J anuary 31,1996 • T he P ortland O bserver
“ When We Were Colored ” Sensitive, Impressive
Based on C lifto n L. T a u lb e rt’ s
c ritic a lly acclaim ed book, “ Once
Upon a Tim e ... When We Were
C olored” is a sensitive m em ory film
o f the author’ s com ing-of-age in the
holiday weekend on a handful o f
segregated South.
A c to r T im Reid makes an impres
sive directorial debut w ith an em o
tio n a lly quiet saga that chronicles a
screens, has some crossover appeal
as fam ily fare and should be seen in
m ajor urban centers before landing
on T V , cable and in classrooms.
There are no drugs and not much
violence in this evocative w o rk in
which black characters actually get
to live long lives and die in bed o f
momentous era in black communal
life, one mostly neglected by U.S.
films.
This well-made production, re
leased on the M artin Luther K in g Jr.
natural causes.
The film as a whole stands as a
significant e ffo rt to “ correct” black
history by recording its rich tradi
tions and celebrate unadorned he-
J
roes who have inspired black young
sters and paved the way fo r the c iv il
rights movement.
Set in the small town o f Glen
A I Ian, M iss., the fi Im presents a warm
tribute to the black heritage that pre
vailed in the Deep South o f the post
war years.
Sprawling narrative sheds lig h t on
what it meant to grow up in this
The three-part story begins in 1946
w ith a baby’s birth in the cotton
fields, then jum ps to 19 5 1 fo r the first
particular tim e and place, and at the
same time captures a sweeping, pan
oram ic view o f black culture as it was
experienced on a d a ily basis.
Poppa teaches C l i f f his first words
("W h ite s O n ly” and “ C olored” ) and
exposes him to a Ku K lu x Kian pa
Spreading For Homeless
Tuberculosis may be spreading
in a dangerous way among the home
less, according to new research.
The finding was based on a study
o f homeless people in Los Angeles
where researchers said they found
an infection rate o f 53 percent due
to recent exposure to the bacterium
so-called prim ary tuberculosis
compared to a tra d itio n a l esti
mate o f 10 percent in the population
at large.
“ O ur results suggest that the ma
jo rity o f tuberculosis cases in the
homeless in a large c ity are a ttrib u t
able to prim ary tuberculosis from
berculosis cases over a short period
and facilitates epidem ic spread o f
the disease,” the report said.
quency o f prim ary tuberculosis at a
tim e when no specific tuberculosis
Previous research has shown a
higher prevalence o f the disease in
outbreak was identified in central
Los Angeles,” it added.
general among the homeless, and
shelters have been id e n tifie d as
The study, in the Journal o f the
American M edical Association, was
conducted by the D ivisio n o f Infec
tious Diseases at the U niversity o f
Southern C a lifo rn ia School o f M ed
icine
sources o f outbreaks, the study said.
It said the determ ination o f the re l
ative frequency o f prim ary T B and
that developed tw o o r more years
after exposure is im portant in con
Self Image
Problems Persist
American w om en’s march into the
w ork force in the past tw o decades
may have im proved their economic
options but it has not im proved their
self-im age, according to new re
search.
“ Forty-eight percent o f women ...
have an overall dissatisfaction w ith
their looks,” said Thomas Cash, a
professor o f psychology at O ld D o
m inion U niversity in N o rfo lk , Va.,
and an expert on the psychology o f
today dictate that to be attractive
women must not only be young and
thin but also physically fit.
“ One o fth e things that w e’ ve seen
is now it ’ s not enough to be thin.
Y o u ’ ve got to be a certain kind o f
thin, a w ell-toned th in ,” he said.
He also theorized that a grow ing
role in the w orkforce has pressured
women to emphasize physical attrac
tiveness and some feel pressure to
compete on that basis w ith younger
women.
appearance.
Cash, who presented his research
on Friday at the annual scientific
meeting o f the Am erican Academy
ofC osm etic Surgery in O rlando, said
he surveyed 803 women from across
the United States in 1995 and found
that nearly h a lf were not happy w ith
their appearance.
way to compete is w ith th e ir looks,”
he added.
He said 48 percent was sharply
higher than the 30 percent who ex
The author o f a recent self-help
book on body image, “ W hat Do You
pressed sim ila r sentiments in a sur
vey he conducted in 1985, and only
about 23 percent voiced sim ilar neg
See When Y ou L o o k in the M irro r,”
Cash suggests that women — and
“ I think also women in greater
numbers than 10 years ago, 20 years
ago, are in the w o rkfo rce and th e y’ re
out there putting th e ir feet and their
faces fo rw a rd ,” he said. “ H is to ric a l
ly women have been taught that the
M ost o f C lifT s interactions, h o w
The film doesn’t contain many
w hite characters, but the few present
ever, are w ith his great aunt (P h ylicia
Rashad) and her son M e lv in (Leon),
who vis it from M ich ig a n after a long
absence.
The concluding segment is the
are agreeably non-stereotypical. In
the second, 19 5 8 ,chapter, C liff( W ill
most o v e rtly p o litic a l, re v o lv in g
around C leve (R ichard Roundtree),
tig h tly k n it com m unity.
tro llin g the disease in the homeless
and other high-incidence popula
tions.
The C ity o f V ancouver’s new
Water Resources Education Cen
ter is seeking volunteers to fi II many
niches in the W ater C enter’ s pro
motion o f wise water use.
People o f all ages are needed to
be musicians, puppeteers, art dem-
onstrators, lecturers,exhibitdesign-
ers, lab assistants, teaching assis
breakfast, tours, food, music, e xh ib
its and activities fo r a ll ages. H elp out
fo r a few hours o r develop a regular
schedule and become part o f the
W ater C enter’ s Aqua Guides pro
gram. C a ll 696-8478 fo r details.
The $ 3 .1 m illio n W ater Center is
a 16,000-square-foot fa c ility w ith a
1,000-gallon aquarium, exhibits, lab
tants, tourguides, audio-visual tech
nicians, receptionists, aquarium
and make wise decisions about our
re g io n ’ s w ater resources.
The c ity broke ground fo r the
public fa c ility in September 1994.
The W ater Center is a p u b lic ame
n ity b u ilt as part o f the c ity ’ s new
state-of-the-art wastewater treat
ment plant w hich went o n-line in
June.
oratory, atrium and com m unity meet
ing room.
managers and clerical assistants.
Volunteers are needed now and
for the Water C enter’s grand open
A short w alk to an ove rlo o k offers
visitors a panoramic view o f the near
by wetlands.
I he W ater Center is at the east
end o f M arine Park on Vancou
ver’ s Renaissance Trail. From H igh
ing weekend, Feb. 24 and 25. Grand
Opening events include a pancake
The W ater Center’ s purpose is to
teach people o f all ages to care fo r
•
It’s a Birthday Bash!
I t ’ s a C ampaign K ickoff !
It s a Family A ffa ir!
way 14,. between 1-5 and 1-205,
turn south at the C olum bia Way
exit. F o llo w C olum bia W ay east to
he W ater C enter’s parking lot.
STATE REP AVEL GORDLY
Join Avel Gordly and friends as we celebrate her birthday...
kick off her campaign for Senate District 10...
and enjoy a spaghetti feed for the whole family.
Suggested donation - $ 2 0 (or whatever you can afford, plus one can o f food
February 13th • 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Madison High School Cafeteria • 2735 NE 82nd
Authorized By The Committee To Elect Avel Gordly
287-6843
men — could im prove their body
image by th in k in g less about their
ative views in surveys conducted by
other researchers in the early 1970s.
appearance, con fro n tin g those who
b elittle their looks and e lim inating
Cash said one reason fo r the shift
cou Id be the standards o f female beau
“ mental mistakes” like th in kin g they
ty presented in the mass media, which
Loose-knit script is laced w ith fond
anecdotes o f rich adventures like fish
ing trips, comm unal picnics, a m in
strel show, trips to the neighboring
“ big c ity ” and, above all, life in a
Wise Water Users Wanted
recent in fe ctio n ,” the study said.
“ We found a rem arkably high fre
Prim ary tuberculosis “ greatly in
creases the number o f infectious tu
B ut i t ’ s by no means a dreary,
depressing childhood.
and longest chapter. Born to a single
mom. C li f f (Charles Earl “ Spud”
Taylor Jr.) is raised by his great-
grandparents, M a Pearl (Paula K e lly)
and especially Poppa (A l Freeman
Jr.), a proud, elegant man who in i
tiates his o ffsp rin g into a harsh life
imposed by the whites.
ie N o rw o o d Jr.) helps out M rs.
M aybry (w onderfully played by P olly
Bergen), a liberal woman who in tro
duces him to literature and checks
out books from a lib ra ry that bars
blacks.
rade, where the boy firs t experiences
blatant racism.
cannot exercise because they w ould
look too silly.
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