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]