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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 30, 1997)
J uly 30, 1997 • T he P ortland O bserver P age A2 Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily Reflect Or Represent The Views Of ‘JjJortlanb © bsm w r S ubscribe to p (E lje ¡ P o r t l a n d ( J D b s m w r he most favorable re sponse to the idea of "Junior Science Clubs" is most appreciated. There is nothing like a concept whose time has come (again) and there is no reason why such useful and educational projects should be the province of only certain in come and social groups: worked well 60 years ago! Also appreciated are public ac knowledgments of one'scontributions and successful endeavors to bring about change. Ils not at all about a personal clement of praise or appro bation, but serves as a mechanism that could generate even more support from industry or the public at large. I have reference to the very thoughtful birthday greeting pub lished in a May edition of The Port land O bserver by Mr. Herm an Grimes. President. Coast Industries. Thank you very much for this gra cious acknowledgment by a former student: “..congratulations on m ak ng significant contrioutions ing contributions to m the e S ubscriptions T he P ortland O bserver ; PO B ox 3137 P ortland , O regon 97208 Name: Address. City, State: Zip-Code: T hank Y ou F or R eading T he P ortland O bserver Attention Readers! Please take a minute tosend us your comments. W e’re always trying to give you a better paper and we can’t do it without your help. Tell us what you like and what needs improvement... any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. We take criticism well! Get your powerful pens out NOW and address your letters Io: Editor. Re ad e r Response. P O. B<?» 3 137. Portland. O R 97 ¿Off, (© b e e ru e r (USPS 959-680) Established in 1970 Mark W ashington Distsribution M anager Gary Ann Taylor Business M anager Larry J. Jackson, Sr Director o f Operation Yvonne Lerch A ccount Executive Mike Leighlon Copy Editor by 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, Oregon 97211 503-288-0033 • Fax 503-288-0015 Email: Pdxobserv@aol.com Deadline fo r all submitted materials: Articles:Friday. 5:00 pm Ads: Monday. 12:00pm POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes To: Portland Observer, P.O. Box 3137, Portland. OR 97208. OUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED The Portland O b server-O regon’s Oldest Multicultural Publica tio n -is a member of the National Newspaper A ssociation-Founded in 1885. and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver. L eague ____________ ______ was on the path to be- come an educator, but the Civil Rights move- snt and affirmative action opened doors to opportunities I hadn't ever known existed. That Is when I decided to go into business.” the p ro d u ctio n o f m ate rial go o d s, su ch as sh o w s, c o sm e tic prod u cts, and food. T h e y o versee b illio n s o f ucts c o m p a n y , te lls B la c k E n te r p rise m a g a z in e in its cu rren t is s u e 's e a rly and m id d le d e ca d e s o f th is ce n tury B la c k A m e ric a c h a lle n g e d W hite lo o k at 2 6 to p flig h t b la c k b u sin e ss A m e r ic a w ith a p ro p h e c y that, in the w o rd s o f a S a m C o o k hit so n g , A A fr ic a n A m e rica n s w h ich has grow n up d u r in g and after the c iv il rig h ts years A s a gro u p and as in d iv id u a ls , th e y ’ v e risen h ig h e r in the ra n k s o f A m e r ic a n b u sin e ss then an y A f r i- lives. Some had only known lives tilled with violence Irom their childhood; others had experienced it only- as adults. One woman recalled her ex perience as a child of riding in the ambulance with her battered mother, only to be ignored in the waiting room by all and not knowing if her mother would live or die. Another told of thinking that domestic vio lence was a part of marriage - that was what she had grown up with and what she had come to expect as an adult. All of these women had been convicted of murdering their spouses when they could no longer take the abuse them selves or when they can A m e ric a n s e v e r before. T h e y run th eir ow n b u sin e sse s, or w ie ld s ig n ific a n t a u th o rity in m u lti- m illio n -d o lla rc o m p a n ie s. T h e y gu id e c h ie f o p e ra tin g o ffic e r o f C a rso n , In c ., the h a ir and fa c ia l care p ro d w om en. H e r d is c o v e ry o f her aptitude for b u sin e ss and her s u cc e ss at it a re n ’ t u n u su al am o n g the ge n e ratio n o f e c / / r t ' ........................................... lives o f m any African A m ericans." One needs that kind of attribution in order to ‘ keep-on- keepin' - on ' I need a lot more birthdays to implement these youth projects. But. let me say this as w ell. Thanks to execu- liveslikeyou. Mr Grimes, and the industries you manage, those of us who are about motivating minorities and women into the 21st century of technology are receiving the support we need to do our job. And in par ticular let me convey the community ' s congratulation to Coast Industries for the important economic asset it has been to us over the decades - and beyond that, the role model par ex cellence; again, thank you! Speak ing further on the role of industry, it was interesting that one of the white parents whose electronic plant em ployer is, as I am, a member of the “Associated Oregon Industries, had to reassure a black parent in the ... ________ _________ „ m ..n s th o u g thought, h t, how youth science club sponsors group, “No, Mr. Burt is not in the industry organization because he wants to be a big shot ’ or because he thinks th a t big y e a rly m em bership fe e is a badge o f pres BY tige. "(W hites have P rofessor a lso e x p re sse d M ckini . ey this). B urt ____ T he e n g in e e r went on to explain that not only did I gain entrance into a proactive com munications network involving sci entists, engineers and technicians at the cutting-edge of space-age tech nology, but received generous offers of time, materials and executive loan' to aid the youth science projects. And as for those 'big membership dues’ I'm sure he made that back at the first seminar he did at the Green wood Inn - or for subsequent Lion's Club luncheon presentations on ‘Black In ven to rs' ...all probably spent on y o u r kids. ” Sometimes it gets exasperating out here but that goes with the game. I watched their children being abused I rem em ber driving that same evening to my m other's in W ashing ton. D C. through a hurricane which threatened the east coast and saying the words, with a new understanding, there but for the grace of God. go I. None of us chooses the family we are born into and some of us are born into families where domestic vio lence is a part of life. Domestic violence is a term which is too often unspoken in the African American community. That may be true in other communities of color as well, but I now it is true in my own. To talk about it. some believe, only widens the gap between black men and black women. To talk about it. some believe, is airing our dirty laun dry in public and somehow weakens our com m unity's unity. Totalk about it, some believe, means telling of the horrors done by fathers, brothers, uncles and husbands and destroys families. But the reality is that not talking about domestic violence in our com munity does all those negative things as well. Not talking about domestic violence ensures that the gap be many times times have have I ex I ex how many plained that with the very first na tional Science Foundation award winning computer demonstration in the Dalles Oregon, I was calling on the engineers and technicians in my 'Toastmasters C lub' (1966). And that there was the same type of inter action and support tor my Belm ont St. operation (1969,'70). It was there that 1 brought in the local manager of the Associated Press news bureau to advise me on updat ing my earlier concept where / put The Dalles, Oregon classroom on line with the a lu m in u m plant, Bonneville Power, the Bureau o f Standards, Tektronix, Torrance California, Adrian, M ichigan roll ing mills and bauxite facilities in the West Indies. And today, where my new designs incorporate even more advanced communications con cept. I have access to the profession als who work with Satellites, Global Positioning and the like Well, it looks like ’mathematics will have tocome next week. Sorry about that. _ . ______ u,„>n was heeun two years two ago years by the Zi by the Zion * was begun ago tween men and women widens even Hill Missionary Baptist Church in more as women are forced to believe Rochester, NY. In Chicago a Do that they are less valuable than our mestic V iolence A dvocacy/Care men. Not talking about domestic vio Ministry trains church leaders on lence undermines our community s domestic violence and I rinity United unity even more because a superfi Church ot Christ has a special minis cial and Hawed unity is no unity at try for battered women and children. all. Not talking about domestic vio Several years ago in Washington, lence guarantees the destruction of a D C. Rev. Imagine Stewart began the family, not just for one generation, House of imagine to shelter and min but for generations to come. ister to battered and homeless women Unfortunately, the black church and children. too often has also participated in the We must end the silence about the silence around domestic violence. sin and the crime of domestic vio Too often the black church has even lence in the African American com condoned such behavior, counseling munity We must reach out to help women to stay in abusive relation those women and those men who are ships. However, a new national caught up in this horrible and terrify project. The Black Church and do ing cycle of violence. We cannot mestic Violence Task force, located afford for future generations to be in Seattle, is ending the silence and torn apart because we have tolerated beginning the dialogue and action. The African American Initiative of Men Stopping Violence, based in Atlanta, works with African Ameri can men who have been barterers. Locally. black churches, mosques and community organizations are taking action. For instance, the Open Arms Ministry, a holistic approach to dealing with domestic violence, To Be Equal: Promise and Change d o lla rs in in ve stm en ts. T h e y are s u cc e ss sto rie s-b e cau se , as they th e m se lve s re c o g n ize , in the S o , Jo y c e R o c h e , p resid en t and B ernice P owell J ackson t must have been 16 or 17 years ago, but I re member it like it was last month. I was sitting in a women's prison in New York State, listen ing to women testify to the Governor’s Commission on Do mestic Violence. The women, all sentenced to long prison terms of 15 years to life, told their stories and how domestic vio lence had been a part of their Periodicals postage paid at Portland. Oregon Subscriptions: $30.00 per year The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manu scripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition ol such ad © 1996 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PAR I WIT H- ban p Civil Rights Journal: unmasking the violence Contributing Writers: Professor McKinley Burt. Lee Perlman, Neil Heilpern by H ugh B. P rice , P resident of the N ational U r s J mail to: Charles Washington Publisher & Editor r Another Sojourn Into Science: Next Generation The Portland Observer can be sent directly to your home for only $30.00 per year. Please fill out, enclose check or money order, and ® lje P o r t la n d e ch a n g e is g o n n a com e. B la c k e n te rp rise m a g a z in e has been c h r o n ic lin g som e o f the ben e fits o f that c h a n g e fo r m ore than a quarter cen tu ry. A n d those b e n efits are a lso on d is p la y th is m onth in Fo rtu n e m a g a zin e . Y o u ’ ll be able to spot it e a s ily on the n e w sstan d It ’ s the one w ith the s tr ik in g ga tefo ld co ve r o f A f r i c a n -A m e ric a n entrepreneurs behind It ’ s our re sp o n sib ility to ensure that in the future the tra ils they and the w o rd s: “T h e N e w B la c k Pow er the generation o f b la c k entrepreneurs w ho cam e before them have b lazed is fille d w ith in d iv id u a ls as su p re m e ly W h at is that p ow er? 11 ’ s the freedom to ac hie ve for one s self, and contribute to im p ro vin g the so cie ty, to the best o f one’ s ability, unencum bered by racist law s or c u s tom s w h ich have the force o f law. In other w o rd s, the new b la ck p o w er is ju s t the o ld striv in g for achievem ent, su ccess, independence, fin a n c ia l s e c u rity -a n d so m e th in g m ore in tan gib le that these things pro duce: the sense o f b e in g a fu ll-fled ged p a rticip a n t in A m e ric a n society. W h at m akes-the achievem ents o f th is generation o f A fr ic a n A m e rica n entrepreneurs so im portant is that they sh o w that tlte p ath w ays into the centers o f p ow er (and w ealth) in A m e ric a n b u sin e ss are s ig n ific a n tly m ore open than they used to be. w e ll-p re p are d as they were. T h a t ’ s w h y the U rb an L e a g u e m ovem ent has taken as its them e for preneurs ... W e m ust no lo n ge r be satisfied w a tch in g in aw e, from a distance as others p lay the gam e...” R o b in so n and h is co lle a g u e s led our N atio n al E c o n o m ic D evelopm ent S u m m it held in C le v e la n d in late it. (For more information, write the Black Church and Domestic Vio lence Task Force. Center for the Pre vention of Sexual and Domestic Vio lence, 936 N. 34th St., Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98103 or call them at (206) 634-1903 or e-mall them at cpsdv @cpsdv.seanet com ) sense o f what the w o rld o f business and governm ent requires by intro du cin g them to men and w om en w ho can serve as mentors. N o t in cid e n tally, B E E P has also helped m ore than 120 com panies and governm ent agencies recruit a m ore diverse and m ore talented w orkforce. T h e se and other concerted e f forts m ust continu e to be m ade, fo r it’ s c le a r that, even as w e celebrate M a y . A tten d ed b y o ffic ia ls o f lo c a l, re g io n a l, national and fortune 500 current su cce sses, A fr ic a n A m e r i co m p a n ie s, its purpose w as to in form m ore m in o ritie s about fra n ch is can s have a ve ry lo n g c lim b to e c o n o m ic s e lf-s u ffic ie n c y ahead o f in g s u p p lie r and d istrib u to r opportu- n ities-and to sh o w A m e rica n b u si ness there’ s a w h o le p oo l o f talent them. N o r sh o u ld we pretend that subtle and overt d isc rim in a tio n has disappeared from any o f the le v e ls to contribute to its e co n o m ic vita lity . A s M y ro n F . R o b in so n , the p re si they need to tap into. In late June, our B la c k E xe cu tive E xch a n g e Pro gram held its 28th an nual conference in Atlanta. Supported by corporate and in d ivid u al contribu dent o f the U rb an L e a g u e o f G reater C le v e la n d sa y s, “ ou r jo b for the tw e n ty-first century is to strengthen o u r e co n o m ic base through the c re tions, this effort recruits business e x ecutives and governm ent o fficia ls to teach as V is itin g Professors at H isto ri c a lly B la c k C o lle g e s and U niversities. o f the A m e ric a n w o rkp la ce . B u t w e sh o u ld take heart. F o r, w hat the B la c k E n te rp rise and F o r tune M a g a zin e s a rticle s underscore is that the c lim b is b e in g m ade w ith great fe rvo r b y these entrepreneurs and m an y m ore lik e them . T h e ir su cce sses enable us to c a rry into the future that w o n d erfu l p ro p h e cy o f ation o f b u sin e ss ow ners and entre- Its objective is to give students a keener the past: a ch an g e is go n n a com e. this year, and for o u r annual c o n fe r ence, w h ic h b e gin s A u g u s t 3, “ E c o n o m ic Pow er: T h e next C i v i l R ig h ts F ro n tie r.” W e w ant to underscore as stro n g ly as p o ssib le that o n e ’ s a b ility to fu lly participate in the s o cie ty has becom e c ru c ia lly dependent on o n e ’ s a b ility T h i s W a y fo r B la c k E m p o w e r m e n t What is the Solution to Political Corruption? The American People by D r . L enora F ui . ani 41 or the last several weeks, the U.S. Senate has been conducting hearings into the financing of the 1996 presidential campaigns. W h ile these h e a rin gs are b ein g used b y both p arties to try to gain an advantage o v e r one another, they nonetheless g ro w out o f the very intense p u b lic co n ce rn w ith p o litic a l co rru p tio n and w ith the in flu e n ce o f b ig m o n e y in p o litic s. M a n y o f the p o litic a l co m m en la tors and jo u rn a lists c o v e rin g the hear in g s have a lre a d y stated that nothing is g o in g to be d on e; that noth in g w ill be done about political corruption, about the extent to which democracy has been subverted; that nothing can be done about the fact that so many people in the country are alienated from and distrustful of government. They say that nothing will be done. But. Idisagrec I think they’re wrong. Because something is being done. It's the grassroots movement for po litical reform That movement is called the Reform Party We re w hat's being done We have some very serious prob lems in America There arc serious issues of poverty and joblessness and an educational system in deep, deep trouble. We have racial antagonisms and profound m isunderstandings betw een different com m unities. These problems are not new. And they must, of course, be addressed That is our issue -- that's the Relorm Party's issue We have got toturn our attention to the fact that we have a political system, a system of gover nance and policy making that doesn't sufficiently work to solve problems. No small part of this problem - the problem of not being able to solve our problem s -- is due to the excessive loyalty that most po liti cians have to their parties rather than to the people. It is this kind of partisanism - putting party inter ests above the interests of the people of this country -- that must be addressed. There are Americans across this country - rich and poor, business people andcivil servants, people from the Black community, the Latino community, the Asian community, the while community, the gay com munity-- who want to come together and find real solutions. These Ameri cans are finding that the two major parties have not served us as well as they should in this regard, because they place such a premium on loyalty to the party rather than loyalty to the people. And so we have created a new political mechanism, a new party that will not play one constituency off against another, but will instead find ways to bring people in to the process through term limits, cam paign finance reform, opening up the ballot and promoting inclusion and better participation at every level of the political process! Only in its .infancy, the Reform Party is already made up of diverse people. At the same time, though, we arc not so diverse as we might think. For we are all Americans. Our loyalty is to our communities and to our country and to one an other And with that, we can solve any problem Creditor Send your letters to the Editor to: Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208