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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 1973)
JL WE SEE THE WORLD THROUGH BLACK EYES ALFRED L. HENDERSON E d itor/P ub lish er EDITORIAL FOCUS Unity comes too late! For the past six or m ore years the residents o f the Boise area have fo u g h t the lo ca tio n o f Frem ont B ridge ram ps in the Boise co m m u n ity. In itia lly they opposed th e b u ild in g o f the ram ps — and n ow th ey are asking th a t the ram ps not be ope ne d u n til a d e q u a te plans are m ade fo r tra ffic flo w . It is u n re a so n a b le to b e lie v e th a t it is goo d city p la n n in g to e m p ty the tra ffic fro m a fre e w a y b rid g e into re sid e n tia l streets. Yet, th ere is re a lly no reason fo r th e vast m a jo rity o f the b rid g e trave lers to w a n t to d riv e into the Boise co m m unity. M ost o f these trave lers w ill be seeking the easiest a nd fastest ro u te east to the A irp o rt and the eastern parts o f the m e tro p o lita n a re a. M ost o f these tra ve le rs w ill not be p a rtic u la rly concerned a bo ut the d a m a g e don e to the n eigh bo rho od s th ro ug h w h ic h th e y pass. Perhaps co n sid e ra tio n should be g ive n to tunnels or covered exits e x te n d in g at least b eyo nd Seventh A venue. Such co n sid e ra tio n is b e in g g ive n to the p la c e m e n t o f th e fre e w a y th ro u g h N orth w e st Portland, w h ich is re ce ivin g o p p o sitio n fro m resi dents a n d businessm en o f that area. Unless the e x it ram ps re m a in closed u n til proper p la n n in g is done, there w ill be no p la n n in g . Once th e ram ps are open and the tra ffic flo w s o ut into the c o m m u n ity, the pressure w ill be on to m ake the e x it th ro ug h the co m m u n ity m ore rap id . Soon Frem ont, Prescott and Knott Streets w ill turn into h ig h speed a rte ria ls and the g ro u n d w o rk w ill be la id fo r the b u id in g o f the Rose C ity Freew ay, w h ich w ill re m o ve at least 5,000 N ortheast P ortland homes. The Boise residents fo u g h t this b a ttle a lo n e fo r years. N o w th e citizens o f Irvin g to n , Sabin and some o f the o th e r n e ig h b o rh o o d s re a liz e that th ey w ill also fe e l the effects. C o m m u n itie s fa rth e r e a s t — A la m e d a , B e a u m o n t, Rose C ity — should n ow be concerned. It is u n fo rtu n a te th a t p e o p le d o not yet re a liz e th a t' w h a t end an ge rs one end an ge rs a ll. RALEIOH.N-C. NEWLY ELECTED MAYORS Media fails Blacks The fe d e ra l g o v e rn m e n t req u ire s that ra d io and te le v is io n stations d o n a te som e tim e to program s o f special interest to m in o ritie s . H ow e ver, there seems to be no re g u la tio n s — at least no e ffe c tive re g u la tio n s — re q u irin g th a t these program s be show n at a p p ro p ria te tim es. T h e r e fo re w e f in d th a t p ro g r a m s fe a t u r in g Blacks a nd o the r m in o rity persons are show n at tim es m any p e o p le fin d im p ossib le to w atch — e arly Sunday m o rn in g , S aturday noon, late at night. A lth ou g h the le g a l re q u ire m e n t m ig h t be m et, these program s a re not se rvicin g the m in o rity co m m un ities th a t th ey sh ou ld be. It is d isco ura ging to the in d iv id u a ls w h o spend lo n g hours o f p re p aratio n fo r the program s to k n o w that fe w o f the p e o p le they a re a tte m p tin g to reach are a b le to see the program . A lth o u g h a ll o f the te le v is io n stations have one or tw o m in o rity program s, non e are re a lly d o in g a goe d |ob a t p ro g ra m m in g to in c lu d e m in o rity g ro up interest. N on e re a lly g iv e p ro p e r a tte n tio n to m in o ritie s in new s fe a tu re p ro g ra m m in g . Participation urgent A p roposal fo r the re d e v e lo p m e n t o f U nion A ve n u e is c u rre n tly b e in g d e v e lo p e d . The M o d e l C ities C itize n 's P la nn ing Board has asked fo r a g u a ra n te e th a t c o m m u n ity residents be in c lu d e d as e m p lo ye e s a n d th a t the p la n a llo w fo r tra in in g positions. W h e th e r these p ro visio ns are m ade a nd c a rried o ut e ffe c tiv e ly fo r the b e n e fit o f the co m m u n ity w ill be d e te rm in e d by the p la n n in g b oa rd that w ill be d e v e lo p e d . It is u rg e n t th a t the lo n g -e s ta b lis h e d Black a g e n cies beco'me in v o lv e d in this p ro |ect a n d be re p re sented on the Board. A m o n g th em , the NAACP, the U rban League a nd the A lb in a M in is te ria l A lli a n c e represent a g re a t m a jo rity o f th e p e o p le o f A lb in a a nd th e y w ill s till be a ro u n d w h e n the fe d e ra lly -fu n d e d a encies have fa d e d a w a y . These o rg a n iz a tio n s — w h ic h have e a rn e d the respect o f th e ir constituents o ver th e years — must becom e in v o lv e d in this p ro ie c t that is so v ita l to the co m m u n ity. Subscriptions: $5.25 per year in the Tri County area, $6.00 per year outside Portland. Second Class Postage Paid at Portland. Oregon LETTERS TO THE EDITOR i Blacks become tools Dear Editor: The Portland Observer’s official |M»ition is expressed only in it’s Publisher's Column (We See The World Through Black Evesl. Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual writer or submitter and docs not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portland Observer. == s 1 1 1 ■ MEMBER me,ni« e Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association 1 w MEMBER MMIA pe « Association - Founded 1885 Model C ities Child C are C enters a re taking applications for fall enrollm ent. C all 2 8 8 -8 8 6 1 Model Cities 4-C » ( A Why do Black agencies have to suffer terminal can cer in their existence for survival? I went to Com munity Care, a food helping agency that feeds all people. I had heard much about this agency. I asked Mrs. Clara Mae Peoples "What would her agency be doing this time next year in the area of expansion. She seemed very discouraged and said actually she didn't know what her staffs future existence would be. considering the phasing out of Model Cities' funds. It seems that minorities are still plagued with the age old problem of continually being overlooked when finances are doled out through the state and federal governm ents. When pilot projects are ini tiated minorities are used to bring funds into the state. Then minorities are trusted to operate these temporarily financed programs. Minorities are performing a service, a vital service to the community. They are not only servicing the mi nority community, but they are serving the people of the metropolitan area. These people were given the green light. For instance, Clara Peoples is a Black woman, founder and director of Com mumty Care, a nutrition pro gram which has astounded the country. It has brought national and international recognition to our state of Oregon and the city of Port land. Community Care is a pro gram that one can take around the country, or the world to dem onstrate to other agencies what can be done. But as a minority agency, Community Care cannot insure job opportunity or job advancement. As a Black agency, it seems that Community Care does a mil lion dollars worth of services with a hundred dollars worth of money. Why I'm specifically speak ing about Community Care is because I feel that it has been a program that has done something for many people. It has been suc cessful in delivering service. It seems that if people from all over the nation are in terested in this program, why can’t elected officials earmark and insure funds for it. Community Care was founded by Black minority, as were all of the other funded programs which were initiated under the HUD and 0 E 0 Acts. When you talk about "Affirmative Action" Mr. Editor, this is a very raw and infected case of racial and civil discrmination against minorities, especially Blacks. This is the first agency of its kind that has done some thing concrete for the com munity. Somehow the white power structure should have the ability this time to insist on social change and justice and keep this program going so that minorities can keep the faith and trust in the system and the power struc ture. Sincerely, Mrs. R.T. Mason (Taxpayer) * AMERICANS RESPECT AND RESPOND TO POLITICAL POHER, POLITICAL PONER INFLUENCES PUBLIC POLICY A T ALL LEVELS — POtVER CHANCES PEOPLE. IE POUER DOES N O T AT ONCE CHANCE THE HEARTS OF HEN, r r CAN INDEED CHANCE TH E HAY T H E HEARTS RESPOND."LAWS CAN HELP ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TORE-THINN AND CHANCE THEIR POSITIONS IN ORDER TO PROTECT THEIR SELF INTEREST." SCNATPR KAW Af Bicycle Donated Charles Crews, owner ol Chuck's St. Johns Cvrlery, will donate a bicycle to a needs child this Christmas. Anyone who knows a child who needs a bicycle or tri cycle and who would not otherwise receive one, is asked to send the child's name and address, his par ent's or guardian's name, and v VJVAT j , a short descriplion of why should be Ihr recipient Churk's St. Johns Cyrlery the Porlland Observer December I.Mh. he Io or by The selertion will be made bv Mr. Crews: A I.. Ilender- son, publisher ol the Ob server: and Itoy J. Harris ol Hrotherhood Productions. Symbols of Black political m aturity — Public TV has a long w ay to go by Vernon E. Jordan ■ ' : Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company. 2201 North Killings worth. Portland. Oregon 97217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208. Telephone: 283 2486. CDLFM4NA Y0UNÚ P E I KOI I HKHHiAN *lA\H4RPH.jACkc& ATL 4N TA ,J£0M * Public television is sup posed to be more responsive to the nt'eds of all of the people than commercial TV. But as far as Blacks and minorities are concerned, it is definitely no better and possi bly worse. In fact, when you consider that tax dollars of minorities help fund public broadcasting, it becomes clear we are getting very little return on our investment. Public TV's potential in creating programming geared to the needs of minorities has never been fulfilled. And in the all-important test of train ing. recruiting Khd employing minorities at all levels of the behind the-camera jobs and especially decision making jobs, public TV is a flop. For example, only two Blacks hold important post lions in the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and nei ther one has a strong say on policy matters. This is not at all different from most com mercial stations and net works, but it cannot be toler ated in a federally funded agency. Overall, public TV's pro gramming practices rely on the time tested ghettoization of Black oriented programs. And the very few public net work shows aimed at Blacks were almost cut off altogether earlier this year. In the special programming cate gory, only two programs out of 143 hours dealt with Blacks. Out of 1,500 hours of national public TV program ming, only 89 hours were devoted to Black people. Blacks are rarer than the test patterns on public TV. There are some signs that the Corporation is beginning to try to change this de structive pattern of Black in visibility on its screen, but it is a long way from expressing intentions to carrying out substantial changes. And our past experience has made us wary of CPU's intentions - at least until some results are visible on the home screen and on the payrolls of the Corporation. Black support of public broadcasting is conditional: If it doesn't respond to the needs of minority communi ties, we can live without it. Public broadc.-sting, which is dependent on public funds, will have to wake up and begin courting minority audi ences if it wants to survive. At the minimum it must: • Increase Black and mi nority programming and in sure its high quality content, not merely by filling in some set goal of hours. • Tell its affiliated stations to hire Black people and in sure minority representation on their boards. Non com pliance ought to mean denial of the use of federally funded program material. • Put its own house in order with more adequate minority board and staff rep resentation, and create a de partm ent to upgrade in creased minority program ming. • Institute programs that explore race relations in depth, investigate controver sial issues, and protray the rich ethnic heritage in our pluralistic society. • While increasing minor itv oriented program m ing, avoid making such programs a "ghetto" within broadcasting by drawing on Blacks and minorities for general pro gramming. This last is especially im portant. Community theatre and dance groups are starved for funds and could share their talents with a national audience, but instead of back ing them, public broadcasting runs after old BBC films and similar fare. Programming should show ordinary mi nority people doing ordinary jobs, sueh as on the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood show, or as on Sesame Street, two public TV offerings unusual for their first class content and their treatment of mi norities. Of course, all of the above holds true for commercial TV. where Blacks are only in standard comedies, or as guest performers on variety shows, or when the script calls for a Black. Black news men are almost never seen, unless interviewing a rare Black guest on civil rights. But the many failures of Commercial TV notwithstand ing, public broadcasting has to set an example, not follow a bad lead. It is the TV A of the broadcasting industry and has to use its federal funds to set new, higher standards for private sector interests to imitate. Earn m oney in your spare time Sell 50 subscriptions, earn (50.00. Sell 100 aubacrip lions, earn $100.00. Sell 500 subscriptions, earn $500.00 and air fare to lais Vegas, San Francisco or lx» An geles. Sell KMX) subscrip tions, earn $1000.00 and air fare to Hawaii. Similar bonus plans can be arranged for dubs, organiza lions, churches, or social groups. Call 283 2486 for more information. C all 2 8 3 -2 4 8 6 r / t e r e 's M o r e W h e r e Thit C am e fro m Not Everyone Subscribes To The 1 Portland Observer Bridge ram p (Continued from pg. 1, col. 7) 6<XX); Fremont least of Wil liams) 6500 to 10,500; Wil Hams, 10,000 to 12,000; Van couver, 7500 to 9500, There will be additional increases on Knott, Prescott, 7th, 15th, 21st and 24th Avenues. There are six elementary schools, two parks and two headstart centers on or near Fremont, Knot and Prescott, with many additional schools and parks on streets running North and South. The Ad H im - committee found it virtually impossible to meet noise and air quality standards on Ivy Street be tween Commercial and Wil liams and recommended re location of residents if re quested. They also found that noise levels at Boise School will exceed standards and recom • mended the construction of a berm (pile of dirt) between the ramp and the school. The Model Cities Citizens’ Planning Board, the Portland Public School's Board ol Ed ucation, and the PI’S Area III Advisory Board have gone on record as opposing the opening of the ramp*. ----------- ------- ----------- - b a t th en , n ot e v e r y o n e c o n e s in o n t o l t h e r a in , e it h e r . o w A b o u t Y ou? $5.25 R A TES : in Tri-County Area and Armed Services $6.00 O ther Areas of the US PORTLAND OBSERVER P.O. Box 3137 Portland, Oregon 97208 N a m e ---------------------------------------- A d d r e s s _______ „ --------- City , ...... ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ r r ---------------------------------------------- -- -------------------- ---------------------, ------------------------------------- State - - ----------- Zip
