P age A 4
N ovember 2 0 , 19 9 6 • T he P or i land O bserver
Some more light on light rail
m P rop M c K isllx B ubi
We should cast some needed illu
mination on more o f the buildings
and spaces between these steel rib
bons. The present situation reflects
the sage advice o f Louis Jordan’s
classic blues chant, “You don’t learn
that in school ”
However, it would seem [that] the
people o f Oregon had a lesson plan
prepared for that overconfident coa
lition o f politicians, bureaucrats, real
estate investors and contractors who
were driving the'M easure 32’ Light
Rail vehicle... down a road which
many taxpayers felt would lead to
further fiscal trauma in this state. Or
so they voted, “El voto castigo’’ (the
voters punish).
One reader derisively alludes to
“too much traffic on O regon’s Yel
low Brick Road’ to economic disas
ter.” This perceptive allusion is to
that mythological highway featured
in The Wizard o f O i. Few are aware
that this all-time favorite children’s
classic began life as a turn-of-the-
century political parody designed to
ridicule the presidential campaign of
William McKinley. An imaginative
satirist cast candidate McKinley as
the “Tin Woodsman" and his “Gold
Standard” theme as that “ Yellow
Brick Road.”
However, the light rail quandary
would seem to defy any such light
hearted mythification though I do
admit to a disingenuous tongue-in-
cheek quip at the close o f last week’s
article. “ I had a great thought, why
not let the auto and oil companies
pay to replace the Light Rail they
took away?” The problem with such
a populist approach is one that at
taches to most solutions currently
advanced for Oregon’s cash-strapped
economy: how can a tax burden be
shifted to the business community,
when it simply will be passed on to
the consumer in higher prices for
goods, service and rents. Is a Sales
Tax still unthinkable?
This brings us to Measure 47
which, according to many voters,
was seen to be (among other things)
an opportunity to further guarantee
that the “ Light Rail assault on fiscal
responsibility” would be prevented
from “coming in a window". When I
titled my series o f articles, “the Death
and Resurrection o f Light Rail,” I
hardly anticipated that the "Second
Coming” would be delayed by so
many misgivings. Clearly, ifthe Phoe
nix is to arise from the ashes, there
must be a better organized structure
to this and any other ventures in
economic development by the State
o f Oregon.
After all, it seems like only yester
day that I received a most amazing
letter from the Oregon State Depart
ment o f Economic Development in
its second year o f existence. My re
quest for information on its formal
structure and how a citizen went about
submitting an application for a par
ticular project brought the following
communication: A photostatic copy
o f a single page torn from the <iregon
Blue Book It rather succinctly de
fined the departm ents m ission—
that’s it!
Not being entirely helpless, I
promptly left my office in the Urban
Studies building on the PSU campus
and headed for the S.W. Alder St.,
Rians Eating Establishment where
the in-crowd o f accountants, lawyers
and prime movers hung out. It took
only two hits on my credit card at the
bar to determine the who, what, how
and where ofeconomic development
in the State o f Oregon; A process for
which adowntown lawfirm had quot-
ed a $ 150 charge.
The tremendous response to this
“Light Rail" series already surpasses
that o f the furor created by my Ha
waii-African Dynasties" revelations.
Copies have been mailed, faxed and
distributed all over the state-and far
ther; by individuals, industry and city,
county and state agencies, etc. the
personal cal Is and inquiries I’ve field
ed are mostly a standard inquiry”
“How in the world did you sit over
there on Alberta Street and accumu
late all that documentation -y o u must
have a hell o f a network?” I have;
good research techniques and former
students, Portland to Japan.
Acknowledging the requests o f
general readers and the teachers who
are tai loring lesson plans around l.ight
Rail, next week’s article will feature
that major African American urban
phenomenon and cultural citadel we
know as Harlem There will be crit
ical documentation o f the key role o f
Light Rail and the black inventors
whose patented innovations that made
it all possible (including a Portland
Connection ): The Third Rail, elec
trical transmission systems, trolleys,
signal and safety devices, street light
ing systems, etc.
You will be amazed at some of the
other players who had key roles on this
classic American stage They range
from Thomas A. Edison who made the
black electrical engineer, Howard
Latimeramemberofhis famed“Edison
Pioneers”, Robert Moses, the power
ful Czar of urban planning in New
York who ate and slept freeways, Lewis
Mumford, Olmstead - and most crit
ically, the AFLTrade Unions. Someof
the material used in my lectures and
presentations.
In response to the several Wash
ington County groups who expressed
interest in startinga"Light Rail Model
Club" similar to the clubs o f the
model railroad hobby ists, here is a
key and very valuable source to add
to the others I’ve given. It is “the
indispensable reference work for city
transport systems, manufacturers and
products worldwide.. comprehensive
profiles o f management, operation,
financing and development.”
Jane's Urban Transport Systems,
1994-1995, originally published at
$275.00, may now be obtained for
$49 95 from “The Scholar's Book
shelf, 1 lOMelrich Road,Cransbury,
N.J. 08512. Item #6DD9B (S&H
$6.50; (609) 395-6933, Fax (605)
395-0755.
Economic empowerment:
Doing business with one another
J ames C lingm an
We have heard it said many times
that black businesses cannot survive
on the sole support o f other black
people; that there must be an addi
tional influx o f business from other
groups as well, in order for African-
American business to make it.
Maybe that’s why some black busi
ness owners try to distance them
selves from black consumers and at
tempt to hide the fact that they are
black.
I have heard some business own
ers say that “whites wil I not patronize
me if they perceive me as a black-
owned business.”
Well, that's sad if it is true, since
black consumers contribute so dis
proportionately to the profits o f white
businesses and those o f other ethnic
groups. It is also sad that some Afri
can Americans believe that they can
not make it on black businesses alone.
If we take out those businesses
that always have and probably al
ways will cater to and be supported
by their own group, i.e., mortuaries,
barber and beauty shops, dentists
by
and doctors for the most part, we still
have a host of businesses in our com
munities with which to work.
If you think back to the post Civil
War period, Jim Crow, and even the
1950’s, you will remember that black
businesses flourished, and they did it
on the sole support o f black consum
ers. The vast majority o f the top 100
black businesses, such as, Johnson
Publishing, Soft Sheen Products,
were built strictly with black con
sumer dollars and cents. Look at
them now—they’re multi-million dol
lar businesses.
Sure our businesses need and
should have white consumer dollars,
and anyone else’s dollars, in return
for quality products or services, but
we must never overlook, negate or
diminish the value o f the black con
sumer dollar. Believe me, others think
quite highly o f our spending power.
There are several reasons for the
way we think about this subject and
for our low propensity to do business
with one another. However, the main
issues resolve around how we treat
one another; how we follow through
Prepping and
elderly person's
house for the
Portsmouth
Community
Redevelopment
Corporation is
the task
championed by
the Day of Caring
volunteer team
from Saks Fifth
Avenue.
Career change turns into family affair
After 20 years o f working in the
iking and finance industry, Ken
smussen decided it was time for a
inge. While between jo b s , he
rked as house painter in Walla
ilia. WA. specializing in the reno-
ion and restoration ofhomes. Wha,
didn’t realize was that this transi-
n would give him the opportunity
pursue the American d re a m -o r
i, his whole family would be in-
Ived in his new career
Rasmussen read about a company
led Certa ProPainters in an entre-
meurial magazine and decided he
s ready to ge, into a bigger market
te wanted to stay in the Northwest,
when a franchise became avail
le in Portland. OR. we made the
ive,” he explains
Certa ProPainters is a profession-
full service residential painting
vice, with corporate headquarters
Valley Forge, PA It is the only
siness o f its kind in the United
ites’ $100 billion painting indus-
:s. Realizing that every homeowner
|uires their work on an average o f
ev ery five to six years, C erta
ProPainters has added professional
management to an industry sorely in
need o f it.
(or do not follow through); how we
take one another for granted and how
we tend to mix business with person
al relationships.
These problems run so deeply in
many o f us that we do no, even want
to be associated with another black
person or business. We refuse to
shop at black-ow ned stores or cal I on
black professionals to do work for
us. Likewise, black business owners
fall back on the lame excuse that
black people alone cannot support
their business, and they try to ease
closer to the white market.
Simply stated, it’s not that black
consumers cannot support black busi
nesses—it's that they don’t, at least
not to the degree they should.
If A frican A m ericans sim ply
plowed 25 percent o f their dispos
able income into black-owned busi
nesses, we would see an economic
turnaround like none other in histo
ry. If black business owners would
focus on "taking care o f business”
instead o f taking short-cuts with black
consumers, they would gain more of
the benefits o f our $400 billion mar
ket.
Doing business with one another
is simple
Take a look at the Jewish commu
nity; look at the Koreans; watch Ar
abs, the Chinese, the Japanese and
the Cubans. They care enough about
one another to support their own
businesses and to provide quality
goods and services.
Sure they have internal problems,
but they fix them among themselves,
and i fthey cannot fix them they never
allow those problems to override the
economic continuity within their
communities
All it takes is a little caring and a
little bit o f trust. Black people can
work together. We can and should
continue to build our businesses with
the black consumer in mind.
If your product is good, others
will buy it. I f we deIiver the goods, do
what we say we are going to do,
maintain our integrity, and hold our
selves accountable when we know
not todo those things, African-Amer
ican businesses will grow, they will
prosper and they will multiply.
IFCC enters new era
P ax Bu t
Interstate Fire Cultural Center,
located at 5340 N Interstate is a
community based center for the per
forming, literary and visual arts.
Founded in 1982 with the sup
port o f the City o f Portland I, is
housed in a former 1910 firehouse.
The 7,500 square facility houses
110 seat theater, two art galleries, a
dance studio and administrative of
fices.
The IFCC throughout its exist
ence ha been a front runner in sup
porting multicultural diverse art
ists. Originally under a more condu
cive funding climate in the early
and mid eighties, IFCC produced
and supported various unknown and
emerging theater artists. With the
passage o f measure five, the fund
ing climate changed. Now the Cul
tural Firehouse serves as cross-cul
tural community venue for outside
performing arts groups.
Within the last three years the
Cultural Firehouse has received a
grant from the Minneapolis based
Northwest Area Foundation.
The grant has allowed Cultural
Firehouse to hire marketing and de
velopment personnel. The hiring of
these two positions enabled the Cul
tural Firehouse to better contribute
to its own ongoing sufficiency and
maintenance.
Sue Busby, executive director,
says that the existence o f the center
is grounded on the collaboration o f
funding from a broad and varied
base o f city, federal, private foun
dations, and corporations.
by
IFCC offers eight main programs:
1) M ain T h e a te r—a cross-cul
tural theater season that balances
established works with new pro
ductions that confront important
issues o f color and culture or exam
ine universal themes from an ethnic
or cultural perspective.
2) O rigins L ecture Series—an
annual speaker series that presents
performing, visual and literary art
ist from diverse ethnic backgrounds
who discuss the process o f creating
art and address ethnic and racial
issues.
3) Callery Exhibits— monthly art
exhibits featuring the work o f artist
from diverse ethnic and cultural tra
ditions. National touring exhibits
depicting the lives o f other cultures
and countries are also occasionally
scheduled.
4) N eighborhood Youth T he
a te r P ro ject—a summer production
camp for inner city youth providing
mentors from the professional arts
community, offered in collabora
tion with the Portland Police Bureau
and designed to expose “at-risk"
young people to options and alter
natives.
Young people form Portland’s
Hispanic, Asian and African-Amer
ican com m unities learn together
about aspects o f theater production
while exploring the dynamics o f team
work.
5) S tu d e n t M atinee S e r ie s -
Weekday matinee that introduce
young people to the magic o f live
theater and the diversity o f the
w orld’s different cultures.
6) New S crip t Series—A venue
for new and emerging playwrights.
The series features reading o f new
scripts, followed by moderated dis
cussion between playwright and au
dience. Produced in partnership with
Portland State Uni versify and Lewis
and Clark County.
7) W orkshops and C la sse s-
Courses in dance, art, theater, writ
ing and more. Classes are taught by
independent instructors.
8) Com m unity R entals—The
performance and gallery spaces are
available for rental by independent
companies, performers and commu
nity groups.
In its 15 year existence, the IFCC
has served an unique forum for the
expression o f both performing and
visual arts.
As they embark into new era o f
budget constraints and more depen
dency on the private sector and self
rel iance, we can be rest assured they
will continue to provide the commu
nity with the highest level o f multi
cultural art programming.
Vitality, Vim & Vigor
Most of us could use more energy to get through our busy lives. A new
brochure, “Vitality, Vim & Vigor”, offers six steps for developing more
energy, and it’s free from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. To
obtain a copy of the brochure, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-
size (#10) envelope to: “Vitality, Vim & Vigor,” Office of Public Affairs,
Baylor College of medicine, Houston, Texas 77030.
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