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BLACK HISTORY
(Elf* J Ía rtía n b <S)traerüer
Black
Heritage
Express
Center Hosts
African-American
Celebration
Games To Feature
Southern Culture
Olympic visitors this summer
will experience the many facets of
Southern culture, from its rooted
traditions to its contemporary ex­
pressions with Southern Cross­
roads, a free outdoor festival in
Atlanta s Centennial Olympic
Park.
The 17-day celebration, will
share the South’s distinct stories,
songs, dance, music, crafts and
food with the 1996 Atlanta Olym­
pic Games’ estimated two million
visitors.
Southern Crossroads will open
on July 18, the day before the
opening ceremony and feature a
variety of activities and entertain­
ment presented simultaneously
from noon until midnight daily
through August 3.
A variation of Southern Cross­
roads, which is being produced in
cooperation with the Southern Arts
Federation, also will be included
in the Smithsonian Institution’s
30th annual Festival of American
Folklike on the National Mall in
Washington, D C., running June
26 through 30, and July 3 through
7.
The Atlanta-based Southern
Crossroads will feature more than
750 musicians, singers, dancers
and crafts people from around the
South, providing a comprehen­
sive exploration of the distance The Georgia Mass Choir, made up of over 100 men, women and children ages 13 to 70, was formed
geographical areas that make up in 1983. Now a mainstay o f traditional gospel music, the choir has six nationally released albums and
the region
has garnered many awards. It is one o f the many groups to perform this summer at the Olympics.
The Marie Smith Center, a center
ist Charlotte Lewis. Group partici­
providing daytime health and social
pating in the quilt creations were The
services to seniors and their
House of Umoja /The House of Nia,
careproviders, will be hosting an
StayClean, The Multicultural Senior
African-American Cultural Heritage
C enter. The Black Educational Cen­
Celebration event and Kwanzaa Quill
ter, The Imani Project, and the
Exhibition in February in honor of
Kwanzaa Community Group. Addi­
Black History Month. The Marie
tional support for this project has
Smith Center is located at 4616 N.
been provided by Oinotayo Fletcher,
Albina in Portland.
Meika Takunda, Lora Sail, and
The African-American Cultural
Adrienne Godfrey Sam-Aggrey.
Heritage Celebration will take place
The Marie Smith Center is hon­
on Friday, Feb. 23 from 3 p.m. to 6
ored to display the quilts that empha­
p in. and will feature the Sojourner
size the five Kwanzaa principles of
Truth Theater Company with Ruby
Umoja/Unity, Kuumba/Creativity,
Ruben and Askari, the Solid Rock
Nia/Purpose, U jim a//C ollective
C hurch, Speech Step and Singing
Work and R esponsibility, and
Youth Group, and the Cultural Rec­
Kujichagulia/Self-Determination.
reation Band.
The quilts may be viewed by the
Five of the seven Kwanzaa com­
public weekdays between 8 a m. and
munity quills will be exhibited at the
5 p.m. through Feb. 29th.
Marie Smith Center throughout Feb­
The two remaining quilts will be
ruary. The quilts, first exhibited at
featured throughout February at the
the Interstate Firehouse Cultural
following quilt sponsors: KeyBank,
Center for Kwanzaa 1995, were the
featuring the Ujamaa/Cooperative
creation of men, women and children
Economics Quilt, and First Interstate
in seven community groups in North/
Bank, displaying the Imani/Faith
Northeast Portland with support from
Quill.
celebrated designer, Adriene Cruz.
Both the quilt exhibit and the cel­
This project was coordinated by art-
ebration arc free of charge.
Black History Month Events
Portland State University Contin­
ues its celebration of Black History
Month with the special events:
Feb. 22 - Panel Discussion: Afri­
can-American Portlanders & the
Million Man March, 6-9 p.m. room
298, Smith Center, free.
Feb. 23-25 - Oregon Black Stu­
dent Unions Basketball Tournament
- 7-10 p.m., PSU gym.
F'eb. 24 - Oregon Black Student
Unions Basketball Tournament - 11
a m.-3 p.m., University of Portland.
Feb. 24 - Second Annual Black
Greek Step Show - 8:30 p.m., Lin­
coln Hall basement, I620S.W. Park.
$7 in advance, $10 at the door, 725-
5654.
C E L E B R A T IN G B L A C K H IS T O R Y M O N T H
DETERMINATION: THE ACT OF COMING TO A DECISION: FIRM OR FIXED PURPOSE ACCURATE MEASUREMENT.
DIVERSITY: THE CONDITION OF BEING DIFFERENT, COMPOSED OF DISTINCT QUALITIES.
DURHAM: STRONG COMMITMENT AND CHARACTOR. AN AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY OF SUBSTANCE
AND HERITAGE, DEFINED WITH HARD WORK AND CLEAR
VISION AND RESOLVE.
CONSRTUCTION/SERVICES
(503) 319-0821
FAX 283-2977
F IN A N C IN G A V A IL A B L E /2 O 3 K SPECIALIST
317 B NE KMUNGSWORTH • PORTLAND, OR. 97211