H m o tm
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Aug n
iq 97
» T he P ortland O bslrm k
P age A4
That Good
Summer
Reading, III
B y P rof .M ckinley B i
rt
This week I’d like you to treat
yourself to the following eye opener
on a fascinating phase of neglected
Black History; "Black Jacks Afri
can American Seamen in the Age of
Sail” , W. Jeffrey Bolster, Harvard
A
r J
I ndustry
am.'
MH
Oregon banking executives
’search’ lands new career
University Press, 1997.
Few Americans, black or white,
recognize the degree to which early
African American history is a mari
time history W Jeffrey Bolster,
professor o f history at the Univer
sity of New Hampshire Shatters the
myth that black seafaring in the age
o f sail was limited to the Middle
Passage They sailed tall ships (see
Cuttysark Scotch label).
Seafaring was one o f the most
significant occupations among both
enslaved and free black men between
1740 and 1865. Tens o f thousands
of black seamen sailed on lofty clip
pers and m odest coasters. I hey
sailed in whalers, warships and pri
vateers. By 1800 most were free
men, seeking liberty and economic
opportunity aboard ship. Keep in
mind that professor Bolster was
uniquely prepared to conduct this Jim B arri
uring their long careers
re se a rc h . He h o ld s a M aster
at theBank of America,
M ariner’s license and spent ten
former Vice Chairman/
years aboard ships as a professional
President.
Jim Barri and Senior
seaman. He provides a more than
Vice
President
of Oregon's Retail
adequate documentation in exten
Operations,
Burdett
Johnston knew
sive notes and appendices. We con
firsthand how difficult it was to
tinue the saga.
Bolster brings an intimate under locate and hire talented individu
standing o f the sea to this extraordi als to grow their business.
Then when a corporate restruc-
nary chapter in the formation ot
black America. Because o f their
unusual mobility, sailors were the
eyes and ears to worlds beyond the
limited horizons o f black com m u
nities a shore (Reminds me ot ear
lier days in Portland, Oregon, when
the black dining car waiters and
pullman porters brought back news
o f African American accomplish
turing occurred at the bank, the two
executives elected to seek new ca
reer opportunities in the Northwest.
Together they saw an opportunity
to take advantage ol their over sixty
years of combined f inancial knowl
edge, executive networking and ex
tensive boardroom experience to
help com panies locate and place
jo b sk ills and the right p e rso n
ality is the g re a te st in v e stm e n t a
com pany can m a k e ,” B arri said.
“ M ost c o m p a n ie s are w illin g to
search the e n tire w orld to find
the rig h t p erso n , but they don I
know where to begin. T hat’s where
we come in,” he explained.
The tw o executives discussed
starting a local company to find em-
establishment media).
But for all its opportunities, life
at sea was difficult - Blacks actively
contributed to the Atlantic maritime
culture shared by all seamen, but
were often outsiders within it. Cap
turing that tension, examines not
only how common experiences drew
black and white sailors together -
,en as
as deeply
deeply mterna.izea
preju-
even
internalized preju
Buying Guide.
The consumer guide is part ot cost
ally.
a *
reduction
system which encourages
local networking as a taster way lo|
wealth. Richardson says the advertis
ing is affordable tor small business anil I
buyers earn shared savings through dis
count buying..
Dr. W illia m R ich a rd so n
Mediation program
ices drove them apart Bolster races
,owever she
city is commit-
,e story to the end o fth e Civil War, tedt0 continuing free neighbor to neigh-
.h e n emane,paled blacks began to
u,e wave of
e system atically excluded from the future. It teaches people life skills.^
jaritim e work.” I add a further per-
Todothis,shesays,shehasa“vision’
pective for the reader.
of a "collaboration” between the city.
This stirring account reveals the Multnomah County’s Youth and lamily
ritical role these sailors played in mediation program and the private con-
’jrg in g new identities for black su|ting group. Resolutions Northwest.
. . . com
-----
.-jTiiS was not my original idea, but we
jeople in America. ~ But that
Tient on the later “systematic exclu thought it would make sense to do what
sion” indicates an invidious process we were doing better for less money ”
She adds that the change was not
that paralleled the experiences of
brought
on by any “perceived problem
black craftsmen in land-based skilled
trades as well. The violent drive to m the current program.
Betsy Codd.ngton o f Resolutions
oust blacks from the seas, the crafts
and better jobs in general escalated Northwest
....... says, “ non-profits, be-
under the m ounting pressure o f
hordes o f new European immigrants
nd the fright o f greedy, newly-rich
Cause they're not wedded to gov-
ernment-scale benefits and salaries,
can provide the same services lor
less money.” N egotiations for the
ndustrialists who feared a strong
proposed contract have been put on
ntegrated labor force.
A revealing light is cast upon this hold while Linn recruits someone
«age by the noted h istorian, Henry Stee le to put the p ro p o sa ls to g e th e r,
Commager in his, “ Documents ot Coddington says.
The mediation program started un
American History” (Downtown Li
der
the Metropolitan I luman Relations
brary) The entrenched money-grubbers
Commission
in 1978, and was trans
and ex-slavers must have become des
ferred
to
the
Office
of Neighborhood
perate given the democratic ferment
Associations
in
1983.
It employs three
among the united black and white work
ers;
.
Document 298, Jan. 1,1878. Knights
oft abor. ’Demand 8-hour-day andequal
pay for sexes, graduated Income I ax
document 325, July 4, 1892, Populist
Party Platform; “Fair and liberal pen
sions for ex-union sailors’ and sol
diers .” Did you tliink worker’s demands
for decent conditions were new9
For further documentation of the
black man as sailor and shipbuilder and
whaler see, “Eyewitness: fhe Negro in
American History”, William L. Katz.
Pitman 1967 and later editions. For
earlier nautical Excursions see books
and articles by explorer Thor Hyerdahl
who actually duplicated the ancient trips
by blacks from the West Coast of Africa
to this hemisphere in reed boats (Kon-
Tiki, etc ). And of course you saw the
televised sailing of the 200 year-old
“Old Ironsides." I wonder if the black
naval officer narrating this episode was
told his fore fathers manned these tall
ships, includingthis“U.S. Constitution
■■ . ■___ __„
J L o in n specialists,
iillists <
full-time
mediation
a 1 i direc
tor and clerical worker, and makes use
of six trained volunteers. Last year it
handled 860 cases out of 1,700 requests
fw
WO(k with ^ ¡ e s to a
of one or both, in
. J ’ dj J ^ , ns that both parties
--- e„„a,
r pilYUlV
™ »
agree will be confidential.
agree
The aim is not to detennine who is
“right,” legally or morally, but what the
dispute is about and what will satisfy
both sides. The goal is to draft a non
binding written agreement for future
behavior that both sides can live with.
Even the p rogram ’s director,
Emmanuel Paris, concedes that media
tion is “not a panacea ” It depends on
both parties being willing to go through
the
process,
committed to finding a
l l 1V
L71 U W o J , ~ v / i ■
m„tuallv acceptable solution, and will
>
P
behavior to
mg to moony
achieve it.
Agreements are not legally enforce
able if violated. Nonetheless, according
to a survey of mediation participants
conducted by the program in 1996,94
percent said they were satisfied with the
mediation program’s services, and 86
percent said the situation that provoked
the mediation had improved.
The city has used the program to try
to resolve disputes between commu
nity groups, including neighborhood
associations.
Cox Funeral Home Inc.
(503) 281-4891
A.A. COX, SR.
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CHARLENE COX TANNER
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JEROME G. TANNER
A. Funeral Director
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ALL FABRIC
ployees for northwest companies,
but realized they needed the re
sources of a larger firm to really do I
the job right. Recently Barn and
Johnston opened the first Oregon
„ffice of DHR International. Inc
an executive search firm with a net
work of over 32 offices domesti-l
cally and 14 offices internation-1
•
tively little notice.
Linn now says "We envision that the
current center
center will
will close
ooo,s.
current
close its
its doors.
4n%oFF
[1 1
B u rd e tt J o h n so n
Shop at our advertisers and receive a
discount, says Dr. William Richardson,
who has just completed publishing the
July-September issue ol the Discount
C ontinued from M etro
0
2 DAYS ONLY - AUGUST 15 & 16
Portland's Richardson
publishes buying guide
. *IY
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•luted
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“ “
I 84
I
r
in
?
N
/
/
STARK
STREET
7T
• *2 • *3 • M p e r yd.
f
RETAII HOI RS:
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Portland, OR
252-9530
Visit < >ur website at
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1-8OO-392-3376
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