Volume XXV Number 8
Serving the community through cultural diversity
Chief Named To
PSU Foundation
Join In Celebrating Our
( buries Moose is named as one
of six new civic and business
leaders lo guide the foundation
board at Portland State.
February 22, 1995
Diversity in
Ashland
LeH'an Alexander is featured on
stage ut the Oregon
Shakespearean Festival.
See Page AH.
A N N IV E R S A R Y
See Metro, inside.
(T
250
THEi'S Bend Woman Leads NAACP
REW
by
Homicide is now the third leadingcause
o f death for black males in America and
A IDS is the fourth leading cause, prim arily
because o f a heavy tol I among black homo­
sexual males. Among black females, AIDS
is the eighth leading cause o f death and
homicide ranks as tenth. A ID S is also the
eighth leading cause o f death among white
males but does not rank among the top 10
among white females.
Jackson Denounces
Gingrich
National black political leader Jesse I
Jackson said Republican Speaker o f the
House Newt Gingrich “ represents a side o f)
MyrHe Evers-Williams, new NAACP chair.
Nation Of Islam Ties
Investigated
Members o f Congress have forced
I Housing and Urban Development Secre­
tary’ Henry Cisneros to investigate allega­
tions that federally funded businesses linked
to the Nation o f Islam are practicing dis­
crimination. In a recent letter to Senate
Leader Bob Dole, Cisneros said he was j
"very concerned about recent allegations |
I o f possible discrimination involving con­
tracts with the Nation o f Islam and a ffiliat-
I ed groups.”
Single Parents Head
Many Families
Thirty percent o f all American fami­
lies and 63 percent o f the nation's black
families are headed by single parents. A c­
cording to the Census Bureau, the house­
holds include mothers and fathers who are |
divorced, widowed or never married and
represent all income groups. But the major­
ity, about 80 percent, were families led by
women.
Fans Flock To Negro
League Museum
I hanks largely to the T V documentary
“ Baseball," Kansas City, Mo. and the Ne-
Igro Leagues Baseball Museum is gaining
added attention and tourists. The T V series
recognized Kansas City and its black Ne­
gro Leagues team, the Monarchs.
j
Officer Will Not Be
Charged
A mostly white grand ju ry in Lexing­
ton, Ky. has refused to indicta white police j
officer who shot a black teenager to death.
Sgt. Phil Vogel shot 18-year-old Antonio |
Sullivan in the head as Sullivan emerged
from a closet with his hands raised. Four I
other officers testified that Sullivan was |
surrendering. But Vogel maintains his gun
discharged accidentally.
Civil Rights Group
Voices Concern
The Citizens Commission on C ivil
Rights in its biennial report praised Presi­
dent Clinton for reversing some o f the anti-
civ il rights policies ofthe Reagan and Bush
administrations, but warned o f a “ new dan­
ger" and threats to civil rights in proposals
in Congress by conservative Republicans.
A2
(Photo courtesy of The Oregonian)
Portland Black History: Qone But N ot Completely Forgotten
by
P
f . . M
M c
P ro
rof
c K
K inley
inley B
B i .« rt t
....
walked down Williams Ave. the
I
other afternoon, viewing what
was left of yesterd ay-reflect­
ing as to what tomorrow may hold.
M em ories em erged from evening
shadows as my mind recreated long
gone scenarios and people of the late
1940’s and up to 1950. It was like
w alking into a n ostalgic tapestry
woven of sights, noises and voices -
palpable enough to wipe out the
present for a moment.
I w ill tell of things that were significant
to me as a young evening law school student.
I he rest you may till in from memory, par­
ents. grandparents or archives. We begin our
stroll at Russell St., headed south, the black
environs sort o f stopped here at the northend.
I he 'other side' had been designated white
by real estate brokers, restrictive covenants
and old German families. This is the area that
resembled a war-torn village after the Eman-
Portland
Black
History
. . .
uel Hospital/Model Cities grandiose devel­
opment project failed, even with funds from
the “ Taylor A ct” .
A t the northeast comer was a popular
Chinese restaurant and up the street aways
was a church whose pastor was Rev.
McSwain, and then, a firehouse. On the south­
east comer was a busy dry cleaners operated
by two black partners, ‘ Brownie and Spicer’ .
( >n the northwest comer was a half-century’
old pharmacy and directly across the street
was the Citizens Cafe — I would consume
a gallon o f coffee just to look at the pretty tan
waitress, “ Shirley” . The rest o f the block was
‘exclusively w hite’ .
Headed south, the next comer o f interest
as N. W illiams and N.E. Tillamook. On the
southwest was the "colored YW C A ". Now-
state senator B ill McCoy and I had rooms up
the street and often we would attend dances
at the center (today’s EIk’s Club). The end o f
this bachelorhood was cinched when a very
attractive young lady by the name o f Gladys
was hired there as a secretary . I held out
1
longer.
On the southeast corner was a pop­
ular soda fo un ta in run by the Proctor
fa m ily, re a lly an A fric a n Am erican in ­
stitu tio n in the com m unity. I d o n ’ t know
w hich was the biggest asset - the d e li­
cious m alted m ilks and ice cream sodas
or old man P ro c to r’ s b e a u tifu l daugh­
ters. There was Annabelle, Geneva, Rose
and a brother as I remember.
Now, the northw est corner o f this
intersection was a scenario never to be
erased from my m em ory - though reach­
ing fo r many tim e-aged facts is lik e tr y ­
ing to catch the w in a net. It was here that
the Benton Fam ily from Arkansas opened
the firs t A fric a n -A m e ric a n -o w n e d g ro ­
cery in P ortland. August 1947. S trongly
supported by his w ife , aunt and uncle.
B ill Benton Sr. made the “ N e ig h b o r­
hood G ro c e ry " a successful in s titu tio n
fo r three decades.
Early on it was forecast that he would
“ never make i t ” because the center fo r
J
black food purchases had been the h ig h ­
ly co m p etitive “ Safeway Store", fiv e
blocks away at W illia m s and N. B ro ad ­
way. True, it was a “ D avid and G o lia th ”
situation, but B ill' put together a com ­
bin atio n o fs e rv ic e , m arketing s k ills and
support o fne igh bo rh o od institutio ns that
soon had the big chain store ree lin g
(re g u la r customers got g ifts , and he a l­
lowed no one to go hungry, w a itin g on
payday).
It didn't hurt his cause at all that he made
the best sausage in Oregon, conventional and
specialties. During hunting season, people
from all over the state brought deer, elk and
other game to be rendered into his famous
sausages. The Safeway store finally folded,
even after concession to black demands for
an integrated staff. Neighborhood Grocery
was my first retail accounting client. I still
remember the family building their own con­
crete block structure -- one day I got to hold
one end o f the chalk string. (The trip down
W illiam s' w ill be concluded next week).
M ajor changes to Oregon's juvenile
justice system w ill be the focus o f a public
hearing Saturday at 9 a m. at the King Facil­
ity, 4 8 15 N.E. 7th.
he latest effort to identify
Testimony is wanted on plans for im­
buildings and sites assoc­
plementing Measure 11, passed by voters in
iated with Portland's early
November, which requires mandatory sen­
A frican A m erican s w ill be held
tences for violent offenders aged 15 or old­
Saturday with a community meeting
er.
Maceo Pettis of the
Coalition of Black Men
debates proposed
changes in the justice
system at an African-
American Legislative
Roundtable. A public
hearing on proposals
before the legislature
will be take place
Saturday in northeast
Portland.
T
from 9 a.m. to noon at the Mt. Sinai
Community Baptist Church, 602 N.E.
Prescott.
The program “ Buildings o f Portland's
African American History ." w ill be present­
ed by the Bosco-Milligan Foundation as
part o f its celebration o f Black History
Month.
Last February, the foundation present­
ed a pilot program that linked buildings to
people and institutions as discussed in K im ­
berly Moreland’s “ The History ofPortland's
African American Community : 1805 to the
Present," published in 1993 by the Portland
Planning Bureau
Kimberly and other long-time residents
ENTERTAINMENT
A5
SPORTS
A6
Comment is also sought on a Senate
B ill l, a proposal to establish a Department
o f Youth Authority, which would take over
Children’s Services Division duties relating
to delinquent youth; build four 400-bed
prisons; and implement new sentencing sanc­
tions.
Rep. Avel Gordly, D-Portland, said the
proposed legislation “ w ill have a major im­
pact on minority youth and especially A fri­
can Americans, who are currently over­
represented and disproportionately confined
in the juvenile justice system.
“ These are the residents o f north and
northeast Portland. This public hearing w ill
be an opportunity for members o fth e com­
munity most affected to voice its opinions
and concerns," said Gordly, a northeast Port­
(Photo by Donn Thomas)
land resident.
Gordly fears any legislation enacted w ill
be seriously flawed, because discussion is
not taking place.
She points to the Oregon Supreme Court
Task Force on Racial Ethnic issues in the
judicial system which also looked at the
treatment o f juveniles.
“ The reports says that we have two sys-
RELIGION
METRO
A7
Bl
terns o f justice, one for whites and one for
everyone else The legislativejudiciary com­
mittees must deal with this information,”
she said.
G o rd ly worked w ith Sen Jeanette
Hamby, chair o f the Senate Judiciary Sub­
committee, to bring the hearing to northeast
Portland, instead o f the normal hearing site
a, the state capitol building
CLASSIFIEDS
BLACK HISTORY
B3
B5
«.M
’ T*
.
&
Juvenile Crime Hearing At King Facility
Continued to page B2
EDITORIAL
Board o f Directors. Gibson was charged with
squandering the organization's money. The
he o n ly a n n o u n c e d her
N AACP has gone through a series o f finan­
candidacy three weeks ago,
cial woes and is more than $4 m illion in debt.
but the enthusiasm for her was
Rank-and-file members filled a meeting
so strong that supporters cried hall
with in New York City with protests signs and
joy when the vote was concluded.
spirited debate Saturday to object to the
M yrlie Evers-Williams, the wife ofslain
renewal o f Gibson’s leadership.
civil rights leader Medgar Evers, was elected
He was the second top official o f the
by just a single vote margin Saturday as the
N AACP to face charges o f impropriety with
first woman to head the NAACP, the nation’s
the group's money. Last year, Benjamin
oldest civ il rights group.
Chavis, the former N AACP executive direc­
A member o f the N AACP board, Evers-
tor, was ousted in a vote by the NAACP
W illiams is said to have the communications
board.
skills necessary to challenge elements in the
In Bend, news o f Evers-Williams elec­
new Republican Congress’ so-called Contact
tion brought community pride to an area with
with America and bring the NAACP into
very few African Americans.
greater prominence.
Area resident Barbara McGowan said it
Formerly from Mississippi, where her
spoke well forthe Bend-Redmond communi­
husband was murdered in 1963 and his killer
ty that a celebrity and a woman o f color
finally brought to justice just last year, Evers-
would choose to live there.
W illiams promised to rebuild the organiza­
Evers-Williams has a definite presence
tion which has been troubled o f late by con­
in the community, said Gary C^pps, the exec­
troversy.
utive director o f the Bend Chamber o f Com­
She is a resident o f Oregon, moving to
merce.
Bend after a career in California as a college
When Medgar Evers' murderer, Byron
administrator, city’ official and corporate ex­
De La Beckwith,
ecutive.
was finally convicted last February; many
Evers-W illiam s replaces W illiam F.
central Oregonians realized that they had a
Gibson as the chairwoman o f the NAACP
celebrity in their midst.
S
Homicides, AIDS leading
killers
history that we have struggled against for j
all of this century." Jackson's views reflect
those o f many black leaders who feel
Gingrich and his conservative Republican
colleagues are pushing for political chang­
es which would harm African Americans.
M ichael L eighton
Ï
* •
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