T iu P oru and O bserver • J une 19, 1996
P agi A3
Church Burnings Upset Minorities
I wo black
northeast
ila ck churches in northeast-
ern M ississippi were destroyed by
lire late on Monday, police said,
adding to a wave of suspicious church
blazes that has swept the Southeast
ern United States.
f ederal and state arson investiga
tors combed through the ruins o f the
two sanctuaries late into the night to
determine it the incidents were linked
to fires that have occurred at 34 other
black churches in the South over the
past 18 months.
I he 109-year-old Mount Pleasant
Missionary Church and the Central
Grove C hurch were completely de
stroyed by fires that authorities la
beled as suspicious. I'he churches
were located a few miles from each
other, just south of the Tennessee
border near the town o f Kossuth.
Police said hundreds o f onlook
ers, many in tears or uttering prayers,
stood in the sultry M ississippi night
air and watched the sanctuaries burn
as volunteer firefighters waged a fu
tile battle to put out the flames.
The fires were reported to police
by telephone calls to the 9 11 emer-
re n rvn number.
n m k .r The calls came about
.....
gency
15 minutes apart, the first at 9:11
p m. local time.
"It seems extremely suspicious that
two churches would burn at the same
time, both o f them having black con
gregations,” said A lcorn County
Sheriff Jimmy Taylor.
Police quickly called on the F B I.
the U.S. Bureau o f Alcohol, Tobac
co and Firearms, and the M ississippi
State Fire Marshal’s Office to help
determine the cause o f the fires.
Taylor said results o f the investi
gation would be announced Tuesday
morning. " I f we find out that it’s
arson, we are going to stick together
as a community and bring the people
responsible to justice,” the sheriff
said.
The two blazes raise to 36 the
number o f black churches damaged
or destroyed by fire in the South
since late 1994.
Earlier on Monday, arson investi
gators sifted through the remains o f a
predominantly black church in Rocky
Point, North Carolina. It was the
second black church to burn in the
.. . . . .
state in less than a week.
I he fires have revived memories
ol the Ku K lu x Kian firebombings o f
black churches in the 1960s and have
attracted the scrutiny o f the federal
officials and political groups.
President Clinton plans to meet
with the governors o f the affected
states on Wednesday to coordinate a
strategy for battling the outbreak
Meanwhile, leaders o f the white
conservative Christian Coalition were
due to meet with the pastors ofbumed
black churches Tuesday in Atlanta.
Although investigators say some
fires have been racially motivated,
there has been no evidence ofcoordi-
nated activity among hate groups.
Two whites arrested for setting
fires at black churches — a volunteer
fireman in Alabama and a 13-year-
old girl in North Carolina
are
alleged to have done so for reasons
having nothing to do with racism.
O fficials in M ississippi’s Alcorn
County were quick to defend what
they called model race relations in
their community, where about 12
percent o f the population is black.
I he predominantly white electorate
o f Corinth, the county seat, has twice
elected a black man as mayor, they
noted.
But police said a handful o f local
residents did attend a Ku K lu x Kian
rally held a few months ago by a
traveling K ian organization from
Arkansas.
▲
those days, music was everywhere.
Better put, “ Songs were everywhere”
for in the 1930’s even elementary
school kids read well in the ’ghetto’.
Second and third graders could read
the “green ’song sheets' which were
peddled by itinerant vendor around
the school yards.
Ten cents would get you eight
mimeographed sheets o f song lyrics,
from the ja z z world, popular songs or
classic Broadway show tunes. Many
o f us had our early versions o f the
“ Walk Man”, Zenith potables with
aa telescoping aerial which could
‘reach to the moon’ and others had
little battery-powered record players
with which we could serenade our
‘ ladies!
There were the great bands,
Ersking Hawkins, Earl Hines, Duke
Ellington, Cab Calloway, Louie
Jordan, Benny Goodman, Artie
Shaw, Glen M iller, Stan Kenton, etc,
and there were the great vocalists,
B illy Eckstein, Herb Jeffries, A l
Response To
Cross Burning
rhe East Metro Human Rights Coalition and The Metropolitan Human
Rights Com mission o f Portland and Multnomah County wish to express
their shock and horror at the violent racist act o f hate demonstrated by the
cross burning at the home ofa Gresham resident. In response to this heinous
crime, the two organizations invite the community to participate in a “Tim e
for Prayer and Peace" to be held on Sunday, June 23 at Trinity Lutheran
I hurch, 507 W. Powell Blvd. (Corner o f Powell and Eastman Parkway) at
P M . People o f all faiths are welcome to jo in in this public show o f units
against racism and for peace in our communities.
Several hundred organizations representing many ethnic groups have
been invited.
Nike Sweatshop
Allegations
N IK E , Inc. (N Y S E : N K E ) re
sponded to claims made by Joel
Joseph, chairman o f the Made in
the U S A Foundation, o f under-age J
Indonesian workers making N l-
K E ’s line o f A ir Jordan shoes for
14 cents an hour by stating that his [
allegations are completely false. I
Perhaps Mr. Joseph should have
looked at an A ir Jordan shoe on store
shelves to learn that the product is
made in Taiwan,” said Donna Gibbs, |
Hibbler, Sarah Vaughn, Peggy Lee
and on ad infinitum.
But indelibly stamped on our
minds even today, are the lilting,
nursery rhyme-like lyrics o f E lla
Fitzgerald’s “ A -Tisket, A-Tasket, I
lost my yellow basket, and if I don’t
find it I don't know what I'll do. Was
it red? No, no, no, no,! Was it blue?
No, no, no, no, ! Was it green? No,
no, no, no,! Just a little yellow bas
ket.”
N IK E 's director o f corporate com
munications. "One has to question
thecredibilityofan individual whose I
organization is largely financed by
labor unions opposed to free trade
with developing nations," she said.
"It’s also too bad that Kathie Lee
Gifford has found it necessary to i
avoid the med ia spot light by push ing
Michael Jordan into it "
1 horough reviews conducted over I
Indeed, a ye llo w basket that
launched a most wondrous talent.
Lucious Hicks Seeks City
Commission Seat
Continued from Metro, page B I
▲
borhoods. Portland is great neigh
borhoods. However, there are some
who feel left out- who feel that city
government does not work in true
partnership with them, ‘said Hicks.
“ A ll my life I have successfully
brought people and organizations
together. We need to reach out to our
community and neighborhoods and
truly make them a working part o f
Portland.”
H icks continued, “Just as there are
neighborhoods who feel left out, so
are there people and families.
I he m id dle cla ss is fe e lin g
squeezed, the lower class is feeling
left out, so are there people and fam
ilies. The middle class is feeling
squeezed, the lower class is feeling
left out. Housing growth, health care,
job security, education, crime are all
serious problem for all classes. We
need to reach out to these families as
well and include them in the dynamic
o f our economy ‘said Hicks.
H icks stressed that he w ill run a
positive campaign on the issues and
Portland future. Ifyo u are interested
in getting involved in the campaign
please contact the Lucious H icks for
Portland Committee at 285-7125.
A semi-formal dress, banquet dinner, held in the honor of
Bishop A.R. Hopkins, on Saturday June 29th at 7pm, at
the Jantzen Beach Red Lion, 909 North Hayden Island
Dr,
Contact Mrs. Dorothy Wilson at (503) 287-8500.
_____ Tickets $25 per person, public welcome.
A Tribute To Ella Fitzgerald,
The First Lady of Song
Continued from front, page A 1
Oregon First Jurisdiction
of the C hurch of God in Christ
BANQUET DINNER
several days included interviews with
workers,examination ofsafetyequip-1
went and procedures, review o f free
health-care facilities at the work site,
investigation o f worker grievances
and audits o f pay roll records.
I he average line-worker’s wage
in Asian subcontracted facilities is |
double the government-mandated
minimum.
THE 1996
MULTICULTURAL
MUSIC ANO
FOOD FESTIVAL
Friday June 28, 6 - 10 p.m.
Saturday, June 29, 12-10 p.m.
Sunday. June 30, 12-6 p.m.
Holy Redeemer Area School Campus
1 2 7 North Portland Boulevard
283 5 1 7 5
Musicians
Tall Jazz with Mario De Priest,
Marilyn Keller
and Lee Wuthenow
Five Guys Named Moe
La Mayor Orchestra (Salsa)
Jazz Allstars: Mel Brown,
Mary Kadderly, Tom Grant
and Jodie Seiferrs
Calvin Walkers Funk Machine
Boka Marimba
The Michael Harrison Quartet
The Norman Sylvester Band
Soul Vaccination (Funk)
Children s Fest
Saturday 12-5 p.m.
Sunday 12-6 p.m.
Want regular
discount on your
Water Bill?
Call 285-0493
Ext.217
Also, limited funds available
for shut-off notices on light
bills, to people not having
received any energy assistance
for this year.
“Community parade of nations"
Charles Moose - Grand Marshal
Friday June 28 5:30 p.m.
Blazer Boys and Girls Society
Performers
Molly Malone Irish Dancers
the Main Vietnamese-
& Location Dancers
Oasis Outlaws
Country Western Line Dancers
Blue Lake Chorus -
Female Barbershop Quartet
Ecumenical Ministries-
Gospel Singers
Askari (African Drummer-
and Story Teller)
Shoe Horn (Tap Dancer and
Saxophonist)
Food & Drink
Mexican, Barbecue,
Ethiopian, Cajun
Italian, Moroccan, & More
Ethnic M arketplace
Arts and Crafts
Call 2 8 3 -5 1 7 5 For More Info
Sponsored by the N eighborhood O utreach Association
Rose Festival 3 Day Pass $12.00 Per Fam ily, I Day Fam ily pass $5.00
Adult $3.00 A Day, Children $ 1.00 A Day
Chinook Winds weekend beach concerts.
Williams & Ree June 29
7pm & 10pm
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band July 12 & 13
7pm & 10pm
Jose Feliciano July 26 & 27
7pm & 10pm
Lou Rawls July 5th & 6th
June 28th is the Grand Opening ol Oregon’s premiere gaming & convention center,
Chinook Winds. Discover Las Vegas style entertainment and the most exciting
casino experience in the Northwest. Early shows begins at 7pm and the later
show starts at I Opm. So. expect week after week of the best headliner
entertainment available. Then, enjoy over 800 video slot machines,
^ > Ken° ’ P° ken B,ackiack’ B‘nS° and Off-track Betting.
.Z''’
t’vi
C alif or ticket 1-888-Main-Act (1-888-624-6228).
C hinooîc W inds
SILETZ TRIBAL GAMING
3ECÁ')
CO NVENTIO N CENTEP
1 755 NW 44th, Lincoln City, OR.
O p e n 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
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