July 10, 2002
Page A4
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Opinion articles do not necessarily rejlect or represent the views o f
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C o r t E D i T o K
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C harles J ordan S peaks
City leader raises concern about few
role models and our troubled youth
The Portland Observer is
proud to publish an interview
featuring Charles Jordan, Direc
tor o f Portland Parks and Recre
ation. Jordan has compiled an
extensive record o f public ser
vice. He is currently the esteemed
director o f Portland Parks and
Recreation and a former city
councilman. Our correspondent
Yugen Fardan Rashad recently
sat down with this dynamic leader
for this first part o f a continuing
series:
Y u g en : In the m odem age of
professional sports, the black ath
lete has com e full circle with
achievem ents in tennis and golf.
Jordan: W e w ant to see them
(the black athlete) excel. H istori
cally blacks w ere kept from co m
peting in p ro fessio n al sports.
Jackie R obinson, the first black
person to play m ajor league b ase
ball, cam e in and the “doors were
opened.” In tennis today, you
have the sisters, V enus and Serena
W illiam s. And now g o lf w ith T i
ger W oods.
Black people are elated that
finally the world can see we can do
things and do them exceedingly
well. W hy does this excite the
m asses so m uch? Because it gives
young people a role model. It says
to them , hey, “w e can do it” . We
can be N um ber One. And Tiger
W oods does it (role m odel) so
well.
Y ugen: I agree. I t’s certain ly
Charles Jordan
refre sh in g . I ca n n o t rela te to the
g lu tt o n , o b je c t w o r s h ip so
p rev a len t am o n g b lack p ro fe s
sio n a l a th le te s - an d th e ir n a
iv e te and ap ath y ab o u t b u si
n ess d ev e lo p m e n t in th e co m
m u n ity th at p ro d u ced an d su p
p o rte d th e ir g e n e sis to w ard s
a c co m p lish m e n t and rich es.
J o r d a n : T iger does a lot o f the
right things. Som e o f them (black
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The Portland Observer-Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication-is a member of the
National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Repre
sentative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers
Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver.
athletes) are ju st spoiled brats
making a lot o f money. So many of
ourchildren may lead lives o f frus
trations and failure because there
are ju st so many NBA stars, just
one T iger, and every kid cannot
be a T ig er or K obe Bryant.
Som ehow we need to let them
k n o w th a t th is (p ro fe s s io n a l
sports) is ju st one option. You got
to have m ore options in life. If all
a kid prepares for is one option,
and those skills aren ’t transfer
able... A lot o f basketball players
w ould starve to death if they
co uldn’t play ball! Som e o f them
d id n ’t graduate from school. The
challenge for us is how do we
glorify the teachers (education).
W e d o n ’t know how to do that
yet, but w e need our kids to look
to them (teachers) ju st as they
look to the ball players. Look at
w hat w e pay te ac h ers...
Y u g en : W e pay them ?
Jordan: (Smile). Hypocritically
we w ill say “our kids are our fu
ture” , but w here is your m oney
going? L ook at teacher salaries
and the responsibilities they have.
And with the enorm ous am ounts
o f m oney we have, why h av en ’t
we fix ed our sch o o ls? It ju st
d o esn ’t m ake any sense.
Y u g en : A nd w hile w e’re talk
ing about the young people, they
face a m oral dilem m a that threat
ens and disrupts. In perhaps this
or the next generation, w e’re on
the cusp o f squandering the sac
rifices and suffering o f the many
w ho cam e before.
Jordan: People ask me ‘what
do we do with the young p eo p le?’
I honestly d o n ’t have an answ er,
but I know that every kid can be
saved but every k id w o n ’t be
saved, and th a t’s a bitter pill to
swallow.
Y u g en : No, no, C harles. I ’m
counting on you to navigate this
tough terrain better then I'v e been
able to because I’m befuddled.
Jordan: If I w as a benevolent
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dictator w hat w ould I do? An
overw helm ing m ajority o f youth
started out only w anting to do the
right thing. W e got kids out there
struggling ju st to m ake it. They
h av en ’t given up or turned their
lives over to crim e. I w ould find
those kids, the w illing souls, w ho
say they w ant to m ake it, and put
85 percent o f my resources there.
I w ould reserve the rem ainder for
those w ho have said the hell with
it
Y u g en : O kay. These are youth
steeped in w ayw ard, nom adic
lifestyles...Y ou have a different
serm on for them , w hat is it?
J o r d a n : ” If you ev er changed
you m ind. I ’m going to leave a
little bit out here fo r y ou.” The
ones w ho decided they w ant to
kill people or do drugs, and then
ask me to prove to them that I can
give them a better life ... No, no my
brother. Y ou’ve made yourchoice.
continued
b etter to the (Auditor
Schools Needs
New Leader
Jim Scherzinger has re
m ained ‘interim ’ superin
tendent o f Portland Public
S c h o o ls in s p ite o f
failin g s, p o o r an d ‘b a d ’
m anagem ent, lavish and
unnecessary district costs
and expenses, terrible lead
ership, lack o f accountabil
ity , in e p titu d e , a r r o
gance and m ore.
S ch o o l d is tric t c o sts
and
expenses
have
so ared w h ile d e liv e ry to
stu d en ts has p lu m m eted .
E d u c a tio n a l
rac
ism and the g ro ss la ck o f
a c c o u n ta b ility h a s a l
lo w ed fo r an d e n c o u r
ag ed stu d en t ab u se an d a
w id en in g ‘d is c o n n e c t’.
In the interests of all stu
d en ts, I c o n tin u e to
urge members of the Portland
School Board to appoint Dr.
Calvin O.L. Henry Superin
tendent o f Portland Public
Schools.
o n ly tw o d a ys w o rth o f w ork?
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