1 he P ortland O bserver • S eptember 25, 1996
P age D5
OPM Ehl
African-Americans Unleash the secrets of health and prosperity
laym en’s term s, over 20 m edical ill­
nesses that cause a disproportionate
am ount o f suffering and death am ong
the popular m yth o f ‘G o d ’s curse on
H am ’ (and thus black nations) by
exam ining the often m isquoted scrip­
ture (G enesis 9) leaves the reader
with a higher self-im age. N um erous
other biblical scriptures attesting to
G o d ’s love for A fricans are also re­
view ed. T o love others, you m ust
love yourself, and realizing that the
om niscient, om nipotent G od o f the
universe loves you is the first step.
H ealth care in the black com m u ­
nity lags behind the nation as a whole.
Thirteen physicians from the sp e­
cialties o f internal m edicine, p ediat­
rics, obstetrics and gynecology, fam ­
ily practice, ophthalm ology, en d o ­
crinology, and cardiology explain, in
There is pow er aplenty in the pages
o f "B ridging the G aps: An A frican-
A m erican G uide to H ealth and Self-
E m pow erm ent.” T his book co n ­
ceived by M em phis internist A. M aria
N ew som e, M .D., features a collec­
tion o f articles on spiritual, physical,
and econom ic self-em pow erm ent.
W ith contributions from 16 A frican-
A m erican pro fessio n als from the
fields o f m edicine, law, business,
education, and clergy, this book ad ­
dresses a holistic approach to heal­
ing the ills in the black com m unity.
Spiritual em pow erm ent and self-
love are the consequences o f learn­
ing w hat the Bible really says about
those o f A frican heritage. D ispelling
“ Instead of focusing on what other people
have done and are doing to us, we need to
focus on what we could be doing for
ourselves.”
blacks. These articles include ev ery ­
thing from basic physiology and pic­
tures to crucial, but practical infor­
mation everyone should know to not
only increase his life expectancy, but
to live a m ore com fortable life as
GE Awards minority vendor
$75 million Coal Contract
B altim ore Gas and Electric C om ­
pany (N Y SE : B G E ) has aw arded
S outheast Fuels, Inc. a seven year,
$75 m illion coal delivery contract.
T he co n tract is B G E ’s largest ever
w ith a m inority vendor, and it sig ­
nificantly contributes to B G E ’s o n ­
g oing efforts to provide m inority-
and w om en-ow ned business enter­
prises (M W B E s) equal access to its
pu rch asing opportunities.
S outheast Fuels, Inc., based in
G reensboro, N .C ., w ith a regional
office in W ashington, D .C ., will
supply BG E with 400,000 tons of
coal each year for the next seven
years.
“ S o u th e a s t F u e ls has b ee n a
r e lia b le an d c o m p e titiv e s h o r t­
te rm s u p p lie r fo r s e v e ra l y e a r s ,”
s t a t e s J im B e a u v a is , B G E ’s
p rin c ip a l b u y e r w h o p la y e d a
c r u c i a l r o le in s e c u r i n g th e
m u lti- m illio n d o lla r d e a l. “ W e
a re p le a s e d th a t th is s u p p lie r
r e la tio n s h ip c o n tin u e s to g ro w to
th e b e n e f it o f B G E c u s to m e r s .”
“T his contract and this relatio n ­
ship positively illustrate w hat can
happen w hen m ajority- and m in o r­
ity-ow ned firm s m ake a real and
long-term com m itm ent to doing busi­
ness to g eth er,” says H arold D. W il­
liam s, d irecto r o f B G E ’s M inority
P rocurem ent O pportunity Program .
S o u t h e a s t F u e l s ’ P r e s id e n t
R a lp h K. S h e lto n a ttr ib u te s h is
s u c c e s s to a p o s itiv e an d c o m ­
m itte d a ttitu d e on th e p a rt o f
B G E 's F u e ls P ro c u re m e n t G ro u p
and th e P ro c u re m e n t O p p o r tu ­
n ity P ro g ra m . “ In a d d itio n to
p r o v id in g a c c e ss to k ey c o r p o ­
r a te c o n t a c t, th e p r o c u r e m e n t
p ro g ra m h e lp e d m e g ain in sig h t
in to th e c o m p a n y ’s c u ltu r e , p r o ­
c e s s e s a n d p r o c e d u re s . It is an
in v a l u a b l e to o l fo r m in o r ity -
o w n e d firm s se e k in g Io d o b u s i­
n e ss w ith B G E .”
A cex T echnologies , I nc . ♦
A zuri C onstruction , I nc .
B ilinco , I nc . ♦
A pplied T ech V ideo
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B ill S uell -P ainting C ontractor
S heet M etal , I nc .
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A ssociates , I nc , ♦
B G E ’s P ro c u re m e n t O p p o r ­
tu n ity P ro g ra m w o rk s to a ttra c t
M W B E s as p o te n ti
v e n d o rs.
S in c e th e p r o g r a m 's in c e p tio n
in 19 8 9 , B G E h as a w a rd e d m o re
th a n $ 3 0 0 m illio n in c o n tra c ts
to M W B E s; in 1995 a lo n e , m o re
th an $ 5 6 m illio n w as a w a rd e d
to su c h v e n d o rs.
BGE is an investor-ow ned co m ­
pany that com bines its core utility
business with diversified non-util­
ity operations. Founded in 1816,
BGE is the nation’s first gas utility
and one o f its earliest electric utili­
ties. with a tradition o f superior,
low -cost service reliability. W ith
assets greater than $8 billion, BGE
serves more than 1.1 m illion busi­
ness and residential electric cu s­
tom ers and 540,000 gas custom ers
in an econom ically diverse 2,300-
square-m ileareaencom passing Bal­
tim ore City and all or part o f 10
Central M aryland counties.
A var C onstruction S ystems
B eaudoin E lectric C o . ♦
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B enge C onstruction C o ,
B lessing E lectric ♦
B rothers C oncrete C utting , I nc . ♦
C.A.M. Co.
♦
C antel of M edford
C&j R ebar
♦
ing s c o rin g h ig h on th e A C T /
S A T an d o b ta in in g n e e d e d fu n d s
fo r th e e d u c a tio n ) b u t a ls o show
a d u lts w h o w ish to r e tu r n to
sc h o o l w hat ste p s to ta k e as w ell.
W ith w e lfa re b e in g p h a s e d o u t,
th is c h a p te r is in v a lu a b le in h e lp ­
ing m ak e th e tra n s itio n fro m w e l­
fare to farin g w ell. C o m m u n ic a ­
tio n s k ills are a d d re sse d in a s e p a ­
ra te c h a p te r in o rd e r to s tr e s s the
im p o r ta n c e o f u s in g s ta n d a r d
g ra m m a r and b u ry in g lo n g s ta n ­
d in g , s u b s ta n d a rd u sa g e .
Political em pow erm ent through
voting, and rebuilding the A frican-
A m erican com m unity are topics ad­
dressed by an attorney/city council-
well
E c o n o m ic s e lf-e m p o w e rm e n t
ca n be a c h ie v e d by o b ta in in g
m a rk e ta b le s k ills by w ay o f te c h ­
n ic a l s c h o o ls and u n iv e rs itie s .
H e lp fu l h in ts are g iv e n th a t can
not o n ly te a c h the a v e ra g e p e r ­
son h o w to p re p a re h is c h ild re n
fo r tra in in g in the fu tu re ( in c lu d ­
man and a busi nessm an, respec ti ve ly.
By taking a m ore active role in the
c o m m u n ity , on e c a n c o n trib u te
greatly to its prosperity.
E x c e rp t: “ T h e A fric a n -A m e ri-
c a n ra c e h as fa c e d u n th in k a b le
h a rd sh ip s th ro u g h o u t c e n tu rie s o f
ra c ism and e c o n o m ic d ep riv a tio n .
A lth o u g h m a n y h a v e p ro sp e re d
in s p ite o f th e o b s ta c le s , th e ir
n u m b e rs p a le in c o m p a ris o n to
th e n u m b e r o f th o s e b a re ly m a k ­
ing it, th o se ju s t g e ttin g b y .'
“ I n s te a d o f f o c u s in g on w h a t
o th e r p e o p le h a v e d o n e an d are
d o in g to us, w e n e e d to fo c u s on
w h a t w e c o u ld be d o in g fo r o u r ­
s e lv e s .”
Hispanic National Bar Association
Annual Convention to be held
Approximately 1,500 Hispanic at­
torneys from across the nation are
expected to attend the Hispanic N a­
tional Bar Association (HNBA) A n­
nual Convention, which will take place
Oct. 3-6, 1996 al the Fontainebleau
Hilton Resort & Tow ers in Miami
Beach, Fla., announced Alfonso J.
Perez, Esq., Convention Chairperson
for the HNBA and a shareholder with
the Miami-based law firm of Haley,
Sinagra and Perez, P.A.
The Convention is hosted for the
first time by the Cuban American Bar
Association of Miami.
Keynote speakers on Oct. 4 include
Ambassador Madeleine Albright; Judge
Ruben Castillo, Federal District Court in
Illinois; and 11 th Circuit Court of Ap­
peals Judge Rosemary Barkett who will
receive a special honor. On OcL 5 key­
note speakers include Senator Oirin G.
Hatch, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Committee who is tentatively scheduled;
Anita Perez-Ferguson, President of the
National W omen’s Political Caucus who
will speak at the Latina Lawyers lun-
cheon; California Congressman Javier
Becera; and Florida Congressman Lin­
coln Diaz-Balart
Lizbet Martinez, a 14 year old vio­
linist born in Cuba, will play the Star
Spangled Banner at the convention on
Saturday, Oct. 5. W hen Lizbet and
her family fled Cuba on a raft in 1994,
Lizbet brought only her violin, bible
and asthma medicine. Lizbet won the
admiration and love of many when she
and her family were rescued by the
U.S. Coast Guard and she played the
Star Spangled Banner on her violin in
gratitude.
Major issues particularto the Hispanic
community to be examined at the Con­
vention include immigration, Helms-
Burton legislation, Proposition 187, tort
reform, language rights, affirmative ac­
tion and the Cuban embargo. President
Bill Clinton has been officially invited to
attend the Convention.
The theme for the 1996 Convention,
‘Together The Future” reflects the im­
portance of Hispanics as a major |x ilitical
group in the upcoming Presidential elec-
tion and a significant part of the work
force in the United States. According to
Dario Moreno, Ph D., with the Depart­
ment of Political Science at Florida Inter­
national University in Miami, the Latino
electorate consists of two voters— Core
partisan voters and swing voters i.e., non­
voters who vary from occasional voters
to non-U.S. citizens who cannot vote.
"Now more than ever, the Hispanic vote
will be critical to this year’s Presidential
election. The Ixitino vote will be heavily
recruited by Democrats and Republi­
cans,” said Dr. Moreno.
Several m ajor local corporations
have stepped forward as sponsors in­
cluding Bacardi-M artini U.S.A. Inc.
the host sponsor for the Convention,
as well as NationsBank, AT & T,
Lucent Technologies and Akcrman,
SenterfittandEidson.P.A . The HNBA
to date has raised more than $ 150,000
in scholarships for the Hispanic Na­
tional Bar Fund, an organization which
annually awards thousands of dollars
in scholarships to deserving Hispanic
law students.
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B rainard
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C.A.E. &
C amas T ransport , I nc .
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C apital C oncrete C onstruction , I nc . ♦ C heney P hotography ♦ C offey L aboratories
♦ D.H, L loyd & A ssociates
♦ F red C ooper C onsulting ♦ D epot S ign , I nc . ♦ D i C ario
A ssociation , I nc . ♦ D on P. S chonert C ompany ♦ E astwood E nvironmental ♦ E dmonds
T rucking & E xcavating , I nc . ♦
E icon and A ssociates ♦
F ujitani H ilts & A ssociates
♦ G onzales B oring & T unneling ♦ G reen A rt L andscape & I rrigation ♦
H & H E lectric , I nc .
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H ughes A nalytical L ab ♦
J.E.C., I nc .
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K&M S upply
K line M asonry
H ong W est and A ssociates
I mpact B usiness C onsultants
J.P. C onstruction ft . C learing
M aintenance , I nc . ♦
I nc .
H arbor S ecurity , I nc . ♦
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I t ’ s M y K ind O f F ace
J erry C arter C o ,
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♦ K ai K rishnan C onsulting ♦
K urahashi and A ssociates
♦ M armoleio C ontractors . I nc . ♦
Gus G arza
M icro O ne ♦
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J oe B uilding
KJM A ssociates ,
Celebrates
Minority Business
L anier S teel P roducts
C.W. M c C allen C onstruction
M ayer /R eed M c D owell E lectric C ompany M endez , I nc .
♦
CHICKEN & BISCUITS
M etis , I nc ,
«
MF1A, I nc .
♦
♦ MG C onstruction , I nc . ♦ M ichael A. M inor S ound & V ibration C onsulting ♦ M oore
C ommercial I nteriors ♦ MRC C ompany ♦ M urase A ssociates , I nc . ♦ N X W orkforce
C enter , C onstruction W orkforce C learinghouse ♦ N.W, R ubber E xtruders ♦ A, N oble ,
“We believe that helping individuals of
diverse backgrounds and cultures helps build
a solid community.”
I nc . ♦ N orthern C ascade ♦ N orthwest B oring C ompany , I nc . ♦ N orthwest C oncrete
P umping ♦ OAME ♦ O lympian P recast , I nc . ♦ O regon V ideo P roduction ♦ P acific
C ascade C ontrols
♦
P arametrix
♦
P elfrey C onstruction , I nc . ♦
P en -N or , I nc .
Equal Opportunity Employer
♦ P owell V alley I ron a E quipment , I nc . ♦ P ro L andscape ♦ R ainier S teel ♦ R ebar
I nternational
♦
5 & L L andscaping , I nc .
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S.I.R., I nc . of O regon , LTD.
& P epper C onstruction
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C onstruction , I nc .
S undown E lectric C ompany
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SAS B uilding S upplies
♦ S teel D ecking , I nc . ♦
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T.F. H armon ,
S alt
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LTD.
S towe
T he
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D uring this year’s m in o rity enterprise
development week, Iri-M e t thanks you
TRI-M ET
for your fine efforts in the construction
o f the Westside L ight Rail Project.
N ettleship G roup , I nc . ♦
T emporary S taffing
TRI-MET
♦
T raci C olgrove C ontractors
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T raffic G raphics , I nc . ♦ T ri -C ounty C oncrete P umping ♦ V alley G rowers ♦ V irginia
T ransformer
L ine
i
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V ision C onstruction S upply
C onstruction ,
I nc .
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W estlake C onsultants
W oodburn
M asonry ,
I nc .
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W est
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