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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1996)
P age B6 Dix ember 25, 1996 • T he P ortland O bserves Don’t Divide-Conquer m using or improving their Spanish, meets every Saturday at Little Wing Cafe, 529 NW 13th, from 10:30 am to 12:30 p m .' All ages, backgrounds and levels of Spanish welcome. Information: 646-201 I Pre-Columbian art & jewelry exhibit An exhibition of Pre-Columbian art and jewelry from Mexico, ( entral and South America will be shown in Port land through January 15 at Abante Fine Art. a private art gallery located on the corner of Second Street and Yamhill, adjacent to the MAX line. For information, call Rudi Milpacher at (503) 295-2508. Change is all around us, and amid the confusion that always accompa nies change lies much opportunity: the opportunity to pursue a business premise or develop a curriculum that perceives and rides an emerging wave of need or desire; the opportu nity to develop and implement solu tions to social ills, large and small, the opportunity to make a better life for one’s self and family; the oppor tunity to leave the w orld-or the street on which you live-in better shape than the way in which you found it. The opportunity to make a differ ence. industry. These are absolutes Ore gon cannot change its location, so it will remain a destination for immi grants from around the world The opportunities that these immigrants offer to Oregon and that Oregon of fers in turn will be seen through the eyes of both the short- and the far sighted. Programa de Mujeres crisis line Programs« de M ujeres is a program for Hispanic women domestic violence that operates a bilingual crisis line M-F 8 5 pm. Call 232-4448 if you or someone you know is in need t Call 238-7831 for volunteer information. It is inevitable that change will occur in Oregon's food chain Agri As Oregon's minority populations grow, the opportunity exists to unite and prosper. At the same time, how ever, there are those that view pros pering minorities—even their own brothers and sisters-as a threat in one way or another. Representing the evil side of opportunity, these very real forces will find encouragement in watching us divide ourselves Portland Observador seeks youth writers The Portland Observador is seeking essays by young writers for our In Our Own Words (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 M ar tin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland OR 97211. Please include the name of the school you attend and a daytime phone number. Fiesta de los Tres Reyes Programa Hispano will sponsor a Christmas Party for Hispanic children on January 4 from 12:00 noon to 4:00pm, The public is invited to this free I event at Reynolds High School. 698 Cherry Park Road, Troutdale. Food, music and games for families, and presents will be given to all children attending ages 12 and under. Information: Devin Bernard 669-8350 "S/, tu puedes!” Nothing to it! We can do it! J ackie L awson , CS.I Just when life was becoming eas ier (or at least less bumpy) and teach ing a bit of a breeze (after 38 years it should be, eh?), I find myself in the public school sector with the greatest challenge of my career. I thought I had seen the worst o f p o v erty s itu a tio n s having taught 31 of my years in inner city areas and having worked and lived on reservations in South Dakota and the garbage dumps of M exico. But I am learning a new poverty and new injustices down on the border I work at D ouglass Elem enta ry School in El Paso, Texas in a m onolingual first grade and am known as Ms. Lawson. On my first day of school I asked the principal if I could teach in Span ish just at the beginning. He said “ no" because I was not "certi fied" bilingual. I must teach only in English. .“ But Mr. Saucedo," I said, "the only ones who understand En glish in that room are the aide and me!" He sm iled and said, “A real challenge, is n ’t it?” I then asked if he expected these c h il dren to be perform ing at first grade level by y e a r's end. “Just do your best,” was the reply. I used Spanish to give d irec tions, make announcem ents and by give com fort. I announced we the “ NAFTA fall-out.” There is would have "Show and T ell” for much apathy, disinterest, hope one hour every day--m uch cheer lessness, and helplessness com ing. I then proclaim ed that Show bined with anger, resentm ent, and Tell would be in English restless, and rage. The mix gives o n ly -m u c h pleading and whin- us one of the most violent neigh ing--”No M ees! No Puedo” (I borhoods in El Paso. c a n 't) My answ er all year long Because of the volatile nature of was, “Si, tu puedes!” (Yes, you the area, the school cannot function can!) follow ed by “I will help or be used after 8:30 p.m„ at which you.” time the streets belong to the gangs. Not only are these children lin Any parent-teacher meetings, con guistically challenged but they ferences, or adult classes must end come with an experiential void by that hour. The children say they that is alm ost overw helm ing. I never leave their dwellings after this spent the first sem ester of the time. "Only the ‘cholos’ (gang mem school year ju s t teaching the bers) go out." The majority live in nam es of ordinary objects in En fear. The others are already gang glish These children could not members, although they, too, know name com m on household furni fear- fear of rival gangs, drive-bys, ture or objects in English or Span knifings, and beatings. ish. One day I held up a picture of Someone asked me why I choose a bed and asked, “What is this?” such impossible situations. I had to No answer. So I said "Digam e en think hard and ask myself: “Why do esp an o l” (Tell me in Spanish). I?" It’s the challenge! Yes, it’s the No answer. Finally I asked them, challenge, but it is also the joy I get "W hat do you sleep o n ?” A n when I see “thelight” go on in a first swer: “El S uelo” (the floor). Do grader's eyes when a new word in you think, then, th ey ’d have an English is grasped, read and eventu idea o f what a dresser, sofa or ally written. nightstand would be? It’s the triumph I feel when as a In our area, know n as the class they declare, “Nothing to it We “segundo barrio,” we are dealing can do it!” (ourclass motto) and most with many fifth-generation w el especially it is the strength and ener fare re c ip ie n ts and “ ille g a l” gy I receive from them as they amaze aliens as well as the “nouveaux me with their courage, faith and te pauvres'" or. as like to call them. nacity. BLACKS CAN GAIN culture, forestry and fisheries are in dustries where production cannot be relocated into third-world nations where wages of a dollar a dav can While opportunity isgood in prin ciple, it exists along the entire spec trum of good and evil. The same opportunity for the developer exists for the exploiter; the same opportu nity for the builder exists for the destroyer; the same opportunity for the generous exists for the miserly BE DIVIDED- REMAIN CONQUERED LATINOS CAN BENEFIT Latinos can benefit from the pio neering work in civil rights and equal opportunity advances won by Blacks, and if Latinos can learn that the key to those gains was solidarity and apply the lesson, then all the better. OREGON’S FOOD CHAIN CHANGES THE SPECTRUM OF OPPORTUNITY A lder E lem entary School needs donations of 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. 2 13. rights, as city dwellers become more aware of the issues and the people involved become less abstract. This is the inevitable part of change in Oregon agriculture ocnenciary or tneir poorly-compen sated labor. Their desperation and that of their children are the under pinnings of your low grocery prices. SHARED EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELDS One of the many ways in which Blacks and Latinos share common experiences is through the act of la boring for subsistence and without a voice in an Anglo farmer's field, albeit generations apart. Chains alone do not make a slave. Hunger, lack of opportunity, an environment of op pression and desperate need can com bine to have a similar effect. Many Latinos are forced to live a serf-1 ike existence so that Portlanders can buy Flav-R-Pac frozen food dirt cheap. Blacks can gain from attaching themselves to the numbers. Latino numbers are soaring, and they are learning to see bloc voting as an effective way to solve problems. Many Blacks occupy positions of leadership and influence thatcan help direct those numbers into useful chan nels. or unstable workers This ensures both that the crops get picked cheap ly and that labor demands are dilut ed. Seasonal work promotes worker instability, which leads to all the oth er ills associated with poverty and oppression. Preventing workers from organiz ing themselves contributes to their instability and powerlessness Thus, in Oregon, no farm worker has ever worked under a collective bargain ing agreement and farmers can get away with paying the same few cents a pound for a decade, among many other abuses. Change is coming to the Oregon food chain, and the opportunity to engineer change in the fields lies in the cities. The farm workers’ prob lems are our problems, too. Third- World-style poverty in Oregon harms all of us. Become informed and sup port your farm worker brothers and sisters. NUMBERS TAKE HUMAN FORM VOTE AT THE GROCERY STORE As Latino numbers grow, and as these numbers move from statistical abstracts and trend analysis spread sheets into human forms that use banking services, buy automobiles and homes, attend schools, start busi nesses, raise families and vote, Ore gon itself will change Latino numbers are beginning to have recognizable faces and names, OPPORTUNITY IN THE FOOD CHAIN Be part of the solution. You don’t have to wait until the next election to • stand up for what you believe, for what is right and just. You can vote in the checkout line every time vou ' Market analysis comment Highlights—Two consecutive very strong years in the market typ ically lead to letdown in the third; The bond market rally, which has helped stocks, may be losing steam; Professional sentiment, which had recently been cautious, is becom ing more bullish. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." The market continued to float on the rising tide of investor enthusiasm last week, further sting ing the bears and their recent con cerns about rising interest rates, falling corporate profits, high valu ations, and excessive investor en thusiasm for stocks. The DJIA and NYSE advance-decline figures were positive for the fourteenth time in the last seventeen weeks as all of the major averages closed at new all-time highs on Friday. NYSE volume rose to the third highest weekly total in history while the number of large blocks (i.e.. 50,(MX) shares or more) traded on upticks from their prior transaction price exceeded those traded on downticks by 20%, a sign of institutional exu berance. The smaller cap and spec ulative sector continued to be a laggard area, however, as the Russell 2000 Index gained less than one percent for the week (vs. a jump of nearly two percent by the DJIA), ( and the NASDAQ advance-decline statistics showed more losers than winners. With the DJIA and S&P 500 at spreads above their ten and thirty week averages equal to those Merrill Lynch of last February, when the market’s trend flattened out for several months prior to its late spring-early summer decline, we should expect at least a more ragged or labored market trend in coming weeks. However, there may still be time for some further gains in the seasonally strong De cember-January period (these two months have the best long term per formance records of all months in the year) prior to the next important (i.e., intermediate term or major) top for the market. The market's additional strength last week pushed the DJIA’s gain for the year to date to 26.5%. This above-average advance comes on the heels of last year's 33.5% gain, clearly an extraordinary two year performance. In fact, looking back to 1900, we can find only six other occasions (1904-1905, 1924-1925, 1927-1928,1935-1936,1954-1955, and 1985-1986) when that index registered two consecutive annual gains of 20% or more. It appears to be worth noting, although many may claim that this time is different, that the year following each of those strong two year periods had either a flat or down market performance. The DJIA’s performance, for ex ample, ranged from a gain of 2.3% for 1956 and 1987 to a loss of 32.8% for 1937 The average net change for all six of these “third" years was a loss of 7.8%. Of course, the intra-year high to low decline in these years was often much greater than that, with some examples being the 36% decline in the summer-fall of 1987 and the 42% decline in 1937. Although we are not necessarily anticipating such extremes in 1997 following the huge market gains of 1995 and 1996, history does sug gest that it will be a much more difficult year. We still believe that a cyclical decline with a 20-25% high to low magnitude could develop along the way, possibly starting in the early months of the coming year. Oregon Governor appoints five Hispanic leaders Governor John Kitzhaber an nounced recently the appointment of several Hispanic Leaders to the Ore gon Commission on Hispanic Af fairs. Appointed to the Commission are Liliana Olberding of Portland, Emilio Hernandez of Springfield, Henry Montes of Medford, Lynda Jasso-Thom as o f Florence and Manuel Castaneda of Aloha Liliana Olberding has been re appointed to the Commission and is also the Chair. She is a Charter Board Member of the Portland-Metro His panic Chamber of Commerce anil was a member of the Oregon Su preme Court Task Force on Ethnic and Racial Discrimination issues in the Judicial System. Ms. Olberding brings broad expertise in the area of the judicial court system and social services as i, addresses a number of issues and concerns for the Hispanic/ Latinocommumty members. She also is the President for Spanish Transla tion Services. Liliana and her hus band live in Hillsboro. They have two sons. Nathan and Jeffrey. Emilio Hernandez has also been re appointed to the Commission and is the Vice-Chair He is the Director of the University of Oregon's High School Equivalency Program In ad dition to the volunteer work, he is the Vice-( hair for the Oregon Depart ment of Education’s SACED Com- mittee (Superintendent’s Special Advisory Committee on Ethnic Di versity); member of the WICHE (Western Interstate Council for High er Education ) advisory group; Board of Director member for the Ameri can Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); and serves on the Police Forum for the City of Eugene. Emilio and his wife live in Springfield They have one son, Dominic. Henry Montes has just recently been appointed to the Commission. He is Vice-President of the Rogue Valley Hispanic Chamber of Com merce. He is a Planning Commis sioner for the City of Medford and a member of the Hispanic/Criminal Justice Community Relations Com mittee He has been an employee of the Oregon Department of Transpor tation Maintenance Section for over 20 years and was just recently ap pointed the Vegetation Management Coordinator for the Jackson County roads and Parks Services Henry and his wife live in Medford Diego Castellanos has just recent ly been appointed Io the Commis sion He is a member of the Title I Migrant Committee of Practitioners for the Oregon Department of Edu cation. the Nyssa School Board, and the Nyssa City Council Diego is a utility worker for the Amalgamated Sugar Company and has been em ployed there since 1979. Diego and his wife live in Nyssa. They have seven children. Lynda Jasso-Thomas has alsojust recently been appointed to the Com mission. She is currently working toward obtaining her Ph D. in Edu cational Leadership Technology at the University of Oregon and has held several instructional positions in the art field. She has volunteered in English as a Second Language Program at LCC in Florence She is the owner and artist for De Mano Construction and Pottery works. Lynda and her husband. William, live in Florence. Manuel Castaneda has also just recently been appointed to the Com mission. He has developed his own landscaping business. Pro Landscape, into a million dollar a year company. He produces monthly Spanish lan guage television show, “Foro Abierto" (Open Forum), in which topics of interest in the Hispanic com munity are discussed. He was award ed the Hispanic Portland Metro I ham her of Commerce "Most prom ising Business" in 1996, He was also awarded the Business Journal's “ 100 fastest Growing Private Companies”, in the Portland Metro area in 1996. Manuel and his wife, Rosa, live in Aloha. They have a son, Brandon
