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