Page 2
P o rtla n d /O b a e rv e r
Thursday, F eb ru ary 22, 1973
Äs I See It
The
Editor**
Desk
Black Educational Center Bookstore:
A community asset
*
ALFRED LEE HBbNRSDN
$
by Lenwood O . D a vis
tJ M ,
BOOKER T, WASHINGTON-
l m j t / < THEANSWER-
r w r aa> íl . p o _
fcWT/J
K .
'WHITE ACCOMODAI vH -
econom e inpepenpence
FOR THE BLACK C0HHUNITV M L C O L N X - T H E M A N ,
THE DEBATE DOE SON.
THE PROPHET, THE
REVOLUTIONARY,THE
MARTYR.
P R U E M U M IS '
FOUNDER
BLACK RECONSTRUCTION.
WE SEE T H E W O RLD
T H R O U G H B LA C K EYES.
Who is to blame?
The State o f O re g o n 's m in o rity e m p lo y m e n t
p ictu re is n e a rly as bad in 1973 as it w as w h e n
the e xclu sion o f Blacks w a s s till th e la w .
We
have had Fair E m p lo ym e n t Practice Laws fo r 20
years a n d w e h a ve had an a ffirm a tiv e a ction
a g re e m e n t fo r a year.
But w e can see little
progress in state c iv il se rvice or a p p o in tiv e
positions.
A cco rd in g to th e m ost re ce n t a v a ila b le statistics,
Blacks m ake up 00.85 p e r cent o f th e state c iv il
service w o rk fo rc e . That is .85 per ce nt -- less
th an o ne per cent. These a re listed as: 10 o ffic ia ls
a nd m an ag ers (o u t o f 1095); 45 p ro fe ssio n a ls (o u t
o f 5,251); 10 te ch n ic ia n s (o u t o f 1163); 2 sales
w o rke rs (o u t o f 315); 48 o ffic e /c le ric a l (o u t o f
4882); 2 craftsm e n (o u t o f 464); 2 o p e ra tiv e s (o u t
o f 1937); 39 se rvice w o rke rs (o u t o f 3147) — a
to ta l o f 158 Black e m p lo y e e s o u t o f a to ta l o f
18,375 state e m p lo ye e s.
W ith th e Black u n e m p lo y m e n t ra te (w h ic h
in clu d e s o n ly those persons re g is te re d w ith the
E m p lo ym e n t D iv is io n ) tw ic e th a t o f w h ite s — w e
ca n n o t b e lie v e th a t the State o f O reg on has m ade
an honest, d ilig e n t search fo r Black e m p lo y e e s
a n d co m e up e m p ty h an d e d .
The o th e r m in o ritie s h ave th e fo llo w in g p e r
ce nta ge s o f state jobs:
O rie n ta l -- 00.57;
In d ia n -
00.58; chicanos -
00.71; fo r a to ta l
m in o rity e m p lo y m e n t, in c lu d in g Blacks, o f 02.71,
or 503 jobs o u t o f 18,375.
This is a p o o r reco rd fo r a state th a t prides itself
on its p ro gressive th in k in g ,
i t s
e d u c a tio n a l
a c h ie v e m e n ts a n d its re p u ta tio n o f p o litic a l in
n o v a tio n .
O re g o n , one o f th e lea de rs in C iv il
Rights le g is la tio n , is fa r b e h in d in p u ttin g its
stated p h ilo s o p h y a nd
its la w
in to p ra ctice.
O re g o n 's lib e ra l im a g e is ta rn is h e d a n d no lo n g e r
h id es its "S o u th e rn e x p o s u re ."
The ske le to ns in
the closet still c o n tro l th e th o u g h ts a n d a ction s o f
o u r leaders.
But if the heads o f a g e n c ie s a re re lu c ta n t to
h ire Blacks, w h o is to b la m e ?
W h e re do the
a g e n cy heads lo o k fo r le a d e rs h ip in a ffirm a tiv e
a ctio n ?
To th e G o ve rn o r?
To the e le cte d
o ffic ia ls ?
W e have n ot seen a Black in th e G o v e rn o r's
o ffic e . W e h ave n ot seen Blacks in th e o ffic e s o f
th e Secretary o f State, th e State Treasurer or the
A tto rn e y G e n e ra l.
Social ch a n g e sh ou ld b e g in a t th e to p a nd
co m e d o w n as a d ire c tiv e su p p o rte d by e x a m p le .
If the citizen s d o not see th is e x a m p le o f justice
a nd fairness g iv e n by th e ir lea de rs, h o w can th ey
be b la m e d fo r a tte m p tin g to o v e rth ro w the
le a d e rs -- or th e system th a t supports th em .
MEMBER
IM
Oregon
Newspaper
Publishers
Association
M EM BER
Attociation - Founded 1885
T H E N O R T H W E S T S BEST W E E K L Y
A BLACK O W N E D N E W S P A P E R
A L F R E D L E E HENDERSON, P u b lis h e r/E d lto r
ublisbed every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201
I. Killingsw orth, P ortland, Oregon 97217. M ailin g address,
¿ O . Box 3137, Portland, Oregon 97208
ubscriptions $5.25 p e r y e a r - T ri-C o u n ty are a , $6 .00 per year
Outside Portland,
elephone, 283-2486.
application to m ail
at second class postage rates is pending
it Po rtland , Oregon.
The O bserver's o fficial position is expressed only in its
P u b lis h er’ s Column (The o bservation Post) and the E d ito r’ s
D esk. Any other m a te ria l throughout the paper is the opinion
of the Individual w r ite r o r sub m itter and does not necessarily
reflect the opinion of the o b s e rv e r.
Any erroneous reflection upon the c h a ra cte r, standing or
reputation of person, firm o r corporation, which may appear in
the Portland o b s e rv e r w ill be ch eerfu lly corrected uponbeing
brought to the attention of the E d ito r.
y 4,
. < 4
DR.MARTIN LUTHER KING
* HE DID NOT EMBRACE N O N '
VIOLENCE OUT O F FEAR OR
________
COWARDICE.HE CHALLENGED
MARCUSGARVEY-
,
INJUSTICE WITHOUT A GUN." BLACK NATIONALISM.^ RACE
WITHOUT A U T H O R IT Y AND
POWER ISARACE WITHOUT
RESPECT"
Goldschmidt commended
W e m ust c o m m e n d M a y o r N e il G o ld s c h m id t on
his re c e n t a p p o in tm e n ts . He has a p p o in te d Blacks
to each o f the C om m issions a nd c o m m itte e s that
he has nam ed .
M a y o r G o ld s c h m id t a p p e a rs to the OBSERVER to
be m a k in g a sincere a tte m p t to in c lu d e a ll
segm ents o f the c o m m u n ity a nd to b rin g in to the
p o lic y m a k in g a n d a d v is o ry le v e ls those groups
w h o h a v e b ee n le ft o ut o f the g o v e rn m e n ta l
pro ced ures. His e x a m p le m ig h t w e ll be fo llo w e d
by state a n d co u n ty o ffic ia ls .
H a v in g th e
co nstructive
le a d e rs h ip o f
the
M a y o r, w e w o u ld e xp e ct the C ity o f P ortland to
m ove
m ore
ra p id ly
in
the
e m p lo y m e n t
of
m in o ritie s th an w ill the co u n ty a n d the state
The
te llin g fa c to r w ill be th e m e th o d by w h ic h M od el
C ities e m p lo y e e s a re abso rb ed by the city.
If
these e m p lo y e e s a re ta ke n in to the city e m p lo y
m e n t w ith fu ll c iv il service status a n d s e n io rity ,
w e w ill k n o w a g e n u in e e ffo rt is b e in g m ad e by
th e c ity to in c lu d e its Black citizens.
■
.............
CLAYTON
F
I I - H u E e FOUGHT
a ltr u T
tL L
ADAM
m u
^W
FOR 7 HE RIGHTOF THE
BLACK COMMUNITIES TO
SELECT ITS OWN
REPRESENTATIVES.
WASHINGTON
BRIEFS
Representative Ronald Del
lums (D-Calif.). said to a
group in Seattle:
"The issue for me is not
simply withdraw from Viet
nam.
W ithdraw from a
mentality that sees the need
to bomb. kill, maim and
destroy as the way of solv
ing human problems is what
I ’m talking about."
Delius labedl America as a
"nation of niggers", defining
anyone who is "victimized or
stigmatized by others, any
one whose opportunity is
limited by another and anyone
whose justice is meted out
on anexpedienl rather than on
a human b a s is ... We no
longer have a monopoly over
being treated like niggers in
this country.”
.................
accorded amnesty? Excusing
this war as one vs. commu
nism is illogical because it did
more to help than hurt com
munism, such as how we are
becoming more like it. Very
greatly needed today is more
loyalty to the democratic
ideal and less rabid national
ism parading as patriotism
and to pray Lincoln’s words
more "with malice toward
none and charity for all",
Yours truly,
Paul Brinkman, Jr.
Students need PRMC
To the Editor:
Monday night, February
12, we sat and listened to
three students of Portland
Residential Manpower Center
talk about their experience in
growing up, trying to succeed
in traditional high schools,
dropping out and finding the
help they needed at P.R.M.C.
One young lady, very mature
and obiously ready to succeed
in the working world, ex
pressed her dissatisfaction
with her high school educa
tion even though she had
graduated. She is now near
ing completion of business
training at P.R.M.C. and feels
that she has been given the
equipment she needs to go
back to her home and help
support her twelve brothers
and sisters. Neither of the
other two students had com
pleted traditional high school
and said they were sure they
never would have. One had re
groups should insist that the
Black (and W hite) Churches,
schools, educational centers,
e tc . purchase Black m a te ria ls
through the Black Educational
C e n te r Bookstore. F ifth , the
d ifferent organizations could
make cash donations to the
Educational C e n te r.
Sixth,
the organizations, churches
and
groups
could
Invite
speakers from the Educa
tional C e n te r to address th e ir
group on some aspect of tlie
Black E xp erience. (Needless
to say. they would give an
honorarium .)
It is re a lly left up to the
Black People in Portland to
keep the Bookstore open and
not to let it become defunct
like a num ber of other esta
blishments In the Black com
m unity.
We M UST support
this valuable and vital esta
blishm ent. Rem em ber, it is
Black Owned and o p erated .
Ih e re fo re . we as Black People
M UST
support
our busi
nesses.
If it goes out of
business, we (Black People)
have ourselves to blam e.
I can not conclude this
a rtic le without making note
that the Black Educational
C e n te r Bookstore has haen
advertising In die Portland
O bserver (B lac k newspaper).
We need M ORE Black busi
nesses advertising and sup
porting the Black m edia. If
we R E A L L Y want Bieck Busi
nesses in the community, we
M U S T support them . And If
Blsck people do not support
Black establishm ents, thenwe
are only giving a veneer of
legitim acy to harangue re
m arks inaile hy w hites.
With Ron Hendren
>
Amnesty called justice
the blame for the Vietnam
debacle rests on the indiffer
ference. complacency a n d
compliance of the vast ma
jority for whom the ad minis
tration was executor. As
Emerson put it, things are as
they are because of our
sufference. Had this majority
sounded a resolute NO to the
war, as the COs did, there
wouldn't have been a war.
And since this
majority
shares so much if not most of
the guilt, should they be
Black
Educational C e n te r.
Fourth, tlie civic and social
A YOUNG VIEW OF WASHINGTON
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR I
To the Editor:
I ’d like to raise some
crucial questions about am
nesty deserving of far more
attention than generally giv
en. President Nixon refuses
amnesty which most former
presidents granted. February
12, a Hebrew organization of
Judaism valorously proclaim
ed for amnesty - fine. But
where are the Protestants
(I’m one) ? Silent?
For one thing, distinction
exists between COs and de
serters. COs refused military
service on grounds of their
democratic right to con
science, while deserters ran
away to save their hides,
probably? Big point: - if COs
are denied the right of demo
cratic principle, then aren't
we doing the same as the
USSR?
Again, much ado is being
made over their violation of
the law and therefore they
must be punished! Is man
made for the law or the law
for man? As I see it, democra
cy mens resisting and oppos
ing tyranny in any form and
indeed some laws and their
enforcement are odiously un
democratic. I myself have
been a victim to a punish
ment far worse than the
misdemeanor charged against
me. It outrages conscience, at
times.
Once more, a big ado is
trumped up over why COs
should be absolved while
others had to sacrifice and
suffer? Indeed this is a
serious challenge, but had the
stance of the CO been fol
lowed. none of this would
have happened. Therefore,
shouldn't the CO be honored
instead of penalized? Much of
The Black Educational Cen
te r Bookstore has been In
existence fo r over a year
and is s till serving a most
useful purpoie in the com
m unity.
M any
people, no
doubt, believed (and hoped)
that it would have closed by
now. Through the tremendous
sac rific e of Ronald Herndon
and others the Bookstore Is
struggling to serve the Black
C om m unity.
M any Blacks have wanted
a Black Bookstore in the
com munity fo r a long tim e
and if it is to survive, the
community M l'S T support it.
1 here are a number of things
that the Black Com m unity, as
w e ll as individuals, can do to
keep
the Bookstore open.
F ir s t, individuals can v is it
the establishm ent at 3703 N.
W illia m s Avenue and pur
chase hooks. Second, social
organizations in the com
m unity can make purchases
of books, stationary, records,
cards, e tc . fo r th e ir groups.
T h ird , parents in the organi
zations
should
encourage
th e ir children to attend the
educational program s, such
as classes In Black H isto ry,
that are sponsored by the
ceived her G .E .D . through
P.R.M .C. and the other is
well on his way.
These young people repre
sent approximately 300 others
who are at varying stages of
preparation for getting a job
and finding a useful place in
the community. For many of
them success at P.R.M .C. and
eventually finding a job will
be the first real success they
have ever experienced. Most
are from broken
homes.
Many have lived in a succes
sion of foster homes all of
their lives and have never
felt anyone really cared about
them until they came to
P.R.M.C.
If P.R.M .C. is forced to
close, as appears to be inev
¡table as a result of an
arbitrary cut in funds, sue
cess will again elude these
people.
Gary E. Hotchkiss
Conrad Rosing
VIETNAM: SALVED CONSCIENCES
AND UNHEALED WOUNDS
W A S H IN G T O N Even as the first
American prisoners of war landed on
home ground, the Nixon administration
announced plans to save $160 million by
cutting benefits for amputees and other
disabled Vietnam veterans.
Within hours after the Veterans
Administration announced its intention
to cut, by as much as 60 percent, the
benefits for 200,000 physicaUy disabled
Vietnam soldiers, two of the country's
major veterans organizations virtually
declared war on the President. Congress,
led by Senator Vance Hartke (D-lnd l,
chairman o f the Senate Veterans Com
mittee, was also prepared for battle
Faced with the threat of a new war at
home. President Nixon quickly ordered
the V A to abandon its plan, and at least
one top official of that agency, Olney B
Owens, chief of the benefits division, was
axed in the process
Hartke was equally quick to commend
the White House for the reversal, and
added, “ I don't think the President knew
•bout it (the V A plan).’’
Whether he did or not may prove
moot in the long run. Montha ago I wrote
(in a column entitled "Vietnam It Could
Happen Again) that when the United
States finally did extricate itself from
Indochina, the first order of business
would be to cleanse the national con
science, and that the quickest way to
cleanse likely would be to forget
The thwarted attempt by the V A to
abandon its responsibilities to Vietnam
veterans (in the case of tome, even before
they returned home) was a strong step in
the direction of forgetting, both about
the war and thoae, even among our own,
who suffered at a result of it.
There are other indications equally
diaturbing. Although Dr. Henry A Kiaain-
get has concluded the fust step in agree
ments with our former enemy for the
reconstruction of North Vietnam, the
President's failure to consult with Con
gress on the matter of funds virtually
insured a Hill battle over that issue. Thus
reconstruction, as promised by Mr.
Nixon, is endangered by his own attitude
of contempt toward the legislative branch
which must vote the money.
Thud, there is the matter of amnesty,
about which the administration has ■
shown no more charity than the VA
would have shown toward veterans, had it
been permitted to have its way Instead
of laying the groundwork for eventual
repatriation, the administration, most
forcefully through the Vice President,
seems to he pounng more concrete upon
its already cemented policy of forgetting
but not forgiving those who, for whatever
reasons, chose not to participate in the
Indochina conflict. Such a policy, for
which there is hl tie precedent, historic or
moral, is further indication of the admin
istration's attitude of forgetting the
wounds of war but not attempting to heal
them.
And if we forget so soon and so
callously, our collective conscience salved
by “ peace with honor", how eaty it may
be to find ourselves slipping into another,
similar quagmire sometime in the future,
partly because the medicine we took for
our conscience did nothing to heal the
wounds resulting from our actions
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