V
J anuary 29, 1997 • T he P or i land O bserver
P age A2
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___ I
'JJnrtlaxth (0hscruer
(Dje ^Jnrtlanò (Ohseruer
(D SP S 959-68«) E stab lish ed in 197«
Charles W ashington
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Public Relations
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Professor McKinley Burt, Lee Perlman, Eugene Rashad
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97211
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T hank Y ou F or R eading T he P ortland O bserver
®=
here was something spe
cial about celebrating
King's birthday on
the same day President Clinton
was inaugurated for his second
term.
ForthoseofusinRainbow /PU SH .
the highlights for the day were pro
vided by Reverend Jackson’s inspired
preaching at the early morning prayer
breakfast, as he offered to help the
President mobilize and energize the
population on behalf of change and
reform; and the marvelous singing
of Sanila Jackson, backed up by
choirs from burned churches.
Much of President C linton’s In
augural Address was also worth re
membering. After all, it’s not every
day in America that a President talks
about the curse of the racial divide i n
our history. Jay fax is reprinting some
of those high points below (with
emphasis added), and we otter our
help in making these parts ot his
vision come true.
Frankly, we would like to see the
e
E ugene R ashad
y esidents of Northeast
Portland have high
hopes for w hat’s hap
pening on Martin Luther King,
Jr. Blvd. Just ask Edna Pitman.
“F ve seen a lot o f changes,” said
the 55-year-old grandmother whose
lived here since 1949. Pitman was
on the committee which changed
the name of the street from Union
Avenue to Martin Luther King,
Boulevard several years ago. “Ev
ery week it seems something new is
being built," she said.
SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET
Add to this, plans for sidewalk
improvements, and the introduc
tion of on-street parking, the boule
vard is fast becoming pedestrian-
friendly. Part of the success is due
to good timing, opportunity, and
the cooperative work of several
entities which include Metro offi
cials, ncighborhixxl association rep
resentatives, business and com m u
nity leaders.
For many residents banking,
shopping and grooming is a short
walk onto the boulevard. Consider
this: two minority-run banks, aslew
of small retail outlets such as record
stores, barbershops, and hair care
parlors. T hat's not all Add to the
list major projects in the making:
two multiple mixed-use projects,
and a new plaza.
With current projects completed
such as the W alnut Park Retail
Center, with its minority-run book
store, a bakery and photo studio,
the potential everybody believed
was there for so many years sud
denly bursts into a thing that can he
touched.
"This will mean more jobs and a
recycling of the dollar," said Lou
, t
Boston, who heads a training and
marketing management consulting
group
MLK Blvd. may not be the next
N.W. 23rd, teaming with.small shops
and sidewalk dinning, or Southeast
Hawthorne, hut at least now the cul
ture and flavor of the community has
a stage to shine on again. This is far
more than its ever been since the
days of decline some 25 years ago. It
was during the late sixties through
mid-seventies.
WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO
That period was the water mark
that showed how low the area fell
from grace: boarded up buildings,
business closures, and vacant lots
dotted the seven mile stretch once
known as Union Avenue.
And although there were some
gallant efforts during that time to
restore the street to past glory by city
and civic leaders, downshifts in the
economy and job loss showed the
signs of a community in decline.
Than a group of residents came up
with an the idea to honor an Amer
ican hero by renaming Union Ave
nue to MLK Boulevard.
THE LONG WALK HOME
Many of the business owners re
jected the idea to rename the street.
Even such a worthy American like
King failed to conjure within the
hearts of some a spirit of positive
change in the midst of low morale
and business closures
“You still have some businesses
today that use the name Union Ave,"
said Bruce Broussared, local busi
ness man who once owned a build
ing on Northeast Shaver at MLK He
sold the building in 1994.
A portrait of King still blazons
the side of the building For his part.
Broussard believes the name change
better
To redeem the
promise of America
President make history books-be-
eause great presidents, enlightened
presidents, are known lor taking
risks, for standing up for the com
mon people, for finding solutions to
age-old problems. The great historic
president expanded the “big tent"
that is the promise of America, using
the help of an energized people.
W hen the President strays from
these words, we will remind him;
but when the President and the First
P c
Lady stand up for them, we will fight
alongside.
• "Martin Luther King's dream
was the American dream. His quest
is our quest--the ceaseless striving
to live out our true creed.
"Our history has been built on
such dreams and labors, and by our
dreams and labors we will redeem
the prom ise o f America in the 21st
century. ”
• "The divide o f race has been
c
t
r
e s
Weather Forecast: Still Overcast But Clearing Predicted, II
ast week I promised to
launch my Black History
M onth C ontributions
with a recitation of the several
“African Renaissance that have
retrieved the fortunes of the race.
This inspiring account will begin
on another page.
We will continue on here with my
description o f the creative and skill-
oriented nature of black youth of
past generations; the social and cul
tural interaction which was self ini
tiated and which developed and
matured over the generations This
process evolved and gained sophis
tication mostly without adult inter
vention — granted, of course, that
responsible adult advice was sought
and treasured when indicated by cir
cumstance. Somehow, w e've got to
regain this drive.
Once again readers of the Port
land O bserver have expressed an
intense interest in this socialization
process, part and parcel ol the warm
spiritual and cultural inheritance that
has sustained and nurtured peoples
of African descent from day one. In
represented community pride and
cultural identity .’’You would think
thiscity would maintain something
to show the contributions of blacks,"
he said. Though happy with the
support given by the MLK Jr. Blvd
Action Committee and other feder
al and state agencies, Broussard is
fearful an ill wind is blowing.
“I don’t know," he said, "there
might be efforts to rename the street
again.”
H e 's a ls o c o n c e rn e d that
progress on construction of a new
church at the former Egyptian The
ater site at Northeast Russell Street
is dragging. And he feels one car
wash on the street is enough.
Broussard applauds businesses
like Craven Butter and Roth BMW
for staying the course.
Most folks agree that to keep the
strip viable will take a community
effort. Lou Boston encourages peo
ple to recycle their dollars in those
businesses “even if we might have
to spend a few extra bucks at first."
He also sees expansion possibili
ties east and west on Alberta and
Killingsworth streets. “I see the
potential for partnerships and joint
ventures.”
BRIDGE OVER
TROUBLED WATERS
Tough lessons and hard turns
may get the community back into
the driver’s seat And one thing is
certain: More investment on MLK
Blvd. According to stats kept by the
Portland Development Commis
sion, there has been more invest
ments made in a five-year period
from 1992 to 1997 than in the
previous 25 years. The road ahead
has always been straight Perhaps
now it will be a wonderful journey
into the next century.
TPhe <3üP>itôr
Send your letters to the Editor to:
Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
I
C O A L IT IO N
r s
Which way On MLK?
iiv
A m erica's constant curse. Each new
wave o f immigrants gives new tar
gets to old prejudices Prejudice
and contempt, cloaked in the p re
tense o f religious or political con
viction, are no different. They have
nearly destroy ed us in the past. They
torment the lives o f millions in fra c
tured nations around the world...
"We c a n n o t-w e will n o t-su c -
cumb to the dark impulses that lurk
in the fa r regions o f the soul, every
where. We shall overcom e them,
and we shall replace them with the
generous spirit o f a people who fe e l
at home with one another.
"Our rich texture o f racial, reli
gious and political diversity will be
a godsend in the 2 1 st century. Great
rew ards will come to those who can
live together, learn together, work
together, forge new ties that bind
together.
• "A ndforthe very first time in all
o f history, more people on this plan
et live under democracy than dicta
torship. ”
A T I O N A L
the few short days since the “W eath
er Forecast" hit the street, 1 have
heard from directors of public agen-
P r o il e sso r
M c K innley
B urt ‘
cies, teachers, parents and social
workers.
But it is “deja vous all over again”
as that baseball manager put it, for I
look back through my files and see
that I have introduced this subject
several times during the last decade
- emphatically! But that oxymoron
aside, it is a fact that each time there
has been a momentary surge o f a
professed interest, then the tide ebbs
when it is discovered that a great
deal of effort, commitment and per
severance is required.
In the mean while, of course, an
increasing number of youths die on
the cruel, mean streets (children,
really!). I am no longer capable of
personal intervention from the eco
nomic standpoint, as I did in the
seventies and early 1980’s. When
leaching at Portland State U niversi
ty, those technical and social pro
grams and monies I brought to this
community were the result of initia
tives, research, contacts and airfares
funded from my faculty salary. Nev
er a dime from any agency or foun
dation. W e’re talking hundreds ol
thousands.
I carefully explain this to people
today, people who make those gran
diose moves and bogus’ declara
tions of intent. I point out how de
pressing it is in this era of latter-day
Aunt Jeminas and Uncle Toms and
their "Ebonics" hustles, when I cite
all of the real property resources 1
brought to the “hood”, or the two
major medical and health career
programs I either saw elsewhere and
brought to Portland federally fund
ed), or developed myself from scratch
e g. the Providence Medical Center
technical training slots for high
school students.
But surely the resources are there
just as surely as they always have
been. That is quite obvious to me as
I scan the daily newspaper or watch
special programs on television --
even the ‘new s’ can occasionally
yield a bountiful harvest of relevant
leads to resources and support. I
would scan the business and indus
try section of the newspaper with the
telephone at hand and develop scores
of summer jobs for minority youths
with a few calls.
This is a skill and technique pos
sessed by those of us who developed
and matured in the real world of
American economic life. And we
have found it ever so difficult to
transm it this know how to the
‘school-of-social-work’ types who,
in the main, are in charge of the
urban programs. And the same wall
is encountered with so many - too
many — of those in charge of the
education process.
Today I listened to a tale of woe
from some concerned parents with
technical skills who tried to interact
with a social/education programs
and were “rebuffed in an effort to
provide realistic skills and counsel
to the youths.”
I cited a neighborhood science
project where I got no - where per
suading the ‘black elite’ to involve
the very excellent role models I had
recruited; a black scuba diver, a
former ‘Navy Seal’ quite knowl
edgeable in oceanography — and a
black expert in traffic control tech
nology. You see, they had “no sci
ence degrees." But held jobs.
A small, but real salute to Dr. King
by
D r . L enora F ulani
The empty celebration of the pres
idential inauguration and the equal
ly empty celebration of political hy
pocrisy seen in the resolution to the
Newt Gingrich ethics controversy
makes me reflect ever more deeply
on the profound legacy of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. The country marked
his birthday in the midst o f a politi
cal circus that is becoming all too
common in America today.
And while the disingenuous hoop
la marred the observance o f Dr.
King’s birthday, there was a small
but mighty acknowledgement of his
legacy in New York City.
On January 20, the day of Dr.
Martin Luther K ing's birthday cele
bration, Pam Lewis, a young A fri
can-American woman and col league
of mine who is the National Produc
er ol the All Stars Talent Show
Network, together with a group of
some 20 Black youths, released in
formation on the steps of New Y ork ’ s
City Hall crediting young people in
the South Bronx, Central Harlem
and Bedford-Stuyvesant with the
unprecedented drop in crim e and
violence in our city.
The All Stars, a 13-year old anti
violence program, last year involved
30.000 Black and Latino youth in
some ot the poorest communities
who produce, perform in. and attend
development workshops, auditions
and talent shows. In the last three
years approximately 12,500 young
people participated in anti-violence
events in Bedford-Stuyvesant—and
during that time there has been a
22% decrease in the seven major
crim e categories. Five thousand
young people participated in anti
violence events in Brownsville, and
there has been a 37% decrease in
crime. Five thousand young people
participated in anti-violence events
in Central Harlem and there has
been a reported 36% decrease in
crime. Ten thousand young people
participated in anti-violence events
in South Bronx and there has been a
40% decrease in crime.
“Many people are eager to claim
these wonderful developments for
theirown gain, oreven say they have
a quick-fix solution to the social
crisis in New York,” said Pam Lewis,
who has been the National Producer
of All Stars for the last seven years.
“The real credit goes to those who
have worked to carry on Dr King’s
dream -people like the youth lead
ers of the All Stars and many other
unsung heroes in our poorest com
m unities. They are m aking Dr.
King’s dream a reality, and he would
be proud. They are the leaders of
tomorrow. We must recognize their
achievements, and support them to
grow!
“Youth in my neighborhood, and
all over the city, are working togeth
er to build some positive alternatives
to violence and drugs—we are creat
ing a life for ourselves and our com
munities," said Antoine Joyce, the
19-year-old Assistant Producer of
the All Stars, who hails from Bedford-
Stuyvesant.
As Pam Lewis told a reporter
from Fox Television, “When the
crime and violence rate is up who
gels blamed? Our young people.
Today the crime rate is down and
I'm proud to be standing here today
with some of the young people who
I think deserve the credit."
As an Executive Producer of the
All Stars show, I am so proud of
these young people and all they have
given to their peers and their com
munities. If you’re interested in the
All Stars, give me a call. Lenora B.
Fulani twice ran for President of the
U.S. as an independent, making his
tory in 1988 when she became the
first woman and African-American
to get on the ballot in all fifty states.
Dr. Fulani is currently a leading
activist in the Reform Party and
chairs in the C om m ittee f o r a
Unified Independent Party. She can
be reached at 800-288-3201 or
th ro u g h h er h om e p a g e a t
www.fulani.org.
Landslides and landuse planning addressed
To the editor:
For the second time in a year,
Oregon and most areas in the west
have been inundated with unprece
dented rainfall. The rainfall has
caused injuries, death and property
and resource damage in all areas ol
Oregon from the cities, suburbs,
farms, to our coast and forests.
While the effects of the rainfall
have impacted people in all areas of
the state, mud slides and debris tor
rents that caused the tragic deaths and
destruction in Coos and Douglas coun
ties in November and December raised
a number of issues. Some of these
issues relate to public safety, land use
planning, ciearcutting on steep slopes
and its effects on slides and forest
practices regulations.
Recently, there have been a num
ber of news stories and editorials
regarding the relationships between
timber harvesting and landslides. In
some cases, information about past
studies, the Forest Practices Act and
the role and responsibility of the
Oregon Department of Forestry have
been inaccurate. Some com m ent
have left the impression that the
state has not and is not willing to
take the necessary action on behalf
of the public’s safety. This is far
from the truth. A number of actions
are curren tly taking place and
planned for the near future that will
address many of these issues.
-L o u Torres, Oregon Department
o f Forestry, Public Affairs.