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GILLESPIE: Proud of the achievements of her race
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East Oregonian
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at her house. The little girl
answered, matter-of-factly,
that “my momma don’t like
blacks.” A couple of nights
later at dinner, Deletta told
her own mother about the
exchange.
“To this day, I remember
the sound of the knife as it
struck the plate,” Gillespie
said.
Her mother, livid, banned
her daughter’s white playmate
from the house. Three times,
her friend knocked on the
door only to be shooed away
by Deletta’s mother. The third
time, Deletta looked out at her
friend through the screen door
as her mother stood back.
The friends put their palms
together from opposite sides
of the screen until the door
closed.
“That was the last time she
came to my house,” Gillespie
said.
On Monday, Gillespie
relayed the story with a
sadness that has persisted
for more than 50 years. The
Baltimore actress, singer and
college professor spoke in
BMCC’s Bob Clapp Theatre
about “Black Lives Matter: A
Performing Artist’s Perspec-
tive.”
Gillespie grew up in a
musical family. Her father
played the upright bass in
the United States Army
Band and later backed some
of the great West Coast jazz
musicians. Her mother, who
played 18 instruments, started
performing
professionally
at age 13. Music filled their
home, ranging from classical
to jazz, from Three Dog Night
to Waylon Jennings. Gillespie
sang her first solo at church at
age four.
Also an author and play-
wright, Gillespie performed
in the Baltimore Rock Opera
BMCC Arts & Culture Festival
PENDLETON EVENTS
Tues, 9 a.m. - Selena Hutchins, Bosnian War refugee
shares her story loss, survival, and hope
Tues, 1 p.m. - Gwen Trice, “The Logger’s Daughter”
Tues, 7 p.m. - 8:30pm - Eastern Oregon Forum presents
“On With The Show”
Wed, 7 p.m. - Deletta Gillespie, “Songs of Protest,
Songs of Peace”
Thurs, 7 p.m. - Tiffany Midge and Xavier Cavazos at
the Pendleton Art Center
HERMISTON EVENTS
Wed, 10 a.m. - Jennifer Dean-Hill, “Sex trafficking in
Thailand”
Wed, 11 a.m. - Tina Martinez & Dr. Clark Hilden,
“Myanmar: A case study of social isolation and its
effects on a nation”
Thurs, 11 a.m. - Manny Taiblum, stories of surviving
the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II
Thurs, 2 p.m. - Rotary presentation on The Peace
Pole Project with installation of pole at 3 p.m.
For a complete schedule, go to www.bluecc.edu/
community/diversity-at-bmcc/arts-and-culture
Society’s “The Determination
of Azimuth” — the story of
the black women who made
history at NASA with their
achievements. The play
predates the movie “Hidden
Figures,” which tells the same
story. Gillespie also performed
her own one-woman show
called “Panties UP, Dress
DOWN,” a collection of her
mother’s and grandmother’s
homespun advice.
“I grew up with the adage
that you are going to have to
be twice as good to get half as
much,” she said.
Gillespie exudes a cheery
confidence. “If you can’t find
a reason to smile,” she told
the BMCC audience, “you’re
done.”
That said, some historical
events and ongoing societal
attitudes sadden her. The
more than 4,000 lynchings of
black people in this country’s
history. The disproportionate
number of blacks who are
stopped and sometimes
treated unfairly by police.
Historical events such as the
Tulsa Race Riots that fade
from history books because
they don’t put whites in a
positive light.
Few in the BMCC crowd
had heard of the Tulsa Race
Riots, so Gillespie gave a
condensed account. In 1921, a
black man and a white woman
got into the same elevator car.
He stumbled and fell onto her.
The woman claimed impro-
priety and the man became
the target of an armed mob.
By the time things had cooled,
35 blocks of the black part of
Tulsa burned and close to 300
people died.
In more recent history,
the Black Lives Matter
movement emerged on social
media after the acquittal of
George Zimmerman after he
shot a black teenager Trayvon
Martin in 2013. Black Lives
Matter led to “Blue Lives
Matter” and “All Lives
Matter.”
Gillespie said she has
family members in law
enforcement. She agrees that
all lives matter.
“I was taught under the
umbrella of God that people
are all one,” Gillespie said.
“This thing called racism —
this thing called prejudice —
doesn’t make sense.”
According to Gillespie, it’s
simple, really.
“We’re all in this together,”
she said. “We’re all on the
same team.”
Gillespie said she is proud
of the creative and military
achievements of her race.
She ticked off inventions and
innovations by African Amer-
icans, which include traffic
lights, blood transfusions, gas
masks, the first open heart
surgery and even the Super
Soaker.
“My ancestors helped to
build this country,” she said.
As BMCC’s artist in resi-
dence at the festival, Gillespie
will appear several times this
week. At 11 a.m. Tuesday, she
will present “Text Construc-
tion: The Art of Narrative.” At
7 p.m. Wednesday, she will
perform “Songs of Protest,
Songs of Peace.” Both events
take place at the Bob Clapp
Theatre. At the Hermiston
campus, she will present
“Black Lives Matter” at 1 p.m.
Wednesday and “Common
Threads: Similarities in the
Liberation Movement in
Black and Latino Communi-
ties” at noon on Thursday.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
ROBOTICS: Umatilla’s
fourth trip to the championship
Continued from 1A
spread,” she said.
Umatilla did more for
Pendleton than provide an
example for success.
Sipe said Umatilla
helped the Pendleton team
in building their robot and
offered a Tom Denchel
Ford-sponsored truck to
transport both teams’ gear
to Houston.
Julie Smith, the Pend-
leton School District special
programs director and a
coach on the robotics team,
said she and the students
were thankful for Umatil-
la’s help in getting to their
first robotics championship.
Only a few years old,
Pendleton earned the
Houston trip by doing well
in regional competitions
in Ellensburg, Washington
and Clackamas, winning
the “rookie all-star” award
along the way.
After further review,
competition judges decided
to send Pendleton’s Modern
Americans team to the
championship on April 9.
That created a time
crunch to raise funds for
the trip, setting students
and staff into motion.
Smith said the team
ultimately raised $4,000
from Gordon’s Electric,
St. Anthony Hospital, Sno
Road Winery, Cayuse
Technologies and other
local sponsors.
While this is Pendle-
ton’s first trip to the cham-
pionship, it’s Umatilla’s
fourth foray, which isn’t
that unexpected for a team
ranked 21st in the Pacific
Northwest division.
Spending more time in
the game means operating
on a different scale. The
eight-member
Modern
Americans team from
Pendleton will send six
students to Houston while
Umatilla’s Team Confiden-
tial will send 48 out of the
57 members of their team.
With some experience
under their belt, Sipe said
Team Confidential is trying
to learn from how it did
in the competition last
with year with an eye on
winning a prize.
Like many robotics
competitions, the Umatilla
and Pendleton teams will
use their robots to retrieve
objects like balls and place
them in receptacles, which
will factor into their score.
Sipe urged community
members back home to
watch the teams on the
FIRST Robotics Compe-
tition live stream at www.
firstchampionship.org.
Safe Sitter Class
SATURDAY, APRIL 22ND • 9:00 AM - 4:PM • ROOMS 1 & 2
WHO: Potential babysitters grades 6 and above.
•Safety Skills •First Aid and Rescue Skills
•Child Care Skills •Life and Business Skills
Cost: $30 ~ Includes book and lunch
To Register ~ 541-278-2627 or emilysmith@chiwest.com
CHI St. Anthony Hospital
2801 St. Anthony Way,
Pendleton, OR. 97801
Sun Terrace Hermiston
UMATILLA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
ANNUAL MEETING
At Sun Terrace Hermiston we engage in a
philosophy that is centered on Bringing
Independence to Living and Quality to Life
for the residents we serve.
& MEMBERSHIP DINNER
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Hermiston Conference Center
5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Our Annual Meeting theme
“Reaching New Heights” is a recognition of
the milestones reached over the last 80 years
and what we expect in 2017.
As always, attendance is free to UEC members.
We hope you will join us!
Featured Speaker
Bob Welch, of Eugene
a celebrated author,
will highlight Umatilla
Electric’s 2017
Annual Meeting!
Sun Terrace Hermiston offers retirement and
assisted living options with compassionate
care in a professionally managed, carefully
designed retirement community. Our focus on
wellness and enabling residents to remain as
independent as possible provides the perfect
alternative for seniors who can no longer live
on their own.
Whether the search is for a short-term respite
stay or a long-term living option, we invite you
to learn more about our community.
To schedule a tour, call us today at
(541) 564-2595 or visit us on the web at
www.regency-pacific.com.
Sun Terrace Hermiston
1550 NW 11th Street
Hermiston, OR 97838