J A N . 27, 1999
Page A 5
(Ehe ^Jn rtla n ò (Observer
EMO Community Celebration
Set For February 4
Ecum enical M inistries o f Oregon will celebrate
the people and m inistry o f ecumenism in Oregon -
including the installation o f new president Charles
Jordan - at its annual com m unity celebration T hurs­
day, Feb. 4, at V alley C om m unity Presbyterian
Church, 8060 SW Brentwood, Portland.
The celebration will include an ecumenical prayer
service at 6 p.m ., with dinner and awards to follow at
7 p.m.
M ember o f O regon’s church, civic and service
com m unities and EMO supporters are invited to
celebrate the theological dialogue and education,
com m unity m inistry, and public policy advocacy
that define EM O’s m ission. Ecum enical M inistries
o f Oregon is a statew ide association o f Christian
denom inations including C atholic, Protestant and
Orthodox bodies com m itted to unity, justice and
im proving the quality o f life for all Oregonians.
Tickets for EM O’s C elebration and Awards Din­
ner are available from the EMO office for $25 each.
For inform ation or reservations call (503) 221-
1054.
Charles Jordan
Litter Pick Up Event!
Volunteers will be picking up litter on NE Alberta Street as part o f the Litter Free
Alberta Campaign from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers will meet at Sabin CDC at 1488
NE Alberta St. (corner o f 15,h & Alberta) at 10a.m. Gloves, trash bags, and
refreshments will be provided.
For more information please call Emily at Sabin CDC at 287-3496.
Please print this announcement in you community event/volunteer opportunity
section. Thank you very much!
c
A Deeper Meaning For Black
History Month
B y P rof . M c K inley B urt
The celebration of Black History
Month has become a venerable, in­
spiring and motivating tradition in
the African American community.
A particularly meaningful conse­
quence has been an expansion far
beyond any demographic limitations
that could have been anticipated.
This year as we approach the Mil­
lennium, the social, economic and
political significance may be the
most important to date. But that is
what I say every year when preparing
an introductory note for the proud
celebration almost at hand. And cer­
tainly the Portland Observer staff
has demonstrated its ability to stay
on task for every edition.
It has been said that certain truths
are “self-evident", and we offer as
our ’evidence’ the dedicated per­
formances just cited. Also, we find
that in consequence o f an early
alarm’, individuals and organizations
in the community did indeed inten­
sify their efforts - with an unbeliev­
able energy.
Deep concerns had been ex­
pressed and among them the follow­
ing warning; “There is an increasing
perception that a number of African
Americans are beginning to accept
and celebrate Black History Month
as though it were just an enjoyable,
periodic event-like Spring Break or
a natural phenomenon like the equi­
nox.” That did not happen and we
would like to take a modest amount
of the credit.
We were fortunate that for years
our staff and our community always
could depend on the boundless en­
ergy and commitment o f the pub­
lisher, the late Joyce Washington.
She held a perception-and left a tra-
dition-that the world o f African
Americans extends far beyond any
conventional restraints that might
be imposed from within or without
the immediate community.
Those of us who write for the
Portland Observer or have contrib­
uted to its pages appreciate the va­
lidity and authenticity this paper has
lent our expressions. Consequently
the reading audience frequently is
exposed to controversial, but well-
documented essays and research that
relate to African American history
(among other things).
It is ever so critical in this vola­
tile era in the politics of race and
identity, that minorities have a ‘leg
up’ in the information game. What
seemed shockingly controversial
when first appearing in the Portland
Observer a decade ago, is now pre­
sented as ‘documented’ fact on the
cable “History Channel”. How many
times have I had a teacher or student
call with the information that major
American technology innovated by
a black inventor - as I reported in
this paper many years earlier - was
now part of the lesson plan in many
schools (and the ‘establishment’
newspaper follows these leads).
As said earlier, it is critical to the
survival and progress of minorities
that they stay ahead of the game, a
“leg up” as it is put. African Ameri­
cans as well as their friends in other
communities can depend upon this
paper to deliver an honest, unflinch­
ing and accurate news and data base
- the kind that facilitate wise deci­
sion-making in racial matters. An
antidote to the often banal and mean-
spirited utterances o f those too
embittered to reason —or those too
weak to protest evil.
This past December it was re­
ported that Oregon’s draft history
standards were a cause for concern
among the state’s history teachers.
And the standards proved to be an
equal cause for concern among a
good number of African American
Happy
Birthday
Mark
Washington
C h e c k o u t o u r (The F o r tia n i» (D bseruer W e b -S ite !
h t t p : / /P o r tla n d O b s e r v e r . n e t
A
Century of
African-American
Arts
parents. Those who called or came
to my house voiced their disbelief
that, after the expenditure of so much
money (millions) on such minority
history projects as the “African
American Baseline Essays,” there
was such a little to show (Scott
Leam’s article, The Oregonian for
Dec. 23, 1998). Several indignant
parents had photocopies of the
deeply-structured material I had pre­
pared for the school district in early
1984 and others videotapes of a 1984
hour-long presentation on “Black
Inventors” that 1 did for Cable TV.
(Forget that I wrote a widely ac­
claimed book on the subject; first
edition, 1969).
Surely a “deeper meaning” and
need for Black History Month is
indicated when we are faced with a
controlling establishment whose
determined stance is exactly that of
“Humpty Dumpty” in the famed
'A lice In W onderland serie s’,
“Things are what I say they are.”
Nothing could be any clearer than
that, no matter how many high-priced
consulting firms are brought in to
‘calm the natives’. While African
Americans are especially proud of
having forged the standard for racial
protest in America-with their blood,
marches, sermon and song - they
remember that there also are other
minorities trying to carve out a cul­
tural space in this land. Dr. King
said... “all God’s children.” Indeed,
our history needs to be a year-round
agenda.
t
IT-
111 Hake He a World
A three-part series
celebrating the creative spirit
of African-American writers, dancers, painters, actors and musicians
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 9pm
February 1 ,1 and 3
Part o f Black History Month on OPB
OPB
It's Where You Belong - wwwopborg
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