Portland observer., July 15, 1971, Image 2

Roy W ilkins Report
Negto A m ericans
rightly
insist that government must
make a d efinite, a ffli matlve
move to c o rre c t inequities.
They also demand — ami again
c o rre c tly — that the benefits
of any such move reach down
into the grass i ootspo|iulallon
ami not 1» confined to selected
Individuals at the top. The new
policy on pass laws In South
A fric a affects a ll black |ieople
without exception. It could not
tw any m ore a grass roots reg­
ulation tlian It Is. Ami nothing
could be m o le a ffirm a tiv e oi
widespread than a favorable
change in tlie pass law proce­
d ure.
South Africa lias made a
positive move toward reducing
racial tensions by easing H ie
penalties fo r violations of tlie
demeaning pass laws.
The South African counten­
ance heietofore has been II mty
and unbending. Thousands of
South A frican blacks
w e ie
jailevl to r failu re to show the
proper pass. The punishment
fo r pass law violation was as
s illy as that in our country foi
fa ilu re to pay alim ony. A
jailed man cannot get out to
South A frican cannot produce a
pass.
Adm inistration has an a rtic le on " 1 h e
Consortium” wnich, citizens ot the Albina
Community and black business in Portland
should use as a guidline.
The objective ot tne group is to recruit
highly motivaged and qualified blacks into
rigorous counseling programs in order to
hasten the entry of well-trained blacks
into management positions.
During 1971 a total of 65 fellowships for
programs will be granted.
The true measure of success, however,
lies not just in numbers but in the an­
swers: " Have college graduates accepted
managerial positions in business?" and
"How are these Dlacks performing out
in their field?"
The New York Consortium is proud to
report that 44out of its 51 MBA’s or 86%
are, or soon will be, in management po­
sitions in corporate business. Two grad­
uates have started their own consulting
firm , and one works with an organization
which assists minority persons in begin­
ning and operating small business.
While the kinds of positions which Con­
sortium candidates have accepted are var­
ied, there is a definite trend. The drift
of most is in the direction of financial
analysis, marketing, production manage -
ment, control and information system s,ac­
counting, and banking.
Several reasons are offered for t h i s
trend toward the more acute areas of busi­
ness. Most of the blacks, the group has
met trom the business world are in p er­
sonnel or college relations, urban affairs,
or community relations-tvpe areas. These
blacks generally come from educational
backgrounds which are not business o ri­
ented, and they seem to be in dead-end pos­
itions with little or no chance for up­
ward mobility. As one student puts it,
” It's not easy rapping with a black who’
can only tell another black the titles of
openings and nothing about the d u tie s,re s­
ponsibilities, and potential for growth,even
if you're interested in positions." Or as
another said, " I want to get into the ac­
tion: I want to find out if business real­
ly means equal opportunity."
So the South A frican govern­
ment lias set up bureaus of in­
form ation to which black c it­
izens are sent fo r assistance
In furnishing pass inform ation
ami in locating the missing
pass books. No longer is a
violator sent to ja il.
Any South A frican po­
licem an niay ask for passes
at any tim e , day or night, with
o r without reason. Here at
home a policeman can ask for
one's driving license ami auto­
mobile reg istratio n at the
tim e of a tra ffic violation. But
■
H
N f
M
È
The consensus is that the jobs are chal­
lenging, very meaningful, and educational.
There is plenty of work to do, not enough
time in which to do it. Problems which a-
rise, solutions which sometimes are hard
to come by, compliments, and try -it- again
gestures--a 11 healthy gestures--all healthy
corporate signals. Most important, though
the people feel they have a job to do, and
know they are doing it pretty well.
After being placed the people rem ainclose
to the program. They praise the efforts,
helped to formulate the policies, strength­
en its objectives and stimulate it to make
necessary and important changes. What
had developed is an honest-to-goodness ex­
change of ideas, admiration, and offers of
assistance. A worthwhile group must make
frequent referrals to the program and
tervie^w prospective people. j
A fric a n pul iceman may ask for
passes at any tim e , day o r
night, with or without reason.
Ile i e at home a pul Iceman can
ask fo r one's driving license
ami automobile re g is tra tio n a l
the tune of a tra ffic violation.
But not wlien one is otherwise
attending to his business.
It Is estuiiated that a very
substantial p art of the total
ja il population in South A fric a
consists of those charged with
violations of tlie pass law s. It
rem ains to be seen whether
the Individual South A frican
policeman can reinem bei the
new rule and re fra in from tlie
usual treatm ent of black c iti­
zens.
This alteration Is in line
with the o ffer of coo[ieiatlon
ami friendship to black A frican
states by South A fric a 's P rim e
M in is te r, John V o rs te r. M r .
V o ra te r has said that " fo i Hie
good of A fr ic a ,''A fr ic a n lead­
e rs — black ami white — need
to " fin d ami understand each
o th e r." "W e are p re p a re d ,"
he sakl, " to talk |wjace ami
p ro sperity with a ll the leaders
of A fric a on an equal footing.
Since P rim e M ln ls te rV o i ster
told a crowd of 250,000 per­
sons in Capetown that he was
encouraged, it must 1» as­
sumed that the friend ship pol­
icy has at least tlie cautious
endorsement of a segment of
the white power bloc.
Valedictory Address
(continued from page 1)
Interpretive report
T e n a n t* re o rg a n iz e *
Participants have contributed in other when we w ere satisfied that
all the re c a lc itra n t housing
ways. They have had a tremendous impact authorities but one had im ple­
on schools and the institutions that partici­ mented the amendment, and
Justice Departm ent was
pate by referring individuals to the program. the
suing that one."
They have dispelled faculty tears that Instead of suing HL'IJ or
government agences,
blacks will lower the standards of the N other
T O would p re fe r to work with
school. The attrition of blacks due to poor them , it has done that suc­
on several occasions
academic performance has been no high­ cessfully
notably in 1970 and 1971 when
e r than that of their white counterparts. They a year of negotiation culm i­
have helped form and direct organizations nated last F eb ru ary w the
ent of a nationwide
within the schools to assist small black busi­ establishm
lease and grievance procedure
ness enterprises. Black students have fo r public housing tenants.
procedures specify a
served on committees dealing with pro­ lim The
ite d set of conditions under
blems and concerns of minority students which tenants can be evicted.
re q u ire
a perpetual
helping to raise the level of social a- They
lease instead of a m onth-to-
wareness in schools.
month rental arrangem ent,
they stipulate that no ten­
Portland needs now, more than ever,such and
ant can be evicted without a
a working group to start and continue a pro­ hearing before an im partial
gram to move more blacks intocareers in panel o r o ffic ia l, in accord­
ance with the due process
business. People in the black business clause of the constitution.
On paper, according to Tony
community are the only ones who can
H enry, the policy is an Im port­
adequately counsel and assist in these ef­ ant breakthrough lo r tenants.
forts. Blacks are needed in business But it has also been resisted
housing authorities.
positions. The lack of management skills " by T h e local
position of resisting au­
among minorities must come to an end, th o ritie s ,” said J effrey
artz, "seem s to be that
and the leadership, encouragement and’ Schw
HUD has no rig ht to deny
financial support must come trom busi­ housing authorities the right
to deny tenants th e ir rig h ts .”
ness leaders, minority group leaders, ed­ But
Schwartz also said the re ­
ucators and interested persons.
sistance to the new procedures
L • I » • r
I a th e
• d i t o r
Dear Mr. Henderson;
So far the people that have been worked
with, thought salary was important but not
of prime importance. They felt secure that
their salaries would not be less than those
of their white counterparts. They were,
however, concerned primarily about how
a black would be treated by the rank and
file in the company while they insisted
on getting a reading as to what the at­
titudes of the company were toward t h e
social and economic plight of blacks, they
weren't as interested in past record’s on
equal opportunity as they were in im­
plementation of positive action programs
of correction.
ROY WILKINS
liven If it is on the survival
tarais of "fia u g -lo g e th e r-u i-
w e 'll-a ll-h a n g -s e p a ra te ly ."
tlie South
A fric a n govern­
m ent's
altered stance on
blacks w arrants m o s tc a ie fu l
consideration. I he president
of the Iv o ry Coast has said
that talks could I » a step to­
ward changing South A fric a 's
separatist ra c ia l policy. For
tlie tune le mg, that may la
o p tim istic.
Ilo w e v e i, a black po|iulatIon
as tightly le s trlcto d as is that
In South A fric a , with a ll the
govo i nment m achinery as well
as
the
government
guns
arra y ed against It, must w el­
come any lessening of the
bonds. I he black posture, phy-
slcal ami psychological. Is
such that the only way one can
go is up.
M r . V o rs te r's moves ami
tlie tentative reaction of some
of the black A frican states but
sliaiqwn
tlie conviction of
tlmughtlul Negro A m ericans
that the preachers of racial
separatism in thiscountry are
offering a gold brick solution
to a tough problem .
The tortuous way out of an
im m ensely
com plicated ami
Intel twlnml race situation in
A m erica is lntegiatlon "o n a n
equal footing," in tlie V o rs te r
language. Ills "w e are of A f r i­
c a " applies here to black and
white Am ericans, " w e a te of
A m e ric a ."
Thank you fo r including me
on your m ailing lis t of the
"P o rtlan d O b s e rve r.” I have
read each copy with interest.
You have an outstanding paper
that w ill provide the commun­
ity a valuable service.
1 would like to c la rify one
m in or point concerning
a rtic le in the June 10 edition
on moving the " C ra b tre e ”
from Brookings to Portland.
The " A r m y " unit that helped
you was the 3670th Heavy
Equipment Maintenance Com­
pany, Oregon A rm y National
G uard.
We congratulate you on your
fine publication and wish you
continued success.
Sincerely yours,
Claude W . Blehn
L T C . GS, OreARNG
C h ief, O &T Division
(continued from page 1)
if he was one of the then-fav-
ored "blue e y e s ," said:
" I don't know. I have biown
eyes.”
When in !tK: movie a reaJ
fight between boys was related
->ne of the w hiteyuun/
.
about tlie " in fe r io r " boy who
started the fight: " I would have
done the same thing."
I he Seabeck sessions, with
two more one-week groups
scheduled under federal funding
through the Model C itie s pro­
gram here, is not all work and
play-acting on racial m a tters .
I lie students hike, swim and
boat together, dig into a salmon
bake on tlie beach, keep the
counselors counting heads, and
solve group problems.
(continued from page 1)
Office #1 (Woodlawn; of
the
Portland Development Com­
m ission.
M iss Strickland is an ac-
com pllshed m islclan on the
piano ad organ. She Is a
vocalist and choir director
a s well as composing and ar­
ranging m usic. Miss Strick­
land has given concerts In
Washington, California
and
Oregon.
M is Strickland Is a steno-
supervlsor for the Neighbor-
When asked how she likes
her new Job with PDC, Miss
Strickland said she Is very
enthused about the opportunity
to work In the community.
Such
determ ination.
cording to N T O staffers,
the key to the success of the
tenants movement. "W e have
not been and we w ill not be­
come, an organization from
the top dow n,"
explained
Schw artz,
" o u r purpose is
to assist and advise our local
a ffilia te s . They are the heart
of the m o vem en t." He sakl
a ffilia te s in 40 states, and the
number has increased steadily
since 1969.
A t the present tim e, N TO
is assisting with dozens of
local struggles. Some ex­
amples:
by Richard W ilson
great plans w e ie afoot
States had a m ission and could'
for tlie leav test bombing oper­
Washington, [ ) £ . — Maybe
c a rr y it out foi the hsttarmant
ation Hie D ,5 , e v e r undertook.
the adm inistration did not leak
of world peace aixl security.
And in that year It was B a rry
uut the Pentagon's 2 3 m illio n
Some who doubted the wisdom
G oldw ater who was p illo ried
word, 40-volum e rejio rt on tlie
of tlie excalallon, t ill agieed
lo r being trig g e r happyl
Incidence of the Vietnam w ar
with Hie objectives, could see
no alternative to supporting
I here Is enough blame logo
tu t It Is a windfall tor P r e s i­
all the way around. Nixon as
dent Nixon Just the same.
the adventure once II had
a p rivate c itize n aixl public
begun.
I he report in a II its massive
man supported tlie w a r. John­
detail shows as nothing else
1 lie N ix o n W hue H o u s e says
son changed his mind about the
could how tlie Kennedy-John­
It serves no Constructive p ur-
bombing, fin a lly brought esca­
(lose lu arouse anew (lie b itte r­
son adm inistrations took over
lation to a halt .iixl tiegan to
the lim ita l-n s k c o m m itm e n ts
ness and recrim ination s bound
entertain ideas fo r a w ind-
of theE Isenhvwer ad m in istra­
to How from Hie Penagon's
down aixl w ithdraw al advanced
tion in Southeast Asia and
s e lf-a n a ly s is. But m a y !» It
by C la rk C liffo rd .
made them into a la rg e -s c a le
w ill it it .aily siighllychastens
Johnson w ill have his own
high-casualty w ar whlchNIxon
tliu.se who now make Nixon's
In C a lifo rn ia and other
story to tell in his m em oirs
Is liquidating.
states, tenants organizations
way uut ot Hie w a r m ore d iffi­
soon to Iw published but it Is
In this respect the Vietnam
cult by accusing him of the Je-
has dispatched a staffer named
not lik e ly to a lte r the record
w ar-w ind down Is I ike the K o r­
cepton tliey so fre e ly a ttr i­
Chamtnuaka to Chicago to ad­
of cuvet t, clandestine arxl (u i-
bute to Johnson.
ean w ar, a conflict undertaken
vise and assist the local lead­
a lly deceptive advancement
I lie contrast is sharp and
in a D em o cratic a d m in is tra ­
e rs during the dispute.
into a m a jo r w ar which tlie
c le a r . Nixon is gel ting out of
tion
and
brought
to
an
end
In
T h ere are dozens of other
Pentagon its e lf has w ritte n .
Hie wai (list Johnson got into,
a R eju b llcan adm inistration .
rent strikes and disputes now
W here w ere the D em o cratic
arxl Hie record shows it.
It is somewhat Iro n ic , but a
under way, but these are typ­
p residential candidates during
tribute to the New York T im es
ic a l. " W e have been able to
the great deception? Harold
news
Judgment
and
entei
p
ris
e
,
help significantly In some
that It should have obtained ami
Hughes was governor of Iowa
c a s es ," concluded Schw artz.
published
such devastating
--s a y in g nothing. Edmund S.
" A t ocher tim es, we have been
documentation. The Tim oshas
Muekle was in tbs
lto —
ways have to have a specific
not adm ired the way Nixon
aaying nothing hot now r e -
issue to get anything Jone,
has .eon getting out of the w ar
m em hei tng that hehaddoubts.
because Just talking about the
tu t by Its own standards It has
Hubert H , Humphrey was vice
problem as a whole won't do
even less reason to ad m ire
president and saying plenty—
I The C IT Y i T Pi R IR A N I i Is
it. But there are other issues
the wav P resid ent Johnson's
«¡1 of It in support of P r e s i­
Involved now, and we have
■MW
le c iu itln g male and le -
Kennedy-Johnson
escalation
dent Johnson's policy in A sia.
I m ale < u s tu lia l w m k e i s. App-
withheld m o re than a m illio n
seems p a rtic u la rly absurd.
N o r a re Columnists who
I lu allons can be obtained ai
d o lla rs in ren t. It we keep It
The college dem onstrators
thought A m erica cou ldd ow litt
Hie Portland C iv il Service O t-
up we w ill w in ." Rone said
and th e ir p ro fe s o rU l men­
it put its mind to do exempt
lic e , I I I B,W . lili, i in. MIO,
N T O has provided advice and
to r •, can’ t be convinced that
from blam e.
I hey suffeied,
by many housing authorities
I P <n m ore inform ation
all
backing throughout the course
this is anything else but a
too, fro m tlie W orld W ar II
has sparked " a very good
I 220-0141 ex. 150.
of the strik e .
sneaky Nixon version of M c ­
m entality
that the United
and very strong cou nter-effo rt
In Chicago,
tenants are
N a m a ra 's w a r, lu t m ore ma­
by tenants."
demanding
participation in ture elem ents w ill ce rta in ly
"T h e
w orst
thing that
public housing policy-m aking. be able to see tlie d ifference.
could
have happened," he
(One N TO goal, according to P rotests which might have
continued, "would have been
K ip Leonard, a VISTA volun­
been valid at the e n l of H e
•Body and Fender Repair
fo r the new procedures to have
teer who has worked with N T O , Johnson adm inistration or at
•M ost reasonable shop in town
been m et with Indifference.
is to re s tru c tu re housing au­
the D em o cratic National Con­
But there has been almost none
tho rities so that 51 per cent vention have lost any sem­
287-8 5 79
2609 N. Vancouver Ave.
of that. The procedures have
of th e ir mem berships are blance of a rational basis.
Portland, Ore.
been implemented in many
composed of tenants.)
I he
Nixon keeps saying that to
places. They have been re­
Chicago
tenants
are now end a w a r is easy but he Is
sisted in many places. And
wedding considerable lev­ find mg it hard as t e ll. It |s
where there has been Im ple­
erage because they have man­ hard to lose the illusions that
mentation o r resistance there
aged to block m illio ns of dol­
lod Johnson, M cN am ara and
has been a g re a te r determ in­
la rs in federal modernization fo rm e r S e c reta ry of Defense
ation on the p art of tenants
funds that the city needs.NTO M c N a m a ra ,
Gen.
M axw ell
to acquire th e ir rights
are drawing up tenants’ legis­
T a y lo r, et a l, got Into the w a r.
lative packages to r state as­
In view of the record as It
sem blies, and N T O Is attemp­
Is now so painstaking being set
ting to keep each group In­
forth it is hard to Imagine how
formed about what others are
the D em o cratic presidential
doing. In seeking to Increase
candidates, who
w ere right
such communication, N TO re ­
here on the scene but did not
lie s on specially prepared
make known any opposition to
c irc u la rs , a monthly new letter
Die w ar ui its incidence,could
called "T enan ts
(ju tlo o k ,"
make any c re d ib le Issue on tlie
phone c a lls , and personal v i­
way Nixon Is trying to end
sits by N TO s taffers.
tlie mess on at least a half­
way constructive basts.
Jesse G ray, who, along with
T o re la te tlie Cambodian anti
Tony Henry and the A m erican
Laos diversions in the pro­
F riend s Service C om m ittee,
cess of w ithdrawal with tlie
founded N T O In 1969, sakl die
organization's struggle w ill
T a y lo r into com m itm ents they
be "lo ng and extre m e ly d if­
could not f u lfill.
And it is
f ic u lt." He points out that NTO
even h arder to em erge fro m
w ill continue to face severe
this darkness of d isillusio n ­
problem s, but he also says he
ment into the light of a w ell
Is encrxiraged by die gains that
entlerl w ar with concepts of
have been made - the legal
honor and good purpose In­
tact
prereq uisite to progress such
as the Brooke Amendment and
If we survive this one with­
the new lease and grievance
out shattered s e lf-re s p e c t. It
procedure.
And so he con-
w ill not 1« due to the fo re -
'I think we can do
bea rance now of those who re ­
mained silent when, in advance
> *.
of t,ie prosklential election of
Custodial
W o rk e r
Carlos
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