B lack H istory M '< f cbruary 16, 2005 onth .W s p e c ia l c o u e ra a e PageAS _________ Black History Month Exhibit Celebrates Black History Month Kenneth McFadden's “Just Hanging Out. ’ (2004) Black photographers interpret love by K atherine K ovacich T he P ortland O bserver n celebration of Black History Month, Nordstrom has selected a talented group of African- American photographers to share their ideas about love, captured on film inanexhibitcalled "Love Now.” The exhibit will be displayed in the Lloyd C enter N ordstrom store throughout the entire month of February. In its third year running, the ex hibit is a public tribute to the artistic- expression of black photographers, and will feature 23 photographers from across the United States and one from Switzerland. “We are honored to celebrate Black History Month with the ‘Love N ow ’ exhibit,” said Delena Sun- I day, Nordstrom executive vice presi dent of human resources and diver sity affairs. “This unique exhibit is a thought-provoking journey into the way love inspires and illumi nates moments in life. We are fortu nate to share the work of these renowned, up and coming artists with our customers.” Jorge V alis o f N ordstrom cor porate com m unications, said the goal was for each photographer to sh o w case th e ir ow n personal interpretation o f love in o u r current tim es - for som e that interpretation may have a con nection to civil rights, for others it may mean fam ily, rom ance or community. “By allowing for a range of dif ferent interpretations, we are able David Ogburn's “Bohari's Barbershop. ” (1970) This unique exhibit is a thought-provoking journey into the way love inspires and illuminates moments in life. Nicole Mayhorn's “Love." (1995) missioned portraits, which allows her to form a connection with her subjects and to have the ability to bring out their true colors. While David “Oggi” Ogburn specializes in chronicling the hu —Delena Sunday, Nordstrom executive vice president man side of music industry with a subtle eye, his photo from 1970 to highlight not only the talent of emotional release that has allowed called “Bohari's Barbershop” takes these photographers, but the di him to grow in other areas of his life. a peak at an uncomfortable child’s verse range of their style in terms of Nicole M ayhom 's 1995 work, haircut. Ogburn’s photos have been image, composition and subject,” “Love,” is one o f many in a collec featured at the Smithsonian Mu Valis said. tion of photos created that capture seum of Natural History, the Center Kenneth McFadden, a photog the spirit of the subject perfectly. for African American History and rapher from Seattle will have his M ayhom ’s work is internationally Culture and the Brooklyn Museum 2004 piece “Just Hanging Out” fea known and has been exhibited in of Art. tured in the exhibit. McFadden said galleries in Washington, D.C., and Valis said the placement o f the that photography gives him an London. She specializes in com- photos are such that they are blown up and fit on large panel fixtures on the main floor of the store, along with information about the photog rapher. Depending on the layout o f the store, the panels are lined down one o f the main aisles, or grouped around the escalator well in the middle of the floor. “W e’ve heard from many of our customers that are pleased to come to our store and discover the work of professional African-American photographers, many of whom they otherwise might not have been fa m iliar with,” Valis said. “This was a lw a y s the in te n t b e h in d the exhibit, so we are truly pleased to get that feedback.” The Face of the Federal Budget By Reg Weaver, President, National Education Association We need to invest in children today! nea NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION nea.org Great Public Schools fo r Every Child NE A s 2 7 million members are the nation's leading advocates for children and public education It’s budget tim e again in W ashington, with bureaucrats and pundits talking about millions and billions o f dollars with glib sound bites and snap judgm ents about what it all means. W hat they don’t talk about is how people’s lives are affected — all from the alteration o f a single num ber in a single col um n in those reams o f paper. As educators, who work in publicly funded schools every day, we know too well how those colum ns can change the lives o f the children we teach. The change o f a five to a zero can mean even m ore students in an already-crowded class room , or another year with the same 10-year-old textbooks. It can mean that a much needed reading aide won’t be around next semester o r that the weekly music class is can celled. Black History Month In February we recognize America’s many great black pioneers and leaders. Maggie l ena Walker The 2.7 million m embers o f the National Education Association are forced to deal with those changes every year. For the past few years, it hasn’t been easy. Every day I hear from teachers and school employees all over the country about how those seemingly harmless num bers end up h u rt ing the children they care about so much. I know that this doesn’t sound like the same budget we have been hearing about this week in the news. The A dm inistration will argue that education wasn’t cut as much as other domestic issues, but the level o f requirements w on’t be reduced either. Is this really the standard we should have for America’s m ost im portant resource? (1867-1934) Maggie Lena Walker was the first black woman to be a bank president. She founded the Saint Luke Penny Savings Bank in Richmond, Virginia, in 1903. The bank began as an insurance society in which Walker became active at the time o f her marriage in 1886. When she retired because o f ill-health in 1933, the bank was strong enough to survive the Depression, and is still in existence. As the budget debate continues, teachers, school employees and parents want policymakers to rem em ber this: It’s not just how much federal money is invested in o ur schools, but how it is invested. For America to succeed in the future, we must invest in chil- dren today. That means putting resources in the classroom. T hat’s where children learn. / BANK the WEST Innovative solutions. Personalized service since 1874. ATM Service 24-hours a day, 7-davs a week 1(800) 488-BANK(22ft5) www.bankofthewest.com M em ber F D tC