Page A7
Fcbruaiy 13. 2008
B lack H istory M onth
JO E S?
Y ES!
Temporary, Seasonal, Summer and Student
Aide, Technician, and Trainee Jobs in the areas of:
A Pullman railroad porter hat dating from the 1930s is among the historical items from more than
130 individuals as part o f a program called 'Save our African American Treasures.' (AP Photo)
Save Your History, Museum Urges
Treasures have cultural, historical significance
(AP) -- Evelyn Johnson’s father lar events are planned for Atlanta,
has never liked talking about his Los Angeles, New York City and
time in the Army during World War Washington, D.C.
Attendees also were able to meet
II. He was angry that black service­
men like him fought for freedom one-on-one with conservation ex­
overseas only to come home to face perts, similar to the PBS show "An­
tiques Roadshow." However, the
discrimination, she says.
Johnson, however, now has a em phasis was not on financial
window into her father's experiences, worth, but cultural and historical
having recently inherited about 30 significance.
Wearing cotton gloves, the con­
letters he wrote his mother while
stationed in North Africa and Italy. servation experts dispensed advice
Johnson recently learned how on preserving more than I (M) items.
Some of the items included acap
to best preserve the box full of
letters — written in pencil, still worn by a sleeping-car porter work­
folded in their original envelopes ing for the Pullman Co. and a gold-
— at an event organized by the colored pin given to a top sales­
Smithsonian's National Museum of woman by Madam C.J. Walker, a
African American History and Cul­ black entrepreneur who built a for­
ture collaboration with theChicago tune by developing and marketing
Public Library.
hair care and beauty products to
The program was the first in a African-American women in the
Smithsonian seriescalled "Save Our early 1900s.
African American Treasures.” Simi­
"Some people say you can never
MLK: Has the Dream
Become a Nightmare?
be too rich or too thin. I say you can
never have too much tissue paper,"
Mary Ballard, a senior Smithsonian
textiles conservator, said as she
stuffed acid-free paper into the
Pullman cap.
Lonnie Bunch III, the museum's
founding director, said he came up
with the idea for the event while
thinking about how the museum
will build its collection. The mu­
seum, created by an act of Con­
gress in 2003, is to be built on a site
on the National Mall in Washing­
ton, with construction expected to
be completed in 2 0 15.
"I began to think about, 'How do
we identify that wonderful history
that's still in people's homes?' As I
thought about that. I realized that
the history that's there— Grandma's
quilt and Aunt Sarah's shawl — is
continued
• Forestry
• Range
• Biology
• Fire
• Recreation
• Surveying
• Engineering
• Others
Find these jobs at:
www.usajobs.opmlgov OR
www.blm.gov/or/hr/index.php
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Oregon/Washington
Equal Opportunity Employer
on page A9
“ The desperation
came from not being able
to stop gambling
Cosby challenges families, communities
The historic words spoken by
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the
steps of the Washington, D.C. Lin­
coln Memorial in 1963 brilliantly
and eloquently expressed his dream
of love, peace, and justice trans­
forming a suffering world filled with
hate, violence, and in­
justice.
If Dr. King were
alive today he would
see that America has
changed in deep and
profound ways. He
would see that in the
South p eo p le ro u ­
tinely elect black po­
lice chiefs, mayors,
state lawmakers, and
c o n g re ssm e n .
He
would see that overt
bigotry, once consid­
ered the norm, is no
longer tolerated by
mainstream society.
He would watch this
year's political race
and see that a black
man is a serious con­
te n d e r to w in the Dr. Alvin F.
Democratic nomina­
tion for president of the United
States.
Dr. King would also see that
millions of blacks continue to fall
short of the dream.
This point is brilliantly outlined
by one of America's most beloved
cultural icons Bill Cosby and Dr.
Alvin F. Poussaint, professor of
psychiatry at Harvard Medical
School in their book. Come on
People: On the Path from Victims to
Victors.
Cosby and Poussaint stress the
need lor African Americans to never
give up the struggle to eliminate
racism and classisnt in our society.
At the same time people need to
stepupand begin building commu­
nities where 50 percent high-school
drop-out rates, teen pregnancies,
and ignoring their responsibilities
as parents becomes the exception
rather than the rule.
"Dr. King's dream was that his
t
four little children 'will one day live
in a nation where they will not be
judged by the color of their skin but
by the content of their character.'
He was talking about children ad­
vancing to become strong, beauti­
ful people — not abandoned by
their parents," writes
Cosby and Poussaint.
"Not drug addicted,
not irresponsible."
Come on People is
b u ilt around the
them es o f C osby's
popular call-out ses­
sions. in which he has
challenged people in
tow ns and c itie s
across America to re­
claim and restore their
families and commu­
nities.
C osby
and
Poussaint share their
vision for strengthen­
ing America by ad­
dressing the crisis of
people frozen in feel­
ings of low self-es­
Poussaint teem, abandonment,
anger, fearfulness,
sadness, and feelings of being used,
undefended, and unprotected. By
addressing these issues and pro­
viding tools to deal with them,
Cosby and Poussaint helpempower
people to make the daunting transi­
tion from victims to victors.
At times challenging, at times
inspirational, the hook provides
real-life examples of the problems
plaguing communities throughout
America and the time-tested solu­
tions that can help turn things
around.
Suffused with humor and moral
clarity, Come on People challenges
readers to engage in political activ­
ism, take their neighborhoods back,
become purposeful and effective
parents, take care of their physical
and emotional health, encourage
their families toward higher educa­
tion and think entreprcneurially
about employment and economic
advancement.
"I made the call to get some help.
I found people that really understood me
"I was mesmerized.”
7 didn't know that gambling did not affect
everyone the way it affected me. ”
The counselor made me understand that
there was hope and I have not placed a
bet in 6 years. "
Problem Gambling Helpline
1 877 MY LIMIT
Treatment is free, confidential and it works.
Professional counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Log on to 1877MYLIMIT.org for more information or to chat with a counselor on line.
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I
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