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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1994)
Volume XXIV Number 4K Ser\ mg the communit} through cultural diversity Nos ember 30. 1994 Support For School Building Football All-Stars Saluted Rance Spruill welcomes patrons contributing to the Albina Youth Opportunity School building fund. Alberta Boutique Opened Jason Scott and other high school players earn honors on the Portland Observer All-City Team. Diana Lewis-Me Knight brings popular African fashions to northeast Portland. See Metro, inside. See Sports, page B2 »: Í ;»• yts . ; < _• w 4 See story, page B4. J \ * « V < 1 I ’ '.X* ;• • A * 1-’ - î (Ehe ;)jf oxtlanh (E r ■ ■ <• w ;• i • '• ' t ‘• s - 3 250 ••».■Ç .-Y . ife.Z i t , AIDS Day Draws Look To Lost Lives X A* » •A r V r A • B y J onathan H utchison Battle With New Congress Expected “ The Republican victory is a tempo rary setback, but none o f us is going to roll over and play dead. The caucus is going to be very visible in trying to protect hard won gains we made in the last few years.” Those were the words last week o f Con gressional Black Caucus member John Lewis, D -G a„ in anticipation ofan expect ed Republican Party assault on programs favored by most black leaders. GOP To Kill Funding For Caucus There are reports that new Republican House leaders plan to eliminate public funding for the Congressional Black Cau cus. W ith such a loss, the caucus, would stil 1 be able to meet but would not have any staff. And one o f two black House Repub licans, J.C. Watts ofOklahom a, has said he is “ not sure” whether or not he w ill jo in the caucus when he takes office in January. ? Simpson Lawyer Earns Award O.J. S im pson a tto rn e y Johnnie Cochran is the recipient o f an award for African American achievement. The pre sentation was made by the Los Angeles- based Brotherhood Crusade Black United Fund in recognition fo r Cochran’s three- decade fight for justice, equity and fair ness. Thursday is W orld A ID S Day, a time to reflect on the over 10 m illion people who are infected w ith the H IV virus worldwide. In Oregon, there are 2,866 reported A ID S cases and about 6,200 people living with H IV . In some A frican countries, one in 40 adults is infected w ith the virus. Generally, people react to these statis tics w ith sadness, pity or indifference. De spite the innocent lives ending prematurely and the emotional and physical pain often accompanies A ID S , there is a great deal o f beauty, jo y and optimism that has resulted from this epidemic. Last November, DeNice Paschal, 43, Portland, lost three good friends to AIDS. Paschal was not aware that two o f the individuals were H IV positive. One person died suddenly, another was perfectly healthy only seven m onth’s prior to their death. When thinking about the people who died, Paschal remembers the beauty and dreams the indi viduals possessed. The first person was a woman Paschal knew through her work at as a counselor at a drug and alcohol treatment facility. This woman was a client, but when she returned to treatment fo llo w in g a relapse, Paschal hardly recognized her. The woman’s hair was fa llin g out and she was rapidly losing her sight. But even with these obstacles, the woman completed treatment and had an active social life. A l though the blindness was irreversible, Pas chal remembers the plans this woman had upon regaining her eyesight. She felt silly doubting the woman’ s plans as she was in credibly enthusiastic. The second person was a well-known African American male performer and pub lisher. He once served as high school class president and positively impacted the A fr i can American community as an openly gay man. Paschal remembers how he impacted Denny's Works On Image An Atlanta, Ga. company, N D I, Inc. w ill operate 50 Denny’ s Restaurants under a deal announced last week. The agree ment is part o f an effort by Denny’ s to improve its image after being hit by a series o f complaints and racial discrimination suits from black patrons. War Ends In Angola One o f the most bloody and longest wars in A frica o ffic ia lly ended last week. Rebel leader Jonas Sivim bi signed a peace treaty with Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. The nearly 20 year-old war which has taken tens o f thousands o f lives was forced to a conclusion when govern ment troops captured a rebel base in the provincial capital o f Huambo. The white m inority government in South A frica along w ith the Reagan and Bush administrations had long supported the rebels as part o f a campaign to weaken the left-le an ing Angolan government. Mandela: Winnie Not Guilty In his autobiography, South African President Nelson Mandela said his es tranged wife. W innie, showed poor judge ment over her use o f private bodyguards but was not guilty o f any serious offense. W innie and the guards, drew controversy and condemnation when the guards, known as the Mandela United Food Club, gained a reputation in black townships fo r vio lence. “ I w holly supported my w ife and maintained that while she had shown some poor judgement, she was innocent o f any serious charges,” Mandela said in the book. She Knew Three People Who Died From AIDS DeNice Paschal of Portland reflects on the three people she knew who died of AIDS and a new appreciation for setting life goals. i A2 •. *. j •« . * * < i T Christmas Tree Opens Holiday Season A giant evergreen tree in Pioneer Courthouse Square has been lighted for the Christmas season. her three children; his presence allow ed them not to harbor prejudices against homosexu als. Such attitudes allowed Paschal, herself, to be open w ith her children about her lesbi anism, which ultimately made the fam ily closer. She feels that her children are privileged to have been influenced by this man, with his generosity, compassion and creatively being embodied in their attitudes. Her third friend to die last November o f A ID S was the sister o f the man mentioned above. Paschal questioned why two people in the same fam ily would die one after the other. Eventually she concluded that perhaps she w ill never understand, but appreciated know ing they are together again. She laughs and remembers how nervous she felt visiting people once they were ill. What would she talk about, how should she act? N ow, such questions seem irrational, as they would talk about their plans, relation ships, hair; the same things they always dis- Continued to page A8 HIV Diagnosed In All Races NEW HIV DIAGNOSIS BY RACE/ETHNICITY OREGON, 1989 - 1992* RATE PER 10,000 TESTED 2 0 0 -f' < F *H IV Test Results, Public & Private Laboratories Roosevelt School~To*Work Program Wins Support north Portland program preparing students for jobs after high school has been awarded $359,909 by the Departments of Labor and Education. A The grant to the Roosevelt Renaissance 2000 School-To-W ork Opportunities Pro gram is part ofan effort to assist young people in low and middle-income urban and rural communities make a successful transition from school to work. The grant is part o f a $ 10 m illion alloca tion to 2 1 business, education and labor part- nerships across the nation under the School- T o-W ork Opportunities A ct singed into law by President Clinton. U.S “ For many young people who live in impoverished areas o f the country, the road to economic self-sufficiency and success in the w orld o f work is block w ith innumerable barriers,” U.S. Labor Secretary Robert B Reich said. “ These grants w ill help break down these barriers and provide access to programs which w ill prepare them for bright futures." The Roosevelt project works to prepare students to succeed in a changing economy requiring a highly skilled and adaptable workforce. Through its school-to-work opportuni ties system, art and communications, health occupations, human services, business and management, manufacturing and engineer ing technology and natural resources fields are the targeted career pathways. “ Young people livin g in high-poverty areas must have access to opportunities that prepare them fo r college and careers," said Armando Quiroz, labor department official ■ EDITORIAL •. L. • .. ; NATIONAL A4 METRO BI SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT B2 B3 in Seattle. “ These grants w ill help comm uni ties learn how to build systems to improve schools, help school dropouts and produce meaningful work experiences.” The Act is designed to broaden educa tion and career opportunities for all students by encouraging partnerships between busi ness and educational institutions at the state and local levels. These partnerships w ill help students made the connection between what they learn in school and in the workplace and prepare them for careers and further educa tion and training ■H RELIGION B5 Ms CLASSIFIEDS B7 ft
