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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2003)
February 19. 2003 W Fortiani» ©baeruer celebrates Black History Month Meek Future in Doubt continued from Front “W e know our kids, this is lik e a fa m ily ,” said L u cia Scoggin. a fifth and sixth grade teacher at Meek. “ I think you get a better picture o f each kid. You know what their situations are. The more you know about your students the m ore you can help them .” She points to the schools im pressive record of reaching aca demic benchmarks and does not see the point in sending 150 stu dents to a school that is in crisis. “Why send them to an under perform ing school?” Scoggin said. The school had been perform ing well and teachers and admin istrators were working on a school improvement plan for next year when news o f the potential clo sure arrived. Jackie Wallace has three chil dren enrolled at Meek. She told Jim Scherzingerand Bettencourt that the funding crisis is forcing parents to move out of the dis trict. “We have no choice,” she said. “If we stay, w e’ re going to punish their education.” Vigil to Memorialize Shooting Death His tory Mont Charles Drew perfected the techniques fo r separating and preserving blood. His techniques helped save thousands o f American and Allied soldiers’ lives during the Second World War. K u KIux K ian F oraged D eep R oots in O regon Early residents bore witness to lynching, murder and intimidation by R on W ebber T he P ortland O bserver Byron Hammick Jr. A candle light vigil is planned in memory o f the man shot and killed by Portland police during a disturbance last February at the Motel 6 on Southeast Powell. Byron C. Hammick Sr. and Lynnettta Jones, the parents of Byron C. “Bumpper” Hammick Jr. said they would love to have the support of the community during a peaceful memorial at the motel on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The motel is located at 3104 S.E. Powell. The memorial will mark the one-year anniversary of their son’s death. Black people have lived under discriminatory conditions for most of Oregon’s history as well as in the rest o f the nation. In the past, social discrimination was common; black people were regularly refused admission to res taurants, theaters and hotels. Medi cal care was difficult to obtain, unions barred blacks from member ship, employment practices con fined them to certain jobs and inte grated housing was resisted. H Passing a state public accommo dations law to make discrimination illegal was a long and difficult struggle. It began in 1919 and d e The former Williams Avenue YWCA was managed by black women and became a community spite repeated attempts was not center. It was built in l9 2 6 despite an effort by white racists to stop the project because they successful until 1953. Whenanearly didn't want black people to build on the site. During its early years, the YWCA had classes in Oregonian was asked what it was Spanish, sewing, hat making, Bible studies, exhibits featuring black artists and activities celebrat ing black history. like living in Oregon, his response was simple and direct; “Oregon was a Kian state...a now, as far as that is concerned, but man: A Historical Romance of the banned and shown again. In 1931, southern state transplanted to the nothing like it used to be.” Ku Klux Kian," written by Thomas the American Legion brought the North... a hell-hole when I grew up. Shortly after the 19T5 release of Dixon. By 1916, the film had worked film to P ortland as part o f a It has always been a very preju •‘Birth o f a Nation,” The Ku Klux its way to Portland. fundraiser. Sound had now been diced state. It is today, believe it or Kian was reorganized. The movie For the next two decades “ Birth not. There’s a lot o f prejudice even was based on a novel, “The Clans of a Nation” would be shown. continued on page A 5 Colonel Roberts' service record is a credit to the country and the community. In the spirit of Black History, Wells Fargo honors Colonel George "Spanky" Roberts. His impressive military career began as a Tuskegee Airman and he was one of the first African American pilots to fly in the U.S. Army Air Corps. During WWII, Colonel Roberts fought in North Africa and Italy, flew over 100 combat missions and commanded the 99th Fighter Squadron. After his distinguished military career, he continued to serve his community as a Wells Fargo credit officer. Wells Fargo salutes Colonel Roberts'commitment to helping people reach the next stage of success. Wells Fargo honors Black History. C 2003 Wells Fargo Banks. All rights reserved. Members FOIC. wellsfargo.com A
