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Volume XXVII, Number 13
Committed to cultural diversity.
March 26, 1997
Wíje ^ n rtla n ò (Ohserncr
SECTION
/fT o m m u n itg
V-Ui 1 í n h a r
B
Rosemary
Anderson
Praised
No! Kidding! Choir hosts
benefit jazz concert
Portland. OR The N o ' K id d in g ! C h o ir
o f Fernwood M id d le School w ill host it's
7th annual sem i-form al benefit concert
Thursday. A p ril 3rd. 7:(M)pm at the M elody
B allroom , located at 6 15 SE A lder. Head­
lin in g S how tim e 97 w ill be M a rily n
K e lle r. Janice S cro g g in s , and L in d a
H ornbuckle. Tickets fo r S how tim e art $ 15
fo r everyone or reserve a table o f ten fo r
$ 15 0 by calling Janice Flowers. 9 16-6480.
Purchasing a table o f ten w ill make you/
yo u rco m pany/organization a proud spon­
sor o f N K ! C h o ir and y o u r com pany/
o rg anization’ s w ill be listed on the C h o ir’ s
1997 touring t-sh irt! T ickets are available
at Fernwood M id d le School. 1915 NE
33rd Ave. Portland. O R 97212 Make-
checks payable to: N o! K id d in g ! C hoir.
Oh, W hat a Knight!
C hinook W inds is o ffe rin g a "K n ig h t"
to remember w ith tw o super performances
M ay 3()th & 31st. one show n ightly at 8
pm. T icke t price is $30.00. Obtain tickets
by ca lling I -888-M A IN -A C T (6 2 4 -6 2 2 8 ).
Minority Health
Strategies conference
The Oregon Cancer C enter o f Oregon
Health Sciences U n ive rsity is hosting a
conference e n title d : “ M in o rity Health
S tra te g ie s" It is scheduled lo r A p ril 18.
1997 and w ill be held at the Portland
M a rrio tt. The p ublic is welcome anil en­
couraged to attend. Registration brochures
can be obtained by ca llin g 503-292-7286.
The registration deadline is A p ril 9. 1997
and room reservations fo r the special rate
at the M a rrio tt hotel is M arch 27. 1997
Scholarships are available call number
Leon Sullivan (above), founder o f Opportunities
Industrialization Centers o f America, at POIC's 30th
anniversary celebration. Leon was the featured speaker, at
an event that centered on Rosemary E. Anderson retirement
dinner (shown left with Martin Anderson).
above. The cost o f attending the confer­
ence is $65.
Crisis Line openings
The Portland W om en's C risis Line is
pleased to announce openings in its A p ril/
M ay 1997 training fo r volunteer crisis
intervention counselors on the C risis Line.
In order to q u a lify, volunteers must be
female, at least 18 years o f age. and com ­
m itted to ending dom estic and sexual
violence. For further inform ation and an
a p p lic a tio n , p le a se c o n ta c t L e A n n
M ederios at 232-9545 D u rin g norm al
business hours. Deadline fo r application
is A p ril 21. 1997. Practicuin students arc
encouraged to apply C redit is available.
Child advocates gather
M ay 4-6. 1997, the national C ourt
A ppointed Special Advocate (C A S A ) A s ­
sociation w ill welcom e 1000 c h ild advo­
cates to the annual conference. “The A rt
o f the Possible. Creating N ew Solutions
fo r C h ild re n ” at the Portland H ilto n . L ike
other national c h ild re n ’ s organizations,
the C A S A netw ork w ill be lo o kin g toward
the im pact o f changes in c h ild w elfare and
new ways co m m u n ity volunteers can w ork
to assure all children have a chance at
safe, permanent homes.
Cures and Controversies
Lecture entitled “Bone Marrow Trans­
plantation in Children: Cures and Con­
troversies,” by F Leonard Johnson, M .D..
professor o f pediatrics and c h ie f o f Pediat­
ric H em atology and O ncology. 7:30 o.m.,
Thursday. A p ril 17; at the O H SU O ld
L ib ra ry A u d ito riu m . Plenty o f free park­
ing is available. Lectures are w heelchair
accessible and devices fo r the hearing
im paired are available. Please call C om ­
m u n ity Relations at 494-7686 fo r more
inform ation. C all U n ive rsity News and
P ublications at 4 9 4 -8 2 3 1 fo r media in fo r­
m ation and interview s.
Divorce recovery and grief
recovery workshops
A p ril I - M ay 6, (6 consecutive Tues­
day evenings.) C hildcare available. For
By N e ii . H eii pern
R
This was her day -- a day the com m unity
recognized her retirem ent fro m 29 years o f
“ indefatigable dedication to im p ro v in g the
educational and econom ic status o f students
and th e ir fa m ilie s," w h ile serving in various
fu ll-tim e paid capacities w ith the Portland
O p p o rtu n itie s In d u s tria liz a tio n C e n te r
(P O IC ).
She started w ith POIC in 1967 as a v o lu n ­
teer, w o rk in g w ith the group o f m inisters
w ho created the program. Here actual paid
and s till volunteers as a tutor.
to get that jo b , then fo llo w in g up to see how
they were d o in g ."
“ I rem ember a man w h o came, afraid he
w o u ld never be able to read stories to his
son.” recounted Anderson, “ so he came to
POIC fo r help in learning to read."
O IC founder Leon S ullivan told the gath­
ering that at the group s next national con­
vocation, “ I w ill propose Rosemary A n d e r­
o f G od — and you "
D r Samuel I K e lly, w horeplaced A nder­
son as POIC executive director, told the
gathering that she “ personified a link lady,
w ith certain majesty, grandeur, sense o f the
appropriate, and a g ift o f casual elegance "
This mother o f seven, a native o f Denver,
C olorado, “ clim bed the greasy pole o f life
" I help children ages five through 12 w ith
th e ir hom ew ork and to learn c o n flict resolu­
tio n ," she to ld The Observer.
son be made a member o f the national board
o f dire cto rs."
Her reaction to the stream o f congratula­
tory greetings from people was summed up
in one w ord: “ Jo y !”
She w ill till the seat o f the late Josia
Nunn, form er POIC chairm an and national
board member Nunn died January 10.
our students, especially the least o f our own.
She is superb!”
Asked about her most sig n ifica n t c o n tri­
bution, Anderson said it was her “ a b ility to
see adults as w e ll as youth accom plish their
goals, w hether it be getting a G E D or a s kill
“ I know the struggles you had, the ups and
downs, the times I thought this program
evening's program, some students and col
(P ortland) w o u ld n ’ t su rvive ,” said S ullivan,
noting the success o f POIC was "b y the grace
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Continued to page B5
w ith success after success," he noted “ She
remained loyal Io fa m ily and co m m u n ity "
K e lly said Anderson possessed an "in sa ­
tiable curiosity
to fin d ways to w ork for
In the lobby, p rio r to the start o f the
Maya Angelou returns with poetry messages
in N n 1 H eilpern
alien to me "
“ Poetry helps you see that to be so," she
aya Angeleou was back in town
last week urging a crowd at the
Arlene Schnitzer Auditorium to
reach for poetry and advising a handful
of African American writers at a nearby
reception to wrestle with their words to
share life's meaning with others.
continued w ith the words o f the A frica n
slave in Rome in 154 HUE. w ith no chance
o f citizenship because o f the c o lo r o f his
skin.
She p u lle d w ords fro m Shakespeare,
D ickin so n . Terence, and D unbar out of her
m agical grab bag.
quoted E m ily D ickinson “ I shall die, but
that is all I w ill do fo r death."
M
No matter what the circumstance, Angelou
said people can make the best o f life She
Angelou congratulated the organizers o f
the “ fo ru m ” series o f famous speakers and
the audience fo r being “ rainbows in the
clouds,” and noted that many people are
A t the auditorium , the famed poet re­
peated her “ rainbow in the clouds” talk,
delivered a few months ago to a high school
educators’ convention here in Portland.
such rainbows “ accidentally, by happen­
“ Even in the hardest o f tim e s,” she said,
“ people can see hope in the darkest tim es."
stance People look at you - people w ho you
may never know . In m arvelous ways you are
rainbows in the clouds."
“ M y rainbow in the clouds is in A fric a n -
A m erican poetry,” she to ld the sellout crow d
at the Schnitzer, noting that the firs, A f r i­
cans were brought to A m e rica in 1619, “ one
year before the M a y flo w e r docked.”
A frica n -A m e rica n poetry has a special
E arliet in the evening, the poet met w ith
members o f the N orthw est A frica n A m e ri­
can W riters W orkshop
“ Easy reading is a w fu lly damned hard
w ritin g ," she quoted N athaniel H awthorne
The dozen local w riters sat enthralled by
her recital o f a poem w hich took her six
months to write.
m agic, said Angelou, w ho encouraged the
audience to fin d some in th e ir libraries.
She to ld o f the caged b ird in an 1890s
poem by Dunbar and how it helped her
She expressed appreciation fo r the as­
sembled w riters, "because I know it is hard
overcom e her own life tragedies.
in fo rm a tio n & to register call Portland
“ I kn o w what the caged bird feels , it
beats its w ings upon the bars...not a song o f
First Church o f the Nazarene Sunset H w y
at Sylvan 297-6100.
glee, but a plea, upward to heaven."
SUBMISSIONS: Community
Calendar information will be given
priority if dated two weeks
before the event date.
em ploym ent started A ugust I, 1968
osemary E. Anderson stood in
“ I never thought I w o u ld become execu­
the ballroom lobby of the Air­
tive d ire cto r when I started out as an execu­
port Sheraton Hotel last week,
tiv e secretary ,” she noted. She held the top
receiving a constant stream of positions
well
at POIC fo r 16 years.
wishers showering herwith hugs, kisses,
N o w in retirem ent since last August, she
accolades and honors.
is chairperson o f P O IC ’ s board o f directors
A ngelou used Shakespeare as a guide to
“ lif t y o u rs e lf ou, o f the d o ld ru m s, the fear”
through the use o f poetry.
“ H ow could a w hite man in England 400
years ago know what it was lik e to be a black
g irl in the south, raped and dejected," she
I may take a m onth to w ork out a few
Poet Maya Angelou shared thoughts about writing with the Northwest African
American Writers Workshop. At right are: Stephen McPherson and Lillian Whitlow
o f Portland.
wondered aloud.
cloud "
Then she turned to the audience and
issued a challenge: “ I f you came here to
m ak e a d i fferen ce. be a ra i n bow i n som eone ’ s
T a lk in g about the need to be open to all o f
life 's experiences, she quoted Terence
I
am a human being n othing human can be
paragraphs, but the readers breeze right
through '
When a w rite r struggles to find the right
words for a smooth expression o f life , people
often say, “ She is a natural w rite r," and she
benignly says “ Thank you "
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Continued to page B5