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Vol unie X X V Number 2 1
Committed to cultural diversity
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SECTION
Music Features
Washington, Klugli
Friends o f the Zoo present legendary
ja z z artists G rover W ashington and Earl
K lugh in a K IN K True To The M usic
“ L iv e ” concert June 9 at M etro W ashing
ton Park Zoo. Proceeds benefit the Center
fo r Species S urvival. For detai Is and ticket
prices, ca ll the Friends o f the Zoo o ffice at
220-2493.
The Walnut Park Retail
Center brings new
economic life and
commerce to the
intersection of northeast
Killingsworth and Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd. A
celebration will mark the
opening at noon Saturday
with music, food, art and
dance.
Self Defense For
Women
The Y W C A Fitness and Swim Cen
ter, I I I ! S.W . 10th A ve., kicks o f f a
w om en’ s self-defense class w ith tw o free
demonstrations on June 6 and June 8 at
5:30 p.m. Participants w ill w ork on in
creasing self-em pow erm ent, mastering
physical strikin g and acquiring verbal and
mental skills fo r s e lf defense.
Golfing Fling Aids
Shelter
Golfers are invited to jo in the 7th A n
nual G o lf Fling to benefit the Shelter/Do-
mestic Violence Resource Center in Wash
ington County. The nine-hole scramble w ill
be held June 3 at Orenco Wood GolfCourse.
African-American
Ballet
The N o rth w e st A fric a n -A m e ric a n
B allet w ill perform open dress rehearsal
June 2 at noon at the Intermediate Threatre
on Southwest Broadw ay and Main. The
event w ill give you a behind-the-scenes
lo o k at what goes on before the curtain
goes up on the b a lle t’ s spring concert.
C o lo rfu l costumes and dances from d if
ferent countries w ill take place in the
setting o f a small A frica n village.
Spirituality And
Family Matters
A parenting workshop entitled S p iri
tuality: A fa m ily A ffa ir, fo r adults and
children, 5 and older, w ill be held T hurs
day, June 1 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at First
United M ethodist Church at Southwest
18th and Jefferson. Sponsors include
Lutheran F am ily Services, Ecumenical
Clinton
Advisor Visits
Humboldt
Security Lights Added
To Area Homes
”
P o rtla n d h o m e o w d e r K e lly H o lla n d lo o k s o n a s a
v o lu n te e r fro m th e In te rn a tio n a l B ro th e rh o o d o f
resident Clinton Domestic
Policy Advisor Carol Rasco
took a tour through the Boise
and Humboldt neighborhoods last
week to evaluate a pilot program that
puts chronically unemployed people
back to work.
thanks to the volunteer effo rts by Portland area electricians.
M a y o r Vera K atz introduced Rasco to
the e ffo rt called “ It,” w hich puts resources
in to targeted neighborhoods w ith the goal o f
raising income levels.
The N ational E lectrical Contractors A ssociation, O regon-
C o lu m b ia chapter, and International B rotherhood o f E lectrical
W orkers, local 48, recently installed m otion-sensor e xte rio r lig h t
ing fo r 24 neighborhood homes - a ll at no cost to the home owners.
“ We called this program the ' I t ’ project
because is so new and so unique that we
d id n ’t know what to ca ll it, but we knew it
Grants from P acific Power and L ig h t and Portland General
E le ctric were used by the com m unity service organization. Hous
ing O u r Families, to purchase the lights.
w o u ld be e ffective and that we wanted to do
it,” said Katz. “ We started w ith a north/
The contractors and electricians provided these services as
part o f the volunteer efforts o f the program Christm as in A p ril. The
northeast Portland neighborhood because the
poverty level and unem ploym ent in that area
exceeds the region and th a t’ s unacceptable.”
program is a nationw ide e ffo rt dedicated to p ro v id in g home repair
and rehabilitations to low -incom e, e lderly and disabled home
owners.
Case w orkers in the program w ill go
d oor-to-door, asking people what they can do
The goal o f the program is to enable them to live in warm th,
safety, independence and d ig n ity. It provides not o n ly needed
P
E le c tric a l W o rke rs, L o c a l 48, in s ta lls a m o tio n s e n s o r
s e c u rity lig n tin g a t h e r ho m e .
A group o f low -incom e homeowners in the Boise neighbor
hood now have increased security w ith new o u td o o r lig h tin g
to help them get back to being productive
electrical w ork, but a com plete range o f repair w o rk from ro o fin g
members o f the w o rk force.
to painting to general clean up.
K e ith Edwards serves as volunteer coordinator fo r the C hrist
M inistries o f Oregon, Safehaven A fte r
School program and other groups. For
more inform ation, call 750-9651.
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Honoring Achievement At Annual Ball
Kid’s Choir
Auditions
The Oregon Repertory Singers C h il
dren’ s C hoir, a m u lti-cu ltu ra l, m u lti-e th
nic singing group is h olding its 1995-96
season auditions every Wednesday after
noon at C olonial Heights Presbyterian
Church, 2828 S.E. Stephens. C all M ary
Ann K elley 246-8989 fo r inform ation.
Volunteers
Needed For Youth
Hyalite, Inc. the B uffa lo Soldier Ret
rospective Program using art, culture and
the history o f A frican Americans to en
hance self-esteem for urban boys is recruit
ing members. Volunteers with upright, moral
and motivating character are encouraged to
contact the non-profit group at 220-8282.
Medicare Overall
Discussed
U.S. Rep. Ron W yden, D-Ore. w ill
discuss legislation that w ould overall the
nation’ s M edicare system d u rin g a con
stituent meeting, Saturday, June 3 at 10:30
a m. at K irkla n d U nion M anor, 3530 S.E.
84th. Wyden also hosts tow n meetings
June 3 at 3:30 p.m. at C oncordia College,
2 8 1 1 N.E. Holman; and June 4 at 2 p.m. at
A lin a C h ris tin a C la rk
E d ito r ’s note : The P o rtla n d O bserver
in tro d u c e d a g ro u p o f distin g uish e d y o u n g
men o f P o rtla n d as C a va lie rs to an a n n u a l
ball. N ow we are p leased to begin the in tro
d u ctio n o f 25 Debutantes, outsta n d in g yo u n g
women o f o u r comm unity.
Prospective Debutantes and Cavaliers
w ill have taken part in m any com m unity
a ctivitie s before they are honored during the
annual ball by the organization Les Femmes.
The activities include participation in an
A fric a n A m erican conference at Western
Oregon State C ollege, attending a lecture/
reading by M aya A ngelou, feeding the hun
N ic o le L o v e B o w le s
will feature a passage from the following
poem:
"You may write me down in history
With y o u r bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I ’l l rise.
Does my s ass in ess upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
Cause I walk like I ’ve got o il wells
Pumping in my living room. ”
Five Debutantes featured in this issue
are Elisa Joy Bennett, N ic o le Love Bowles,
A lin a C h ris tin a C la rk , M ie h e llä ’ Yvette
Henderson and K atrina Denise Hopkins.
g ry at Thanksgiving, ca ro lin g at Christmas,
v is itin g nursing homes and other com m unity
Bennett, a senior at Benson H igh School,
is the daughter o f Jacqueline and W illia m
services.
Bennett.
M any o f the activities are done under the
leadership o f current Les Femmes President
“ I b rin g many things to Les Femmes as
a Debutante. The main th in g that I am, as a
Debutante, is an example to others. I f the Les
Femmes program was ever asked to in tro
duce a product o f their program , tom orrow or
B e tty Thompson.
In keeping with this year’s theme “And
Still I Rise" each week preceding the ball
K a trin a D e n is e H o p k in s
E lis a J o y B e n n e tt
10 years from now, I w ould d e fin ite ly be a
person they could choose and be proud of. As
an A fric a n Am erican female now , I am a
leader, smart, in te llig e n t and a w orker. Ten
years from now, I w ill not o n ly be a ll o f the
above but more. I w ill have graduated from a
fo u r year college o r university. I w ill always
hold m y head up high and remember that I am
a phenomenal w om en,’ ” Bennett said.
Bowles, a seniorat Benson H igh School,
is the daughter o f D ene’ and W illie B o w le s’
“ W hat D o I B rin g To Les Femmes As A
Debutante?
“ I feel that by being involved w ith Les
Femmes it w ill give me an o p p o rtu n ity to
better m yself, and m y se lf esteem as a g ro w
ing young lady. I have been a perspective
Debutante fo r more than a year and it has
already given me a life tim e o f special expe
riences. B y know ing m y expectations fo r
being presented this spring it w ill give me the
chance to show m y se lf and those around me
M ie h e llä ' Y ve tte H e n d e rs o n
how very w ille d powered, and s e lf con
tro lle d I can be. I w ill brin g to Les Femmes
my care and concerns and m y a b ility to
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