February 31,2001
Page B3
(Ttjp ^Jort lattò (Obseruer
S Metro/Religion
Obituaries
M a r g a r e t S. R ogers
A m e m o ria l s e rv ic e w as h eld
T u e sd a y , Ja n . 3 0 ,2 0 0 1 in K en to n
U n ite d P re s b y te r ia n C h u rc h fo r
M a rg a re t S. R o g e rs, w ho d ied Jan.
24 a t a g e 96. M rs. R o g e rs w as
b o rn Ja n . 6, 1905, in S p e n c e r,
Io w a . H e r m a id e n n a m e w a s
S c h a rf. S h e re c e iv e d h e r te a c h ­
in g c r e d e n tia ls fro m U C L A an d
la te r g ra d u a te d fro m th e U n iv e r ­
s ity o f O re g o n . S h e m o v e d to
P o rtla n d in th e la te 19 4 0 s an d w as
a te a c h e r fo r th e P o rtla n d P u b lic
S c h o o ls , p r im a rily a t W h ita k e r
E le m e n ta ry S ch o o l, u n til retiring in
1968. She was a m em ber o f the church.
She m arried W alter Rogers; he died in
the early 1940s. S urvivors include
her sisters, L yla Stites and O rpha
T yler; seven nieces; and three neph­
ews. D isposition is by crem ation.
T h e f a m ily s u g g e s t s r e m e m ­
b ra n c e s to a c h a r ity o f c h o ic e .
A rran g e m e n ts are by K illingsw orth
L ittle C h a p el o f the C h im es.
G eorge R. R andall Jr.
A funeral w as held T u esd ay , Jan.
3 0 ,2 0 0 1 , in E m m anuel T em ple Full
G o sp e l P e n te c o sta l C h u rc h fo r
G eo rg e R. Randall Jr., w ho died Jan.
23 at ag e 28. M r. R an d all w as b o rn
N ov. 1, 1972, in P o rtland. H e a t­
te n d e d G ran t H igh S chool. H e was
the lead singer o f the rap group “G-
ism.” H em ovedto Vancouver, Wash.,
in 1998.
Survivors in clu d e his fiancee,
Nicole Graham; daughters, A kylaand
Kaelii; father and stepmother, G eorge
Sr. an d D o ro th y ; g ran d m o th ers,
Louise N oble and G ladys Patterson;
grandfather, M orris Kelly; g reat­
grandmother, Sam ella Brazil; sisters,
Sheila and A licia; and stepbrothers,
Jerem y Hampton, Jerm aine Frieson
and A nthony Rivers. Interm ent is in
Rose City C em etery. A rrangem ents
are by Rose C ity F uneral H om e.
Happy Valentine
Day
LAQUISHA’S
BEAUTY
Supplies
Religion: The Other Stolen Legacy of America
“From its origin, Christianity was a
universalist, proselytizing religion, and
the sacred and secular histories o f
Christianity m ade m anifest the neces­
sity o f bringing non-Christians into
the fold, (taken from W inthrop D,
Jordan’s book “W hite over Black”).
In the w ake o f opponents o f President
G eorge W. B ush’s faith-based initia­
tive, w hich is designed to make it easier
for these groups to obtain federal dol­
lars, an interesting question arises: Do
citizens o f this country truly have reli­
gious choice? Has Christianity been
grandfathered in, as this nation’s un­
official religion? The Constitution says
em phatically.no! But som e would ve­
hem ently dispute this claim.
Eastern religious practices, like East­
ern people, are generally rejected by
the mainstream. A s evidence is the
negative portrayal by the Am erican
media, particularly Hollywood which,
to a great degree, reflects m ainstream
tastes. W e venture here to take a schol­
arly exam ination o f this subject. Leroi
Jones (Amiri Baraka) in his book Blues
People, elaborates on this rejection o f
non-W estem cultural and religious
practices. Jones lands his case upon
historical fact on how the enslaved
African was prohibited from adhering
Yugen Fardan Rashad
to his native w ays o f worship: ’T irst,
his ow n religion was prohibited in this
country. ” “ But for the A m erican slave,
Christianity was attractive sim ply b e­
cause it was som ething the w hite man
did that the black m an could do also
and in the time ofthe missionaries, was
encouraged to do. ” (Jones excerpt from
Blues People).
The statement, “his ow n religion,”
raises an interesting question that
deserves a closer look. (It should be
noted that Christianity is not a “w hite
m an’s religion”). Jones established that
Christianity was put upon blacks by
their enslavers and this attitude o f the
colonizer towards blacks and religion
is talked aboutin W inthrop D. Jordan's
book “W hite over Black”, w hen he
w rites that being a Christian was not
m erely a m atter o f subscribing to cer­
tain doctrines, but was “a quality in­
herent in oneselfand in o n e’s society:
It was interconnected with all the other
attributesofnorm alandproperm en: as
one o f the earliest English accounts
distinguished Negroes from English­
men, they were “a people o f beastly
living, w ithout a God, lawe (English
spelling “law e”), religion, or com m on
w ealth” - w hich was to say that N e­
groes w ere not Englishm en.” (from
book W hite over Black by W inthrop).
The notion o f blacks as heathen
(not Englishm en) certainly w as used
by religious apologists o f that era to
justify the cruel and unusual treatment
o f dism antling a people’s w hole reli­
gious system o f worship. Due to the
com plexity o f African worship prac­
tices, w e get am algam s, hybrids and
blends o f eastern and w estern reli­
gious philosophies that gave shape to
a m onotheistic black church service.
Ruby F. Johnson in her book “The
D evelopm ent o f Negro Religion” ex­
plains this sacred potion w hen she
writes that A frican religious elements
- G od, spirits, nature worship, and
w itchcraft-“found some express ion in
A m erica.” 'T h u s rose the beginning
o f the N egro church, w hich was not at
C onsolidated Plan Action Plan 2001-2002
Notice of Public Hearings
Housing and Community Development Commission
March 7,2001
The Portland Building, Meeting Room C
1120 SW 5,h
Portland, OR 97204
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
April 4,2001
Gresham City Hall, Council Chambers
1333 NW Eastman Parkway
Gresham, Oregon 97030
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
In M ay 2001, the City o f Portland, Multnomah County, and the City o f Gresham will
submit the Consolidated Plan Action Plan 2001-2002 (the “Action Plan“) to the U.S.
Department o f Housing and Urban Development.
The Action Plan is a combined plan and appl ication for federal funds avai lable to cities
and counties under four programs: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG),
HOM E Investment Partnerships (HOME), Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG), and
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA). The Action Plan will guide
how Portland, Gresham, and Multnomah County will spend scarce resources for the
coming year on low- and moderate-income housing, community development, programs
serving the homeless, and programs serving people with special needs.
At the M arch 7, 2001 hearing listed above, the Housing and Community
Development Commission (HCDC) will hear public testimony on the need for
low-and moderate-income housing, programs serving the homeless and pro­
grams serving people with special needs. At the April 4,2001 hearing listed above,
the HCDC will hear public testimony on the draft Action Plan. No advance sign­
up is required for either hearing.
first Christian but an adaptation o f
“heathen” rites o f “O be” w orship or
Voodooism. The Christianizing pro­
cess occurred gradually; after tw ocen-
turies, the Negro church became Chris­
tian, “ with a simple Calvinistic creed,
but w ith many o f the old custom s still
c hnging to the services . ’ ’(from the book
The Development o f Negro Religion
by Johnson). We com e to this m om ent
knowing there w as a great deal o f
“winking” and denial about the en­
slaved, his enslaver, and religion. But
with all due respect to the m illions o f
blacks and others w hoclaim Christian­
ity as their religion, a great gift the
world is offered as a result o f the forg­
ing o f religious tongues o f the Euro­
pean and African. In terms o f living in
a multi-cultural society with multiple
religious views and beliefs, it’s ben­
efits all when this society is conscious
o f its diversity and strives to be inclu­
sive. But let’s face it- Christianity is the
unofficial religion o f American culture
and this is true in spite o f the First
A m endm ent from the Constitution
w hich states “ Congress shall m ake no
law respecting an establishment o f
religion”. The concept o f the church as a
guiding moral base is intricately woven
into the fabric o f American life. The Is­
lamic mosque, the Jewish Temple, and
other edifices are seldom mentioned
309 N E Wygant St
PHONE (503) 249-7329
Mon-Sat. 9am to 7pfri
We have that special gift for
your sweet heart.
Discounts at 10% off
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Flowers, Gift Basket, Balloons & Lots More
Owner, Anthony Huff
Sean’s IBartier & Seautp ôtjop
213 N E . Hancock
Portland. OR 97211
Horace Simpson
A. D. Williams
282 2920
Hamilton
Construction
Company
Hamilton Construction Company
Disadvantage Business Enterprises (DBE) Sub­
contracting Opportunities on upcoming Tri-Met
Interstate Max Project Line Section 10-C proposal.
In preparation for the oncoming Tri-Met Line Sections 10-C
construction project. Hamilton Construction is seeking
qualified DBE Sub-contractors in the following areas,
Trucking, Street Improvements, Paving, Concrete Flatwork,
Sewer Construction, Water Lines and Outdoor Electrical to
use in their proposal.
If you are interested, please contact;
A ndre’ Baugh @ Group agb llc
503-281-3638 or fax 503-907-6649
The draft Action Plan will be available for review at local branches o f the
Multnomah County Library, and at our website,
http://www.ci.portland.or.us/bhed/citizen after March 5,2001. For a hard copy o f
he draft Action Plan, a list o f ways you may comment on the draft Action Plan, or other
information, please call the HCDC Staff, Ruth Benson, (503) 823-2392.
The meeting rooms are accessible to persons with mobil ity impairments. Please notify
the Commission at least seven days in advance before the meeting if special equipment
or interpreting service is needed.
DBE Coordinator for Hamilton Construction Company.
Contractors are encouraged to contact Tri-Met to receive a
set of plans for review.