Volume XXVI, Number 24
Committed to cultural diversity.
June 12, 1996
^ o rtía n b (Observer
Red Cross Offers
Community CPR
Red Cross will offer Community CPR
at America Red Cross, Oregon Trail Chap­
ter, 3131 N. Vancouver Ave., Portland.
The class will be held on Monday and
Wednesday, June 17 & 19. from 6:00 to
9:30 p.m. Cost is $32, for more informa­
tion or to register, call 280-1440.
Summer Theme
June - Sept. 1996
Where in the Zoo is Carmen Sandiego?
Metro Washington Park Zoo, 9:30 to 4 pm
daily. Carmen and her V I L E, henchman
have been on a crime spree through the
Metro Washington Park Zoo. Zoo visitors
will be deputized into the ACME Crime
Investigation Corps and dispatched to solve
5 cases. Sponsored by James River Corpo­
ration, local manufacturer o f Brawny Pa­
per Towels and Quilted Northern Bath­
room Tissue.
Greenpeace
To Hold Meeting
On Thursday, June 13,1996, Greenpeace
Portland will be holding a community meet­
ing at 2548 SE Ankeny St. from 7:00 - 8:30
pm. At this month’s meeting guest speaker,
Michael Marx who is the former Director o f
Rainforest Action N etw ork’s Boycott
Mitsubishi Campaign and founder o f Earth
Nation, will discuss the impact o f Multi­
national Coiporations on the environment.
Following this discussion, there will be an
update o f Shell Oil’s violations o f environ­
mental and human rights.
Marylhurst
Concert Chorale
To Perform
The Marylhurst Concert Chorale, ac­
companied by members o f the Marylhurst
Symphony, will perform at 8 p.m. Friday,
June 14, in St. Anne’s Chapel on the col­
lege campus.Tickets for the Friday night
performance cost $5 for adults and $4 for
students and seniors and may purchased at
the door or by calling 786-0568.
Youth Conference
To Be Held
It was a happy time for the family o f Berry, Cropper and the Washington's as they celebrate the graduation o f their children from Benson High School. During prom night
for the High School Seniors. Pictured above (from left) Cardis Berry, Sandra Berry, Vernon Cropper Sr., Vernon Cropper Jr., Alesha Gates, Phyllis White, Rakeem
Washington, Charles Washington, Shirean Moini, and Debbie Moini.
Midsummer In Portland’s Public Gardens
o celebrate midsummer, five of
Portland's Public Gardens are
spo n sorin g s p e c ia l e v e n ts ,
to u r s ,
and
p e rfo rm a n c e s
Shakespearean them es.
T
Events will be from I -4 Sunday, June 23,
1996. All events, tours, and performances are
free to the public. Most gardens will be at
peak summer display for the event.
Leach Botanical Garden (6704 SE 122nd)
will feature the woodwind duo Belles Anges
playing Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque
selections. The musicians will perform in
Renaissance costume. Garden volunteers will
be serving fruit and tea to visitors and C.B.
Shoe, a juggling jester, will provide light­
hearted
entertainment.
w
ith
The Portland Community Gardens will
sponsor informational tours on herbs and
medicinal plants o f Shakespeare’s time at its
Fulton Display Garden (SW 2nd and Barbur).
Children and adults will be able to take a
special bouquet or craft project home with
them. The Morris Dancers and Garland Danc­
ers will perform beginning at 2:30 pm.
A full slate o f events is scheduled at the
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden (SI.
28th Ave, one block north o f Woodstock)
including a performance by Belle Anges.
Barbara Jean Long will read Shakespeare
Sonnets and Eric Bogai w il I delight the whole
family with his juggling OSU Master G ar­
deners will be available to answer gardening
questions from 1-4 pm.
I loyt Arboretum (4000 SW Fairview) will
offer hourly tours o f medicinal plants and
trees, including trees mentioned in the works
o f Shakespeare, four participants will be
entertained with music, jesters, stories from
Oregon Celebrates Juneteenth
The Portland Youth Conference will be
held June 2 8 -2 9 ,1996. The keynote speak­
er is Mr. Joseph Marshall, Jr., author and
co-founder and di rector o f the Omega Boys
Club o f San Francisco.
Gala Ribbon
Cutting Ceremony
The Musi im Community Center o f Port­
land invites you to attend our Gala ribbon
cutting ceremony o f our newly acquired
property at 7007 N.E. MLK Jr. Blvd. at
Bryant St. Saturday - Sunday July 6th &
7th. March Begins at 11 00 am. Bazaar
opens at 12:30 - 6.00 pm. For Vendor
Information Contact: Omar B. Shaba-287-
2936 or pager 2 0 2 -1630.
SUBMISSIONS: Community
Calendar information will be given
priority if dated two weeks
before the event date.
MYCAP
Merger
A
10th Annual Chili
Cook-Off
The SunriverChamberofCommerce will
host the IOth Annual Chili Cook-Off, com­
bining some o f the very best chili cooks,
music and beer garden on June 29th, 1996
11:00 to 5:00 p.m. on the Sunriver Court­
yard. This year' Chili Cook-Off will feature-
dozens o f activities, live music, games for
the whole family, beer garden and ofcourse
the best chili you will ever taste. Tasting kits
will be made available, so you can be the
judge and vote for your favorite. A panel of
judges will select the ICS (International
Chili Society) best chili, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
places. No Admission Charge.
Shakespeare's time and will be treated to a
short scene from Shakespeare's Midsummer
N ight’s Dream. Tours will depart from the
picnic shelter at 1:15, 2:15, and 3:15 pm.
At the P o rtland In te rn a tio n a l Rose
le s t G arden in W ashington Park (4000
K in g sto n ) harpist M aureen Love will
e n te rta in v isitors.
The Morris Dancers and Garland Dancers
will perform beginning at 1:15 pm. Volun­
teers will be on hand to guide tours featuring
the ro se s o f S h a k e sp e a re and the
Shakespearean Garden.
Volunteers o f Bethel Church (right) take
time out to prepare for this year's
Juneteenth celebration. The Food was
donated by the local businesses and
area supermarkets for the annual feast
directed by Miss Clara Peoples (above),
which begins on Friday the 14th.
in D an
B ki . i .
By the w ar’s end, more than 200,000
Black men had fought for freedom and the
n June 1 9 th 1 8 6 5 an enslaved
Union. 25% o f the Naval forces were Black
population were among the last
to receive the news th a t they
men.
As a matter of observation by the time the
had been freed by the Emancipation
Galveston population received the news, the
Proclamation. General Gordon Granger
confederacy had already surrendered and
told them this when he landed in
Galveston Texas with his regiment of
conceded defeat. Abraham Lincoln had been
assassinated and the al I important 13th amend­
Union soldiers and read General Order
ment that would bar the return to slavery had
No. 3.
O
In fact Abraham Lincoln has signed the
Emancipation Proclamation on January I,
1963 But the proclamation could only go
into effect if the Union won the war Lincoln
recognizing that the Black involvement on
the Union side was vital, in doing so was
therefore motivated to make a political state­
ment to enlist their support.
been proposed.
In recent years the popularity o f the
Juneteenth Celebration has been rapidly grow­
ing. There are large events in such cities as
Oakland California, Denver Colorado, and
Kansas City Missouri.
This year African-American Oregonians
will be recognizing Juneteenth in both Salem
and Portland.
On June 15th a group o f concerned citi­
zens will be sponsoring a Juneteenth Cele­
bration at Alberta Park from 1:00 until 6:00
p.m.
I here were will be entertainment featur­
ing Mt Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, a
passage over ritual, presented by Yoruba.
booths, free foods and other activities.
The following Saturday the Commission
on Black k Affairs and the Salem N. A. A C .P
will host a Juneteenth Celebration 11:00am-
4:00pm at Capitol Park Mall across from the
state capitol in Salem Oregon
Entertainment there will feature the hus­
band and wife duo La Fenieres There will be
informational and food booths and tentative­
ly scheduled Gospel Music.
s of May 1 ,1 9 9 6 the Commu­
nity W ellness C enter and M i­
nority Youth Concerns Action
Program, MYCAP, has agreed to merge.
Since 1988, MYCAP has been provid­
ing transitional services to youth coming
out o f the state training schools such as
MaClaren School for Boys. The program
was developed specifically to address the
Portland gang problem that hit the city in
the early eighties.
The Community Wellness Center which
has been around for about two years, is a
culturally specific alcohol and drug and
mental health program for African Amer­
ican youth. Says Sam Pierce, co-founder
o f both programs, “the merger will help
make both programs stronger. The mis­
sions do not compete with, but rather com­
plement each other.”
MYCAP achieved an international rep­
utation for its work with gang youth but has
struggled over the last few years. Pierce,
who recently returned to the agency ex­
udes, “ inspite o f things, M Y CA P’s future
is bright' Un less a camel o f corn fal Is to the
ground and dies, it never produces any
other camels o f corn MYCAP may have
suffered a from o f death, as it were, but its
resurrection is eminent.”
Pierce concludes, "M YCAP belongs to
this community and the community has
supported it over the years. I personally
want to thank Johnny Gage for his leader­
ship o f MYCAP the las, eighteen months.
W ithout his help, there would probably not
be a MYCAP We will seek to continue his
upward movement; because the need for
this program is even greater now than it
was when we firs, started.”