J anuary 8. 199/ • T he P ortlanu O bserver
P agi B2
Sounding alarm on information super highway
Brian Townsend, President. West
Coast Black Publishers Association,
right, greets telecommunications pan­
elists for the Association's 13th Con­
vention workshop on the electronics
revolution the information super high­
way. W ith Townsend (Precinct Re­
porter, San Bernardino,CA)are, from
left: Edward A. Alston, President,
Telecom Education Consultants;
Lynne Joy Rogers, Executive Direc­
tor. Urban League Ron Brown Infor­
mation Technology and BusinessCen-
ter and Gwen Moore. President. GeM
Communications. The panel's discus­
sion proved to be one ol the most
popular o f the convention's events. It
touched on both fears and hopes the
participants have for the electronics
©BSEfê
PICA Presents “Stuff”
A Performance by Coco Fusco & Nao Bustamante,
January 23-25 at the Clinton Street Theater
revolution. Panelists urged participants
to create, as much as is possible, ex­
perts sympathetic to their own com­
munities. The Association serves IX
major commercial markets. Its 22-
member publications are located in
Arizona. California. Nevada. Oregon
and Washington, a region noted for its
commercial leadership in the modern
day information super highway.
A Desperate cry for dialogue
F rf . d H embrv
1997-A date critically close to
the new millennium. In the United
States, Black slavery is behind us by
132 years. The “civil righteous”
stopped marching 22 years ago.
How much freedom have these
periods bestowed upon our youth?
Have they been considered as engi­
neers to “Build a bridge to the 21st
century.” In the sound-bitten words
of Bill Clinton?
Progress... Its a relative word as it
pertains to African-American youth
who are disproportionatly miss-edu­
cated, police-brutalized, and stereo­
typed as saggy-panted animals; sali­
vating at the concept of their next
felonious venture.
How has the Aboriginal fallen
by
Nao Bustamante and Coco Fusco "Stuff"
The Portland Institute for Con­
temporary A rt (P IC A ) presents
Stuff, a new performance piece by
Coco Fusco and Nao Bustamante,
Thursday, Friday and Saturday,
January 23, 24 & 25 al X p in . at the
Clinton Street Theater in Portland.
S tuff is a grandiose performance
banquet which explores Western
culture’s fear and desire for food,
satiation, nurturing and erotic plea­
sure and how this has shaped per­
ception o f Latin women. Tickets
are $14 ($12 for PICA members)
and eifti be purchased in advance by
calling PICA at 503/242-1419.
As'Tadn women growing up in
America, Fusco and Bustamante
were acutely aware o f Western atti­
tudes and stereotypes surrounding
their lives. Bustamante is the daugh-
te ro f immigrant farm workers whose
family was involved with the Chicano
political struggles o f the 1960s and
1970s. Fusco’ s fam ily emigrated
from Cuba, a country that gained a
reputation in the 1950s as an interna­
tional whorehouse and that, once
again, lias reverted to sex tourism in
response to its present economic c ri­
sis.
A year ago. they decided to create
a performance piece that dealt with
Latin women, food and sex. Fusco
traveledtoCubato interview women
in the once-again burgeoning sex in­
dustry there. Both women then jour­
neyed to Chiapas, the center o f in­
digenous c u ltu ra l to u ris m in
Mexico, and the site o f the 1994
Zaptatista insurrection, where they
spent several weeks in conversa­
tion with women and children whose
livelihoods were I inked to their daily
contact with foreigners.
I'lie result is Stuff, a performance
piece that is part new age ritual, part
erotic inlom ericial. in which audi­
ence members are treated to a lav­
ish meal, a host ol exotic legends,
an occasional rumba, and at least
one Spanish lesson as part o f a
satirical look at relations between
North and South
by
J im G reen
No athlete from a historically black
college has ever won the Heisman
Trophy, Lombardi Award, (Jutland
Trophy, or any o f college football’ s
major awards. Reginald Rutherford,
creator and executive producer ol
The Spirit Awards (form erly The
Robinson Awards) and president ol
the Los Angeles based Rutherford
Group recognized that something was
wrong w ith this picture.
So in 1994 Rutherford created an
award show that would recognize the
football talent at the historically black
colleges and universities while at the
same time paying homage and hon­
oring the legends that have gone be­
fore and paved the way. Since it's
inception, The Spirit Awards have
brought to light the accomplishments
o f football greats such as Paul 'Tank''
Younger, the Grambling State U n i­
versity student who went on to be­
come the first athlete from a histori­
cally black university Io play in the
NFL
“ I feel athletes at historically black
schools have been well shunned.”
says Rutherford. "N o Heisman win
ner No Lombardi winner. No Out
land winner, anil you bad players like
Roosevelt, Brown (Morgan Stale).
Art Shell ( Maryland Eastern Shore),
Walter Payton (Jackson Stale). Jerry
Rice(Mississippi Valley), and Doug
W illiam s (Giam bim g State) coming
from these schools. There’ s a history
there."
I'lie Spirit Awards have become a
part o f history in a way that the
Heisman. Lombardi and (Jutland
Awards have not. by recognizing and
honoring the athletic and eomniunity
Annexation census shows progress
M ost homes in the c ity ol
Vancouver's east county annexation
area have visited by census takers
Over 50 census takers have been
combing in order to get accurate new
population figures for the city.
The census o f cast county annex­
ation area homes w ill define the
amount o f state funding that is re­
turned Io the community for provi­
sion o f public services.
"W e have visited most o f the
4
housing units so far.'' says David
Perlick. associate planner for the
C ity o f Vancouver. He notes that
about 60 percent ol the residents
have been at home to respond to
the census takers
At remaining housing units, cen­
sus takers have left door hangers
with a postage-paid return postcard
and a hotline phone number Almost
1.000 people have responded to the
mail-back and call-in request
tmn going into the pros. Many even
envision it becoming just as the
Heisman among college athletes.
I’lie Spirit Awards brings to light
the phenomenal athletes at black col­
leges. hence closing the gap o f igno­
rance and under representation ol the
talent at these schools. By remem­
bering the great talents ol the past
like W illie Davis. Buck Buchanan.
Lem Barney. Harold Jackson and
W illie Lanier. The Spirit Awards
affords historically black colleges
and their talented athletes the oppor­
tunity to be recognized, honored an
acknowledged for their contribution
to the snort o f football.
What is Anubius Productions?
Anubius was founded in 1995 by
a group of people who remain anony­
mous. It was founded to outreach to
youth in the areas of business, me­
dia, and education. It also serves a
public function as a conduit from the
grass roots to the masses, via various
mediums.
I was able to coax a couple an­
swers from the group.
Why public forums?
“Because the conditions that youth
face today need to be addressed. A
public forum gives the people a
chance to speak their mind.”
Is this only fo r black people?
“No. Anubius is for the betterment
of all people; but we as individual
races must first help selfbefore we can
be able to help others. We encourage
all to attend our events.”
Today, more than ever, we as a
people need to meet as a family at
times to discuss serious issues. The
lack of conversation on this level
leads to general misconceptions, and
suppressed anxiety. This has led to a
strong over-current o f the usual
“isms”, and violence. Anubius pro­
ductions challenges you, the people
to speak your mind.
Coming Next Week. Friday January 17 to R tf lections
JJVHBIMS PRODUCIIOMS
BLACK YOUTH
IN CRISIS
Join us fo r this Provoking Forum
Andrew Young, one o f the highest respected elders o f the
Incarceration Rate
Teenage Pregnancy
Lack o f Job O pportunities
What O ur Future Will Be
civil rights movement, has written a manuscript o f his long
anticipated memoirs. He delivered rare insight, and passion,
with a ‘I was there’ immediacy. He poignantly recounted
perhaps one o f the greatest social eras o f this century. As a
Saturday , January 11,1997
6.00 to 8:00 P.M.
The 1996 Spirit Awards for Athletic
and Community Excellence
excellence o f both past and present
football greats at historically black
colleges and universities.
Voting was done by a nucleus of
sports writers, coaches, athletic d i­
rectors. conference commissioners,
and sports information directors. The
results were tabulated by the certi­
fied p u b lic accounting firm o f
W inkler and M cDavid, Ltd. o f Chi
cago.
Candidates for this years award
are as follows: Offensive back. A n ­
tonio Leroy (Albany State); Defen­
sive back, Sean Woodson (Jackson
State); Linebacker, Darrell Flythe
(Ham pton); Defensive Lineman.
John Green (N orfolk State); Olfen
sive Lineman. Jamie Nails (Florida
A & M ); Receiver. Darius Blount
(N orfolk Slate).
(Jn Friday.January l()th 1997,the
winner w ill be announced in Los
Angeles. C alifornia at the Regal
Biltmore Hotel. The event w ill be co­
hosted hy Rolanda Watts, television
host and Jim H ill o f K C B S -TV
Sports This years Special Career
Achievement Award recipient w ill
be Jim Brown. Hall o f l amer. Anil
the key note speaker w ill be Tampa
Bay Buccaneers' head coach Tony
Dungy.
H istorically black colleges and
universities have produced 14 Pro
Football Hall o f Famcrs and sent
more than 1.000 players into the pro­
fessional ranks But most o f them
were virtually unknowns coming out
ofcollege. O fficials and followers of
black college football say The Spirit
Awards is a project that's long over­
due and w ill give black college ath­
letes and their schools the recogni-
from princess and prince to subhu­
man? On January 11, 1997 from
6:00 to 8:00 pm at Reflections Book
Store (446 N.E. Killingsworth)
Anubius Productions will point it’s
finger to the people of Portland for
answers and solutions to these que­
ries and more.
result o f his direct involvement with Dr. Martin Luther King,
and subsequent triumphs fo r human righk, Young delivered
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