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V o lum e X X V II, N um ber 5
C om m itted to cultural diversity.
January 20; 1997
February is
SHOWTIME honors
Black History
Academy Award winners
Sidney Poitier (left) and
Michael Caine (right) star
in Mandela and De Klerk.
See Arts & Entertainment, page B2.
Moore at The
History Channel
Black History
Month
(Liu'
LaDebra L. Moore is
Manager of Public
Relations for The History'
Channel.
See Black History, page B3.
^4 .
F r a n c e s S c h o e n -N e w s p a p e r
i v e r s i t y o f O re g o n L i b r
je n e , O re g o n
et
250
9 7 4 OC
Maya Angelou inspires teachers
by
N eil H eilpern
louds hovered over Portland
S atu rd ay, but poet M aya
Angelou used the weather to
remind several hundred visiting educa­
tors that they can be “rainbows for
someone's cloud.”
C
Oregon economy slows
After several years of pcdal-to-the metal
growth, Oregon’s economy is showing
signs of easing up to the gas. Economists
and business executives unanimously
agree that the warp-speed past few years
has reached a plateau.
Stolen car of choice
The Honda Accord is hot-with thieves.
It was no contest last year, according to an
annual list of the nation’s most-stolen
cars and trucks. Honda models held the
top three spots.
AIDS still alludes cure
At the fourth annual Conference on
Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections,
there were plenty of troubling reminders
that, despite a string of therapeutic suc­
cesses, a cure for AIDS is still out of reach.
Peace in Liberia?
Outstripping expectations, thousands
of fighters from rival militias have turned
in their weapons in compliance with a
disarmament program intended to dis­
solve Liberia’s armed factions by the end
of January.
CIA in Honduras
A CIA training manual describes tor­
ture methods used on dissidents in Hon­
duras during the 1980s, The Sun of Bal­
timore reports. The methods include strip­
ping suspects naked and keeping them
blindfolded.
Protection for children
Faced with a record number of child
deaths because of abuse and neglect, the
Oregon Legislature is moving toward
fundamental changes in laws and policies
that place a high priority on reuniting
families.
Germany criticized
The U S. State Department’s annual
survey of human rights conditions around
the world will continue expanded, tough­
ened language criticizing Germany for
restrictions on the Church of Scientology
and its members, administration officials
say.
Gingrich breaks silence
Breaking his silence on the unprece­
dented punishment hiscolleaguesordcred
last week, House Speaker Newt Gingrich
defiantly told his Georgia constituents
that he was singled out for an ethics
investigation because he is a conserva­
tive.
Super Bowl
The Green Bay Packers deliver a 12th
title to Titletown with a rousing 35-21
victory over the New England Patriots in
Super Bowl XXXI at the Superdome in
New Orleans.
—
EDITORIAL.....................A2
EDUCATION...................A4
FAMILY........................... A5
METRO........................... B I
ARTS & ENT.................. B2
BLACK HISTORY.........B3
RELIGION.......................B4
CLASSIFIEDS................B5
Angelou spoke at a National High School
Association Conference at the Red Lion,
Lloyd Center.
She recited a poem inspired by the rain­
bow of Genesis and recalled the words of an
African lyricist who talked about rainbows
in the clouds.
“In the worst times we need to see hope.’’
“Rainbows are just who you are as teach­
ers, counselors and educators,” she said,
"rainbows in someone’s clouds.”
Angelou told of a crippled uncle Willie
who gave the poet and her younger brother
little jobs in the family’s store in Arkansas.
“My grandmother taught me to read and
my Uncle Willie taught me the times tables,”
she said. "He stood me near the pot bellied
stove and had me say my fivesies and my
tensies.”
Years later, when he died and numerous
people showed up for the funeral, The mayor
of Little Rock walked up to tell her how uncle
Willie had given him his first job as a boy and
“taught me my times tables near the pot
bellied stove.”
Another man, with a similar story, had
become a state legislator.
“I had no idea the range of his light,” said
Angelou.
Angelou is an educator, historian, ac­
tress, civil-rights activist, producer, direc­
tor, poet, bestselling author and playwright.
She has often been described as “a Renais­
sance woman who has the unique ability to
shatter the opaque prisms of race and class
with her written and spoken words.”
“You have a mission - to shine on some­
one’s life,” Angelou told the teachers. “I
look at my life and the people who shared
with me, then realize I have a responsibility
to shine for someone.”
“So, I find myself smiling a lot,” she
noted, “in different languages — English,
Spanish, French and Arabic.”
Angelou said she had not always been a
glib speaker, full of colorful phrases and
imagery that gave life meaning to those who
heard her.
At age seven, she recalled, she was raped
by her mother’s boy friend. At her younger
brother’s encouragement she named the rap­
ist, who only spent one day in jail, then died
at the hands of local people a few days later.
Maya Angelou, January 25, 1 9 9 7 a t National High School Association
Conference, R ed Lion, Lloyd Center.
Photo by Neil Heilpen
“My seven year old logic prevailed and I
was sure that my voice killed him," said
Angelou, who reacted from the trauma by
becoming a mute for several years.
“My family did their best to woo me away
from my muteness,” she said. “I had left my
voice, not that my voice left me."
Another lady “shined on my cloud,” said
the poet, describing a teacher who she said
resembled the “Miss culture Lady of every
group and race "
The woman talked in a falsetto voice, said
Angelou, shifting her normally gritty tones
to a higher imitation: “Hello dawlings. now
little master so-and-so will recite...”
It was a recital and the children would
often get stage fright and have Io be prompt­
ed by the teacher.
Recalling how her grandmother encour­
aged her to read — “every book in the little
black school I attended" -- Angelou said the
teacher, Mrs. Flowers, said, “You don't re­
ally like poetry and you'll never like it,”
pointing a finger at the child.
Angelou paused from her story and looked
at the audience, which was mostly Cauca­
sian. “For those of you who don’t yet know.
Black people don’t like having people point­
ing fingers at them. It was rude.”
“You will never like poetry,” she contin­
ued quoting the teacher, "until it comes from
your own tongue and your own lips.
“I would often sit in church and wonder,
If only I could speak ’ said Angelou. "Then
I would watch the other little kids at the
recital messing up their lines."
Rahsaan awarded for reaching out to youth
A native Oregonian, A. Halim Rahsaan
worked 17 years for Portland Community
College in administrative and faculty posi­
tions and has worked in the social services
field for 30 years. He is currently Program
Director for the Youth Gangs Outreach Pro­
gram in Portland. He also works part time for
Multnomah County Juvenile Justice Divi­
sion in the areas of detention, close supervi­
sion and intake counseling.
While locally educated, he holds a grad­
uate certificate in rehabilitation from’South-
ern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illi­
nois. He is on the Executive Council of the
Coalition of Black Men as Prison Outreach
Coordinator and a member of the Oregon
Chapterof the National Association ot Blacks
in the Criminal Justice System. For a seven
year period Halim chaired the Desegrega­
tion Monitoring Advisory Committee which
monitored progress of ethnic students, teacher
recruitment, and hiring of administrators for
Portland Public Schools. Aschairof DMAC,
Halim helped to create the African Ameri­
can Baseline Essays Curriculum for use in
Portland Public Schools. The curriculum
focuses on contributions of African And
African-American in math, science, social
studies, music and art. Called the “Portland
Model", it is used in school districts nation­
wide. Although it was developed in Port­
land. it is not mandatory and has limited use
in Portland Public Schools.
September, 1995, Halim was one of eight
scholarship recipients to receive an award
A. Halim Rahsaan
through Portland General Electric to attend
Lewis & Clark College Public Administra­
tive non profit Institution. The scholarship's
intent is to develop community leadership at
the local level for people of color. Halim
maintained and “A" average during the first
year at Lewis <St Clark College. He will
complete a graduate certificate in Non Profit
Management winter term 1996.
Currently. Halim chairs educational com­
mittees forthc Black United Front.Coalition
ol Black Men and the NAACP He is one ot
the founders ol the recent Citizens Advisory
Monitoring Coalition (C-M AC) which con­
sist of African American, Hispanic, Asian
and native American citizen and Parents.
The Coalition will monitor the progress of
ethnic students during each eleven week
period; specifically reading and math In
addition, Halim is one of several C MAC
members who is responsible for reporting
their findings to the Portland Public School
Board each quarter during the school year.
One of the most recent civic award was
presented March 27, 1996, by the Oregon
Home Economics Association where he re­
ceived the Distinguished Service award
which recognizes a person or organization
making significant contributions to the com­
munity.
The Garlington 15th Annual Board and
Employee Banquet, celebrated "Service Ex­
cellence" on November 27, 1996. Halim
received the Marge Lee Anderson Award as
Program Director for the Youth Gangs pro­
gram. The award is given to an individual
working to improve the quality of life lor
citizens throughout the city, county and stale
of Oregon
On January 23. 1997 Halim received the
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award at the
Red Lion Inn - Lloyd Center for business
The Business Award is for: A business,
organization or agency that is responding to
the needs of the community in the area of
economic development; education, issues
concerning African Americans, i.e.. em­
ployment. health, youth, ect.
“When 1 finally spoke, it was a rendition
of Portia's speech in Shakespeare’s mer­
chant of Venice,” she noted, recalling the
kindness her grandmother and others had in
encouraging her to regain her voice.
She arose from her seat and began.
“The quality of mercy is not strained "
“It knocked them out!” she exclaimed.
The teacher asked if Maya knew who
wrote those lines, and when the young girl
said it was Shakespeare, the teacher said.
“But he’s white."
Feeling guilty that she hadn't quoted a
black poet, Angelou said, "Yes, he's
white...but he’s dead.”
“Shakespeare was a rainbow in acloudy sky
for me." she said. “I learned a lot from him.”
Recallingall the help and encouragement
she received, Angelou urged the teachers to
continue in their efforts to help youngsters
advance in life.
"No one can make it all alone," she said.
In her closing poem, she looked forward
to the day when children's “faces sixited with
scorn are scrubbed clean... when we let rifles
fall from our children’s hands ... when our
children can dress their dolls in Hags of
truce."
Earlier in the day Portland Mayor Vera
Katz told the teachers of the strong commu­
nity involvement in a three pronged effort to
improve education: "commitment, locus and
strategy."
“We are focused on high standards,” she
said, noting that “by the year 2000 at least 80
percent of the jobs will require higher stan­
dards/’’
“We realized we are not just competing on
football fields,” said Katz. "We are compet­
ing in a global community.”
"And it is not just for the bright students,
but all the students,” she added.
Roosevelt High School Principal Paul
Coakley was presented a plaque in appreci­
ation for inviting approximately 40 visiting
teachers to tour his school.
His was one of eight schools in the metro
area available lor the visitors to meet with
teachers involved in the school-to- work tran­
sition project, “Rrxise veit Renaissance 2 0 0 0 "
Later in the day Angelou visited Fellow­
ship Bible Church for the dedication of the
new Maya Angelou Center.
Several times while she recited her poem,
“and still I rise," the approximately 400
people joined in when she reached that line
and said it with her, according to Stephen
McPherson, a long-time friend of the poet,
who met her more than 20 years ago at
Columbia University in New York City.
OJ Simpson update
O.J. Simpson's lawyer asked the ju ­
rors to withstand public pressure, and
reject corrupt cops and use their verdict to
give Simpson his old life back. The
plaintiffs on rebuttal said the defense
efforts had been built on lies.
The jurors listened to four days of
closing arguments, at the Portland Ob­
servers press time on Tuesday January
28, 1996 they were scheduled to begin
deliberations after one last speech from
the plaintiffs. The jurors must decide
whether Simpson is responsible for the
June 12, 1994, murders of Nicole Brown
Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman.
Cosby confesses
Cosby admitted his relationship with
Autumn Johnson's mother, hut denies be­
ing her father.
Bill Cosby denied to Dan Rather on
“The CBS Evening News” that he is the
father of the young woman, Autumn Jack-
son whoclaims to be his illegitimate daugh­
ter But coming up on 60 minutes Sunday.
February 2 , 1997. Rather asked if there was
a possibility he could be
“There is a possibility,” Cosby said in a
transcript. “If you said, did you make love
to the woman?’ the answer is yes.' Are you
the father?' No."
“On the birth certificate, it’s not my
name," Cosby explained in part of the
interview aired Monday night
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