Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2004)
B lack H istory M onth W Page A2 s p e c ia l February 18, 2004 c o o e ra a e __ Bethel Concerts Honor Black History Black H istory M onth is alive with music and praise at a local church. Any youth or choirs interested in singing should call 360-771-3561. T he Bethel A frican M ethodist Episcopal On Sunday, Feb. 29 at 4 p.m ., the Bethel C hurch, 5828 N.E. 8lh A ve., is honoring Cathedral Choir presents “The Negro Spiritual A frican-A m erican history with tw o special In Song and Dance: D eepening O ur Roots, performances. Extending O ur R each.” The 30-voice choir is The Bethel Youth C hoir presents “A Mu- sical C oncert” at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22. under the direction o f Rochelle M cElroy. For more inform ation, call 503-287-9583. Advertise with diversity in ll'e Jln rth m fc (O hscrnrr Call 5O3-288-OO33 ads@portlandobserver.com TALK RADIO W eekdays 7:30- 9 am with REAL PEOPLE FROM YOUR COMMUNITY R&B, SOUL & W eekdays 7- 9 pm HIP HOP M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Ainsworth Drug JAZZ, AFROTAINMENT, HIP HOP & MORE S aturdays 4-11 pm Closure to End Era O ffice : 503-231-8032 C all the DJ! 503-231-8187 C ommunity R adio photo by A/ns worth Pharmacy owner Ken Hatch helps one o f his longtime customers. The landmark store at Northeast 30th and Ainsworth will soon close, ending an era for the Concordia Neighborhood. W W W .KB00.FM and other goods. for 10 years. “It’s hard to imagine the inter Portis said the store provided for accepting m onthly p ay section without the store there. It's such an added benefit because ments for utilities and sells a been such an institution, and such o f its w alking d istan ce for variety of stationery and m ail a service to that community,” said people in Concordia, especially ing supplies, greeting cards Jennie Portis, longtime northeast seniors. resident and a neighborof the store “It will be a real loss,” she said. continued Memories can be as precious as jewels. Protecting them can be as easy as sharing them. We realize all of the names of history makers didn't make it into history books. That's why we'd like to acknowledge all of those who withstood and endured, who dried tears and cried tears, who stepped in and courageously kept on. Who defied injustice to any as proudly as they praised justice for all. Who believed in right enough to suffer wrong. Who hurt and too often bled but never gave up the fight. Who mourned and yet still marched, who clasped hands and walked on, who sat in but most of all stood up for civil rights. Although the world may not know your individual names, together you made a world of difference and changed the course of American History. We Salute You All! American Family Insurance is proud to help protect all the things that matter most...Even precious memories. from Front writing black Americans into national history in 1915 under the Association for the Study o f Negro Life and History. He launched Negro History Week (which later became known as Black History Month) in 1926 during the second week o f Feb ruary because of the birthdays o f F re d e ric k D o u g las and Abraham Lincoln. This also was the month blacks received Real P e o p le , R eal A dvice the right to vote, M alcolm X was shot and the NAACP was \n advice column known fo r founded. As tim e w ent on, its fearless approach to reality blacks began gaining a respect based subjects ! able presence in the nation that could no longer be ignored and Note: Special Column for Black their contributions had to be History Month honored and recognized. Dear Deanna! I have a hard time celebrating Black History Month. I get so annoyed when February rolls around because that’s the only time everybody jum ps on the bandwagon of black inventions and cultural stuff and I’m sick of this going on every single year. --Jabari M.; Memphis, Tenn. D ear J a b a ri: People like you make society ignore the truth o f blacks and their role in the creation of this world. Next time yo u ’re driv ing look at the stoplight created by Garret Morgan keeping you safe on the roads. When you want a cold soda, thank John Standard for creating the re frigerator. I suggest you cel ebrate the many lives saved by Charles D rew ’s creation of the blood storage system and cel ebrate and nurture your Black History too. Dear Deanna! I’m a counselor in an urban neighborhood. The kids and staff like me but continue to ignore my cultural knowledge. O ur recent disagreem ent fo cuses on black inventions. A big argument started because people think Alexander Graham B ell’s assistant W atson was black and helped him create the telephone. I say he was the one answ ering on the other end. Did Watson have anything to do with creating the telephone? -J o s h Carson; Brooklyn, N.Y. Dear Josh: You did the right thing by ask ing a woman about the tele phone! This hasn’t been highly publicized, but a black man was instrumental in the telephone creation. A little known black man named Lewis Latim er de veloped the plans for the first te le p h o n e . W ith o u t him Dear Deanna! Alexander Graham B ell’s tele When did Black History month first begin? I’m in my early phone w ould not have su c 30’s and d o n ’t rem em ber this ceeded. When the phone rang, monthly holiday as a child. At Watson was indeed on the other first I thought I d id n 't know end. Ring. Ring. Are you there? about it because o f the town I live in. Then I kind o f fell into Ask Deanna is written by Deanna the swing o f things and thought M. Write Ask Deanna! Email: that it’s always been around. askdeannal@ yahoo.com or -S h an n o n ; Portland, Ore. write: Deanna M, P.O. Box Dear Shannon: Dr. C arter G. W oodson started 88847, Los Angeles, CA 90009. Website: www.askdeanna.com I
