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T he P ortland O bserver • J uly 19, 1995
P age A5
Festival Raises Record Donations
“Doing It Right:
A Fashion show For The 90’s Family’
In celebration o f the 1995 Es­
sence A w ard s, E ssen ce and
JCPenney presented a live review o f
fashions for the whole family on Sat­
urday, June 10 at the JCPenney store
at the Fox Hills Mall in Culver City,
California. The show spotlighted the
latest in affordable career, evening
and urban clothing, sportswear, ac­
tive wear, and children’s fashions
available at JCPenney. Fashions were
presented by models from the Afri
can-American community, including
children from the Los Angeles chap­
ter o f Jack and Jill o f America, Inc.
organization. Throughout the show,
tips on creating an Afro-centric look
using accessories and jewelry avail­
able at JCPenney were offered Spe­
cial gifts from Essence and JCPenney
were presented to attendees. Pictured
are (from left to right): Jocelyn
Brown, Midwest advertising sales
director for Essence magazine, two
JCPenney models, Bunny Withers
president o f the Los Angeles chapter
o f Jack and Jill o f America, Inc. and
Edward T. Howard, president o f the
Southwestern region for JCPenney.
The National Political Congress Of Women
End Confab With Solutions And Salvation
The National Political Congress
o f Black Women, Inc. (NPCBW )
recently ended an action-packed,
five-packed, five-day Biennial con­
vention in Seattle, WA at the Red
I.ion Hotel. The convention wound
up with spirited conversation with
some of the country’s most esteemed
African-American female leaders and
the development o f a national agen­
da which included the organization’s
challenge in a ten-point plan for the
21st Century.
“ I am so glad that we were able
to come together in the name o f sis­
terhood,” said founder and National
Chair, Dr. C. Delores Tucker.
The event, which began Thurs­
day, July 6, included workshops,
Committee m eetings and the C-
SPAN-aired “ W omen’s Roundtable
Leadership Summit: Reclaiming Our
Community” . M oderated by Confer­
ence Chair, Dr. Barbara Skinner, the
panel included: Yla Eason, President
& CEOofOlmec Toys; singers Melba
Moore and Dionne Warwick; Rev.
Willie Barrow, President, Operation
PUSH; Dr. Ruth Love, Professor,
San Francisco State University; Dr.
Roz Y. W oodhouse, President, Seat­
tle Metro Urban League; Rep. Dawn
Mason, (D-W A.); actress/producer/
director Beverly Todd; Washington,
D.C.’s First Lady Cora M asters-Ber­
ry; Chicago Citizen Managing Edi­
tor Lisa Ely; National Newspaper
Publishers A ssociation President
Dorothy LeVell, Washington, D C.
Shadow Senator Florence Pend leton,
U S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-
GA) and newly inducted NAACP
Chair, Myrlie Evers-Williams.
The no-for-profit organization
featured subjects ranging from em­
powering youth for political and eco­
nomic survival; the community rein­
vestment act; healthcare in the 21st
century; affirmative action; access to
the inform ation superhighw ay; a
youth forum; careers in the military
and revitalizing our communities.
However, the convention made
progress when a historic meeting
between C. Delores Tucker, Mayor
Omar Bradley o f Compton, CA.,
Suge Knight, president o f Death Row.
N PCBW Entertainment Commission
C h a irs M e lb a M o o re, D ionne
W arw ick and D ire c to r V on
Alexander took place Friday evening.
The NPCBW has taken national lead
in the fight against explicit and de­
meaning gangsta rap lyrics.
Tucker, Moore and Warwick
have protested record stores who
carry songs with explicit lyrics and
more recently, Tucker took on the
board o f directors at Time Warner
where she is a stockholder.
“ I feel thatthem eetingw as very,
very productive,” said Tucker, “we
were able to listen to the young men’s
point o f view and that they under­
stood ours.” Tucker informed the
organization that future talks will be
held.
Tucker stated that they have
made several attempts to contact the
rappers and the label, but have been
unsuccessful. At the meeting, Death
Row representatives made tentative
plans for Snoop Doggy Dogg to meet
with the group, however at conven­
tion last hours, no one could verify
his arrival. The NPCBW Entertain­
ment Commission said, “ it is busi­
ness as usual” and plans remain to
take on the gangsta rap giants in the
music industry.
The Entertainment Commission,
which held a very informative work­
shop on the issue o f the raunchy
lyrics, stated that pressure will be
applied to Capitol Records, whom
they charged with “holding hostage”
the recording o f “Lift Ev’ry Voice
and Sing,” recorded by Moore and
other well-known R&B Artists.
T hey ch arged that the record
com pany did not pro m o te the
song and they are re q u estin g re ­
turn o f the m aster copy, videos
and any o th e r m aterial re la tin g to
the p ro je c t. They also plan to
announce future reco rd co m p a ­
nies ta rg e te d in its fight against
g an g sta rap or heavy m etal ly r­
ics.
The program was ladened with
spirited speeches by Lt. Gen. Irene
Towell-Harris; St. Sen. Diane Watson
(D -C A ); Dr. Betty Shabazz; the
White House Assistant to the Presi­
dent Alexis Herman; and former U S.
Surgeon General Dr. M. Joycelyn
Elders.
All reminded o f the fight that
Black women have made in America
and that the fight must still continue.
Waterfront Blues Festival Rais­
es A Record $161,000 And 69,500
Pounds O f Food For Oregon Food
Bank
Oregon Food Bank received a
record amount o f donated funds and
food --$161.000 and 69,500 pounds
o f f o o d - a tth e 1995 Miller Genuine
Draft W aterfront Blues Festival June
30-July 4 Last year, the festival raised
$ 125,000 and 45,000 pounds o f food
This year's dollar total includes
$12,000 raised by the Oregon Potters
Association, whose members donated
and sold hundredsof handcrafted, spe­
cially priced bowls and other ceramic
dishes in a project called “Empty
Bowls.” People who bought bowls re­
ceived vouchers for free soup at sever­
al participating restaurants. All pro­
ceeds were donated to Oregon Food
Bank Last year, the Empty Bowls
project raised $8,500 for the food bank
"W e are gratified by the success
o f this community event, which had
the support o f thousands o f people,”
said Rachel Bristol Little. Oregon
Food Bank's executive director. “ We
are grateful to those who donated
time, food, money and talent to the
Oregon Food Bank through the M ill­
er Genuine Draft Waterfront Blues
Festival. Everyone involved -- from
staff to sponsors to volunteers to
festival goers -- has helped make
sure that thousands o f hungry fami­
lies in Oregon and Clark County.
Washington, will receive badly need­
ed, nutritious food.”
The donated food will be dis­
tributed to Portland-area food banks.
Cash donations will enable Oregon
Food Bank to acquire and distribute
at least 1.3 million pounds o f food.
Children’s Agency Adds
To Name
The Oregon Children’s Servic­
es Division (CSD) has changed its
name to the state Office for Services
to Children and Families.
The newly created title became
effective this month. The change was
required by a bill passed by state
lawmakers two years ago.
It requires the new agency to be
responsible for child protective ser­
vices, foster care, residential treat­
ment and remedial services in assist­
ing parents in caring for and protect­
ing their children.
"This is an excellent opportuni­
ty forus to provide information to the
public on the role o f child protective
services in local communities,” said
Kay Toran, administrator o f the of­
fice.
Toran said the office would pre­
pare a mission statement which fo­
cuses on protecting children.
"lt is our ardent hope that Ore­
gonians understand that we are in the
business o f protecting children,” she
said. “And this will be spelled out in
the mission statement ”
The office will have 1,487 em-
K a y Toran will direct n e w ly
n a m e d O ffice for S e rv ic e s to
C hildren a n d Families.
ployees and a budget of $342 million
for a two year period beginning this
month.
Separately, juvenile corrections
has moved from the office to become
anew agency cal led the Oregon Youth
Authority.
What Should I Do For AN Encore?
by
P rof . M c K inley B i
rt
It would be better to ask, what
“shouldn’t I do? — Since that alleged
retirement a decade ago (It was called
“early” in those days).
It seems universal in an active
career(s) that there is never enough
time to pursue all the goals that seem
really, really important to one; those
that would have been given priority,
except that you had to earn a living.
So, you know how it goes -- you
accumu late al I those vital notes some­
where like a Book o f Revelations'
which will lead toa ‘Promised Land”
o f accomplishments. If ever there is
time to open it!
The thing about it is, when you
retrieve all these self-generated maps
and directives, you find that while it
is quite true that “nothing ever chang­
es but the name o f the game”, the new
names, vernacular, icons and idioms
require a time delay while they are
translated. The business game, the
grant game, the urban game, the pov­
erty game, politics and whatever have
not changed one whit. The play’ was
written some time ago, lines and cos­
tumes are updated but the plots are
ancient.
Now the things I had planned to
do later fall into three major catego­
ries and took their experienced based
character from career objectives at
particular times: Economic, Educa­
tion and Science (writing always
seemed like a tool or device fash­
ioned to expedite the major thrusts).
Those I find in a situation like mine
seem to agree on the viability o f such
a format -- we meet and discuss these
matters fairly often.
So it is perhaps not that odd that
whether the gatherings are in the
inner-city, downtown, Beaverton or
Hillsboro - and whatever the demo­
graphics or ethnicity, culture or in­
come base — man, is it ever difficult
to be allowed to bring an experience
- based reality and knowhow to ei­
ther the economic or social market­
place. Scores would divert you from
your goals.
Too many who have finished
high school or college cannot read,
write or count any better than during
that period several decades ago when
Catholic priests were protesting that
many graduates could not perform
these tasks. At Westside meetings
(formal and informal) with fellow
members o f the “Association o f O r­
egon Industries" we discuss these
things as each strives to shape a via­
ble structure to facilitate ongoing or
“retirement" goals; some are my
former students, now executives in
industry or government.
With many o f my contacts, asso-
ciations and resources developed
over a period o f many years it really
is not that difficult to structure work­
able and fundable programs within
the major classes that I cited earlier:
Economics (Business Enterprise),
Education and Science/Math. But
what you do have ‘out there’ are
many groups of increasingly despair­
ing people, well-meaning, but whose
conduct comes o ff as “greed-ava­
rice-exploitation” or worse. People
are frightened.
So it is that for a number o f those
‘deferred’ projects, I have developed
viable structures and have funding
organizations available - some from
the ‘old’ days who were very im­
pressed with the level o f innovation
and the design o f the “needs-ad­
dressed” aspects. But as indicated,
today’s problems, which slow expe­
dition, center mostly around people
in the sense that contemplated oper­
ating personnel often exhibit the same
deficiencies as the targeted clientele.
Nevertheless, a number o f us
have gotten what we feel are some
important projects off the ground --
without fan-fare or publicity. This is
proving to be a necessary approach
in a time o f stiff competition for
funding in both the commercial and
non-profit areas, lt is always good to
hear from like-minded people who
are ‘real’... and are organized and
committed; I am in the ‘book’. More
particulars next week.
B u ild in g S e lf-E s te e m
S tu d en ts in G rad es 3-5 who
were p erform ing below grade lev­
el in sch o o l, are eag er to learn
and are su p p o rte d in th e ir school
efforts by their p arents w ere id en ­
tified by th e ir te a c h e rs to p a rtic ­
ipate in th e sum m er session.
Each 15-student classro o m
is su p e rv ise d by a te a c h e r and
e d u catio n al a ssista n t, w ith a stu ­
dent h elp er and adult v o lu n te e r
who are K ing alum ni. S tudent
help ers, funded by the P rivate
Industry C o u n cil, are m em bers
o f K in g ’s s e c o n d “ 1 H ave A
D ream ” program class, a c c o rd ­
ing to H opson.
Student in the program receive
breakfast and lunch each day, as well
as incentives donated by area busi­
nesses. Highlighting the program are
Thursday awards ceremonies, Fri­
day field trips and a picnic on the last
day for students, parents, staff and
program supporters.
T he K ing p ro g ra m , w hich
runs th ro u g h July 28, receives
som e $ 3 3 ,0 0 0 in grant funding
Checking
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Basic Skills Focus Of King Elementary Summer Program
yhen you help kids build their
:eem, their work on building
kills comes much easier.”
lat philosophy, expressed by
:n coordinator Lauren Hopson,
foundation o f a summer pro-
ow involving some 90 young-
it King Elementary School
NE 6th). The five-week pro-
which runs from 8:30 a.m. to
p.m. Monday through Friday,
ovides students with leader-
kills designed to help them
T h e B ig T h re e S u m m it: Three o f th e m o s t im portant a n d influential
African A m e ric a n Law yers, J o h n n ie C ochran o f L o s A n g e le s, Willie
Brown, c a n d id a te for M ayor o f S a n Francisco, a n d J o h n L. Burris o f
O akland, m e t recen tly a t a sp e c ia l fun d era iser to d isc u ss Afro
A m erica n political e m p o w e rm e n t.
from local o rg a n iz a tio n s in c lu d ­
ing the M eyer M em orial T ru st,
O regon Com m unity F o u n d atio n ’s
C lay to n S train Fund and Edna
H olm es T rust Fund, B lack U n it­
ed F und, P o rtland G eneral E le c ­
tric , P P& L , C am pbell G roup and
F irst In te rsta te Bank.
For More Information, please
contact Lauren Hopson at K ing, 280-
6456 or Lew Frederick, director o f
Public Information and Communi­
cation, Portland Public Schools, 3 3 1 -
3304.
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