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*.