Caucus Time
Voice of the NAACP
by Jsttls B. Wilds, Jr..
Chairman of the Oregon
Black Caucus
► iff * ' '
THING S ARE BETTER TODA Y
BETTER T H A N WHAT?
by EBb H. Caeesa
Block people all arrooa
American pause sometime
(at leaat I do) to reappraise,
to review who they are,
w hat they are and from
whence they came. They are
sure to conclude “Things are
better".
But better than
what? How much better?
Living in a ghetto on
welfare in substandard houa
ing with just enough food to
ward off starvation is indeed
a little better than being a
slave -
hut not much.
Being a skilled w orker is
better than being a laborer,
but how much better, es
pecially if you are qualified
to be a foreman in a de
partment but cannot get the
position because you are
Black, a woman, etc.
When all the singing, the
yelling, screaming and prais
ing are over, we all conclude
that progress that has been
made is progress in degree,
not in kind. And despite all
the so-called civil rights laws
which the liberals helped put
on the bonks, we all know
there will be no real pro
gross until whites divest
themselves of racism and
become color blind in their
relation to Blacks.
B itter militants say this
will never come to past.
They have lasts of evidence
to support their case, and so
do we. I realize the so-called
militant today is less in
terested in talking about
history; they want to make
history.
They place little
importance on the price ¡n
human sacrifice and suffering
that was paid so that today
they can hold their heads
high and proclaim; "Say it
loud. I'm Black and I'm
proud."
When reminded about how
Frederick Douglass came out
of the chains of slavery to
succeed as one of the truly
great men of American; or
how D r. M ary Mcl^eod Be
thune rose from the cotton
fields to become advisor to
presidents; and how thou
sands of other Black men and
women succeeded and con
tributed so much to thia
country's greatness and they
all came from and through
unbelievably dism al back
grounds -
Black youth to
day respond. “They just did
their thing; I want to do my
thing." And they are equally
determined that nobody or
nothing w ill stop them.
The determined spirit of
some of our Black youth
today is refreshing as well as
reassuring.
America, our
community, our in d iv id u a l
family units must move for
ward. But Blacks can never
forget that racist whites, re
gardless of what they say,
are not going to make the
way easy.
Black men and
women must never lose eon
fidence in the fact that they
have the capabilities to do
snything the white man can
do - and usually do it
with more style.
“Getting there", “doing our
thing" can best be accom
plished through Education
and Training; there are no
short cuts.
I f you don't
believe me. ask those who
are walking the streets hold
ing up the corners.
Also,
like it not, we must learn to
work within the system -
and this is not selling out!!!
Making maximum progress
is a year around job and
must be done together, and
it's one that the white man
must not be expected to do
for us.
There is an age old saying
that the schools would be
great places if it were not for
the students.
I always
understood that to be in
tended aa a joke.
I t has
been called to may attention
that many students are ser
iously thought of in those
terms . . . the school is better
off without them.
Addi
tionally. some students feel
that schools would be better
off without some teachers.
There are so many pressing
issues that one tends to hold
certain ones of them at a
distance.
M y sources indi
cate that things are not
getting better as I had hoped
and there is no reason to feel
o p tim is tic
about
fu tu re
change. Therefore, this issue
can no longer be held at a
distance.
I ’ve asked the
Chairman of our Education
Committee. Ed Mitchell, to
commit his energies to find
ing out the underlying causes
for such pessimism. He is to
operate under the umbrella
that one right that Black
kids do not have is the right
to fail. Failure is not a Black
privilege.
The notion of community
control of schools has taken
on very serious proportions
in other cities.
Perhaps
during the time that M r.
Mitchell's committee is ex
ploring the validity of claims
that the schools are going to
pot. they might also address
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by Milton t s ls is s of the
All African News Service
Despite United Nations em
bargoes against shipments of
arms to Portugal and South
Africa, those countries have
received a healthy flow of
assistance from the U.S.
government.
This fart came to light
during hearings railed by the
house s u b c o m m itte e
on
Africa, headed by Congress
man Charles C. Diggs Jr.,
the Black Michigan Demo
crat.
In a series of meetings
marked by what seemed to
be constant administration
buck passing, buying tor time
and lack of information, some
astounding facts surfaced:
• The U.S. m ilitary has spent
11.4 m illio n to purchase
South African built Cactus
missies to be tested, ap
parently for possible use by
the U.S. Armed Forces.
• During 1872 and up to
March 15. 1873, the Com
merce Department has ap
proved the sale of almost (4
million worth of aircraft - •
many of them with military
potential - to Portuguese
agents in Angola and Mozam
hique
• Under the guise of exe
cutive privilege sugar coated
by bureaucratic sh u fflin g ,
many itmes previously on
the embargo list have been
shifted off.
Diggs argued that in fact
“Drastic changes" have taken
place under the Nixon ad
ministration and U.S. policy
towards Southern Africa has
now fallen in accord with
"persons in opposition to the
aspirations of the African
majority".
Iowa Representative John
Culver joined Diggs in the
ranks of the frustrated in
terrogators.
Culver at one point re
minded the administration
witnesses that sales of mili
tary hardware were by law
to be made only i r the
interest of national security
of the Unied States or to
promote world peace.
Had the U.S. aligned its
national security and the
promotion of world peace
with support of minority
white regimes in Africa?
The question was not
answered, but remained one
of the key issues raised at
the hearings.
Edward B ie a te r, newly-
elected Republican from
Pennsylvania, was concerned
over why no Black military
attaches had been appointed
to a South African post.
Defense Department spokes
man James Noyes answered
that none had applied.
Surely one could be found,
Biester advanced, and ven
tured that unless a Black
were assigned soon to such a
post he too might begin to
believe that administration
policy was directly suppor
tive of South African racist
practices.
In general, the tight lipped
administration witnesses ad
mitted that a host of poten
tially m ilitary equipment had
been sold to the two govern
ments.
In all cases, they
argued, there was assurance
that no military use would
take place.
Diggs was outraged that
aa late as February 2 of this
year, a crop spraying plane
had been sold to a Portu
guese concern in Mozam
bique.
How, asked the Black legis
lator. could this be done
when countless Black freedom
fighters had testified of Port
uguese use of herbicides
which killed and maimed in
nocent African women and
children?
By the end of the hearings,
the moat accurate assess
ment turned out to be that
made by journalist Burce J.
Dudes on the opening day of
testimony:
" It is about as easy for an
interested member of the
American public to monitor
the flow of money in and out
of Geneva or the PLO (Pales
tine Liberation Organization)
in and out of Beirut as it is
to follow the ins and outs of
the U.S. embargoes on mili
tary exports to the Republic
of South Africa or to Portu
gal for use in Africa."
Portland/Observer
themselves to this issue.
of the burden of blame, but
Community control in Port
no more than the parents,
land might take the form of o th e r citize n s , stu d en ts,
greater input into the entire elected o fficials and the
system by organized groups Superintendent.
We prob
such as the Links. Fra tor
ably would be better off if
nities. Sororities, and others;
we concentrated on ourselves
and complete control by mi
first.
I f we did so. the
noritiea and poor of those teachers would have an easier
schools left to them. Some
row to hoe.
In fact. I ’m
areas needing ex p lo ra tio n
calling for a complete mora
are methods of teacher eval torium on teacher criticiam
uation, lack of discipline,
until we've given them the
certification and hiring and
proper environment in which
firing procedures. The com
to apply the tools of their
mittee should look into an
trade. The environment that
analysis of the relationship
I envision allows for and
between educational advisory
insists upon parent or guar
board input, school superin dian, student and teacher
tendent input, school board
participation.
We need a
input and final policy.
It
plan that expels students
policy is frequently that of
when th ey ab so lu te ly re
the s u p e rin te n d e n t's , for
fuse to participate at their
example, then the other two
individual levels of capahi
are not needed.
The argu
lities . . . time, etc.
I t then
ment concerning anxiety over
becomes incumbent upon the
loss of local control of schools
school teachers and adminis
that was used in the recent
trators to use their creativity
HB 2004 debate bears an
to induce participation. We
other look. We should also
need a plan that insists upon
look now at the inner con
student input into curriculum
trols of individual schools as
at their individual levels of
well as who controls the
capabilities; and strict ad
machinery and decision mak
herence to what is jointly
ing of entire school systems.
decided.
Seem in gly, the academ ic
There is no excuse for
freedom, racism, re le v a n t
anything less than quality
curriculum and sexism issues
education for all students.
have been dealt with so
There is no excuse for allow
heavily in philosophy and
ing any student to proceed in
theory that practical appli
a manner that is known to
cation in a so-called learning
lead to an inability to parti
com m unity has been ne
cipate in this system.
Our
glected to establish firm poli
students, in many instances,
cies that say that once we
aren't even getting the tools
decide upon the many fine
to bring about the changes in
learn in g techniques and
the system that many talk
theory that they must be
about.
When others are
come operative.
They are
talking about progressiveness
not operative if the students
in lieu of preparation, that
are in the halls, there are
had better be our stopping
disruptions in the classrooms,
point.
W e certainly can't
parents take no interest in
afford many of the latest
their children and the schorls,
innovations in the school that
safety of students and teach
guarantee among other things
ers is a serious issue, and
Black kids the right to fail.
everybody ia doing their
Black kids don’t have that
disjointed thing.
right and we had better not
The teachers do bear some
forget that.
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