ia
P age B2
1007 •
T up P orti and O bserver
Where are ou r buffalo? Closure
by
P rof . M c K inley B crt
W e find it necessary to reassure
several readers that (here w ere some
very progressive and forw ard-look­
ing A frican A m erican businessm en
in the 1950 and I960 econom ic fer­
ment in Los A ngeles. T hey simply
were outnum bered by an am bitious
and narrow ly-focused m ajority who
occupied and controlled center stage
in the black com m unity (m ore later
on the "progressive” ).
C ertainly, this is not a bad situa­
tion in itself, since, typically, this is
the econom ic engine w hich drives
urban developm ent But, it is also the
case that in the institutionalized ra­
cial structure o f A m erica the very
same situation may give rise to a
black power structure with some very
unusual (and restrictive) powers.
T oo often this group, as in Los
A ngeles, has a relationship to the
white establishm ent that is very sim i­
lar to the “advise and consent" role
o f the U S. Senate in respect to the
President.
T o d ay ’s establishm ent may not be
as brutally frank and direct as in the
days when Booker T. W ashington
fielded the inquiries preceding the
appointm ent or prom otion of an A f­
rican A m erican to an im portant posi­
tion, "Is he/she a good, safe nigger
(sic)?" H ow ever, the d a n c e ’ is much
the same.
I believe that I m ade an incisive
and revealing assessm ent o f this prob­
lem in my M ay 1997 series ofarticles
in T he Portland O bserver, "W ho
should interpret A m erica’s N eigh­
borhoods " But, nevertheless, we
m ust ask “how can there be a return
o f the buffalo” - that is the logical and
prosperous developm ent o f A frican
A m erican resources-w hen we are
constrained by the social and eco ­
nom ic co n tro ls d escrib ed above?
(Sheepherders?).
In the April 2, 1997 edition o f The
Portland O bserver, there appeared,
to my delight, a very relevant article
by Cathy G albraith. D irector o f the
Bosco-M illigan Foundation: "N orth­
east Portland and Light R ail-U rban
Renew al or R em o v al.” Particularly
cogen t w as her o bservation that,
" peo p le’s hom es and businesses
should not be clinically exam ined as
"under-developed real estate "
My neighbor cam e over to q u es­
tion, "w hat have o u r usually effusive
leaders and black spin-doctors had
to say about this? I’ve neither seen
nor heard anything at a l l I asked my
senior citizen friend, "and exactly
how m uch did you hear from this
fraternity in opposition to th e " Model
c itie s’ w ipe-out o f the black business
com m unity-or to the later Em anuel
H o s p ita l’s su p e r-a m b itio u s , but
aborted plans for the rem aining real
estate w hich w ould have been a natu­
ral extension (or rep lacem en t) o f the
black business d istrict."
T his question, o f course, was rhe­
torical and we w ent on to discuss
contem porary im plicationsand m od­
els o f that ‘y u p p ie-o rien ted ’ ec o ­
nom ic developm ent caper, high rises
and all. The properties were acquired
by ‘em inent d o m a in ’ fo ra fraction of
their real econom ic value, and then
left standing vacant for years, unpro-
ducti ve in terms o f com m erce or taxes
for the city-hut very productive in
term s rats, vermin and drug pushers.
L ooked like the w ar-torn areas o f
Lebanon.
In respect to the m ore “p ro g res­
siv e” A frican A m erican business
people o f that frenetic area o f Los
angeles econom ic activity, I p articu ­
larly like tocite the sag ao f the “Spikes
F am ily” w ho established the "M ecca
M ortgage C om pany” in the 1920’s.
T hrough the years this rem arkable
group m ade many great co ntribu­
tions to the entire com m unity, fi­
nancing thousands o f hom es, p ro ­
m oting plays and concerts and su p ­
porting charities.
A ccounting clients o f m ine (late
1950’s), they show ed me new spaper
reports where, to publicize a concert
in the 1930’s they had a black woman
to parachute into an outdoor arena to
begin the program . And it was the
eldest brother, Richard B. Spikes,
w hom I featured in my book, “Black
Inventors o f A m erica” : Invented an
A utom atic G ear shift in 1932 (Patent
1,889,814), a related transm ission
the next year, and m uch else. T w o o f
his granddaughters reside here in
Portland.
T his was but one o f the “progres­
siv e’ groups at the tim e, but, u nfortu­
nately as happens in many cities,
they w ere greatly out num bered by
the gate-keepers. T here will be m ore
soon in a later series on “ M inority
Econom ic D evelopm ent”-depending
on read er’s responses These are c ru ­
cial tim es and we need to be as alert
and vigilant as ever.
ENTERTAINMENT
Ouitars &
Sax Tour
Peter W hite perform s At The
Mt. Hood Jazz Festival on Sunday.
A ugust 3, 1997. along W ith Rich
ard Elliot. Rick Braun & Craig
Chaquico.
P eter’s latest album C aravan ol
D re a m s, is c u r r e n tly #1 I on
B illboard’s C ontem porary Jazz A l­
bum Chart
Caravan of D ream s continues in
the R&B vein o f his previous two
d isc s ( 1 9 9 3 ’s P ro m e n a d e and
I9 9 4 ’s R eflections). To better a c ­
centuate the urban sensibilities his
previous album s only hinted at. he
chose to collaborate with veteran
producer Paul Brow n, w hose street
vibe with Boney Jam es has helped
make the saxm an one o f rhythm
and jazz’s prem iere perform ers
And just when you think it can t
get any better. Jam es tops it by
featuring B a sia o n his latest single
“Just A nother D ay” ...put it all to ­
gether, and you have a street-sm art
grove with a free-spirited breeze.
Peter brings to the album and the
stage a care-free, infectious energy.
For more information please con­
tact VMG (310) 275-9697
Peter White
lues Fest success
Food Bank
Free Summer Heritage School
A lim ited num ber o f spots, for
youngsters age II to 15, are still
available in V ancouver’s free,eight-
day S um m er H eritage School. The
program is presented w eekdays, be­
tween July 14 and 23. from I to 4
p.m., at G rant H ouse, 1101 O fficers
Row.
their choice.
T his Sum m er o f Service project
is a partnership o f the C ultural D i­
vision o f the V ancouver-Clark Parks
and R ecreation D epartm ent, the
H um an Services C ouncil, the G rant
H ouse Folk A rt C enter and W ash ­
ington State U niversity.
S um m er H eritage Schixil features
field trips through V ancouver’s N a­
tional Historic Reserve, w hich in­
cludes Fort V ancouver N ational H is­
toric Site, O fficers Row, V ancouver
B arracks and Pearson Field.
Students will also w ork on a spe­
cial project on the historical topic of
in traditional & contemporary jazz, blues, and much, much more!
• K in g E le m e n ta r y S c h o o l. 4801
• (* * )R o o s e v e lt
Idaho Street, noon - I pm
S c h o o l. 2921 Falk. I lam -noon
• V a n c o u v e r H o u s in g A u th o rity
• F ru it V a lley E lem en ta ry S ch o o l.
E le m e n t a r y
S c h o o l . 8 1 0 0 N E 2 8 th S tre e t.
I 1:20am- 12:20pm
• H o u g h E lem en ta ry S c h o o l, 1900
D aniels. 12:45pm -1:45pm
• W a sh in g to n E lem en ta ry S ch o o l.
2908 "S ” Street, noon-1 pm
• ( ’ )I m a g e E le m e n ta r y S c h o o l.
4 4 0 0 N E 122nd A ve., 12:25pm-
1:25pm
• ( ’ )M in n e h a h a
E le m e n t a r y
S c h o o l. 2 8 0 0 N E 5 4 th S tre e t.
I 1:45am- 12:45pm
• H a rn ey E lem en ta ry S ch ool .3 2 1 2
E ast E v erg reen B lvd., 12:20pm -
Day camps entertain
Day cam ps for preschool kids ages 2 - 1Z2 to 5-1/2 years
are running at Marshall Center, I(X)9 E. M cLoughlin and
Bagley Center, 4 1 (X) Plom ondon. Day cam ps operate from
9 a m to ntxin M onday through T hursday. Parents can sign
up for two, threeor four d aysa week. C hildren must be toilet
trained to participate. W eek ly th em es a r e a s follow s:
• S essio n 5. July 2 1 to 24 Puppet Pals and P aper M achc
• S e s s io n 6, July 28 to 3 1 Rainbow s, Ribbon and Rhym es
• S essio n 7, Aug 4 to 7 Stam ps, R ocks and Stickers
• S e ssio n 8. Aug. 11 to 14 K oolaid. C am ping and Kids
Activities include arts and crafts; nature walks, water
play, recycling activities, cixiking, dram a, music and sci­
ence experiments. Children should bring a lunch. Fees
range according to how many days are chosen. Limited
scholarships are available. Call Pattie Am ann, 696-8065
for details
E le m e n t a r y
(M eal O nly). 500 O m aha W ay,
11:45am- 12:45pm
P a ren t P erm issio n Slip: Perm is­
sion slip must be com pleted the first
day the child is in the program. Per­
mission slips can be obtained from
Bagley Com m unity Center, or from
the site leader at the playground site.
’ E lig ib ility F o rm s: M innehaha
and Im age E lem entary School re­
quire an incom e eligibility form to
be com pleted.
’ ’ H ea rin g Im p a ired : Roosevelt
E lem entary School will have sign-
skilled staff for hearing-im paired
youth.
3301 Fruit V alley Road, lpm -2pm
• P ete r S . O gd en
Rail service, operated under con­
tract by Amtrak, w ill be available
between Vancouver and Portland
for the duration o f the 2 1 -day clo­
sure o f the northbound structure o f
the Interstate bridge during its re­
pairs, beginning Sept. 16.
Oregon and W ashington Depart­
ments o f Transportation approved
the contracted service as part o f the
project’s Traffic M anagement Plan.
I
I L«
The V ancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation D epart­
ment has several children ’ s coed sports cam ps and classes
scheduled in July. They include the following classes:
S o c c e r clin ic: Learn soccer skills. Session I: ages 4-
5, from 9-10 a.m. Session II, ages 6-8, from 10:30-
11:30 a.m. both sessions take place on Saturdays, July
I2-A ug. 9 (no class Aug. 2) M eet at the w est end of
D avid D ouglas Park, or in M arshall C en ter gym in case
o f rain. Fee is $15 ($13 for city resident).
A ll sp o r ts y o u th cla ss: For ages 4- 7. Try a variety o f
sports, learn the basics o fT -b all, soccer and basketball
M eets Saturdays, July I2-A ug. 2, from 9 -1 0 a m. at
Bagley C enter Fee is $15 ($13 for city resident).
Y o u th b a sk e tb a ll cla ss: For ages 4-7. Learn basic
skills, play gam es. M eets on Saturdays, July 12-Aug. 2,
from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Bagley C enter. Fee is $15
($18 city resident).
day, only.
Amtrak will be using Amfleet cars,
accom modating approximately 700
passengers per trip.
Trips between the tw o cities are
estimated to last between 20 and 30
minutes.
Parking w ill be available near the
Vancouver Amtrak station and on
Fourth Plain, with shuttle service
provided by C-Tran.
In Portland, additional parking
near U nion Station w ill also be avail­
able along with direct access to Tri-
M et’s transit mall, downtown.
The train w ill be offered free o f
charge to commuters traveling be­
tween Vancouver and Portland dur­
ing the bridge repair project.
From Vancouver, three morning
trains w ill be offered to commute™
tr a v e lin g from the V a n c o u v e r
Amtrak Station located on West 1 1th
St., south to Portland’s Union Sta­
tion on N W 6th A venue, at 5:30,
6:45 and 8:00 a.m.
Evening trains w ill leave Port­
land at 4:00, 5:15 a.m., returning at
4:30 and 5:45 p.m. all train service
w ill be offered Monday through Fri-
I
: -.¿•je*. •• .
A
A A
’W l
__
A
presented by
f f « îfflq u ity Group Inc., Realtors
■ ■
9eor9e$ M ^
V
*
Kids learn sports basics
Amtrak answers 1-5 bridge closure
Added rail runs to
ease bottleneck
ere Jcttzliïsiival o f the Pacific Northwest...
1:20pm
Lunches are provided at these sites:
dance tor the weekend is estimated
at more than 100,000, with tens of
thousands of spectators overflowing
the bow l in Waterfront Park to watch
the July 4th fireworks.
I lie Oregon Potters Association
sold enough handmade pottery at
the festival to earn $12,000 for Or­
egon Food Bank through theirEmpty
Bowls project In only live years the
project lias gleaned $50,000 and has
already helped the food bank pur­
chase a truck.
MT. HOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Summer Playground Program
The V ancouver-C lark Parks and
R ecreation S um m er P lay g ro u n d
Program runs M onday through Fri­
day, from 10 a m. to 2 p in. at nine
elem entary schools.
The program features arts, m u­
sic, sports, and field trips designed
around a w eekly them e for children
from kindergarten to sixth grade. A
one-tim e fee o f $3 helps buy sup­
plies for the sum m er, although no
child will be denied participation if
the family cannot afford the fee.
Lunches are available to all chil­
dren attending the program and to
others under the age o f 19. Children
who are mem bers o f Rxxl stam p
households or Aid to Fam ilies with
Dependent Children (A F D C ) are au­
tomatically eligible for the free lunch.
ger-relief agencies. Food Bank
officials estimate that the Water­
front Blues Festival covers ap­
proximately five percent of its
annual operating costs.
Organizers had worried that cut­
ting the festival from five days in
1995 and 1996 to four days this
years would heavily impact dona­
tions. Despite the change, cash do­
nations increased by $5,000 and the
totals for food donations dropped by
less than 10 percent. Total atten­
O regon Food Bank an hunger-
relief agencies across O regon and
C lark C ounty, W ashington are cel
ebrating the Fourth o f July a few
days late, as staff finish w eighing
food and counting cash donations
from the IOth A nnual M iller Genu
ine Draft W aterfront B lues Festival.
G ate d o n atio n s o f $ 16 0 .0 0 0 anil
nearly 7 0 ,0 0 0 p o u n d s w ill en ab le
O reg o n Food B ank to p ro v id e a p ­
p ro x im ately one m illio n p o unds
o f food to local and reg io n a l hun-
* ™
featuring: G e o r g e
Benson • DIZZY™: The M an & The Music,
an all-star tribute to Dizzy Gillespie featuring Randy Brecker,
Jon Faddis, Ignacio Berroa, Billy Childs, Paquito D'Rivera & John Lee • The Rippingtons
featuring Russ Freeman • KKJZ 'Smooth Jazz' All-Stars featuring Rick Braun, Brian
Culbertson, Boney James & Peter W hite • Diane Schuur with Art Abrams Swing Machine
• Bela Fleck & The Flecktones with special guest Paquito D'Rivera • McCoy Tyner • Earl Klugh
• Jean Luc Ponty • Eddie Palmieri • The Heath Brothers featuring Jimmy, Percy, and Albert
Heath • Diana Krall • Boney James • Kevin M ahogany • Randy Brecker & Denis
DiBlasio • Billy Childs • Heads Up Superband featuring Kenny Blake, Joe McBride
&
G e r a ld
V e a s le y
) V
•
and
m u ch ,
m uch
m o re !
y a s e p a r a te F r id a y N ig h t Blues e v e n t w ill p re s e n t B u d d y
G u y , R o b e r t C r a y B a n d a n d P a u l D e L a y B a n d o n F rid a y , A u g u s t 1.
FESTIVAL* OF
Daily general admission tickets, as w e ll as a special 3 -D a y Pass fo r $ 6 0 , are available
at all
locations, including G l Joe's and Meier & Frank outlets, or by calling
503-224-4400
S p ir it r>l l i l t ’
X o r tliic e s t
K A I II
S
P O R T L A N D
I/o/f(?JízPc?/Z7
BOYD COFFEE COMPANY
O
call (5 0 3 ) 2 3 2 9 1 6 2
A*A
V
A fre r r K i .ri,t i
fiî;s
AmencanAtrlines
JazzTimes
• BEARD FRAME SHOP
For furth er inform ation,
106.7
• COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR
M U SIC lA N D / SAM GOODY RECORDS • PEPSI • P02W
k kj z
• ODWALLA
•
• SOKOL BLOSSER WINERY • TAZO TEA