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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1971)
Commentary Patrick Grant Third world Black Power t)n April 6. urn, tne national television station carrying First Tuesday, did a special on Black Power in the West Indies. In this fifteen minute segment, it was shown that the West Indies. Jamaica in particular, was still a good place for tourists to visit and look at and mix with the natives.” It stated that Black Power was nothing but the delusion of a few misguided Blacks and an unknown artist with a bucket of red paint to waste. This was the image of Black Power on the Islands and all the revolution that was taking place. This is the kind of information that White America is exposed to in regards to the true picture of the Black world or the outside world in total for that matter It is also the same kind of misin formation that Blacks right here in the I'nited States are exposed to in regards to their own place in the building of this nation. White history You attend a history class and you are lold about the Great George Washington but nothing about his white troops deserting him and forcing him to use Black soldiers to win this country from the British with nothing but continuous slavery as their reward We read about Jefferson and Patrick Henry wanting to fight and die for liberty and justice but we are not told that they were slave owners. You glorify and romanticize such heroes as Patton, John Paul Jones, Lincoln, Brant, Lee. Sheraton, Custer, Sherman and others, and all were responsible directly or indirectly for the killing, destroying, and misplacement of thousands of people. What heroes! Black heroes such as Bill Pickett, Nat Turner, Malcolm, Stokely and others are either conveniently left out or treated in such a manner as to appear to be traitors to the Black masses for advocating Black independence and awareness of self and in this way, their greatness, if not truly represented to Americans, will be lost West Indians like Blacks in the United States, Africa and peoples in the third world in general, are fighting every day in one form or another to throw off the yoke of colonistn, racism, and oppression The Islands are very much intuned with what is happening throughout the world l.ast year in Trinidad, some brave young men, officers, soldiers, and civilians placed their lives, careers, and a chance to support the status quo in danger by ex posing the truth of British. Canadian and C S control over the islands It was fitting too that the local Afro-Saxon politicians were severely censored for their collaboration in the game It is our conviction mat the misin formation offered in the documentary April 6th was an effort, perhaps supported by interested parties in the West Indies, to mystify Americans as to what is hap^ pening in the Caribbean and more im portant, to obscure from the consciousness of Black America the fact that other third world countries are at one with them in their historic struggle for freedom We consider it apt to include below exerpts from speeches made by two young army lieutenants who were charged with mutiny during the rebellion last year in Trinidad They reflect the awareness that in the third world self-determination can only be won by effective political and economic control over their resources Further, that it is magnanimous to stick to convictions which are cherished within this context. When the term Black Power is used, one is referring to the righteousness of having political and economic power in the hands of the in digeneous population rather than con troled by expatriates 1 am a revolutionary "Mr President, when the authorities refer to me as a revolutionary, they flatter me A revolutionary is the highest form of the human species a revolutionary is higher than man, and yet a most humble being Feu, men in history have achieved this status A revolutionary seeks change for the better he goes all out to achieve this change, regardless of the threat of death Among the earliest revolutionaries was Jesus Christ, and what a change he brought about Many have followed Mahatma Gandhi in India, Malcolm X in the USA and Che Guevara in Latin America So you see why they flatter me w hen they refer to me as a revolutionary Maybe I’m more anadverturer only of a different sort one of those who would risk their lives to prove what they believe On the morning of April 21st, 1970, 1 risked my life, and even today as I stand here before you, Cm risking my life In my way of life, death is a logical possibility l.et me die like a man “Members of the Court, if I die now, then I die in glory I die with the confidence that many have heard my cries and will stand up and defy repression You may condemn me, but my people have already absolved me You may take away my liberty, but the masses of this country have already set me free Just as I stood by my soldiers on April 21st, I stand by them now I was prepared to die then and even now I am prepared to die for them I have my convictions and I stand by them (Jiange in the Army is inevitable, and no amount of cocktail parties or cheap decorations can stop that I stand before you proud of my actions, my bid to bring about that change, and my bid to give the people of this country a true army 1 tried to be a man, and for this crime 1 was imprisoned Mr President. Members of this honourable Court, if I cannot live like a man, then let me die like one “ Brother Shah Willing In die The people of this country know that l am committed to this country They know that I am willing to die for it at anytime They also know that the members of the army hierarchy are committed to nothing except their personal interest and safety, exemplified by sitting still and hoping for the best 'The people of this country want to bury the images of colonialism anywhere they see it and they s«*e it that Regiment with its Queen's colours. Honorary Colonel and white suits “And it the division goes the army hierarchy way, and l doubt if you can consider this because when you consider the actions of the army hierarchy, then you will be saying, long live colonialism you would be saying, long live slavery You would be saying, long live officers who give no leadership You would In* saving long live cowardice You would In* telling the people of this nation to be proud of such men. "Whatever your decision may be I ask you not to perpetuate the suffering of the poor soldiers here charged with me l.et mo die for them That sacrifice I am willing to make I was willing to make it on April 21st ami today I stand even more readily to do th.it I am convinced that my action was right and anything you decide can never change that l am proud of all my actions I stand by them “Mr President, member*, I have come to terms with my existence and l want to get the fullest meaning out of it If your decision is death, let me he shot by Brigadier Serrette on the same spot where Hive Bailey was murdered, and let my ntooa souk into the sou ot this country, till my body could give no more Then cremate my body and give some of my ashes to my parents, of the remainder, throw some on the hills overlooking Belmont where I was horn llirow some in the Caribbean sea for the unity which I believe we share with them having lieen colonised TTirow some on the Canges where such a large part of this nation comes from for the bond that I have with them and this country and finally, from the river that leads from liberated Africa into racist Africa, throw some to that liberation would lie achieved by the people* of that police state some day let my death have some meaning. Mr President If it is to l>e. so " Brother Hex l-assailc Patrick tirunt 1-0 H Thompson Letter Alhlrllr Department Last year you. the associated students of lho university, budgeted $221,045 to the Oregon Athletic Department This year they will ask for an increase (mainly since the tuition rose' I feel that a great many students do benefit from participation but more from spectating the output of the A I) However many others are paying their share, almost $15 a year, in incidental foes to something which they hove no inter«,st in and secure no advantage from The solution I see as a realistic alter native is the purchasing of your athletic cards Many west coast schools do this, the cost ranging from $12 to $15 Numerous schools sell their Athletic Cards and give their A D supplementary funds The cards could lx- sold to students and we could fund the A I) some money possibly up to $100,000 as a trust until it is found out how many students Ixiiighf the cards Say as the A I) believes, 7,list buy cards al $15 each, that makes IIOH IXXI plus maybe $100,000 totalling $20*1,000 almost the level of last years funding You students in the past paid 22 |ier cent of the A !> 's over millnai dollar total expense It could take a cut because its income is a fluid thing that can t>e In creased by more |hiI>Iic relations The money saved could lie either rerouted to ASUO programs and ecuattonal activities or preferably go as a general tuition decrease I \xould appreciate any reactions here in the Kmerald Also the A I) will tie coming before the Senate Fiscal Committee next Monday. April 2fi. m Hoorn 101 KMU fnim 2 to 5 and 7 until we re finished This is a public hearing and any wishing to express an opinion or offer questions are welcome .Mike Marsh A M t'.O Senator Alan Maltun We must learn about Red China Man Maltun is a freshman majoring in journalism. It is difficult to believe that an aspiring journalist could produce an article so lacking in logic, and narrow in per spective Tome Nathan's commentary of April 16. mi U S relations with China is just that It must be pointed out that this is 1971. not 1948. and policies, as well as jour nalists. should keep up with the times Continuing the policy of ignoring China *ould be even more damaging today than it has been over the past 23 years The fact ’hat there is so "little factual information coming out of China.” is another very mportant reason for efforts to make closer contact with China, especially from the journalists standpoint With the •pening of the "Bamboo Curtain,” to American newsmen, the opportunities for more accurate reportage are greatly Oregon Daily Emerak enhanced We will no longer have lo depend on the Chinese press itself for much of our information, which we used to receive second hand through Hong Kong Barbarians The charge has been made that the ('hmese leaders are barbarians the country has no respect for individual rights and that therefore the US no* endeavor to encourage friendly relations with her Are we as Americans so self righteous and moral that we are in a position to judge China or any other country on so pious a level” Consider Vietnam where tn the name of democracy" we have killed hundreds of thousands of people who for the most part did not know what the word means, but found that bombs and bullets know no politics Has not the V S government supported < Inang Kai shek who has always ruled with an iron fist and only over the small island of Taiwan'’ The leaders of mainland t'hina speak for HU) million people almost one third of the world population Whether we as Americans feel the Chinese people are fairly represented or not does not eliminate (he reality that Ked China, and not Taiwan is a major world power When one takes an objective look at China today, it cannot tie denied that a certain amount of progress has been made under it s •barbarous ' leadership There la no longer masa starvation as there was when our ally Chiang Kai-shek ruled mainland China Nor do thousands of prostitutes crowd the streets at Shanghai as they did when Chiang Kai ahrk was in power There is not nothing to lose and much to gam by increased contact with Cum murnst China The American businessman has rurely Iwn known to get thr ptsirrr part of thr drill in hi* foreign financial endeavors An opportunity to licttcr our knowledge of thr Chinese culture i» al*o at hand JoumallMt*' and our government's ability to analyze Chinese politic* and thr meaning of their rhetoric can tie greatly improved I’racr coming The m<Mt important and sigmfleant aspect of cliner relation* with Chain* I* a new prospect for prate which may hopefully in thr not too distant future be (tie end result When you realize how many times in thr last few years wr have conir to thr brink of nuclear disaster. It should be obvious that an opportunity such as is now tiring presented, cannot be passed up The stage is set tor thr tS7t)'*i, prate and humanity; they are thr only games in town Pag# I]
