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T he P ortland O bserver • O ctober 12, 1994
A Timely Addendum To Urban
Planning Series
ow, there is a word that
ancestry. On her father’s side, she
was not of pure Theban stock, though
re a lly t it illa t e s m y
her mother was. Her enemies, the
tongue, w hat with its
Latin peculiarities, though priests
my o f Amen, now seized on this
"taint” in her lineage and plotted to
favorite of all tim e is “hiatus,” a
dethrone her. To offset this, she be
pause or break in the scheme
gan to publicize herself in the most
of things. This “addendum ” to
sensational manner of that time: the
the “urban” them e results from
building o f temples, pyramids and
th e e x tra -o rd in a ry in te re s t
obelisks, the size and grandeur of
created by my do cu m en ted
which was regarded by the popular
re v e la tio n s of th e A fric a n
mind
as a gauge of the ruler’s power.
initiatives of the art of “city
Accordingly,
Hatshepsut decided to
planning.”
build a temple the like of which the
world had never seen before and sent
by P rof . M c K inley B urt
for her chief architect, Senmut, who,
For the inquiring teachers, I have
to all appearance, was a full-blooded
provided the citations and text m ate
Negro. Together, they chose a site
rial (including pictures) that will en
which was not only appropriate but
able them to construct the classroom
strategic. This was on an elevation
models they wish to build. A parent
three miles away from the stronghold
came by to photocopy some material
of her opponents, the Tem ple of
I could not release. Now, this is the
Amen-Ra. From this site her temple
kind of response that would have
looked down on theirs.
resulted had my submissions to the
“ U n d e r S e n m u t’s g e n iu s,
“Baseline Essays” been adopted in
H atshepsut’s temple developed into
the multi-cultural process. I had em
what is still one of the w orld’s most
phasized the rew arding reception
remarkable specimens o f architec
accorded my presentations at schools
ture. It had a frontage o f 800 feet and
and on television in different parts of
was for the most part hollowed out of
the country, including testimonial
the great cliff that overlooked it.
letters.
Double and triple rows o f columns
However, like the fabled Phoe
lined the entrance, and the approach
nix bird rising from the ashes, I am
was marked by innumerable statues,
gradually getting on again with my
wonderful terraces, and paradisiacal
business of delivering a ‘real’ history
gardens. Colorful inscriptions deco
of African and African American
rated the interior, which abounded in
peoples. Particularly productive has
architectural novelties.
been the format I mentioned several
“ N o t c o n te n t w ith th is,
weeks ago; reaching several major
H atshepsut decided to carry her tri
city talk shows with my presenta
umph into the very cam p o f her de
tions - originating in my Alberta Street
tractors. She ordered to be made two
office and transmitted via the elec
obelisks, taller than any others in
tronic information highway: In the
Egypt. Each was hewn from mighty
“trade organization” to which I be
blocks of rose granite and when com
long (Association o f Oregon Indus
pleted took two great rafts, each
tries) I have been talking with several
manned by 900 men to transport down
communicationengineers and execu-
the Nile. Hatshepsut intended these
tives - it seems that if I continue to
as a gift to the Temple o f Amen-Ra
build a good public response to my
but very astutely she had ordered
multi-cultural theme via radio, then,
them made so tall that they were
with the rapid escalation of the tech
higher than the temple, whose ruins,
nology I could be doing the same
now known as Karnak, reveal it to be
thing on television by 1995 from my
one of the most colossal structures
own studio.
made by man. Accordingly to make
But, back to the grandeurs that
the obelisks fit, the roof of the temple
were those o f our ancestors. Here is
w as o p e n e d an d fro m th is
m ore on th a t fa b u lo u s Q u e e n
H atshepsut’s obelisks reared their
Hatshepsut, the African genius who
heads as chimneys over a roof. But
set the stage for the modern cityscape.
that was not all. To make the obelisks
The following excerpt is from J.A.
still more conspicuous she had their
R ogers’ “W orld’s G reat M en of
tops encased in electrum, a metal
Color” :
costlier than gold.”
“H atshepsut had yet another
And here is material from Arthur
handicap besides that of sex, namely,
N
Segals “City Planning In Ancient
Times,” (Minneapolis, Lerner, 1977).
For those rascals who still “teach”
that the glorious achievem ents of the
Africans were constructed by hordes
of slave laborers, try this hiatus on
for size:
“In addition toestablishing mili
tary settlements in Nubia, the Egyp
tians built planned towns in other
parts of their kingdom. O ne o f these
was a town named Kahun. W hen
archaeologists excavated the site of
this ancient settlement, they hoped to
settle an old question. Kahun was a
planned town established for the pur
pose of providing a home for the
workers who built one o f the ancient
pyramids. Scholars and historians had
long wondered just how many people
were needed to build a pyramid.
W hile m ost o f the experts agreed that
hundreds o f thousands of workers
must have been employed on these
colossal projects, there was no way
of determining an exact figure. Sci
entists hoped that by studying the
houses o f the laborers’ town, and
counting the num ber o f houses, they
could determ ine the figure with
greater accuracy.
“To everyone’s surprise, the
down o f Kahun turned out to have
enough houses for only a few thou
sand workers, a far lower number
than anyone supposed. The old theo
ries - according to which hundreds of
thousands o f slaves labored under
terrible conditions to build the pyra
mids - were, to some extent, dis
proved. The w orkers’ houses, while
not luxurious, were still spacious and
com fortable, each consisting o f a
small central courtyard surrounded
by two or three bedrooms and a small
storeroom.
“At the end of the town there was
a group of luxurious buildings, quite
different in size and appearance from
the workers’ modest houses. Each of
these houses was built around a large
courtyard bordered on one side by a
row of columns. Living rooms were
arranged around the courtyard, and
the bedrooms contained raised plat
forms for the beds. These houses,
which even had guest rooms and a
bathroom, doubtless belonged to the
engineers and the foremen who super
vised the work of constructing the
pyramid. Once the pyramid was com
pleted, Kahun was abandoned, and
the town was soon buried in the drift
ing desert sands.”
1994 Minority Contractor
Of The Year Award
For the first time, the annual
M inority C ontractor o f the Y ear
Award is being shared by two firms,
according to Carl R. Culham, chair,
Minority Business Opportunity com
mittee of the Portland Federal Ex
ecutive Board. Each year the Port
land Federal Executive Board hon
ors an outstanding m inority-owned
business whose selection is based on
its superior performance on Federal
Government contracts. This year the
award is being shared by two firms,
MRC Company and J.O. Interna
tional Reforestation, Inc.
Isy Aguirre Jr., President of
M RC C o m p an y , o f W o o d lan d ,
W ashington, has been selected as
one of the co-recipients to receive
the P o rtlan d F ed eral E x ecu tiv e
B oard's 1994 Minority Contractor
of the Year Award. MRC Company
B
la c k
B
is a nine-year old general construc
tion company that specialized in rail
road construction and excavation.
The firm was nominated for the award
by the Portland District, Corps of
Engineers for outstanding perfor
mance in rehabilitating the railroad
spur track at Bonneville Dam.
Javier G. Orozco, President of
J.O. International Reforestation, Inc.,
of G rants Pass, Oregon, has been
selected as the o th e r c o -re c ip ie n t
to re c e iv e the aw ard. J.O . In te r
n a tio n a l R e fo re sta tio n , Inc. is an
e ig h t-y e a r old co m p an y th at p ro
v id e s tree p la n tin g , p ru n in g , and
o th e r re fo re s ta tio n se rv ic e s. T he
firm was n o m inated for this aw ard
by the O reg o n S ta te o ffic e o f the
B u reau o f L and M a n a g e m e n t for
the su p e rio r q u a lity o f c o n tra c t
p e rfo rm a n c e in 1994.
u s in e s s
C
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PflESENIS
The only
way
eommunllie»
and Individual«
THE BLACK MARKET
CO-OP
"The Business Community Working Together."
«an grow 1»
through
F R ID A Y ,
knowledge
O C T O B E R 14, 6 -9 P .M .
&
and
cooperation
SATURDAY,
O C T O B E R 1 5 ,1 0 A . M . - 6 P .M .
Hack
Butlnettet
BLACK BUSINESSES
need
lo
support each
E N T E R T A IN M E N T
other now
more than
Job» and
opportunity»
Mr. Aguirre and Mr. Orozco
will be honored at the annual M inor
ity Enterprise D evelopm ent W eek
Luncheon, to be held in Portland at
the Oregon Convention Center, Tues
day, O ctober 11,1994. This event is
held to recognize the outstanding
achievements and contributions of
our nation’s m inority businesses.
Tickets for the Awards Luncheon
can be obtained by contacting Im
pact Business C onsultants at (503)
245-9253.
PURCHASE YOUR H O LID A Y GIFTS CARLY
SEC T i l l WIDE VARIETY OF AFRO-CENTRIC PRODUCTS
CELEBRATE THE U P -C O M IN G H O LID A Y SEASON
and lo ensure
LOCAL VENDORS A N D RESTAURANTS
M i l BE O N H A N D TO
SELL THEIR WARES IN A
C O M M U N IT Y SOCIAL ATMOSPHERE
that young
future
A group of state officials, com
munity leaders, and children cel
ebrated Children’s Week in Oregon
by inaugurating a statewide network
of child-friendly waiting areas in 42
state Employment Department of
fices.
“Oregonians know how im por
tant it is to invest in the well-being of
our children,” said Secretary of State
Phil Keisling. “ Public and private
employers need to do their part by
encouraging family-friendly w ork
places.”
Keisling spoke at a ribbon cut
ting ceremony at one o f the waiting
areas, known as The C hildren’ s C or
ner, in the Employment Department’ s
downtown office. Joining him were
Em ploym ent D epartm ent A cting
Director Roger Auerbach, Child Care
Commission member Jo Rymer, and
children o f the office’s employees
and customers.
“This is another way to serve
our customers better,” said Roger
Auerbach, Acting D irector of the
Employment Department. “Parents
should have a more productive visit
and children will learn about the
world of work.”
T he C h ild r e n ’s C o rn e r a l
low s c h ild re n to re a d o r play in
sight o f p a re n ts w ho use an E m
p lo y m en t D e p a rtm e n t o ffic e to
look for w ork. T h e sp e c ia l w a it
ing a rea is sto c k e d w ith toys,
books, and e d u c a tio n a l m a te ria ls
about the w o rk p la c e .
“Smart employers recognize that
many w orkers and custom ers are
parents, too,” said Jo Rymer, who
serves on the Oregon Commission
on Child Care and owns and operates
Pro-Tern, a temporary employment
service. “To succeed in today’s mar
ketplace, you need to provide sup
port for those dual roles through child
see what hard
work and
community
support oan
create
OAME CASCADE PLAZA
4134 N. Voncouver Ave
Portland. Oregon
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Ph y liM Getue»: 255-.MR2
Rm lyn H ill 2M-3779
C -O A P O N «n «»n BY THF HFRAI D-TIMF4 NFW4PAPFR
THF ORFCON AMOTIATCON OF MINORITY «MTRFPRRMPURR
care and services like The Children’ s
Corner.”
After the completion of a suc
cessful pilot project developed with
the state Education Department in
Salem last year, the Employment
Department decided to install The
a ':
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Children’s Corner statewide It pro
vided $15,000 in toys, books, furni
ture, and other supplies to 42 offices.
M ost of The Children’s corners are
opening by October 2-8, which G ov
ernor Barbara Roberts has declared
Children’s Week in Oregon.
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Coming Soon
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C ruise N ig h t A t T h e E lks C lu b
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PLAN YOUR NEXT REUNION ON CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE’S
JU B IL E E R EU N IO N C R U ISE JU N E 25, 1995
Fly PDX To Los Angels And Stay One Night At A Los Angels Hotel
On June 25 Cruise to Puerto Vallarta. Mazatlan & Carbo San Lucas
Cost $1,699.00 Category 6. Upper Deck Inside. King/Twin
Riviera Deck, Ocean View, Twin/King
$ 4 0 0 .0 0 R e u n io n D isco u n t
$1,299.00 C ost p e r person based on double occupancy
$110.50 P o rt C h arges and Taxes
i
PAYMENT PLAN:
D eposit $25.00 Due by October 28, 1994
2nd paym ent $175.00 Due by February 17, 1995
F inal paym ent $1,109.50 Due by April 20, 1995
Payment may be made by VISA.
M ASTER CARD, DISCOVER CARD
I f paying by check, make check payable to TRA VEL EE LIZ
For more information, contact Peggy Joseph
V. 1
(503) 288-9590
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the!
across Ameri
stands distinct1
rest of the hum
And almost everywh
out, as
as a a symbol
symooi ui me
roots, many are alsoprobing to know
out,
rica continent. Many black folks a T T ^ ^ ie particular nation or countries of
over the world are conscious of this
ancestral link to this tropical land,
where human civilization was born.
And across these great minds o f men
and women of the golden black skin
in diaspora lie the urge to go back to
their motherland, someday.
Many have left their foreign land
to settle in Africa where no one will
question the dignity o f the color of
their skin. W here the sanctity of their
culture is reverend and respected.
W here their equality will be guaran
teed. And where they can walk freely
and shop freely w ithout harassment.
Many black folks who have re
signed their fate to live in diaspora
for life are eager to know their tribal
their ancestors. The key to knowing
the country you originate from is
embedded in A frica tribal identity.
This is because each tribe in Africa is
uniquely different from one another,
in physical body structure. The
Swahili are different from the Tuaregs
even though they inhabit the same
region. In my native Nigeria, each
tribe identify its own ethnic group
through this mechanism. The Ibo tribe
in the east differs in their physiques
from Hausas and Fulanis in the north.
M ost of the Africans who live
close to the desert are somewhat slim
mer than those that live along the
riverain area that are broadly built
and heavier. Most of the slaves taken
nly from this
’are darker with
k lips. They are
coast of Ghana, in
Tea o f Ivory coast, in
T o g o andT an area su rro u n d in g
Badagry in Nigeria. Others are the
Congolese, j h e majority o f this tribe
are short arid sturdy. The average
height o f the Congolese is 5 foot-2
inches. You could determine which
African tribe you originate by com
paring your frame with rest of the
tribes. The good news is that nature ’ s
experiment on Africa tribal classifi
cation is very pronounced.
More so. visit the Zulus or the
Hutus, the W atusi, the Edos, the
Fulanis, the Nupes, the Kayamaris
and the rest of the tribes.
Check out the country where
they reside. You will find yourroots.
This is only a clue from someone
who cares. Good luck.
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(Promise King was born in Ni
geria. He has worked fo r local and
foreign media, and is a staff writer
for the Portland Observer.)
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Vessels
I ’tru cwfciou* to- ¡how you/ o u r
fr ie n d ly c a r wash/ tim e r m e n a g e
cen ter.
$
Tableware W ith M eaning
You/ jee$ w h e n y o u /p u t i n y o u r coin4
to- w a ¡ h y o u r c a r i t ¡howy you/ how
m uch/ tim e - you / have/ Ze/fc C K ind/of a
c o u n t-d o w n ).
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A ccessories
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B u t here/’y th e /b e tt p a rt. W henyou/’ve
u ted/ up a i l o f y o u r tim e , a n d / fo rg o t
t h a t o n e /d ir ty ¡pot, i t a t f o y o u / t o p u t
bn j u f t e n o u g h m on ey ¡o- y o w c a n
finish* How d i d i t know th a t?
I t y c o ile d / “cou rtesy time/”................
T h a t y nice*
bu»lne»»
owner» In out
communlle»
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Jobs Agency Launches New Service
For Kids During Children’s Week
FO O D
ever to create
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] I Y o a /U /lo v e / i t i
NAttOS*>-J
National Pride Self-Service Car Wash
5733 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
AA v W n A
Bath & Kitchen
Dinnerware
Stemware
Flatware
Gittwrap
Wallpaper
Decorative Pillows
Wedding Invitations
Decorative Bowls. Vases & Trays
Table Runners. Covers & Placemats
Napkins, Napkin Holders & Rings
Switch Plates & Outlet Covers
Custom Shower Curtains
Bathroom Accessories
Coasters & Trivets
O B rid al R e g is try O
Tuesday - Saturday
10 am - 6 pm
2 6 0 5 N E Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Portland, O reg o n 9 7 2 1 2
(Comer of N E. Russell)
(503) 249-1952
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