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Charles H. Washington
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Joy Ramos
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Paul Neufeldt
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Mark Washington
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betters Tfcf rChe (Suitor
C a r e g iv e r s N e e d R e lie f
I am a live-in homecare worker who provides 24-
hour care. I am a caregiver because 1 believe that
the aging and disabled have a right to live as
independently as possible in the comfort o f their
own home. I am allowed 24 hours of time off, or
respite care per month. I only get paid $4.26 per
hour and I’m only allowed payment for 1 Ohours of
work perday. My employeris considered to be my
client, however my paycheck comes from the
state.
Caregiving is rewarding, yet challenging, and I
sometimes suffer burnout. But to take time off, I
must find a respite care provider willing to work for
$4.26 per hour. I want to provide the best care for
my client, and such a low rate makes it next to
impossible to find someone to fill in for me.
According to the Dept. of the Aging and People
with Disabilities, independence and quality care
are the most important objectives of in-home
services, but when the caregiver does not have
proper time to himself or herself, how can they do
the job to the best of their abilities? How can
quality care be provided without the proper con
sideration of the caregiver's needs?
My performance not only depends on my train
ing and compassion, but also the time I have to
myself. Homecare Workers save the state approxi
mately $20,000 for each client every year who is not
admitted to a nursing facility.
When is the state going to recognize this invis
ible workforce and convert that savings into recog
nition and relief for the caregivers, people who do so
much for the aging and disabled in our state?
Larry M udgett, Northeast Portland
Important Message Welcomed
W e at the Community Energy Project want to
thank "The Portland Observer" so much for the
story on our Lead Poisoning Prevention W ork
shops.
The article was great and I think it will help
spread the word about our services and get people
talking.
Readers should also know that the City of
Portland Bureau of Housing and Community De
velopment and the Water Bureau largely fund our
Lead Poisoning Prevention Workshop Program.
For more information about our weatherization
or water conservation programs, call 503-284-
6827. Thanks so much!
Stella Stadtherr, Project C oordinator for
the Lead Poisoning Prevention W orkshop
Program
Z
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unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 1996 THE PORTLAND
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Progressive politics must come with diversity
" The Portland Observer" is proud to publish this
second part o f an interview with form er state Rep. Jo
Ann Bowman by our correspondent Yugen Fardan
Rashad. Bowman remains active in the community,
working with groups, agencies and organizations
involved in political and social change.
Y ugen: You’ve championed a number of issues
that concern this community and recei ve media cov
erage. What do you recall mainstream media’s recep
tion to you when first elected to office?
Bow m an: When 1 was interviewing with "The
Oregonian" they kept saying to me, “As an African
American, what are you going to go down and teach
the legislative body about the AA community?” I
said to them, “ I’m sorry, in the district I represent, 94
percent are non-African American and the issues are
the same: quality education, good after school pro
grams, living in a safe community.” The people that
elected me were Latino, Asian, and African Ameri
can, but the majority were white Oregonians and they
voted for me because they know I was going to work
on the issues that they care about.
Yugen: You and Senators Avel Gordly and M ar
garet Carter, and the late Gladys McCoy represent a
very powerful aggregate in the realm of politics and
history of blacks in this state. Elaborate a bit on the
aestheticsof being apolitically active woman of color
in Oregon.
Bow m an: The fact of how I look (hair dreaded,,
and that 1 wear African fabrics... When 1 first decided
to run for public office, and I’ll never forget this, a
person said to me that 1 would have to straighten my
hair, stop wearing ethnic jewelry, and be much more
conservative, and these were people whom I had a lot
of respect for and were experts on how to get elected
to public office. I thanked them for the advice, but as
I begin to think about it, what if I made all of these
changes, and begin to sound like someone other than
me, who would be the person being elected? I thought
that if someone wasn’t going to vote for me because
of my hair or ethnic jewelry or my heritage line, that ’ s
their problem. I love myself.
Y ugen: Yet Oregonians are considered diverse
and pragmatic as a community.
Bowman: There’s a perception in Oregon that this
is a progressive state. In fact, most liberals will say
Oregon is one of the most progressive places you
could live. I stopped someone the other day that said
this to me and I said, “If you are a white male living
in Oregon, you could live your entire life without
interacting with people of color. So I conclude that in
order to say a place is progressive, you must have
diversity. If I was a white male and never had to
interact with people of color, that’s a very limited
environment.
Yugen: Because African Americans represent a
small segment of the state population, they face the
unique challenge of adaptation to the prevailing
cultural norms and speaking the language well.
Bow m an: 1 talk a lot about the fact that African
American are multi-lingual regardless as to whether
English is their only language. W hat we learn at a
very young age is how to interact with different
If I was a white male
and never had to
interact with people of
color, that’s a very
limited environment.
people so that we have a totally different language
when conversing with people of the same age, than
with our elders. When out in the broader community,
we have a different tongue with Asian, Latino and
white Americans. Part of growing up African Ameri
can in this country is that we have to use different
languages to interact with different populations. We
know if we do the ‘patois’ at the city council meeting,
we wouldn’t be perceived as “intelligent” or “articu
late” or as aware of the issues as our white counter
part. And we know that unless we can clearly articu
late English in a manner they’re used to hearing it, the
conversation will stop.
Yugen: You and your husband (Skip, travel often.
Bow m an: I call them cultural trips I take three or
four times a year to immerse myself in my culture. It’s
Jo Ann Bowman
interesting living in Oregon because this is my first
experience living in a town (Portland) with a very
small African American population compared to my
hometown of Baltimore, Maryland where 90 percent
of the population is African American.
Yugen: W ouldn’t you say there is enough cultural
capacity and consciousness within the sparse num
bers o f black Portlanders to have entrepreneurialism
that creates a strong community life and identity?
Bow m an: The only way a business grows is when
we support them. And so if were going to grow
businesses that will provide jobs and economic self-
sufficiency, we have to support black businesses. I
think the key thing missing is education among the
generation coming up behind us. They don’t know
why they should support black businesses. The fact
that a business is in their community, owned by and
employs people who look like them, and give them an
understanding of what kinds of opportunities are
available...
Y ugen: To sustain this idea, it seems a lot of
overlap is required between business, community,
education, politics, etc. From your perspective, 1
suppose you would point to the political process as
a key component.
Bowman: I think we can go back to the (black)
church. During the last election cycle was the first
time the Albina Ministerial Alliance (A M A ) and the
National Association for the Advancement of Col
ored People (NAACP) and other groups came to
gether in a voter registration campaign. The idea was
to register and educate voters and make sure they’re
casting ballots on Election Day.
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The Portland Observer
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