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N ovember 6, 1996 • T he P oru and O bserver
M fP A N K
W M M IU N IT y
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Through our own eyes
Por nuestros proprios ojos
“ H lien I take a p icture I fe e l like
I am m aking art. The thing I like
most aboutphotography is that when
I take a picture, I know that no one
else could ever take a picture exact­
ly lik e it. H hen someone sees one o f
my pictures, I want them to se what
I sa K’ a n il fe e l what / fe lt, hut I also
want them to have th e ir own fe e l­
ings. That, to me, is the most im por­
tant thing about art. ”
—N ick Long, student.
"In a time where life seems in­
creasingly fragile, it is d iffic u lt for
anyone to stand tall. We w ill all be
knocked down. Growing up in such
real and underprivileged worlds, it is
inconceivable to imagine finding the
strength that these young adults find
each and every day. The young pho­
tographers in straight shooting face
their world with a sensitivity that, at
many times, seems too perceptive.
They are consciously aware o f the
failures o f our society.
"F looding our darkrooms with
clearly seen photographs o f magical
and beautifully truthful images, these
students remind us o f the power o f
photography as an art. It is an art o f
looking at our world. While anyone
can take a picture, only these young
adults could have made these photo­
graphs.
Rudolfo Anaya Lecture
Rudolfo Anaya, the author o f "BlessMe, U ltim a" and "R io Grande
Fall" w ill speak at the M arkO . Hatfield Eibrary at W illiamette University
in Salem at 7:00 pm., Wednesday Novem ber 6
Flamenco at Cafe Sol
Sueno Flam enco, fe a tu rin g Rafaela de C ad iz and g u ita ris t
V ic to r "e l A g u a "w ill p erform from 7.00 pm to 10:00 pm F riday,
N o ve m b e r 8 at Cafe Sol, 620 SW 9th Ave. C a ll 243-2161 fo r
in fo rm a tio n
Bones Flowers Sugars-Altars for the Dead
Day o f the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) exhibit continues through
Novem ber at A rt o f the People, 818 SW First Ave., featuring urban and
rural altar displays. Contact 2 2 1 -0569.
Hispanic orphans need parents
N orthwest A doption Families Association (N A F A ) w ill conduct a
"H ow to Adopt" class at A Teacher's Place, 2755 NE Broadway, on
Saturday, November 9, from 8:45 am to 4:00 pm Offers information on
all kinds o f adoption at a cost o f $35 per person or couple. This event is
in support o f National Adoption Awareness Month. Contact Peggy
Lindquist at 6 2 1 -9776.
Vietnam Veterans Service
On Monday, November I I . at 11:45 am, the Vietnam Veteran's o f
America Portland Chapter 392 w ill host a Veterans Day service at the
Oregon Vietnam Veterans M em orial, located in Washington Park
For information, call 266-4527.
"Aumento Ya" film shown
On Thursday. November 21 at 7:30 p.m., the F ifth Avenue Cinema
at 510 SW Hall St near PSU w ill feature "A u m e n to Ya! A Raise N o w !",
a film documenting the June 1995 farmworker strikes in the strawberry
fields o f the Willamette Valley. Filmmaker T om Chamberlain and PCUN
organizers w ill be on hand. Ticket information: 228-8866
Only these young adults could have
evoked these dreamlike scenes o f
oppression, or their undying love for
family in a single image. We are all
privileged to learn from their work.
“ A ll o f us involved, the students
and the mentors, had to reach out
towards each other’ s worlds. The
understanding and strength gained is
inexplicable. The relationships
formed and photographs created in
this program are testament to the
extreme value o f our society working
together. There is pain, sorrow, and
oppression in our country. There is
also self-confidence, grace and pride
amidst it all.” - Adam Ogilvie, Men­
tor and Coordinator.
Manuel Izquierdo Sculpture
Recent sculpture by Manuel Izquierdo w ill be shown at the Laura
Russo G a lle ry. 805 N W 21st Street, Novem ber 7-30 Born in Madrid.
Mr. Izquierdo has gained nationwide stature as a sculptor, and received
the Oregon Governor's Award in 1971. Call 226-2754 for information.
Pre-Columbian art & jewelry exhibit
opens in Portland
An exhibition o f Pre-Columbian art and jew elry from Mexico, Central
and South America w ill be shown in Portland through November at
Abante Fine A rt, a private art gallery located on the corner o f Second
Street and Yam hill, adjacent to the M A X line. For information, call Rudi
Milpacher at (503) 295-2508.
Performance at Miracle Theater
"I>on F au stino ", an original play by Vicente Guzman-Orozco based
on the Faust legend but set in contemporary times w ill run through
November 17 at the M ira cle Theater, 525 SE Stark Street. For
information call 236-7253.
Kids need Spanish Books
A ld e r Elem entary School needs donations o f Spanish-language
books suitable for children aged 5 to 12 for its dual language program,
which promotes native language literacy while immersing students in a
second language (either English or Spanish). Contact Eva at 255-4673,
ext. 213.
Program de Mujeres crisis line
P ro g ra m a de M u je re s is a program fo r H ispanic women
v ic tim s o f d om estic vio le n c e that operates a b ilin g u a l c ris is line
M -F 8-12 and I -5 pm. C a ll 232-4448 i f you or someone you know
is in need o f services. The C risis Lin e fo r the L atin a W oman and
Program a de M ujeres is seeking b ilin g u a l volunteers w ho are
interested in s u p p o rtin g su rv iv o rs o f dom estic viole nce . C all
238-7831 fo r vo lu n te e r in fo rm a tio n
Portland Observador seeks youth writers
The Port land Observador is seek ing essays by young writers for our In
Our Own W ords(En Nuestras Proprias Palabras) feature. We would like
to publish your thoughts, feelings and experiences from a Hispanic
perspective. Contact Editor, The Portland Observador, 4747 NE Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland OR 9 7 2 11. Please include the name o f the
school you attend and a daytime phone number.
Ecumenical
Ministries
supports farm
workers
Continued from page B I
▲
constituent members and congre­
gations comprising those members
as to the facts giving rise to these
Resolutions;
"Be it Further Resolved that
(EMO) calls upon a ll people o f
fa ith to stand along with a ll Ore­
gon fa rm workers who fa ce any
fo rm o f retaliation by th eir em­
ployers f o r complaints as to work­
ing conditions or attempts to orga­
nize collectively;
"Be it Further Resolved that
(EMO) calls upon Norpac Foods.
Inc . its member growers, Kraemer
Farms, and a ll other sim ilarly situ­
ated farm s to condone and honor,
with no retaliation, a confidential
vote o f wot ker sto determine wheth­
er PCUN is to be their bargaining
representative;
"Be it Further Resolved that the
Board o f Directors o f (EMO) will,
at its next meeting, review the sta­
tus o f this issue, and i f there is no
significant movement by Norpac
Foods, Inc , or Kraemer Farms, the
Board w ill seriously consider fu ll
endorsement o f the boycott ”
This resolution was unanimous­
ly approved by the Board o f Direc­
tors on September 26, 1996
Photo by Victor Alvarez, 1995 Straight Shooting graduate
In our own words
En nuestras proprias palabras
Student Essay
Phout Chhay, Am. L it
M y life in America isevery im m i­
grant’s dream. M y parents were the
survivors o f the Cambodian war o f
the mid 70’s. M y ancestors died in
Cambodia where their bone or ashes
could not be found. Why did this
happen? I don’t why, but one thing I
know in my mind is that my dreams
and promises are now here in Amer­
ica.
M y fam ily is from Cambodia, and
back in Cambodia the people are
s till trying to put their lives together
due to the war. M y parents’ dream
was to escape the Cambodia war and
come live in America. Part o f their
dream came true; the other part did
not. They wanted my grandparents
to come along to show them how
America really is, that dream is shat­
tered because my grandparents are
dead. M y grandparents’ dreams were
to live to see all their grandsons and
grand-daughters grow up.
Many years ago my fam ily was in
Cambodia, and during that time the
communist took over the land and
the people. The communists were
called Khmer Rouge. The Khmer
Rouge was a group o f communists
who d id n 't like educated people.
They would take some o f the smart
people, blind fold them, and take
them to a tree, and hang them like
they were a flock o f chickens ready
to be cooked in a burner and the rest
o f the people were probably shot to
death or were taken to a small prison
camp where they were locked up and
starved to death. M y grandparents
were the victim s o f these strange,
ruthless people. They were the ones
who tortured and ended my grand­
parents’ dreams.
During the time my fam ily was
there, my fam ily was like in
a boot camp where they had to
work for the communists and do
whatever the communists lold them
to do. So one day my dad thought to
himself, “ Should I escape and let my
.......................— ............................ — .... - ...... .............. « .L x L fl
,^ .-2 .
L
__________________
Left to right: Phout Chlay. Mrs. Jeri Shaw (Teacher), Cindy Choch, and Rance Spruill (Director. AYOS).
family live, or should I just stay here
and wait until it’s my turn, or until
one o f my fam ily members turn to
die?” Many thoughts ran through
my parents mind, because i f they
made one mistake in their plan, all o f
them were going to be dead.
Finally my parents escaped. Dur­
ing those days my fam ily did not
have shoes to wear. They had to
walk bare footed in the mud when it
was raining and they did not get to
eat because there was no food for
them to eat. It took them about two
weeks or so through the jungle until
they reached Thailand.
Thailand is the country where my
sister and I were born Both o f us
were pretty lucky, because we didn’t
have to go through what my brothers
and sisters experienced. M y family
lived in Thailand for a couple o f
months, then they were sponsored by
a white family from Medford, Ore­
gon. My parents had second thoughts
about coming to America, because
my dad didn’t want to leave his sister,
and my mom didn’t want to leave her
brother, because that’ s the only fam­
ily member they have left alive. M y
parents thought about us, so they
decided to come to America.
During the trip to America, we
stopped at the Philippines and stayed
there for a couple o f months. Then
we flew to Medford, Oregon where
we lived with the people who spon­
sored us. We lived with them for a
couple o f months, then my dad got a
job. When my parents had enough
money saved, they moved out on
their own to Portland, Oregon.
Now here in America my parents
still have memories o f Cambodia
and s till think about all the things
they left behind and how much they
miss their country. In my opinion,
they made the right decision to come
to America because i f it weren’ t for
them, I would not be here today. My
parents to me are my life. Without
them, I would not have the strength
to be able to glue m yself back to­
gether, because over the years I made
a lot ot mistakes like dropping out o f
school, and doing things that I
couldn’t imagine m yselfdoing. Now
I m on the right track and back in
school and I'm trying to finish high
school and get my diploma to prove
to my parents you guys did raise me
the proper w a y !!!!!!
In i O n i
Oxx n W o r d s ( E ii
N uestras P ro p ria s P a la h ra s)
w ill be a re g u la r fe a tu re o l I lie
P o ri land ( Risers a (I o r, o ffe rin g
Io H is p a n ic x o u tli the o p p o r
In n ils to express th e ir th o u g h ts
and feelings and to describe
th e ire x p e i ienees asa I a tin o
in a p re d o m in a n tly A n g lo en-
x it o n in e n t.
I Tie O bserx a ilo r
encourages o u r y oung readers
to su b m it th e ir oxx n xx r ilin g
and a p h o to g ra p h and xxe xxill
try to fin d space in o u r pages
fo r xon.
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