public awareness on the needs awareness. of prenatal care. Guided by a self-help philosophy, the The organization also has hosted an an organization helps to solve problems such as nual education conference on improving aca homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, gang demic performance for the Pacific North affiliation, teen pregnancy, cultural aware west. G Roy Jay Ja y ’s newly elected position e l evates P o rtlan d ’s national visib ility with ethnic m inority conventions and m eeting planners. Oregon May Be Compensated For Exposure To Asbestos Products regonians who have worked with or around asbestos- containing products, primarily asbestos-containing insulation, be e lig ib le fo r p erso n a l injury p a ym e n ts from F ib re b o ard Corporation under a $1.5 billion court settlement to a class action lawsuit. O The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services is alerting Oregonians who may have handled Fibreboard thermal insulation - including pipe covering, block insulation and asbestos-containing cement - - that it is likely they were exposed to asbestos and may be covered under the settlement Firbreboard and its predecessors, in cluding PA BCO Corporation, manufactured asbestos-containing products from 1928 un may til 19 7 1. Many individuals who have worked with or around these products later devel oped a variety of illnesses, including lung cancer. Fibreboard has been named as defen dant in approximately 200,000 personal in jury lawsuits, 160,000 of which have been resolved. The class action lawsuit (Ahearn v. Fibreboard), filed in September 1993. seeks to ensure financial recovery for people with future asbestos-related personal injury claims against Fibreboard. The settlement established a $ 1.535 bil lion fund devoted to future asbestos-related personal injury claims against Fibreboard It includes all asbestos-related personal injury claims against Fibreboard, its predecessors, and its insurers that were not brought or settled before August 27. 1993. In order to qualify for payment from the trust, individu als m ust show in ju rio u s exposure to Fibreboard asbestos-containing products and have medical evidence to support their claim of an asbestos-related disease. The class action covers all persons, including th eirsp o u ses, household m em bers or legal rep resentatives who were exposed directly or indirectly to asb e s tos or asb esto s-co n tain in g products for which Fibreboard may bear legal liabil- EDITORIAL HEALTH HOUSING SPORTS METRO A2 A4 A5 A7 Bl lty, and who did not file a law suit against or settle a claim with Fibreboard before August 27, 1993. Individuals do not need to be presently suffering any sym ptom s of injury, and the asbestos exposure need not be o ccu p ationally-related. Oregonians who want more information about the class action settlement should con tact the legal counselors for lawsuit at 1 -800- 923-4237 or 1-800-998-9600. The Depart ment of Consumer and Business Services is not involved in the lawsuit, hut its W orkers’ Compensation Division has been tracking the case as a public service to Oregonians who may be entitled to payments from the trust. ENTERTAINMENT B2 CLASSIFIEDS B7
