P age
A4
N ovember
Attention Readers!
p e r
(I S P S 959-680) Established in 1970
That supplement to the title for
this series may suggest nourishment'.
(ia rv A nn l ay lor
K us in ess 3 tun uger
Larry J Jackson, Sr
Director o j Operation
but you w ill see that to be quite in
keeping w ith last week's promise to
Iesha W illia m s
(iriip liic Design
M ike Leighton
Copy Editor
evaluate the earlier economic possi
b ilitie s o f the N .W corner o f NE
( 'ontrihuting II riters:
Professor M c K in le y Burt.
Lee Perlman,
Neil Neilpern
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T hank V oi F or R eading T he P ori land O bserv er
Davis rises to
new challenge
Continued from Front
c a lle d , b u t w e d id n ’ t g e t the
chance to im p le m e n t it. T he ru g
was p u lle d fro m u n d e r u s !”
P o rtla n d S c h o o l s u p e rin te n
dent Jack B ie r w ith a n n o u n c e d
s ta ffin g changes.
" I t was v e ry ro u g h , lik e a slap
in the face o r a p u n c h in the
stom ach -- p re tty p a in f u l, ” she
sig h e d. “ He n e v e r cam e o v e r to
ta lk to us o r g iv e us a g o o d re a
so n " she said.
Judy B ry a n t g o t h e r s lo t at
H u m b o ld t
D a v is ta u g h t fo r 12 y e a rs —
grades F irs t. T J iird , F ifth and
S ix th -- b e fo re b e c o m in g a u n it
le a d er at M a rtin L u th e r K in g E l
e m e n ta ry S c h o o l, w h e re she
w o rk e d fo r 20 years.
A s a u n it le a d er, she c o o r d i
nated c u rr ic u lu m fo r p r e - k in d e r
g a rte n th ro u g h second grades,
w h a t she c a lls “ a s c h o o l w ith in a
s c h o o l."
That firs t taste o f s c h o o l a d
m in is tra tio n in v o lv e d 3 5 0 c h i l
dren in 16 classes.
D a v is beam s w ith p rid e abo u t
her part in d e v e lo p in g a v o lu n
ta ry d e s e g re g a tio n p ro g ra m at
M L K . r e c a llin g a v is it to C h i
ca g o d u rin g the 1970s to re v ie w
a m o d e l p ro g ra m th e re .
W h ile at M L K . she w as nam ed
w o m a n o f th e y e a r b y th e
w o m e n 's e d u c tio n s o ro r ity , re
c e iv e d an e x c e lle n c e in e d u c a
tio n a lu m n i a w a rd fro m O re g o n
C o lle g e o f E d u c a tio n and was
in c lu d e d in th e 199 0 W h o ’ s
W ho
She h a sn ’ t put the p la q u e s on
her o ffic e w a ll at A p p le g a te ye t.
“ I 'v e been to o busy tr y in g to
le a rn A p p le g a te and its p r o
g ra m s ,” she to ld the P o rtla n d
O b s e rv e r. “ T he a e sth e tics w ill
co m e la te r.”
E ven w ith a new s c h o o l, D a v is
s t ill has c h a lle n g e s . W ith 271
stu d e n ts at a s c h o o l in a lo v e ly
F a rra g u t P ark s e ttin g , she has
12 c e r tifie d te a ch e rs and o n ly
th re e e d u c a tio n a l assista n ts fo r
tu to r in g and o th e r tasks.
“ T he teachers are d e te rm in e d
to h e lp me m ake it s u c c e s s fu l,”
she said, n o tin g s c h o o l-w id e in
v o lv e m e n t in the 90 m in u te d a ily
re a d in g b lo c k s , and 60 m in u te
b lo c k s fo r b o th w r it in g and a r ith
m e tic .
A p p le g a te ’s th ir d g ra d e test
scores are the lo w e s t in the d is
t r ic t .
“ We s t ill have a b ig c h a lle n g e ,
b u t we w il l rise to the o c c a
s io n ," D a v is said.
I he firs t re g io n a l assessm ent
tests w e re g iv e n last m o n th and
the s c h o o l is a w a itin g its fir s t
s c o re s .
" A f t e r p a re n t-te a c h e r c o n fe r
e n ce s th is
“ scores w il l
m o n t h ,”
she s a id ,
be e v a lu a te d and
c u r r ic u lu m g o a ls w i l l be re
vam ped to re fle c t the c h ild r e n 's
n e e d s ."
“ M y h u sband R a lp h has been
m y ro c k , g ro u n d in g me in a ll
these c h a n g e s ," said D a v is . “ B e
19th and Alberta.
The sturdy, stone form er-M asonic
Temple has seen quite a number o f
players on its state: from fraternal
a ffilia tio n , to health spa, church, sec
ond-hand store, you name it. We
begin here w ith the year 1982. when
I became aware that both the build
ing and the equipm ent o f the current
operator were fo r sale.
This enterprise proved to be an
"In stitu tio n a l Food S upplier" and its
customers were c ity , state and fed
eral facilities ranging from army bases
to correctional facilities. In fact, that
supplement to the title is taken from
a U.S. A rm y supply bulletin I have
before me, “ Master Menu for Febru
ary 1983" (planned; published and
mailed to interested institutional sup
pliers August 1982). Several restau-
fie skeptics scoffed
when Reverend Jackson
first announced a second
match to "Save the Dream, "arguing
that Sacramento is just not a march
ing town. Gov. W ilson's flunkies
scoffed, too. saying it was “ too little,
! to late."
But is was not too little, as thou-
: sands and thousands o f marchers
converged on the Capitol last M o n
day m o rn in g , to oppose the
resegregation o f higher education in
I the once-golden state o f California.
And it is definitely not too large,
as Reverend Jackson hascalled fora
j third “ Save the Dream" march in
Los Angeles next February. This
j struggle is far from over-as Dr. King
said, the arc o f history is long, but it
bends toward justice.
Pete W ilson is only the latest in a
’ long and tragic series o f mean-spir
ited politicians who have divided
Americans by race, as a means o f
advancement to higher political o f
fice. Gov Wilson was onee regarded
as a mixlerate Republican (a species
Eugene McCarthy defined as those
p
e
e
t
i
r e s
The North Will Rise Aflain
Master Mem
> V
M ark W ashington
D is trib u tio n M anager
O bserver
JJnrtlanh © hscruer
s
' ^Invthuth (ObscrUv
Charles W ashington
Publisher A Editor
and
Editorial articles do not necessarily
reflect or represent the views o f
DITOFIAL
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5, 1997 • T he P or u
rant chains were also served by this
N.E. A lberta St. Operation
W hen I met the o w n e rs, m y
firs t th o u g h t was " I m ust be in a
S c a n d in a v ia n S e n io r C itiz e n s
C e n te r". Each fr ie n d ly e n tre p re
n eur seem ed Io be w e ll o ve r six
le e t, b lo n d e , b lu e -e ye d and o ve r
se ve n ty years o f age' A n d that
la tte r c h a ra c te ris tic seemed to he
no p ro b le m as th e y to o k me on a
b ris k to u r o f the huge, tw o -s to ry
p la n t; fo llo w e d on w ith le is u re ly
in s p e c tio n s .
M y second thought was that "th is
reminds me o f my first encounter
w ith the middle-aged and elderly
black men o f the "A cm e Business
C lu b ." I became the accountant for
this group in 1947. learning that their
cooperative e ffo rt and com m itm ent
to com m unity had created the W ill
iams A ve. business district -- and
much else that was wiped out by
Urban R e n e w a l'.
Of course. 1 was aware that an
economic reprise o f that magnitude
was beyond reach, nevertheless this
were m aking any num berol declara
tions ami promises o f support in re
operation, il handled properly, could
be the Key U n it fo ra Northeast Busi
ness Renaissance. I he owners, w ell
past retirement age, were quite w ill
i ng to cooperate i n a n u m be r o f he I p-
ful ways to expedite a sale. (M a in ly
the bu ilding for$80.(K)0). You heard
prise that could revive the economic
state o f the nation's mnercities. And
right!
O w n in g e v e ry th in g
free and
clear and under no fin a n c ia l pres
sures, the operators were quite w il l
ing to w o rk w ith an A fric a n A m e ri
can g roup in a project that w ould
not o n ly transfer o w n e rsh ip but
w o u ld also m aintain the e xistin g
custom er base. I he youngest ow ner
and tw o key em ployees w o u ld stay
on fo r advice and counsel lo r a
period to be negotiated.
Several things are to be kept in
mind at this point. First, the Federal
M in o rity Business oriented agencies
RAINBOW PU$H
C O A L IT IO N
S a v e T T ie
D r e a m #3
w ho "come dow n out of the lulls after
the battle, to shoot the wounded").
However, that was before Wilson
began to use race as a wedge issue to
prove his right-w ing credentials; be
fore he pushed Prop. 187. attempting
to blame C alifornia's economic woes
on Hispanic immigrants; before he
tried to lim it Native American tribal
sovereignty; before he joined the
Faubus/Wallace side o f history, by
sponsoring Prop. 209, which is now
resegregating California's professional
schools.
This battle is not over. The mere
fact that a small m ajority o f voters
approved a well-funded and mis-la-
beled initiative which lim its equal op
portunity for Blacks & Browns in
C alifornia does not mean it was right;
nor does it mean that Prop. 209 w ill
ultimately pass constitutional muster.
A fte r all, even Bakke allowed consul
eration o f race and gender.
Besides, most C alifornians voting
on Prop. 209 last year only heard one
side ol the story on T V -G o v . W ilson's
lim itin g equal opportunity in higher
education, and because o f Rex.
Jackson’ s intense effo rts to keep
lig h tin g to save Dr. K in g 's dream.
C a lifo rn ia voters are hearing another
spect to w ell-structured new enter
in respect to w holesale/industrial
lood vending the S .B.A. had backed
several m in o rity airline food opera
tions that were proving successful.
It was also the case that not only
was I bringing my ow n business back
ground and accounting experience to
the tale in negotiations w ith the ow n
ers. but I brought in as consultants,
an experienced food manager o f long
acquaintance and a senior faculty
member o f the business department
o f a local university.
A t this point, I should mention
that the owners (not cash-strapped)
were w illin g to go along w ith a rea
sonable o ffe r - not governm ent -
backed - from a group that would
develop its own financial plan.
C o n t’ d. next week
side.
Notice that noone who supported
Prop. 209 last year is out there brag
ging about the results this year. No
tice that none o f the outspoken right
w ¡tigers who argued that affirm ative
action should be replaced w ith a
broader assistance program based
on need or class, has yet stepped
forward to introduce such a replace
ment program to the state legislature.
Notice that Gov. W ilson has not yet
brought forward Ins equal funding/
Head Start/pre-natal plan, to start all
our schoolchildren on a level play ing
field.
They never intended to; their ar
guments last year were just cover for
dividing Californians by race. These
were promises they never intended
to keep.
Jesse Jackson made a promise he
w ill keep. He promised Dr. King that
he would keep his dream alive. He
promised Dr. K ing he w ould keep
fighting for justice. He promised Dr.
King he would keep on inarching.
Save the Dream March #3. Los
Angeles. February. W e ’ ll be back.
Civil Rights Journal
Teaching Children Survival Skills
B y B ernice P owell J ackson
I remember when I first heard a
parent talking about it. It was right
after the Bernard Goetz, incident in
the New Y ork C ity subways where
several black youth were shot by a
man who claimed they were menac
ing him. The mother was talking about
teaching her teenaged sons how to
survive in New Y o rk C ity - how not
to look "threatening," how to dress,
what to look at on the subway. But
now. according to a recent New York
Tunes article, parents o f children o f
co lo r are feeling the need to teach
their children, especially their sons,
how to act when they are stopped by
the police. A new kind o f survival
s k ill fo r children o f color.
One A frica n Am erican parent, a
banker, had tostrategize w ith his son
p rio r to buying him a new car. They
planned what to do when a police
o ffic e r stopped the son because he
was d riv in g a nice car. They decided
that the son w ould carry his father’ s
business card and o ffe r to let the
police o ffic e r call his father. A H is
panic parent told how her child, de
spite much coaching from his par
c le a rly it happens too ofte n , across
class, education and p o litic a l lines.
C h ild re n o f m id d le class fa m ilie s
ents, already had been stopped three
times at gunpoint by the police. Each
tim e he was in a car that the police
suspected o f carrying drugs, but no
charges were ever brought.
are ju s t as subject to be stopped as
ch ild re n o f the poor. A n d g irls are
v ic tim s as w e ll as boys. One A fr i
can A m e rica n m other to ld how her
tw o daughters. 17 and 18 years
Some agencies w hich w ork w ith
young people are teaching them sur
vival skills in dealing w ith police
officers. One Bronx-based youth pro
gram is beginning lessons in legal
and c iv il rights issues fo ryo u th and a
old , were co m in g out o f a subway
station w ith th e ir b o yfrie n d s when
they heard gunshots A ll fo u r found
Harlem agency already is teaching a
course called C onflicts w ith Cops to
help young people in their encounter
w ith police officers. Even m in o rity
police officers associations counsel
youth on how to deal w ith police.
The piesident o f the Latino O ffice r
Association, for example, tells the
young people to note the o ffic e r’ s
name and to use it throughout their
them selves pushed against a w all
w ith guns to th e ir heads by police
A nd her son. a cham pion fencer,
was stopped in a subw ay station in
a w h ite co m m u n ity and asked what
he was d o in g there. W hen he re
p lie d he was g o ing to a fencing
club dow n the street, he was taunted
and not believed by p o lice .
And make no mistake about it. this
is not just a New Y o rk C ity phenom
enon.
Parents o f color in cities across
encounter.
T a rg e tin g youth o f c o lo r is not a
the nation are f inding they must teach
their children these new survival
ta ctic o f every p o lice o ffic e r, but
skills. Polls show that people o fc o lo r
believe that police officers do not
treat people o f c o lo r and whites w ith
equal fairness. Indeed, that is one o f
the greatest chasms between w hile
Americans and people o fc o lo r - their
b e lie f in the justice o f the crim inal
justice system.
I he fact that many police officers
do not live in the com m unities they
serve aggravates many o f the stereo
types th;il some o f them have about
youth o f color. Thus, they scoff at the
story by the black youngster that he is
a fencer or they believe that only a
drug dealer could be d rivin g a nice
car.
It's a sad comm entary fo rch ild re n
o fc o lo r It's a sail comm entary for
our nation. As long as parents o f
co lo r find themselves having to teach
their children how to survive an en
counter w ith police, we w ill know
that racism is alive and w ell in this
country. In the words o f one parent.
“ I s depressing. I f I had not told my
son to be cool and respectful, he
w ould probably be dead.”
Big Economic Gains Lift Very Few Children
N u m b e rs o f U n in s u re d C h il-
ilrc n and W o rk in g P oor F a m ilie s
H it R ecord H ig h s
The C h ild r e n 's D efense Fund
tw e e n m y h u sband and m y L o rd ,
I m ade it . "
exp re ss d is a p p o in tm e n t in the
v ir tu a lly u n ch a n g e d c h ild p o v
"W e
a re
g o in g
to
put
A p p le g a te on the m ap in s p ite o f
the o d d s !"
e rty rates fo r 1996. even w h ile
m edian in c o m e rose.
The rate o f c h ild p o v e rty d e
c lin e d by o n ly th re e -te n th s o f one
p e rc e n t fro m 1995 to 1996, and
rose s lig h tly fo r c h ild re n in w o r k
in g fa m ilie s .
" M a n y cla im s have been made
ing to rise out o f p o v e rty , and
even w orse, some are lo s in g th e ir
h e a lth co ve ra g e as w e ll. ”
about fa m ilie s w ho have le ft w e l
:In the f i f t h year o f e c o n o m ic
fa re ," said C D F P resident M a ria n
W rig h t E d e lm a n “W h ile fa r too
re c o v e ry , o u r c h ild re n deserve a
fa ir share o f the fr u its o f e co
p e rce n t in 1996, c o m p a re d to
I 3.8 p e rce n t fo r a ll A m e ric a n s ).
L ik e w is e , m ore than tw o -th ird s
o f a ll A m e ric a n s lo s in g h e a lth
lit tle
n o m ic g ro w th , but th e y are being
co ve ra g e in 1996 w ere c h ild re n .
is
know n
about
th e ir
c h ild r e n ’ s w e ll-b e in g , to d a y ’ s
data w a rn us that m any are f a i l
d e n ie d it . " said E d e lm a n
The c h ild p o v e rty rate is h ig h e r
than that o f any o th e r age g ro u p
(ih e c h ild p o v e rty rate was 20.5