Portland Advocate_1981-08

page4 EBONY EXCELLENCE LANITA A. DUKE A native Portlander, Ms. Duke shared her early childhood ex– eriences with.her Fosterparents, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Buckley. he attended Portland public schools, but had a very difficult ime attempting to understand an environment that could not serve in her best interest. Nevertheless, Ms. Duke completed her high school education by attending Portland Community College. It was determined she was too mature for the traditional high school set– ting. Ms. Duke is frequently heard on radio stations, KBOO-FM and KOAP-FM, reporting for and representing Grassroots News, N.W. In addition, she contributes articles to both The Portland Observer and The Advocate. Her career in broadcast and print journalism began at the age of ~9, when she served as a newscaster on a local radio station. Shortly thereafter, she served as a newscaster a second time, and later s~ized the opportunity to interview the pre– mier Black classic musical percussionist, Max Roach. An extraordinary accomplishment for a 22 year old, Ms. Duke's creation of Grassroots News, N.W. has been designed to indepen– dently report events using the print and electronic media. The news source covers Black and other unrepresented communities in Oregon and Washington, because according to Ms. Duke, "someone has to tell a consistent story about our people who otherwise would go unnoticed." Grassroots News, N.W. is being supported by various segments of the Black community. The proud parent of her 7 year-old daughter, Nia, Ms. Duke rea– lizes while her child grows she _ too, has a lot more to do and a long way to go, pursuing the challenges of her chosen profession. The Enduring BlackWoman by B.M.Priestley A Brief Biography A resident of Portland, Ore– gon for 37 years, MRS. VESIA D. LOVING is a native of Warren, Arkansas. She also has two brothers and a sister who reside in the City of Portland. A moth– er of four children, and as al– ways, a proud grandmother of three children, Mrs. Loving has surrounded herself with children throughout her adult life. Presently, Mrs. Loving serves as an Instructional Aide at Boise School where she has been employed for 13 years. During the 1981-82 school year, her work will begin with 7th and 8th graders, but she has worked with students at every grade level except 1st, 2nd, and 3rd over the years. Mrs. Loving is only nine credits away from be– coming a certified teacher, at which time she will have earned her B.A. in elementary education at Portland State University. Among her civic and religious activities, Mrs. Loving attends the Vancouver Avenue Baptist Church where she has been a Mem– ber for 30 years, and for the past few years, a Member of the church's Gospel Choir. Often, quoted by the local media, Mrs. Loving has been a Member of the Boise Neighborhood Association for 13 years, a Principal Advi– sory Board Member for Boise, played an active part in the citizen participation process during the Model Cities days, a Member of the Community Coalition for School Integration, and an original mainstay of Portland's Black United Front since the organization's inception. PA: Your commitment to education is evident, but what led to your active community involvement and sometimes controversial stances here in Portland? M~s. Loving: A lot of people will not believe it, but when I was seventeen years old I had a "vision, "dream" to do certain things. There was a pressing de– mand to start doing something. My "call" was to go back to school, not necessarily to teach children, but to open doors that had been closed to my people. PA: How have you been able to survive in a system you fre- ~------------------------------------------------------------------------~quently critize? ~rs. Loving: I had a job to do, and felt I would win. When they --------------------------------------------------------------------------know you are right, others begin to join. The truth had been spo- PAINTING AND REMODEUNG Michael H. Mitchell 3622 NE 12th (503) 249-5093 PORTLAND, OREGON 97211 ken, and when research was done, namely by the Community Coali– tion for School Integration, those issues were verified show– ing that what I talked about was true. In the long run, the truth is the key to maintaining. (Continued on Page 5)