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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 2004)
i/ Ab B lack H istory M o n t h .W x : February 04, 2 00 4 special w a rp Page B5 Apology Offered for Racial Slur “ I Black leaders call for lawmaker’s resignation (A P) — State Sen. Alex Deccio, R-Y akim a, apologized on the Sen ate floor in O lym pia M onday for using a racial slur in an argum ent with another legislator. “I realize this has been very hurt ful to members of the African-Ameri can com m unity and for that I am truly sorry," said D eccio, 81. “I feel ifthe Rev. M artin Luther King were here today, he w ould accept my apology, so I’m asking you to do the sam e.” Som e black leaders said they w ould accept D eccio’s apology only if he resigned his Senate seat. “T his individual is not deserv S e n . A lex D eccio, R -Y akim a ing o f being a representative o f the people," said Carl M ack, president meeting. On Friday, he apologized o f th e S e a ttle c h a p te r o f th e in person to Sen. Rosa Franklin, D- NAACP. He traveled to the state Tacom a, the only black state sena C apitol on M onday to dem and tor. D eccio’s resignation. On M onday, Franklin tearfully D eccio used the slur on T hurs accepted his apology on the Sen day, during a heated argum ent with ate floor. Rep. Tom Cam pbell, R-Roy, about The slur D eccio used “sears like health insurance reform s in a m eet a branding iron,” she said. Talking ing with several legislators, staff about how her ancestors had com e m em bers and insurance industry to A m erica as slaves, her voice representatives. broke and she w iped aw ay tears He called C am pbell a “nigger in w ith trem bling hands. the w oodpile.” Both men are white. B ut, she sa id , sh e fo rg iv e s T he phrase is used to convey a Deccio. sim ilar m eaning to the term “ snake “I accept Sen. D eccio’s apology in the grass.” The O xford English and will work for healing,” Franklin D ictionary defines the expression said. "W e need to com e together.” as “a concealed m otive or unknown D eccio crossed the Senate floor factor affecting a situation in an and hugged F ran k lin afte r her adverse w ay.” speech. D eccio said he instantly realized O ther prom inent black leaders, his m istake and apologized in the including King County Executive Deadly Ricin Found in Senate Building S e a ttle NAACP P re s id e n t Carl M a ck Ron Sims and former Yakima Mayor Henry Beaucham p, have also pub licly supported Deccio. M ack dism issed their support as politically motivated. “W e will not sell our soul for 30 pieces o f silver,” M ack said. “ Re gardless o f w hether we stand alone, we will stand for w hat is right.” Alton M cDonald, a black leader o f the N ational A ction N etw ork’s Tacom a branch, confronted Deccio after his apology on the Senate floor and pressed him to resign. “Sir, I am not going to do that,” Deccio said. He defended his record, saying he has sponsored and sup ported many bills in his 30-year career in the Legislature that help poor and m inority citizens. “ I have m ore things to d o,” D eccio said. "T his should be put behind us.” A C apitol P olice o ffic e r s ta n d s o u ts id e c lo s e d e n tr a n c e to th e D irksen S e n a te O ffice b u ilding on C apitol Hill T u esd a y. A s u s p ic io u s w h ite p o w d er, a p p a ren tly d elive red through th e m a il s y s te m , w a s fo u n d in th e S e n a t e m a jo rity le a d e r s o ffice. O fficials s a id se v e ra l prelim inary t e s t s w ere ' p o sitiv e for ricin, a d e a d ly p o iso n . A s m a n y a s 5 0 C apitol e m p lo y e e s w ere q u a ra n tin e d a n d d e c o n ta m in a te d , b u t n o h a rm fu l e f f e c t s w ere rep o rted . (AP p h o to ) CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH Shout, Sister, Shout! fcOSETLi Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe r $ 1 2 2 2 CD IARCIA BALL IO AN OSBORNE B rv BLOCK BONNIE RAITT MC Records JANNA CONNOR TOSHI REAGON THE HOLMES BROTHERS MICHELLE SHOCKED 7 IANIS IAN PHOEBE SNOW ■S-» MARIE KNIGHT ANGELA STREHLI r . « Z a . I « g M A RIA M 0 L 0 A U R SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK TRACY NELSON SISTER ROSETTA THARPE OOETTA VICTORIA WILLIAMS Offer Good Thru 2-29-04 ff Soul on Bikes Legacy of black bikers profiled in book TOBIE CENE I f VINCSTON *?»• HIT»» »MV »tot paMMtmU» S o u l o n B ik e s te lls th e sto r y o f b la c k m e n w ho b ro k e th e color barrier b y riding H arleys. It’saslice o f underground Am eri can and A frican-A m erican history you w on’t find in any history book. The East Bay D ragons M otorcycle C lu b h as g u n n e d its H a rle y s through the m eanest streets o f O akland, C alif., since the 1950s. Before Rosa Parks took her his toric bus ride, before M artin Luther King Jr., M alcolm X, and Huey P. N ew ton and the Black Panthers stood bravely for equal rights, the East Bay D ragons club risked life and lim b during the days when it was a revolutionary act for a black man to ride a Harley chopper. Tobie Gene Levingston and his colorful cast o f com rades are an all black, all-Harley, all-chopper group o f motorcyclists who have found more than their fair share o f violence and redemption on the battlegrounds o f urban America. They have en countered street scuffles, rival clubs, ethnic stereotypes, police miscon duct and racial tensions. T heir story is available in book s to r e s o r th ro u g h C la s s ic M otorbooks, 800-826-6600 or on w w w.m otorbooks.com . A memorial service was he Id Jan. 23 for G ladys Young, a longtim e Portland resident, form er business ow ner and G ospel singer who died at the age o f 66. She was bom in Langston, Okla. to Jake and A m esia Johnson on Jan. 26, 1937. She was saved at an early age when she w as baptized at M t. B eth el B a p tist C h u rch in L an g sto n . D u rin g h er teen ag e years, she was a part o f a Gospel quartet that gave her m any oppor tunities to sing at various churches. F o llo w in g g ra d u a tio n from Langston High School, G ladys trav eled to Portland to visit an aunt. W hile visiting she fell in love with Portland and it was here that she met her husband W illiam “Bill” Y oung w ho preceded her in death in 1993. T o this union w ere bom tw o sons, V ictor and Clifford. S h e a tte n d e d c o s m e to lo g y sc h o o l an d e v e n ta u g h t som e classes at the school after graduat ing. H er love o f fashionable clothes and original hairstyles never fal tered. She loved w earing original g o w n s d esig n ed by her sister, Betty. She eventually opened her ow n hair salon - “Right In Right O ut Beauty S alon” w hich she oper ated for over 15 years. She w orked w ith the F o ster G r a n d p a r e n ts p ro g ra m at A pplegate School and the G race Collins M em orial Day Care. In re cent years, she w orked as C u s tom er Services Representative at the Interstate Fred M eyer Store w here she w as friendly face w ith a kind word when you cam e into the store. G ladys have m any interests and loved all kinds music but she al w ays kept her G ospel music and singing in the forefront. She loved the Lord and cheerfully perform ed in m any church program s, on cable television and on C hristian Radio stations. She produced a G ospel C D in 2001. She was know n as the “Songbird o f the N orthw est.” She was past W orthy M atron o f Eastern Stars w here she continued to be an active m em ber. She was also affiliated with the O regon A s sociation o f C o lo red W o m en ’s Club, A. Phillip R andolph Institute and the C osm etology Union. She also assisted in many political cam paigns. G ladys w as as acti ve m em ber o f the Fellow ship M issionary Baptist Church under the L ead ersh ip o f Dr. Johnny Pack IV. She once served as President o f the P astor’s Aide. She was a m em ber o f U shers Min- Great-grandmother Dies at 89 Estella Penn m aker, she m oved in 1966 to P ort A funeral was held last W ednes land. In 1935, she married Leamond day in K illingsw orth Little Chapel F.; he died in 1966. o f the C him es for Estella Penn, who S u rv iv o rs in c lu d e h er so n s, died Jan. 24 at age 89. Leam ond and Larry; four g rand Estella Jones was bom April 9, children; and five great-grandchil 1914, in Bessem er. Ala. A hom e dren. istry #3, served as C hairperson o f the I5,h Church A nniversary and was also an active m em ber o f the Frances Circle Prayer M inistry. Survivors include her tw o sons; three sisters, A m aed er Johnson and P atricia A vingson both o f Tulsa, O kla. and Betty Johnson o f E l-R eno, O kla.; a co u sin Rev. H ow ard Johnson o f Roseburg and a host o f nephew s, nieces and friends. M IL L E N N IU M NORTHWEST 801 N W 23RD 503-248-0163 www.musicmillenium.com TALK RADIO with W eekdays 7:30-9 am REAL PEOPLE FROM YOUR COMMUNITY R&B, SOUL & W eekdays 7 - 9 pm HIP HOP Long Time Resident Remembered Gladys Young IwHkiCM > EASTSIDE 3158 E. BURNSIDE 503-231-8926 JAZZ, AFROTAINMENT, HIP HOP & MORE S aturdays 4 -1 1 pm O ffice : 503-231-8032 C all THE DJ! 503-231-8187 C ommunity R adio W W W .KB00.FM (faottye (fauetfan (fatten Dedication & ^eidnation February 4th- 8th, 2004 Wed. Fri. 7pm Sun. 10am & 6pm 3635 N Williams. Portland. OR 503-288-0479 ,i . « 4 “Paatona TKcviie & TKasila, Stiony (ante ((dettiate Tt/cttt Ttef I
