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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 1973)
Observer’s Periscope Po rtlani.1/Observer Section II Supplement T h u rsd ay , F e b ru ary 15, 1973 The O b s e rv a tio n POST Because human blackness has been ao heartlessly tram pled upon and abused for such a long time by so many selfish people, many Black people believe that they are inferior merely because they are Bluck. The Black Power Movement, with all its (le rivatives, is an attempt to restore Blackness to its pro per place among the basic human colors which God Himself has made. Black people who have been brain washed into looking pitifully upon themselves merely be cause they are Black, now have an opportunity to look theologically upon themselves and recognize that Black is Beautiful /A recent study has been made of Alabamans hiring practices over the past five years since school integration started in the South. It reveals that Black principals were over half that state's total in !$*♦»♦» but are now down to one in three, and if the present trend of dcmol mg them continues they will soon be non existent. The percentage of Black athletic coaches has been cut in half during the past three years. The percentage of Black teachers fell 5.8 per cent in the years since 19»>t> while that of w hites rose -1.5. There is evidence that this pattern is becoming prevalent all over the South. Do we want this kind of integration ohm i nation? Preserving And Extending Our Black Institutions We must not be deceived by the hypocritical Integra tion moves which are so prevalent today. Black insti tutions are absolutely neces vary for our growth and development, because they provide the special programs which are designed to meet our needs. We must continue to provide special programs for ourselves if we intend to prepare our children and young people for com|ietiiion in today's society. As long us the masses of our people are excluded from the bone fils of socalled progressive legislation we will need Black institutions to promote their cause and look after their needs. It is extrem ely important that we deliberatively pre serve the identity of our institutions. W e desperately need centers of Black culture and Black history, and these centers must be fully con trolled by our leadership. In many instances, current inte grution moves have resulted in closing our institutions ami thereby commiting our chil dren and young people to the mentulily and practices of white leaders who are not very concerned about their normal growth and develop ment, or with their eagerness to learn more about th f Black past. All of our existing Black institutions come into being under the system of segrega tion and were for the purpose of denying our people equal opportunities a n d e q u a l rights. Today these institu lions are symbol* of cultural identity and represent our determination to grow and develop our own terms. Whenever an integration move is designed to eliminate a Black institution we must be certain that it is not an attack upon our healthy growing Black consciousness. If integration does not foster Black com m unity consciousness ami develop ment among us and in the interest of the Black masses, it should be resisted. Any move to phase out our insti tutions could tie more of a move lowaril culture gen ocide against our people than of a move toward iiencficienl integration of Black people. So be on lhe alert to delerm ine whether Black in s titu lions are being closed in order to reduce Black louder ship and Black power. If this is the rase, it sould tie resisted with all of our strength. Curtis Mayfield brings Getting Itid DI t he Minority Mentality And Attitude his music to Portland The definition which has been imposed upon Black people who are in the numer ical minority in our country has affected them psycholog ically and altitudinallv. To many people. Black included, minority means weak, p o w e r l e s s , insignificant, loser, unimportant. This is the m eaning which the numerical majority people have imposed upon the the num erical m in o rity Black people* must not accept this definition of our numerical status, and our numerical status must not continually be the reason for our disad vanlaged condition. We must define for ourselves what we mean by minority when it is used in reference to us. We must make a deliberate attempt to rid ourselves of the minority mentality which has been forced upon us by the practices and policies of the m ajority group. How shall we do this? Here Is llow To Start! We must emancipate our selves from the minority complex which has been carefully instilled in our Black communities. We don't have to be weak and powerless and allow ourselves to be pushed around by the inhumane system s and in s titu tio n s which co n tro l our to tal "Songs of inspiration" are Curtis had formei his own soul group. go bark to his early years as called "The Boosters" in the That giant success of “Lilies" May- field did not compose another what Curtis Mayfield calls his music. The roots of the songs group, after being movie score “Superfly." until he did a boy in Chicago where his beginning, joined forces with grandmother was a practicing Je rry preacher and w h e r e his mother loved poetry and used known as "The Impressions." In 1958, 150,000 copies of it to read aloud the words of their first smash hit. “F or u np recedented the Black poet. Haul laiw r Your Precious Love." were sold in two weeks. Today it Mayfield has been nominated remains a classic in its genre. his “Superfly" score. ence Dunbar. By the time he was ten or eleven, he was w riting Butler Mayfield and wrote became another "Superfly" took the coun try by storm. Running at the Alameda Theatre, in Portland was held over for an 10 w eeks, for an Academy Award for This Saturday night, Curtis his smash hit when he did the Mayfield own poetry. And it was only a short step from poetry to score for "Lilies of the Field" concert at Paramount North and “Amen" hit the record charts. Itut in spite of the west. Tickets are on sale at music. By the lim e he was 14, community. If we would carefully anil deliberately develop our Black collective power and cease trying to impress people by becoming individually powerful. our work would not be in vain and would produce the kind of community power which would be recognized by the majority group. What we need is more to g e th e rn ess among our selves. Not the more fortunate dominating the unfortunate, or the educated dominating the uneducated, or male dominating the female or the female dominating the male; but all of us getting together for the benefit of strengthen ing and developing the Black community. Not m e r e l y preaching and talking about love and togetherness, but actually practicing it. can be seen in the usual outlets. I he Oregon Black Caucus will meet to elect officers on Sunday, February INtb. Tbe meeting will be held at tbe Elks lx>dge. M V TMaauook at 6:00 p.a*.
