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S eptember 27, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
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Black Labor, White Wealth. Part
Bv P rof . M c K inley B vrt
Again, I am using as a heading,
the title o f a very relevant book on the
“black economy” (or lack o f it) -- if,
indeed, we may entertain such a no­
tion. For a review o f the book, see my
article o f the same title in the Sep­
tember 6 issue o f the Portland O b­
server
It is becoming quite obvious that
what I’m doing is building a case for
my contention that there is no dis­
tinction between that competent and
rigorous educational experience re­
quired for academic excellence as a
child and that required to assure a
successful economic future as an
adult. I further emphasize this in my
"Perspectives” column on page 2,
where I describe the achievement o f
a 95% black elementary school in
topping the 400 other Los Angeles
schools in the I.Q. Tests.
It was rewarding to see, on the
front page o f last week’s Portland
Observer Newspaper, a picture and
news item on the Pamela Slaughter
fam ily . M o th e r, P a m e la ; son,
Jonathan; daughter, Ashely. These
pre-teens are shown, “getting a les­
son in math and science by taking to
the skies” under the tutelage o f the
“Centers For Airway Science” pro­
gram, “which steers kids away from
drugs and gangs into fun activities
emphasizing math science and com­
puters. Children 9 to 12 are enrolled.”
Excellent!
But again, I would distinguish
between “special programs, good as
some may be, and a school system
which consistently delivers a daily
diet o f the basic math, science and
reading skills. The latter pedagogic
enterprise may not lend itself as well
to photo-ops and other publicity, but
it is certainly what a school district
must be about if there is to be any
reality to that worn out polemic about
“steering kids away from drugs and
gangs.” Please! We are not fools. It is
a matter o f every day, day in, day
out.
Now, as a matter o f fact, I have
known the Slaughter family since
‘day one” and have watched this di­
v o rced m other o f tw o, single-
handedly and with an unflagging
commitment, expose her children to
the best learning environment possi­
ble during the critical formative years.
I met the children years ago when
doing a math and computer demon­
stration at the “ B lack Education Cen­
ter”, 4919 N. E. 17th. This is a learn­
ing place par excellence for the early
grades.
As with my demonstrations in
the public schools, I always give “the
word” (“In the beginning was the
w ord’ children and unless you can
understand and ar-tic-u-late’ words,
there can be no math and science!”).
Several weeks ago I met the family at
a neighborhood shop and I asked
Jonathan and Ashley, “what’s the
word?” Without hesitation and, after
a span o f years, they replied “articu­
late”. Phonics is where it is at “Every
day, day in, day out.”
Staying with the same theme, let
me ask if you saw “Sixty Minutes”
Sunday Evening. The middle seg­
ment was priceless, about the famed
black educator in Chicago, Marva
Collins. She is the one who for so
many years has delivered a Consis­
tently excellent elementary school
education to African American chil­
dren in Chicago The on-site pro­
gram was doubly interesting because
Ed Bradley, the interviewer, had been
at the very same school about 16
years earlier: Talking with the 5 to 10
year-olds
We were shown film clips o f
Ed’s earlier visit, then shown today’s
dialogue with the very same now-
grown up children, college juniors
and seniors, and several already with
degrees. Others had already made
progress up the career ladder in sev­
eral viable occupations. With a stu­
dent body drawn from every eco­
nomic niche, even the worst high-
rise public housing war zones, not a
single graduate was in the penitentia­
ry or dead as a victim o f gang wars
More like lawyers-economists.
But o f course, for as the bright
young men and women told it, Ms
Collins took them over from a stupid,
incompetent school system that had
many labeled as border-line retard­
ed, learning disabled, too hyper/needs
Ritalin, etc. Sound familiar? It was
a lso e s ta b lis h e d th a t R ichard
Hemstein and Charles Murray, the
racists who wrote “The Bell Curve”
(apolemic against black intelligence),
refused to acknowledge Ms Collin’s
proof that a consistent and excellent
early childhood education for black
children did not result in reversals at
a later age. Well done sister, well
done.
Program For Minority Business Capital
Continued from MBE Front
▲
tify a commercial lender, and the
pre-qualified loan applicant can then
apply for a loan with an SB A prelim­
inary commitment in hand.
The usual 7(a) loan guaranty
application process requires small
business borrowers to first apply for
a loan at a commercial lender. The
SBA can consider backing the loan
only if the lender makes that guaran­
ty a condition o f its approval.
In addition to the Seattle pilot
program which serves 15 counties in
Western Washington, the pre-quali­
fication loan program’s pilot loca­
tions will also operate in conjunction
with SBA field offices in Boston,
New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Colum bia, S.C., Miami, Detroit,
Milwaukee, Houston, Kansas City,
St. Louis, Helena, Mont., Fargo,
N.D., Los Angeles and Santa Ana,
Calif.
W estern W ashington sm all
b u sin e ss ow n ers and e n tre p re ­
neu rs who w ant to know m ore
ab o u t ap p ly in g fo r a loan under
the program sh o u ld co n tact the
SBA S eattle D istric t O ffic e ’s in­
te rm e d ia ry , P a rk e r & T hom as
Inc. at 2 0 6 /3 2 4 -4 3 3 0 .
When was the last
time a bank tried to
woo your business?
Key Bank does it every day.
¡¿Z / \
Minority Firms To Be Honored
Continued from MBE Front
▲
quet, beginning at 7:00 p.m. where
the awards will be presented to the
fourteen MBDA and SBA award
winners. The National MED Week
Public-Private SectorCommitteewill
also present the Distinguished C or­
porate Award to Texas Instruments,
headquartered in Dallas, Texas, for
their continued support to the minor­
ity business community.
The MED W eek conference
concluded on Wednesday, Sept. 27
with business opportunity consulta­
tions where prime contractors, gov­
ernment procurement representatives
and representatives from financial
institutions will counsel minority
vendors on accessing money and
markets.
MBDA is the only federal agen­
cy specifically established to foster
minority business growth in the Unit­
ed States. The agency provides man­
agement and technical assistance to
minority individuals through its na­
tionwide network o f funded Minori­
ty and Native American Business
Development Centers, Minority En­
terprise Growth Assistance Centers,
M inority Business Opportun ity Com-
mittees and Business Resource Cen­
ters.
In Fiscal Year 1994, the agency
assisted 14,900 minority clients to
secure over $722.6 million in busi­
ness contracts and over $269.8 mil­
lion in business loans.
The Commerce Department has
identified more than one million mi­
nority-owned businesses in the Unit­
ed States providing over 836,000
jobs and reporting over $78 billion in
annual sales and receipts.
W e’d like to do
business with you
Developing strong relationships is a
Science And
Technology Diversity
Addressed
big part of what we do at Standard
More than 2,000 scientists,
students, science educators and
other leaders in science education
are gathering this week in Wash
ington, D.C. for the National Sci­
ence Foundation’s, 4th annual
“Diversity in the Scientific and
Technological Workforce Confer
ence.”
This is one of the largest gath­
erings o f the nation’s science and
technology leaders to h igh I ight na­
tional efforts toward diversity in
the science, mathematics, engi­
neering and technology fields.
Theconference will showcase
outstanding research achievements
by more than 350 African Ameri­
can, Native American and Hispan­
ic students participating in foun­
dation-funded research projects.
There will be discussion o f
the current status o f education pro­
grams to assure diversity in scien­
tific enterprises and the progress
made in diversity programs.
Insurance Company. With the people
we help protect — and the people we
do business with. T hat’s why we’re
looking for qualified minority-owned
businesses to help us protect our clients.
If you furnish products or services that
would help us serve them better, we’d
like to do business with you.
S i w d a r d I n su r a n c e C o m pa n y
P e o p le . N o t j u s t p o lic ie s.''*
PORTLAND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
Minority, Women & Emerging
Small Business Enterprise
1995-1996 Opportunities
1 he Portland Development Commission encourages participation of Minor­
ity, Women and Emerging Small Business contractors in its projects. To
receive certification as Minority, Women or Emerging Small Business En­
terprise, contractors must register with the State of Oregon.
During the balance of Fiscal Year 1996, ending June 30, 1996, these and
other contracting opportunities are anticipated.
PROJECT
Central Eastside
C O N TR A C TIN G NEED
ESTIMATED COST
Environmental Reviews/Mitigation work
Site preparation/remediation
Design/Engineering Alternatives
$ 10,000
$ 5,000
$ 10,000
Design work, surveying, prep legal
descriptions, services during construction
Construction
$ 6,100
$ 50,000
Environmental site clean-up & dirt removal
$ 40,000
Appraisals/Land survey
$ 10,000
Mixed Use Housing
Appraisal/Real Estate Negotiation
$ 8,000
River District
Demolition of parking shed
Architectural & Engineering for Walkways
Construction for Accessways
$ 50,000
$ 35,000
$ 95,881
Design Advisor, Market & Engineering
feasibility services
Architectural services for Greenway
Improvements Design Construction -
Greenway trail
$ 10,230
Eastbank Riverfront Park
Airport Way
Public Improvement^
South Waterfront
Environmental Site Preparation
Union Station
Agricultural Center
South Park Blocks
Land Acq./ McCormick Pier
Accessway
South Waterfront
Greenway Development
North Macadam
How can we woo your Small Business?
1-800-891-8918
A KeyCorp Bank
EQUAl HOUSING
LENDER Member FDIC
O
tt
KeyBank
Am erica's l i r s l ( dioici'
$ 30,000
$163,000
Pre-development
Land use, design & transportation
$ 20,000
Teams Training
Personal services in Team development, &
special skills needed foreffective team
interaction & involvement
$ 30,000
Diversity Tra.nmg
Personal services in diversity awareness &
sensitivity
$ 30 000
Target Industries &
Workforce Assessment
Needs assessment for yet to be identified
target industries
$ 12,500 max.
The above items are estimates only. Contractors interested in these
projects are urged to respond to Advertisements for Bids or Re­
quests for Proposals which are published prior to a contract award.
Appropriate documents and specific bid conditions will be avail­
able from the project coordinator when each contract opportunity
is announced.
roc
PORTLAND
DEVELOPMENT
COMMISSION