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JAN. 20, 1999
Page A3
(Elje Portiani* (Observer
Forty Acres A nd A M ule; U.S.
D epartm ent O f A griculture Still
H olds The Dream, Part II o f II
Bv P r o f . M c K in l e y B urt
L a s t w e e k ’s f o llo w u p o n
r e c i t a l s o f th e A g r i c u l t u r e
D e p a rtm e n t’s r a c is t m is
d e e d s ( b y th e e s t a b l i s h m e n t
m e d i a ) d id n o t in a n y w a y
s p e a k to th e c o n d u c t o f th e
U .S . F o r e s t S e r v i c e , a s u b
s id ia ry a g e n c y .
As m any
rea d ers
are
a w a re , I s p e n t m o re th a n a
d ecad e (1 9 7 2 -1 9 8 3 ) c o n
t r a c t i n g w ith th e F o r e s t S e r
v ic e f o r th e d e v e l o p m e n t o f
A ffirm a tiv e
A c tio n
and
E q u a l E m p lo y m e n t O p p o r t u
n ity p r e s e n t a t i o n s a n d c u r
ric u la fo r th e ir p e rs o n n e l.
T h e r e w a s s o m e s u c c e s s in
r e m e d y in g a r a c i a l a n d g e n
d e r p r o file th a t fo r a ll p r a c
tic a l p u rp o s e s , w as e x c lu
s i v e l y w h ite m a le , h e r e in
th e N o r t h w e s t . I w a s o n P S U
f a c u l t y a t th e tim e .
H o w ev er, o u r re fe re n c e
w a s to t h e d i s c r i m i n a t o r y
c o n d u c t, o f a g r ic u ltu r a l
a g e n ts e m p l o y e d b y th e p a r
e n t o p e r a t i o n to a id f a r m e r s
in th e e c o n o m i c a n d t e c h n i
c a l d e v e lo p m e n t o f th e ir
la n d s .
P a r t i c u l a r l y , th e
p re s e n t a d m in is tra tio n and
th e c o u r t s h a v e a d m i t t e d to
a lo n g - s t a n d i n g p r a c t i c e o f
d e n y i n g l o a n s to q u a l i f i e d
b la c k f a r m e r s ; e n s u rin g
lo s s e s w e re in e v ita b le , and
huge.
I can
\
u n d e rs ta n d
th e
p u z z le m e n t o f so m e re a d e rs
w h e n I c i t e d “ a n o t h e r 'b i g
l a n d - g r a b ” - “ w h ic h o n e o f
p e r h a p s d o z e n s ? ” , th e y m ig h t
v e r y w e ll s a y . I n f a c t , s e v e r a l
c a l l e r s h a v e t r i e d to a n t i c i
p a te m e , e i t h e r c i t i n g o n e o f
th e c o n t e m p o r a r y d i s p o s s e s
s io n s - o r a c l a s s i c h i s t o r i
cal in s ta n c e . S tra n g e ly , no
o n e h a s c ite d p la in o ld
n a i v e t y , o r th e f a i l u r e to e x
e r c i s e d u e v i g i l a n c e - in a
s y s te m b a s e d on u n f e tte r e d
c o m p e t i t i o n , a t th a t.
H o w e v e r , it is r e w a r d in g to
d i s c o v e r th a t w e d o h a v e a
n u m b e r o f ‘t h i n k i n g ’ v i l l a g
e r s h e r e in th e n o r t h e a s t , a n d
th a t in c l u d e s b o th w h ite a n d
b l a c k r e s i d e n t s . 1 h a d tw o
v i s i t o r s to a s k , h a d I “ n o tic e d
th a t ‘ L ig h t R a i l ’ m a y h a v e r e
p l a c e d th e n o w o u t d a t e d ‘U r
b a n R e n e w a l / R e m o v a l ’ a s th e
d e v e lo p e r ’s in s tru m e n t o f
c h o i c e ” . I s u r e d id - “ H e ll o ,
N o rth P o r tla n d .”
T h e r e a r e m o r e w a y s to a c
q u ire a p e a s a n t’s p ro p e rty
th a n w e r e a v a ila b le b a c k w h e n
th e K in g s ( a n d Q u e e n s ) w e re
f l i r t i n g w ith th e c o n c e p t o f
" e m i n e n t d o m a i n ” ( i t ’ s m in e
in th e f i r s t p l a c e , s u c k e r , so
t h e r e ! ) . A n d th e r e a r e a t h o u
s a n d e u p h e m is m s f o r th e o b
v io u s - an d p a in fu l. U rb a n
G r o w th v s U rb a n B o u n d a r i e s ;
p io n e e rin g L iv a b ility , S u b u r
b a n M a la i s e , n a m e it.
W h a t h a s c o m e to m in d ,
s in c e c i t i n g th a t “ la n d g r a b ” ,
is th a t w ith B la c k H i s t o r y
M o n th so n e a r a t h a n d , I
w o u ld n o t h a v e th e tim e a n d
r e s o u r c e w h ic h m y o r i g i n a l
co n cep t d eserv ed - and re a d
e r s w o u ld e x p e c t . S o , le t m e
r e f e r e n c e it in th is m a n n e r .
D id y o u s e e th e m e d ia c o v
e ra g e o f p re s id e n t C lin to n ’ s
r e c e n t v a c a tio n on “ H ilto n
H ead I s la n d ” , a fa b u lo u s
p l a y g r o u n d f o r th e w e l l - a p
p o i n t e d a n d a n o i n t e d ? In
so m e s h o ts y o u m a y h a v e
s e e n p o o r o ld ‘ d i s a b l e d ’
“ B u d d y ” r o m p in g a r o u n d th e
g o l f c a r t a n d w a g g in g h is
ta il. P re v io u s ly , I h ad
p la n n e d to r e p r i s e m y 1 9 9 0
a c c o u n t o f th e s e “ S ea I s
l a n d s ” o f f th e c o a s t s o f th e
C a ro lin a s .
I h a d m u c h n e w m a te r ia l o n
a lo t o f th is la n d th a t w a s fo r
m e rly o w n e d b y b la c k s , an d
w h ic h , in th e 1 9 7 0 s, s o ld at
w e ll o v e r $ 1 ,0 0 0 a f r o n t
‘i n c h ’. B u t, w e w ill d o th a t
la te r , in th e S p rin g . F o r n o w I
h a v e so m e f a s c in a tin g r e v e la
tio n s c o n c e r n in g A fr ic a n an d
A f r ic a n A m e r ic a n c o n t r i b u
tio n s to th e w o r l d ’s lit e r a tu r e ,
la n g u a g e a n d c o m m u n ic a tio n s
Y o u d i d n ’t h e a r th is o n th e
“ G ra p e V in e .” M y in tr o d u c
to r y p r e f a c e to th is s e r ie s fo r
B la c k H is to r y M o n th b e g in s
J a n u a r y 2 7 , 1 999.
Minority high school seniors plan
ning to major in chemistry or chemical
engineering are encouraged to apply for
scholarships from the Amencan Chemi
cal Society, the world’s largest scien
tific society, and funded in partnership
with PPG industries.
Under the ACS/PPG Scholarship
Plus Program, scholarships are awarded
to incoming college freshman enrolling
in four-year chemistry or chemical en
gineering undergraduate programs and
are based on academic engineering un
dergraduate programs and are based on
academic achievement financial need
and geographic location (see below).
A t their 16th Annual Ebony and Ivory Scholarship Benefit
P lease jo in us for an evening
w ith vocalist L in d a h o r n b u c k le
at the 16th A nnual E bony and ivory
S cholarship B enefit. T he O regon
C hapter o f the N atio n al B ar A sso
c ia tio n (O C -N B A ) w ill a w a rd
scholarship to o u tstan d in g law stu
dents w ho excel in th eir studies
and plan to p rac tice law in O regon.
T he e v e n t’s featu re sp ecial guest
sp e a k e r w ill be C h i e f J u s t ic e
E d w in P e te r s o n o f th e fo rm er
C h ie f Ju stice o f the O regon Su
prem e court.
T he E bony and Ivory S ch o lar
ship B enefit w ill take place on S a t-
u r d a y , F e b r u a r y 27, 1999 at the
P o r tla n d A rt M u se u m in Sunken
E xhibition H all, 1219 S.W . Park
A venue, from 8:00 p.m . to 1:00
a.m . T his sem i-form al event w ill
feature live m usic and the vocal
talents o f M s. L in d a H o rn b u c k le ,
hors d ’oeuvres and no-host bar.
M u sic a l e n te rta in m e n t fo r th is
event is co-sp o n so red by the law
firm o f L a n e P o w e ll S p e a r s
L ubersky LLP.
T he prim ary o bjectives o f the
O regon C hapter o f the N ational
B ar A ssociatio n (O C -N B A ) are to
encourage and prom ote academ ic
r-
Science Scholarships Available
for Minority Students
An Evening With Chief Justice Edwin
Peterson and Vocalist Linda Hornbuckle
ex cellence am ong law stu d en ts o f
A frican d escen t, to increase re p
resen tatio n o f A frican -A m erican s
in the legal p ro fessio n in O regon,
and to pro m o te p ro fessio n al and
social in teractio n s b etw een m em
bers o f the O reg o n S tate Bar.
T ables (seatin g 10) are av a il
able for $ 5 00.00, and in dividual
tickets are av ailab le for $50.00 or
tw o tick ets for $80.00. F or m ore
inform ation or to p u rch ase tic k
ets, p lease call M elvin O d en -O rr
at (503) 778-2198 or e-m ail the
O C -N B A at O reg o n .N B A @ ju n -
Scholarships will be granted for amounts
of up to $2,500a year and can be renewed.
I he program is designed to encourage
African-American, Hispanic and Amen
can Indian students to pursue college
degrees and careers in the chemical sci
ences. The goal of the scholarship pro
gram is to aid in building awareness of the
value and rewards associated with ca
reers in science and to assist students in
acquiring the skills and credentials needed
for success in these areas.
The deadline for applying for the
1999-2000 academic year scholarships
ts February 15,1999. Application forms
may be found on the Amencan Chemical
Society Web site at hop:./www.acs.org
pafgen minonty acs2.htm, or call toll
free 1-800-227-5558, ex t 6520, or via
e-mail to scholars(ri;acs.org.
Complete details o f the Society’s
Minonty Affairs programs can be found
athttp:/www.acs.org
Applications must be a high school
senior from one o f the following loca
tions: Lake Charles. La
Natnum or New Martinsville, W .Va
Pittsburgh, Pa
Cleveland. Ohio
Shelby and Lexington. N.C.
Oak Creek, Wis.
Houston, Texas
Shelter Campaign Begins For Homeless
Sexual-Minority Youth
This m onth a cam paign is begin
ning to recruit shelter parents to
house sexual m inority youth. It is a
first-tim e co llab o ratio n b etw een
two local nonprofit social service
and mental health resource agen
cies - The Boys and G irls A id Soci
ety o f O regon, and the N etw ork
Behavioral H ealth care’s Program
Roots and Branches. Identified in
recent reports by M etropolitan H u
man Rights Com m ission, research
centers, and social service experts
as the largest segm ent o f the hom e
less youth population in O regon,
sexual-m inority youth are also at
high risk for suicide, drug abuse,
prostitution, and sexually transm it
ter care in Oregon. Network Behav
ioral Healthcare, a nonprofit mental
health and addiction treatment agency,
operates Roots and Branches, a coun
seling program o f com prehensive
treatment and case management ser
vices for sexual-minority youth.
For more inform ation on the Shel
ter Care Program , call E lizabeth
Cham bers at 222-9661.
n iK
BIRTHDAY IRIS
ted diseases.
The goal o f this cam paign is to
recruit, certify, and train shelter par
ents to w ork w ith this specific popu
lation. S h elte r p are n ts assist in
transitioning youth o ff the streets
and teach in g in d e p en d en t-liv in g
4 6 3 6 N .E .42 EVE
T Z 1
ONE BLOCK NORTH OF N X PRESCOTT
skills.
The Boys and Girls Aid Society o f
Oregon is a private, nonprofit agency
that provides short-term shelter care
for children and youth up to age 18. It
is the largest private provider o f shel-
M O N -S A T 9A .M . to 7 R M
SUN
NOON to 6 P.M.
o .c o m .
Katz W ork G roup Recommends
Steps To A chieve A "More Fareless''
Transit System
PO R T LA N D — Elim inating tran
sit fares could significantly increase
ridership says a w ork group formed
by M ayor V era K atz. A nd to put
Portland on the road to having a
regional system th a t’s perceived as
m ore com petitive w ith the car, the
Fareless T ransit System Research
W ork G roup recom m ended several
steps to achieve a “m ore fareless
system .”
“1 com m end the m em bers o f the
W ork G roup o f taking a good hard
look at the realities o f our current
system and how w e m ight do bet
ter,” said Katz. “In m y State o f the
City speech last year, I said that we
are not doing enough to build a trans
portation system that connects us
and gets us out o f our cars. T hat is
still true today, even m ore so with
failure o f S/N on the N ovem ber bal
lot. I look forw ard to continuing the
public conversation on w hat other
options w e have to expand and im
prove our system , and to get m ore
people to use it.”
The report show ed that a com
pletely fareless transit system w ould
show ridership gains about 25 per
cent during peak hours, 60-65 per
cent during non-peak. T w o o f the
barriers to attracting riders, the re
port said, are uncertainty and com
plexity.
“Until w e can put fare boxes in
cars, leaving the playing field am ong
the transportation choices that daily
confront people will require m ak
ing transit services m ore attractive
W -
and transit fares less unattractive,”
the group wrote. For now, they b e
lieve the solution is instead to pro
vide both high-quality transit ser
vice and m otivation to use it. .. a sys
tem that attracts riders. “
T h e re fo re th e g ro u p re c o m
m ended steps to increase transit’s
com petitive advantage and create a
“m ore fareless system .” Central to
tw o o f the recom m endations is get
ting transit passes into the hands o f
m ore people. O nce in hand, a transit
pass, in essence, m ake the system
fareless and increase the tendency
to ride Specifically, they recom
mend.
E x p an sio n o f P A S S p o rt p ro
g ra m : Tri-M et and local ju risd ic
tions should expand participation in
the PASSpoort program by: 1) m odi
fying the current program so em
ployees face increased prices only
w hen services is added, thus open
ing avenues for Tri-m et to partner is
negotiated , targeted packages o f
service im provem ents and subsidies
for pass purchases, and ;2) running a
one tim e program in which all em
ployers would be eligible to receive
free three-m onth passes for all em
ployees.
F are sim p lifica tio n : T ri-M et
sh o u ld elim in a te th e zo n e fare
system and estab lish on e fare for
rid e s th ro u g h o u t th e sy stem to
red u c e co m p lex ity and co n fu sio n
for all.
Extend Sum m er Y outh Pass
Program : Tri-met and local juris
dictions should m ake transit passes
more accessible to young people,
by expanding Tri-M ets discounted
Sum m er youth Pass program to year-
round. A full-year Y outh Pass pro
gram w ould sharply reduce the cost
o f passes for young people during
the school year (from $29 per month
to under $15) and w ould encourage
school districts and local ju risd ic
tions to w ork w ith T ri-m et for bulk
purchases.
R egional P a rk in g T ax : Financ
ing investm ent to m ake transit more
com petitive, both by expanding ser
vice quantity and quality and by m ak
ing the fare system m ore com peti
tive, is a m ajor challenge for the
region. W hile the w ork group rec
ognized that adopting a regional
parking tax to pay for transit would
face both legal and adm inistrative
challenges, their report found that
the p ay o ff in livability for the region
should m otivate the city to keep at it
until it succeeds.
True C osts o f Auto Travel: Re
search c o n d u c te d fo r th e W ork
G roup illustrated the difference be
tw een the perceived costs o f auto
m obile usage (for a 10-miIe trip,
usually 50 cents to $ 1) and the true
costs ($5-10). Society subsidizes
auto travel at 17 to 26 cents per
mile, the W ork G roup recom m ends
that local and regional governm ents
continue to exam ine the true costs
o f the autom obile and w ays to make
sure driving pays m ore o f its full
costs.
A-
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