Committed to Cultural Diversity
www.portlandobserver.com
M etro
■ m iriti
A ugust 9. 2 0 0 6
Shakira Embraces Fans
'Hips Don't Lie' singer devotes
success to U.S. Latino community
See El Observador, page B5
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SECTION
p o m m u n it y
C a le n d a r
Buffalo Soldiersin Vancouver
SEI Golf Tournament
Get involved in the Self Enhance-|
tnent, Inc. 25th Anniversary golf I
tournament, a "thank you" to SEI
sponsors at The Reserve Vine
yards &GolfClub in Aloha. Shifts
start at 8:30 a.m. and run through
6 p.m. Volunteers receive great
N ikegearandam eal. Rolesforall
ages on and off the course arc
available. To sign upas a groupor
an individual, contact Sandra]
Koelle-Stewart at 503-249-1721,
extension 264.
Family Fun at Irving Park
Portland Parks and Recreation and I
First Steps Sports Academy wel
come all to Family FunDays, on
Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug.
11,18and 25 at Irving Park, 7 N.E.
Knott St. There will be food and
entertainment, health screenings)
and more.
Music Millennium BBQ
The 14th Annual Customer Ap
preciation Barbequc will take place|
at Music Millennium, 3158 E.
Burnside, on Saturday, Aug. 19
from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Enjoy free
food, live music, beverages and
prizes, plus jugglers, magicians,
clowns and more. For a complete
I ine-up for musical act or for more |
information,call 503-231 -8943.
Meet and Greet
In the biz and new tothecity?Join|
Say Hey, NW! - a multicultural
meet and greet for professionals
of color, at the group next recep
tion, Thursday, Aug. 10from5:30
p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Oregon
Convention Center, Portland Ball
room. For more information, con
tact Vicki Nakashima of Partners
in Diversity at 503-516-3505 or)
email nakashimav@mac.com.
Vietnam Wall Memorial
The Vietnam Traveling Wall is|
making its way toGresham. From
Thursday, Aug 10 to Saturday,
Aug. 13, the extraordinary exhibit
will be available for viewing at
Forest Lawn Cemetery, allowing
people of all ages to honor and
remember the men and women who
served in the U.S. Armed Forces.l
Lents Founders Day
Research sheds
new light on
local history
A research article sheds new light
on the activities and experiences of
African American soldiers - known
as Buffalo Soldiers - when they were
stationed at V ancouver Barracks,
now part o f Fort V ancouver National
H istoric Site and the V ancouver
N ational Historic Reserve,
Published in the latest issue of
Oregon H istorical Q uarterly, the a r
ticle takes account o f the men and
activities o f the 24th U.S. Infantry’s
Com pany B, an African American
unit stationed at Vancouver Barracks
for 13 months in 1899 and 1900, be
tween front-line service in Cuba dur
ing the Spanish American W ar and
the Philippines during the Philippine
War.
It’s a com pelling story o f the sol
diers in several ways, according to
the article’s author, G reg Shine, the
chief ranger and historian at Fort
Vancouver.
“Their activities while posted here,
such as responding to the labor cri
sis in W ardner, Idaho, were nation
ally significant.” Shine said. “T heir
experience helps us better under
stand our com m unity and its role in
the history o f African A m ericans in
the A merican W est.”
The story fills a gap in the histori
cal study o f Buffalo Soldiers in the
West and places Vancouver Barracks
firmly within its scope, where it was
noticeably absent or where it has
been confused with Vancouver, Brit
ish Colum bia, Shine said.
He said learning about the sol
d ie r s liv e s an d a c tiv itie s at
V ancouver Barracks provided a de-
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Greg Shine, the chief ranger and historian at Fort Vancouver, shows a picture of
Sgt. Edward Gibson, a Buffalo Soldier who was stationed at the historic site's
Vancouver Barracks from 1899-1900.
photo by
tailed glimpse of a largely unknown
aspect of Pacific Northwest history
during the volatile Jim Crow segre
gation era. It also fosters a connec
tion to the historic site for local A f
rican Americans.
Shine said the soldiers developed
a close relationship with the black
com m unity of neighboring Portland
w hile stationed at the fort.
"At least one o f Company B’s
soldiers, Sgt. Mack Stanfield, later
retired to Portland with his wife,
Sallie, where both lived the rem ain
der o f their lives," he explained.
"Perhaps there are members of
the c o m m u n ity w ho knew the
Stanfields or other Buffalo Soldiers
and can help us better understand
their lives and contributions to our
nation’s story," Shine said. "If so,
I’d love to hear from them and ex
pand the information we can share
with the public through program
ming in this national park setting."
A detailed roster o f all o f the sol
diers in the company is included in
the Shine’s article.
The issue (O regon H istorical
Q uarterly, Summer 2006, Vol. 107,
no. 2) is available at the Vancouver
National Historic Reserve V isitor
Center bookstore, located on O ffic
ers Row at 1501 Evergreen Blvd. in
Vancouver or by calling 360-816-
6234.
The issue is also available in the
Oregon Historical Society Museum
Store, located on the corner of South
west Broadway and Madison Street;
or
via
e -m a il
at
museum store@ ohs.org or phone at
503-306-5230.
O rganizations, schools and busi
nesses interested in carrying this
item can contact the Oregon H istori
cal Society Press at 503-306-5233.
For more inform ation, contact
S h in e
at 3 6 0 -8 1 6 -6 2 3 1
or
greg_shine@ nps.gov.
A Spoken History of Portland’s Past
African American
lives, struggles
documented
Enjoy hot dogs, refreshments and|
music during Lents Founders Day,
Sunday, Aug. 20 at Lents Park,|
Southeast 92nd Avenue between
Holgate and Steele. A parade be
gins at noon On Saturday, Aug.
19, catch a basebal I game between
The staff at the Marie Smith Health
the City Slickers and the Lents
Rebels, 4 p.m. at the Wattles Boys) and Social C enter has produced an oral
and GirlsClub field.
Economic Empowerment
PDX Confidential, a group of mi
nority professionals will host|
DEED: Diversity Economic Em
powerment Day, hosts a confer-1
ence to celebrate diversity, ex
plore individual skills and develop|
leadership in the global economy,
Tuesday, Sept. 12 at the Portland
Hilton and Executive Tower, 9 2 1
S.W. Sixth Ave. The conference
takes place from 8 a.m. to2:3()p.m.,
followed by a Masquerade Ball at)
6p.m.
Women in
Community Service
V olunteer m entors are being|
sought by Women in Community
Service to work with incarcerated
women at the Coffee Creek Cor
rectional Facility. Mentors pro
vide support and encouragement
for women transitioning from
prison back into the community.
Volunteers must be females, age
24 and up. For more information,!
call 503-570-6614.
years
of
•^community service
history docum entary highlighting the
lives o f 15 seniors living in north and
northeast Portland, to prem iere Thurs
day, Aug. 10 at 6 p.m. and Thursday,
Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. at the center, 4616 N.
Albina Ave.
The docum entary com es after a year
of planning and working with caregivers
and volunteers, and interview ing clients
for the project.
The film highlights the local African
American struggle for justice in Port
land, featuring Bobbi Nunn, a longtime
continued
on page B3
Portland entrepreneur Johnnie Maxey is featured in an oral history project depicting the lives of local activists and civil rights
pioneers.
Local Poet Publishes Book
Tackles issues of
raising young men
J. W. Doncan' s debut tx >ok, “Fatherless Boys
and Mothers On Their O w n”(Author House
Publishers) doesn’t offer solutions from a au
thoritative point o f view, but rather gently
prompts the reader to discuss the issues sur-
rou ndi ng you ng men i n our
society.
J. IV. Doncan and
“ Fatherless Boys” is a
her debut book
collection o f p<K,try, sepa
"Fatherless Boys
rated by topic and followed
and Mothers On
by discussion points and
their Own."
an edu cato r's guide.
Each poem explores issues affecting young
men who grow up without fathers or in
families where the father is noticeably ab
sent. The crux o f the collection illustrates
how society shapes these indi v id u als-tea ch
ing them through culture, media, peers and
their own relations to adopt a tough persona
if they want to act like a man.
“Society labels had behavior as ‘just boys’,”
Doncan said. “This nurtures harmful rela
tionships, telling them they’re not real men
unless they live on the edge o f society.”
Doncan. a Jefferson High School educa
tor. is one o f tw osiblings raised by adivorced
and single mother. She is a single m other
continued
on page B3