I hi P oru A nu O bserver » F ebruary 12. 1997
P a <; i A3
A difference of black and white
South Africa - for anyone reeling
in the wake o f change these days,
consider the life o f Khaya Dlukulu.
who grew up in a world o f apartheid-
strict racial segregation.
“Apartheid meant we basically
grew apart from the time we were
bom to the time we die,” say s Khaya,
organization and development man
ager for Hiperformance Systems
(Hipsys), one o f H P’s South african
The world is changing for
Teddy (left). Khaya
Dlukulu's (above) 14
year old son. who
attends a "non-racial"
school in Johannesburg.
distributors.
today, his children live in the
same city, but in a different world,
"my 11-year-old daughter and 14-
year-old son grow up with white
children and attend what we call a
nonracial school with black and
white friends," Khaya says. "They
basically are growing up in a world
that is totally unknown to me."
"When they fight, it is because
there is a genuine problem-not be
cause one is black and the other one
is white. So, in a social sense, I can
see these dynamics developing, and
I do expect the next generation or
maybe the generation after will have
a more less normalized society."
Access to the Web will help bring
a world o f ideas and information to
all people in South Africa. It’s a
world that Khaya c o u ld n 't even
imagine when he was his children’s
age. But he became part o f the social
evolution. Khaya trained as an engi
neer with IBM for 11 years, earned
an MBA and today is the only black
person on the Hipsys management
board.
Still, it’s been a long personal and
professional journey for him.
“As a black person in this coun
try, you have to constantly work
against a set o f assumptions that
assumes that black people d on' t have
what it takes for the jo b ,” Khaya
says. "The typical progression o f a
black person in corporate South Af
rica is that you join an organization
determined to do well and move up
the ladder as quickly as possible,
and you learn very quickly all the
right things to do to get ahead.
"Occasionally, somebody would
recognize that you did a good job;
they would give you a promotion
and move you up a notch. The higher
up you move on the organizational
ladder, however, the more complex
it becomes, because from approxi
mately upper-middle management
levels upward, your education and
experience no longer count for much;
now your social skills and how you
fit in to the 'club' become more
important than your technical and
operational contribution
“That is where the problem starts."
black people in that type o f environ
ment have to bridge very wide cul
tural chasms and social barriers that
are a result o f the south African
system o f social and economic sepa
ration just to interact at basic profes
sional levels with their colleagues.
Khaya says
" If you are black in South Africa
and you want to be successful in
white corporate world, you almost
have to become a white-black man
"It you make that choice, however,
you lose a sense ofyour own identity
and al ienate yourself from the people
around you-especially other black
people. Even more importantly, you
lose credibility within the organiza
tion and among the black people
who are supposed to look up to you
as a role model.
"At the end o f the day. this strat
egy of success eventually works
against your ability to be effective."
White colleagues in the boardroom
can help by accepting all people for
what they represent, Khaya says.
'T h e irony is that they are more
comfortable with you when you are
like them without realizing that by
being like them, they are actually
losing the value of diversity that you
could be adding.
Perhaps that will change. Khaya
says, as more white and black chil
dren in South Africa grow, play and
learn together. And perhaps the role
that HP plays in linking South Af
rica with the rest o f the world will
have made a true difference.
One-stop forms ordering at Oregon
Department of Revenue
Taxpayers can order stale in
come tax tonus and some current
year federal income tax booklets by
calling the Oregon Department of
Revenue toll-free at 1-800-356-
4222 In Salem, the number is 378-
4988.
According to Chuck G rinstead.
m anager of the state revenue d e
p a rtm e n t’s T ax H elp se c tio n ,
"O ur one-stop' service allow s
taxpayers to call one num ber to
get both kinds o f forms We pro
vide the state forms and instruc
tions and the most frequently re
quested federal booklets."
Federul booklets uvuiluble in
clude:
• Form 1040 and instructions (in
cludes Schedules A. R. I). E. and
2441. and Form 1040V).
• Form I040A and instructions I i n
cludes Form I040A. I040A Sched
ule I. and EIC).
• Form I040EZ and Instruction
I040EZ.
speaking representative will call
them back TTY (hearing or speech
impaired only): The year-round
toll-free number within Oregon is
1-800-886-7204 In Salem, the
number is (503) 945-8617 These
numbers are answered by machine
only and are not for voice use.
Taxpayers are also reminded to
tile early Labels which are mailed
on lax packets or postcards should
be attached to the returns for faster
processing If the label is incorrect,
the information should be correct
ed right on the label and the label
attached to the return
The toll-free number is available-
through April 30. after that, taxpay
ers may call the Salem number for
information Callers needing assis
tance in Spanish can call 945-8618
and leave a message and a Spamsh-
150th birthday of Thomas Edison
February I I . 1997 marks the
150th birthday of American inven
tor and visionary, Thom as Alva
Edison To celebrate the sesquicen-
tenmal ot Edison's birth. Thomas
A Edison High School, located near
Beaverton on the grounds of Jesuit
High School, plans to kick off the
Founding Phase of the Thomas A.
Edison High School Endowment
Fund.
It is the beginning of a permanent
financial base ensuring a growing
scholarship fund to prov ide finan
cial support for students who could
not otherwise attend, and to provide
the sound management and stew
ardship of Edison's facilities.
Founded in 1973 as the Tree of
Learning High School, it remains
dedicated to helping students who
have struggled with a variety of learn
ing problems in traditional schools.
When the new building was dedi
cated in 1993, the name of the school
was changed to honor American-
inventor Thomas Alva Edison who
had learning problems as a child
and was viewed as a "failure" in
school because he did not pay atten
tion in class, asked too many ques
tions. and was bored with memoriz
ing and reciting lessons.
As Father Jim Galluzo. founder
ol the alternative high school and
form er principal o f Jesuit High
School, so aptly stated at the 1993
dedication: "The school system
might give up on you. The schools
might lad to meet your needs But it
look Thomas Edison 3,000 tries to
invent the light bulb. You have a to
dare to dream." To keep that dream
alive, to help those students who
struggle daily with dyslexia, atten
tion deficit disorder, and other learn
ing problems that elude labels, re
quires additional financial com m it
ment for the future of Thomas A.
Edison High School
The Board and staff of Thomas
Edison High School will host the
Thomas A. Edison Birthday Parly
and the kick-otl ol the Founding
Phase of the Thomas A Edison High
School Endowment Fund on Tues
day. February II. 1997
The mission of Thomas A. Edison
High School reflects the quest of his
life. Students are given a chance to
succeed alter failure, to turn nega
tives into positives Edison was ulti
mately hailed as the “man of the
century" and “citizen of the world"
Like Edison, our students can learn
anything in a supportive environ
ment and develop the skills neces
sary to succeed in spite of obstacles
and setbacks.
Dance my babies.
Dance.
Gladys McCoy Award
No work for you.
The Gladys McCoy Award is
presented annually to an indi
vidual who has contributed out
standing volunteer service to his/
her community in a manner ex
emplifying the life of the late
Gladys McCoy, Chair of the Mult
nomah County Board of Com m is
sioners.
No fear.
Laugh and shimmy.
From your twirling feet
Criteria:
1. This individual has made a
major change or contribution to
positive change in some particu
lar aspectofdaily living,e.g. multi
cultural and family relationships;
2. This individual has been ac
tively involved in the project;
3. This individual has been a
leader for a "long tim e” initiating
positive goals and staying with
them until the goals are satisfac
torily achieved;
4. This person had done "some
thing special," making this person
appear to be more than average;
5. T hispersonhas worked with
emphasis in one of the following
areas: civil rights, human rights,
affirmative action, com m unity,
neighb o rh o o d , local p o litical
party, local government, environ
mental issues, and/or education.
The Gladys McCoy Award will
be presented in conjunction with
National Volunteer Recognition
Week, the actual presentation will
be made at Multnomah C ounty’s
Annual Volunteer Award C er
emony in April.
The Gladys McCoy Award will
be given to one individual per
year, honoring the winner for dedi
cated volunteer community work
over a significant span of time.
to the tickled fancy of
the sweet trusting dreams
you keep.
No pain.
No grown-up rain.
Know it not.
Dance long. Dance free.
As you should.
As it should be.
This Is Your Time To Dance.
tw
ATStT
Community Pride
Banquet
The Salvation Army Moore Street
Community Center is having a party
and they want the community to
come.
It's lime to celebrate this com m u
nity and to recognize those people,
organizations and businesses who
have made it such a great place to
live and work. To become better
acquainted with neighbors join a
dinner on thursday, March 20th at
6:30 p.m., in the gymnasium.
There will be celebrities, music,
song and dance, all from the neigh
borhood. Bring your families, your
friends, your associates. W e’re ask
ing fo ra $10.00 donation for dinner
or a table of 8 for $80.00. It w on’t be
gourmet food, but the evening will
fill you with pride in this historic
community
As the African proverb goes, no tree can flourish
without roots And as AT&T celebrates Black History
Month, we continue to support organizations that
work on behalf of children, like The Children s
Defense Fund and California s Children Now By
giving our children a good foundation, we re helping
to give them the freedom to discover and enjoy the
rich cultural legacies that strengthen for life.
AT&T
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