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Fallen Soldiers Due Respect
IHE
Wooden crate
on conveyer is
infuriating
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S P I M I M O U N T A IN
C A ÏÏN 0
E d ito r's note: The fo llo w in g is
open letter to the O regon C on­
gressional D elegation fro m Sen.
A vel G ordly who represents n o rth ­
east a n d southeast P ortland in the
State Legislature:
I am w riting to express my o ut­
rage regarding the disrespectful
treatment our soldiers and their fami­
lies are receiving in connection with
the w ars in A fghanistan and Iraq,
especially those who have made
and will ‘ urely m ake the ultim ate
sacrifice. We are not doing enough
either to support or to honor them.
In a letter entitled “The W ooden
C rate on the A irport C o n v ey er
Belt,” w hich was printed in The
O regonian’s com m entary page on
Feb. 12, the w riter described how
she happened to view a w ooden
crate containing the rem ains o f a
fallen soldier being unloaded w ith­
out cerem ony at the Salt Lake City
airport.
State Sen.
Avel Gordly
She w rote: “I ’ m o verwhe I med by
the certainty that this person’s life
m attered and that our encounter at
this final stage is im p o rtan t.. Did
PFC O w ens have a spouse? C hil­
dren? A surviving mother? The pain
she m ust be feeling sears me. The
m other in me is connected to this
woman I will never meet. ..AHI know
about PFC O w ens I can see on the
tarm ac. W ithout any more know l­
edge than the fact that another
A m erican in uniform had died, I
grieve because PFC O w ens made
the last trip hom e in a box.”
C olleagues, we send these sol­
diers into danger w ithout proper
equipm ent, training and planning.
W e abruptly sever N ational Guard
fam ilies from their breadwinners,
leaving many to subsist on food
stam ps and w ithout health care,
and send them on m issions they
never im agined they w ould have to
endure. They are not, after all, the
sons and daughters o f the w ealthy
and powerful. I know that I am tell­
ing you w hat you already know,
heard from constituents, and I am
aw are o f your concern as well.
A small fraction o f the popula­
tion bears 100 percent o f the bur­
den, the danger, the loss and the
pain, and they do so anonym ously.
W ould they only get the respect
they deserve— even the attention
a good ju m p shot or a punt return or
this w eek ’s celebrity gets— this
nation would m ove closer to shar­
ing more fairly in these hardships.
PFC O w ens and 534 o f his broth­
ers and sisters have com e hom e in
boxes so far. Is this how all o f these
soldiers have com e hom e? W ith­
out the full respect and cerem ony
that is due?
We can do better than this. My
heart aches for these soldiers and
their families. Please continue to do
everything in your pow er to end
this war.
A v e l G ordly, O regon S ta te
S en a to r
Motown Host Doesn’t Feel Right
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Aerobics
Mallory Ave. Christian Church
Mon, Wed, Fn. 6-7am, Pierce • 5:30-6:20pm,
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Humboldt Elementary
Tue, Thu, 6-7pm, Keller
Low Impact Aerobics
Daniel’s Memorial Church
Tue, 7:15-8:15pm, Granville
W a te r Aerobics (Contact AAHC)
Salvation Army
M att Dishman
Airican_Dance
M att Dishman
Sat, 10-1 lam, Addo
Salsa
Salvation Arm y
Mon, 6:30-7:30pm, Henry
Stretching/Body Sculpting
M att Dishman
Tue, Thu, 7-8am, Lois
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Wed, 6:3O-7:3Opm, Lyles
Walking Group
Peninsula Park
Sat, 12:30pm, Woods
W eight Mgnt./Conditioning
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Tue, Thu, 9 -1 Oam, Hasan
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Timberlake
homogenizes African-
American contributions
by
T anya K ersey
News that Justin Timberlake will co-host the
ABC-TV special “Motown 45” hit many in the
black community like a ton of bricks and out­
raged black civic and civil rights leaders. The
“Breastgate” co-conspirator is scheduled to co­
host, with singer Lionel Richie, the ABC cel­
ebration of the legendary Motown label which
will be taped live at the Shrine Auditorium on
April 4. But it just doesn’t sound right, or feel
right.
There are two
obvious problems
here. First, pan­
dering to the rat­
ings game in the
pursuit of a cross­
o v er aud ien ce,
ABC is compro­
mising the legacy
of this cultural and
musical institution. With his neatly constructed
image as ‘the New King of Pop.’ Timberlake’s
participation is an obvious attempt to dilute the
show and make it attractive for mass consump­
tion. It also reflects a dangerous trend towards
homogenizing the historical contributions of Af­
rican Americans and marginalizing Black cul­
ture.
Motown has become the symbol of R&B
and soul music around the world. Once the
most comm ercially successful and culturally
influential black-owned record company, the
Motown machinery produced a slew of popu­
lar acts including Diana Ross and the Supremes,
the Tem ptations, the Four Tops, Smokey
Robinson and the M iracles, the Jackson Five,
M arvin Gaye and Stevie W onder. W hile
Timberlake has always credited black music
as the source for his own musical style, cer­
tainly ABC can find a singer who more closely
represents the very people the Motown legacy
was built on.
Then there’s “Breastgate,” the provoca­
tive bum p-and-grind Super Bowl halftime
performance between Timberlake and Janet
J a c k so n w h ich tu rn e d R -rate d w hen
Tim berlake reached across Jackson’s black
leather bustier, ripped it off, and flashed her
bare breast to 100 million TV viewers. Janet
apologized twice and took full responsibility
for the “wardrobe m alfunction.” Timberlake
punked out and played the victim, taking no
responsibility for the “reveal” gone bad.
Before the Super Bowl scandal Timberlake
had gotten a “Black folks pass." Black America
embraced him and his music and he sang
R&B-sty le music and dressed in hip-hop gear.
He walked the walk
and talked the talk. But
then he sold out Janet
to save his own skin,
showing his true col­
ors in the process. It’s
a classic case of prof­
iting from black cul­
ture, but jumping ship
-Tanya Kersey
when things get hot.
In other words, he’s
okay with being identified as an ‘honorary
brotha,' as long as it doesn’t cost him anything.
And now Timberlake plans to co-host the
“Motown 45” television special? I think not!
As African Americans we should not support
this obviously contrived attempt to boost rat­
ings and attract a wide White audience. It is
thoughtless and an insult. If we allow it to
happen, we will be just as guilty as them for
pimping black culture to appeal to the main­
stream.
ABC is sending a racially-tinged m es­
sage o f corporate insensitivity and cultural
indifference. They should do the right thing
and hire a co-host that respectfully sym bol­
izes the rich legacy o f the Motown label. Is
Usher available?
Tanya Kersey is an entertainment jo u r­
nalist, editor-in-chief o f Black Talent News
and contributing editor and columnist fo r
several other media outlets.
Ifs a classic
case o f profiting
from black culture,
but jumping
ship when
things get hot.
Alliance Endorses Posey, Adams
T h e A fric a n A m e ric a n A lli­
a n c e h a s a n n o u n c e d its e n ­
d o rse m e n t o f Ja m e s P o se y fo r
P o rtla n d m a y o r an d S am A d am s
fo r th e c ity c o u n c il.
T he allia n ce is a local g ro u p o f
A frican A m erican s that has been
m eeting reg u larly for a lm o st tw o
y ears to d ev e lo p and w ork to
im p lem en t strateg ie s d esig n ed to
im p ro v e the sta tu s o f A frican
A m erican s in P o rtlan d .
P o se y is a n o rth e a s t P o rt­
la n d r e s i d e n t a n d b u s in e s s
o w n er. He h as e m p h a siz e d c o m ­
m u n ity e m p o w e rm e n t, e d u c a ­
tio n and e c o n o m ic d e v e lo p m e n t
as p rim a ry iss u e s in h is c a m ­
p aig n .
A d am s is th e fo rm e r C h ie f o f
S ta f f fo r M a y o r V era K atz. H is
c a m p a ig n issu e s h av e e m p h a ­
siz e d q u a lity e d u c a tio n , liv a b le
w ag e s an d p u b lic sa fe ty .
6