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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 20, 1998)
Page A4 MAY 20, 1998 (El|c JJnrtlanò (©hseruer Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily Reflect Or Represent The Views O f (Eljv JJortlanh © bseruer Attention ReadersI Please take a minute to send us vour comments. We’re alts ays trying to give you a better paper and we can’t do it without your help. Tell us sshat you like and ts hat needs improv ement... any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. W e take criticism well! Get your powerful pens out NOW and address your letters to: Editor, Reader Response. P.O. Bos 3137, Portland, OR 97208. (Ette |jortlaiiì» (©bseruer (USPS 959-680) Established in 1970 C harles W ashington P ublish er <S E ditor Mark W ashington D istsribution M an ager G ary A nn T aylor B u sin ess M an ager Larry J. Jackson, Sr. D irector o f O peration Tony W ashington A ssista n t E ditor lesha W illiam s G raphic D esign C on tribu tin g H'riters: P rofessor M cK inley Burt, Lee Perlm an. N eil H eilpem Joy Ram os 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, Oregon 97211 503-288-0033 • Fax 503-288-0015 Email: Pdxobserv(ia aol.com Deadline for all submitted materials: Articles:Friday, 5 :0 0 pm Ads: Monday, 12:00pm POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes To: Portland Observer, P.O. Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208. P eriodicals p o sta g e p a id at Portland, O regon Subscriptions: $60.00 p e r y e a r T he Portland O bserver w elcom es freelance subm issions. M anu scripts and p hotographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned ifacco m p an ied by a se lf addressed envelope. All created design display ads becom e the sole property o f the new spaper and cannot be used in other p ublications or personal usage w ithout the w ritten consent o f the general m anager, unless the client has purchased the com position o f such ad < 1996 T H E PO R T LA N D O B SE R V E R . A LL RIG H TS R E SE R V E D , R E P R O D U C T IO N IN W H O LE OR IN PA R T W IT H O U T PE R M ISS IO N IS PRO H IBITED . T he Portland O b s e rv e r-O re g o n ’s O ldest M ulticultural Publica tion—is a m em ber ot the N ational N ew spaper A ssociation—F ounded in 1885, and T he N ational A dvertising R epresentative A m algam ated P ublishers, Inc, N ew Y ork, N Y, and T he W est C oast Black Publishers A ssociation • S erving Portland and V ancouver. S ubscribe to (C hr ^Jortkniit (Ohsrritcr The Portland Observer can be sent directly to your home for only $60.00 per year. Please fill out. enclose check or money order, and mail to: S ubscriptions T he P ortland O bserv er ; PO Box 3137 P ortland , O regon 97208 Name: A ddress: C ity, S ta te :_________ Zip-C ode: __________ ________________ ________ _______________ I hank You F or R eading T he P ortland O bserver 1 better p e r s p e c t i v e When Reality Is Real, Not Virtual, IV m M c K inley Bt rt In l899,ChariesH.DueH,dirccttrofthe U.S. patent office announce, "Everything that can be inv ented, has been invented!" As several o f the black youths in our neighborhood science clubs pointed out, this gentleman could scarcely be blamed for such a myopic observation,, since this was a time when widely pub licized technology essential to the in dustrial revolution had already been patented. These were the highly visible contributions attributed to 'giants’ like Thomas Edison, AlexanderGrahm Bell (a telephone), and Samuel F.B. Morse (a telegraph). And since I always provide the groups w ith relevant supplemental reading ma terial, they also were able to point ou, that unknown to Mr. Duell, the Patent Office Director, Mr. Henry E. Baker, a black Assistant Examiner, was about to publish the next year, “Four Giant Vol umes on Black Inventors.” By 19 13 his list numbered over a thousand. Mr. Baker had accomplished this crucial task o f ethnic documentation by simply polling all the patent attorneys in the country from his master list, "Have you ever prosecuted a patent for a black man and ifso, please advise as to particu- lars?” When I examined the treasures at Howard Universitys’ Moorland collec tion o f Black Patents; 1 assure you that I felt the same surge o f pride and identity as Baker from the replies. And as I em phasized in the recent series "Identity and M otivation," this association with talent, pride and com passion, is just the sensitivity we wish to inoculate in our youth. The 'w h o le' person is as important a concept as mastery o f instruments, tools, and machines from com puters, telescopes and electronic circuits, to robots, la sers, satellites, scalpels and x-rays. And it is not as if the “blackout" on seminal African American inventors stopped there at the turn o f the century. One o f my white former PSU students, now an associate professor in economics at a prestigious Ivy League University, cites a particular problem that has not gone away in the 25 years since he was in my class. Identity, Identity, Identity! “Prof. Burt, I am sure you remember telling us that though you had written a book detailing the key inventions o f black innovators who were absolutely essen tial to th e d ev e lo p m e n t o f America’s manufacturing, transporta tion and constructions industries over a hundredyearperiodfrom I860to 1960- nev ertheless, the most respected econo mists who assess America’s industrial growth completely omit mention o f the men or their inventions.” "Well, nothing has changed. Today, the work o f highly regarded Dr. Joseph A. Schumpeter (Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy, 1950) and some o f the conclusions you based on your experi ence in industry are being paraphrased in the legal battle between Microsoft and the Justice Department. Schumpeter insisted that new technology is the com petitive di tference that creates monopo lies and he too amassed his database without considering black inventors. And, unaware. ‘Justice’ says, “he is cer tainly right but we want to see opportu nity and democracy in the marketplace.” M eanw hile, back at the ranch, the Science Club K ids (and supporting parents) are going full blast. Som e tim es enthusiasm m ust be tem pered w hile experience is gained and struc ture is b etter understood. “W e’ve got to have som e sp in -o ffs into b u si ness and investm ent clubs-m aybe an aero club. W hat about som e ‘w ater sp o rts’ that are new ? W e saw those A fricans racing dow n a river in a f con<i«»on sty le sim ila r to th o se ‘C h in e se D ragon B oats.’ A guy w as beating this ‘b a d ’ drum to keep the row ers in tim e and I’ve got the tap e." Y ou alw ays tell them , "W e need c o u n se lors, technicians.” O thers talk o f improving grades and SAT scores, and about "tutoring ‘little kids’.” Some say they hope to reach the point to w here a graduation class can organize and contract a mwin- light river cruise on itsow n-”Iikem om said vour generation had the initiative todo.” More and more w e begin to see that genes d o n ’t change. W e sim ply have been on constant guard against the ‘gatekeepers, ’ the fearful, the weak. Last w eek’s com m ent on “m odel- building” certainly gotattention. Many kids (and parents) say that it’s much more fun and instructive to build many toys than to buy them ready m ade and model boats, trains, planes, helicop ters, cars, trains or bulldozers. And, then, there are others w ho w ant to do arts and crafts. It seems that if al lowed, youths w ould be a lot m ore about self-discovery and disciplined development. That is, if not co m pressed into a program m ed vise by ‘experts.’ Smoking and Teens of Color Bv B ernice P owell J ackson Enough is enough. The data has been com ing out slowly over the past year or so, as the tobacco industry investigations and agreements have been release. First, tobacco industry docum ents released earlier this year showed that they had targeted African Americans in their marketing. Now, data released by the US. Surgeon G en eral shows that smoking am ong A fri can American youth has increase 80% overthe past seven years and that it has increased 34% among Hispanic youth. Communities o f color are already in a health crisis. O ur rates o f cancer, hypertension, heart disease, and asthma are two, three or four times those o f w hite Americans. Alloftheselifethreat- ening diseases can lx* related to smok ing. Indeed, more than 47,000 African American die o f smoking related ill nesses every year. The death rate among Native Americans from tobacco abuse is double that o f other Americans. The fact is that tobacco use is the single leading preventable cause o f death in the United States. This means that the premature deaths o f tens o f thousands o f African Americans, His panic Americans and Native A m eri cans which w ere caused by smoking did not have to be. Tens o f thousand ot mothers and fathers, grandparents, sisters and brothers who might still have been enjoying I i fe with thei r fam i - lies ifthey had not smoked cigarettes. The Centers for Disease Control, Real people. Fast, helpful answers. Six days a week. Send your letters to the Editor to: Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 Dear Editor, _____________ John E. Lee, Linda A. Brooks, Judy A. Brown, and Antoinette Edwards J cocaine or alcohol. M ost o f them d o n ’t believe the health consequences w illevertouchtheirow n lives. W e’ve got to tell them som ething different. AI most 80% o f Hispanic males w ho begin smoking as teens sm oke their whole lifetime. For African A merican males that number is 70%. That means that once they start, they are hooked for a lifetime, probably a shortened lifetime at that. When those num bers are com bined with others w hich show 50% higher incidences o f lung cancer rate for African American males, then it is time for us to say enough is enough. Metro Recycling Information 234-3000 TNie (Scditor A s parents (m em bers o f the Jefferson C om m unity) who served on the interview com m ittee for the selection o f the principal for Jefferson H igh School, we are w riting to express our extrem e disappointm ent and several concerns. T he superintendent and other top level adm inistrators o f Portland Public Schools blatantly disregarded the process they set up to select Je fferso n ’s leader. W e believe that w e, as supporters o f a fair and open process, have been disrespected. F urther, w e believe that the candidates w ho follow ed the process outlined by the D istrict w ere not treated fairly. O ur com m ittee w orked from 5:30 until after m idnight (w ith no dinner or snacks other than beverages) to interview the slate o fca n d id ate s, discuss their strengths and w eaknesses and to com e to a consensus regarding the three nam es that should be recom m ended to the D istrict for consideration. As a com m ittee, w e w ere lead to believe that all o f the candidates cam e from a prescreened list. The fact that the candidates cam e before us was an indication that they m et the D istrict's criteria and w ere qualified to assum e the position. If, in fact, top level D istrict adm inistrators perceived the candidates to be w eak o r not fully qualified to fill the position, then the candidates failing to m eet the D istrict’s criteria should not have been scheduled for an interview . O u r tim e is very valuable! It w as ou r understanding that if none o f the candidates interview ed w ere recom m ended for consideration that the search w ould be reopened. W e, as parent representatives, w ere fully prepared to p articipate in interview s o f additional candidates. It is an insult to us as volunteers (w ho have a vested interest in the selection o f a principal w ho can build a quality academ ic program and select teachers with excellent skills and high expectations for all students) to have our recom m endations totally disregarded and to find that the process has been changed w ithout any explanation o f notification to com m ittee m em bers. O ur tim e and energy w ere w asted! We, the parents, the other m em bers o f the interview com m ittee, the candidates and the greater Jefferson com m unity deserve respect. T he m anner in w hich this selection process has been handled dem eans and devalues our participation. Let us m ake it perfectly clear that our concerns should not b e interpreted to be a negative vote against Lela Roberts, for w e do not have enough inform ation to draw any final conclusions. A ny questions that w e have center around the fact that the m ajority o f her experience is at the elem entary school level and that her selection violates the process that the D istrict established. Lela Roberts w as not on that list. The press conference announcing the District’s selection o f an “ interim" principal raises several questions. Why change the process and have another interim principal'.’ Does anybody care about the students? O ur children and all o f the students o f Jefferson High School deserve to have some stability. Hie relationships between parents and the District administration, the adm inistration and the teachers, the teachers and the students areall strained by lack ofcom m unication and failure to follow the process outlined. The relationship o f CM AC to this process remains unclear to us. W hy w as C M A C included in the press conference announcing the new principal? Has an y m em ber o f their organization spoken w ith the interview com m ittee or other Jefferson parents? W e are from the com m unity and we w ant people to speak w ith us before they speak for us. W hy w as the press conference held at a church rather than at Jefferson H igh S chool? W e respect B ishop W ells but what does he have to do with Jefferson High School? O ur com m unity is diverse and w e expect that any representation o f us will give consideration to that fact. A press conference regarding the leadership o f Jefferson should be held at a place w here all m em bers o f the com m unity w ould feel free to attend N otification o f our com m ittee w ould have appropriate. (It was obvious that the D istrict had the tim e to notify C M A C .) In closing, w e m ust note that w e have contacted D iana S now den and she has not returned o u r phone calls. This is unacceptable. H ow hard is it to respond to individuals w hose tim e your freely use? it is our expectation that the B oard o f E ducation and the S uperintendent will contact us. F ailure to do so will m ake it clear that the w ords “ we w ant parent involvem ent at Jefferson H igh School" are nothing m ore than rhetoric. W e w ould like to have the next steps and tim elines shared w ith us by D istrict adm inistrators not the new s m edia. Please com m unicate w ith the Jefferson parents and com m unity directly. W e have not authorized any one individual or group to share our ideas o r present concerns. w hich released the latest figures on sm oking am ong U.S. (teenagers, does not know why the enorm ous increase occurred in African American and Latino/a youth and will continue to look for the reasons for these frighten ing numbers. Meanw hile, we must say enough is enough and lead our chil dren aw ay from a shortened life o f tobacco addiction. E veryday m ore than 3,000 young people across the nation become dai ly sm okers. M ost o f them start sm ok ing not understanding or believing that tobacco is as addictive as heroin. Tip o f the w eek: N atural g a rd e n in g and co m p o stin g L earn how to prevent w eeds, pests and disease using n a tu ra l m eth o d s, an d how to tu rn yard w aste in to rich co m p o st. C all us a t 2 3 4 -3 0 0 0 for in fo rm atio n a b o u t n atu ra l g ard en in g an d co m p o stin g w o rk sh o p s. Visit M e tro ’s w eb site at: w w w .m etro -reg io n .o rg Call M etro R ecyclin g In fo rm atio n w hen you need in fo rm a tio n about: • • • • • • recycling an d reuse o p tio n s garb ag e disposal w ays to prevent w aste co m p o stin g an d n atu ra l g ard en ih g safer altern ativ es for hom e an d g arden h az ard o u s w aste disposal M e tro Recycling In fo rm atio n is o pen 8:30 a.m . to 5 p.m . M o n d a y th ro u g h Saturday. C all us for a free refrig erato r m agnet so y o u ’ll alw ays have o u r n u m b er handy. M e tro Regional Services Creating livable communities Metro is working to ensure that we have access to nature, clean air and water and resources for future generations. Waste prevention and safe disposal are ways you can create a more livable community.