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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1974)
Page 2 Portland/Obscrver Thursday, February 21. 1974 Priorities for Blacks by Bayard Rustin WE SEE THE WORLD ALFRED L. HENDERSON E d itor/P ub lish er THROUGH BLACK EYES EDITORIAL FOCUS b Not sorry now Brotherhood Week » » R epresentatives Edith G reen a nd W e n d e ll W vatt have in d ica te d th a t th ey w ill no lo n g e r serve in the House o f R epresentatives w h e n th e ir current term s end. W e n d e ll W ya tt has e arn e d th e respect o f the n a tio n . He has served his state and his district w e ll. A lth o u g h o fte n w e do not a gree w ith him , his decisions a re based on his co nse rva tive p o litic a l p h ilo so p h y and w e fe e l he is a m an o f in te g rity . W ya tt's constituents w ill fe e l the loss w h e n this m an leaves Congress. W e c a n n o t say that w e are sorry to see Edith G reen go. Black p e o p le across the n a tio n are re jo ic in g as th e y see this p o w e rfu l o p p o n e n t o f e q u a l rig hts le a ve Congress. Mrs. G reen, w h o has been la b e le d a lib e ra l, has consistently jo in e d w ith Southern C ongressm en and o th e r co nservatives to fig h t pro gram s th a t w o u ld assist Blacks a nd the poor. She has fo u g h t the b using o f school ch ild re n to p ro m o te d e se g re g a tio n w ith a venom that is unusual fo r o ne w h o represents a state w ith so fe w Blacks. She has been one o f the strongest o p ponents o f the W ar on Poverty program s a nd has e ven opposed such program s as the extension of b e n e fits to th e u n e m p lo ye d . Mrs. G reen w as fo r a tim e in the e a rly 60 s c a lle d a " fr ie n d to B la cks" - but this so -called frie n d s h ip e nd ed w h e n she sold o ut the M ississippi Freedom D em ocratic Party, a nd w h e n she becam e a le a d e r in th e m ove to oust A d a m C layton P ow ell fro m his seat in th e House a nd his c h a irm a n s h ip o f the House Education C om m itte e , o f w h ich Mrs. G reen then b eca m e ch airm a n. Mrs. G reen w ill lo n g be re m e m b e re d as one w h o w as a ctive in the p ro m o tio n o f fe d e ra l a id to e d u ca tio n and o th e r e d u c a tio n a l program s. H o w e ver, her re p u ta tio n in the fie ld o f e d u ca tio n is ta rn ish e d by her o p p o sitio n to e q u a l e d u c a tio n a l o p p o rtu n itie s fo r Black c h ild re n . N o, w e ca nn ot say w e a re sorry to see Mrs. G reen go. W e can o n ly w o rk to insure th a t her re p la c e m e n t w ill have a se n sitivity to the needs o f m in o ritie s and the poor o f the District. Let's hope Mrs. G reen e njoys a q u ie t re tire m e n t and re fra in s fro m ru n n in g fo r a local o ffic e . Campaigns begin As February d ra w s to a close a nd the p rim a ry races b e g in to ta ke shape, w e ca u tio n Blacks w ho a re co n sid e rin g ru n n in g fo r p u b lic o ffic e to a n n ou n ce th e ir in te n tio n s e arly. So fa r o n ly G ladys M cCoy, cu rre n t school board m e m b e r, and A tto rn e y John Toran, c a n d id a te fo r the state senate, h ave a n n o u n c e d ; and w e assume B ill M cC oy w ill seek re -e le ctio n to th e State Legis la tu re . O thers a re ta lk in g a b o u t the city and co u n ty com m ission a nd le g is la tiv e seats, but none h ave m ade th e ir in te n tio n s p u b lic. A successful e le ctio n c a m p a ig n in vo lve s m ore th a n a g oo d ca n d id a te . It re q u ire s m oney, v o lu n te er h e lp , and e nd orsem en t o f w e ll-k n o w n and respected citizens a n d groups. Those w h o w a it too lo n g w ill fin d th e ir p o te n tia l supporters have a lre a d y endorsed a nd p le g e d th e ir assistance to o the r candidates. M a n y persons w h o w o u ld o th e r w ise support a Black ca n d id a te w ill be o b lig a te d to honor co m m itm e n ts m ade b e fo re the Black's interest was kn o w n . W ith n um bers o f ca nd id ates ru n n in g fo r a v a rie ty o f im p o rta n t o ffice s , the m oney w ill a lre a d y h ave been p le d g e d e lse w h e re . It also fakes tim e fo r a ca n d id a te to reach a ll o f the p e o p le o f th e d istrict — to m ake his p la tfo rm kn ow n to the a v e ra g e voter. A lon g a nd active ca m p a ig n is e s p e c ia lly im p o rta n t to those w h o do not a lre a d y have n am e fa m ilia rity th ro u g h o u t the district. A n o th e r d a n g e r o f the last m in u te ca m p a ig n is that w e o fte n have several g o o d Black c a n d i dates — as w e ll as several w h ite s — ru n n in g fo r the same positions. Since pro spe ctive c a n d i dates must consider th e ir o p p o sitio n , an e a rly a n n o u n ce m e n t a nd som e sh ow o f support w ill o fte n keep the o p p o sitio n to a m in im u m . It is im p o rta n t that the best Black ca ndidates not e lim in a te each o the r, and th a t w e m ake an e ffo rt in a ll areas Support YOUR ADVERTISERS This is B ro the rh o od W e e k, a w e e k set aside to re m in d us th a t a ll m en a re brothers. D uring B ro the rh o od W eek C hristians in v ite Jews to th e ir luncheons, Black m inisters a re asked to speak in w h ite churches, a nd school c h ild re n see m ovies a b o u t m in o ritie s . Everyone pauses to e x te n d a han d o f frie n d s h ip — or to le ra n c e -- fo r one w e e k in the year. Then w h e n B ro the rh o od W eek ends, e v e ry th in g goes back to n o rm a l. The o ld hatreds surface, the b ig o try co ntinues, the w h ite n e ig h b o rs resum e th e ir stru g g le to ke ep Blacks o ut o f th e ir schools, the p erson ne l d irectors re ie ct m in o rity a pp lica nts, the prices g o up a n d the q u a lity d o w n in poor n e ig h borhoods, th e w orke rs scorn th e w e lfa re m others, the g ro w e rs m isuse C hicano fa rm w o rk e rs , the p o litic ia n s d e p lo re " g iv e a w a y " program s. W o u ld n 't it be a p p ro p ria te if som e year, d u rin g B ro the rh o od W eek, a rea l ch an ge was m ade if the President w o u ld propose h um an istic le g is la tio n to p ro v id e fo r the basic physical a nd m ed ica l needs o f a ll o f the p e o p le ; if Congress a nd the State Legislatures w o u ld a p p ro p ria te a d e q u a te fu n d s fo r w e lfa re and e d u c a tio n a n d |ob tra in in g ; if c o rp o ra tio n s w o u ld co nside r the custom ers d e p e n d e n t on them ra th e r th a n |ust th e ir p ro fits It w o u ld be a rea l B ro the rh o od W eek if actions w e re ta ken to end racism a nd oppression in the U nited States. But none o f these th ing s w e re d o n e d u rin g this B ro the rh o od W eek. W e h ave a p re s id e n tia l a d m in is tra tio n steeped in c o rru p tio n , shortages that d is p o rtio n a te ly e ffe c t the p oo r, a nd an e con om ic system d e s ig n e d to oppress. So w e d o n 't have m uch fa ith in B ro the rh o od W eek, a n d c a n 't b e lie v e th a t m ost o f th e gestures m ad e d u rin g this w e e k are sincere ■ ! Oregon N ewspaper ' Publishers ' Association tnetnl'ei i as iW MEMBER N e W A \pER Association - Founded 1885 Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company. 2201 North Killingsworth. Portland. Oregon 97217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3137, Portland. Oregon 97208. Telephone: 283 248«. Subscriptions: $5.25 |«-r year in the Iri County area. $t>.IMj per year outside Portland. Second Class Postage Paid at Portland. Oregon The Portland Observer s official position is expressed only in it's Publishers Column iWe See The World Through Wack Evesl. Any other material throughout Ih • paper is the opinion ol the individual writer or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion ol th< Portland Observer. What are the most serious problems Black people face? If asked this question a few years ago, many w hites w ould d o u b tle s s ly have answered that the problems confronting the Negroes were measurably different front the problems confronting the rest of society. Whereas poor people and the working class have tradi tionally suffered from uneni ployment, bad housing, lack of access to education, run down, crime infested neigh borhoods and other inequities built into the economic order, Blacks, it was felt, suffered above all else from the racist attitudes of individual whites. The belief that personal attitudes were more impor tant than economic injustice was reflected in the reaction to the Kerner Commission Report. Despite its explicit condemnation of the racist behavior of institutions as opposed to the racist sentiments of individuals the report was widely in terpreted as a call for whites to look inward. Unhappily, the Commission findings were made public at precisely the moment when America could least afford to indulge in self analysis. Ghettoes were burning, and the country was traumatized by racial dis order. Black people were intensely disillusioned not so much because of the per sistence of individual pre judice but because gov ernment was failing to follow through on its promises to remake our economic and social structure Now the New York Times has published a study which, while not exploring racial problems as comprehensively as the Kerner Commission, presents a more accurate re flection of what Black people want. Its significance lies in its findings that the prob lems of Blacks and the prob lems of white"«, are basically the same ana iporeover, that these problems have almost nothing to do with attitudes or prejudices. Both Blacks and whites, for instance, were more con cerned about crime than any other social ill; Blacks, if anything. w<,rc more em phatic in their^ feelings about law and order. Both agreed that the othyj most impor tant problems, were housing, drug addiction and trans portation. They were jn agreement that the rich, the corpora tions, landlords and organized crime received preferential treatment from government. And while about one of every five Blacks acknow ledged to having been vic timized by discrim ination, almost none listed racial bias as the most important prob lem they faced. In only one respect did the survey find strong racial dif ferences. This was govern ment programs such as busing or the placement of low income housing in middle Lyman 5. Parw Former Mayor oFCL’veland.Ohio Grand Rapida, Michigan Chapel Hill, North Caroima Robert L. Burton,^. L. J. Tvw man Springfield Ohio Glasgow, hentucty Colem an A.Young income neighborhoods to further integration. Other wise, Blacks and whiles ex pressed very much the same attitudes towards social prob lems, institutions, and what ought to be the priorities of government. What has been written here is in no way meant to minimize the awful spiritual and psychological toll which prejudice exacts from our society. Nor is it my inten tion to deny that racist at titudes can and certainly do determine the policies of gov ernment and the functioning of institutions. But the answer to Ameri ca's racial problems is econo mic and political. not psy chological. Blacks recognize this. The challenge, there fore, is to drive the point home, as emphatically and often as possible, to all Americans who are con cerned about inequality. If we have learned any thing from recent experience, it is that social myths can infect the entire political system. As long as racism was the principle enemy, concerted, interracial political action was impossible. And to the degree that the nation turned inward, the more likely it was to believe that "government programs make any difference." We would be much better off today if we had attacked the basic social problems about which the majority of Americans are concerned. For in the mobilization of a coalition of the majority of Americans who need social change lies the solution to polarization and hate. And in the resolution of these problems lies the ultimate answer to racism. Howard Lee C a rl B. S tones Detroit. Michigan Mavnand H.Jackton v Richard Hatcher Edward Bivens,Jr Gary, Indiana Mister. Michigan ■ v .i? Attanta Georgia C \y ô c Foster Tnana, Alabama Lelia Foley Taft, OMahoma James E.Lowry William b. H a rt Lincoln Height a,Ohio E ast Orange,New Jersey James E.Williams 'U E a st St Louis. Hliaam James H. McGee 7- *z Gay ton, Ohio w<-.. CharlcsEvers F a y e tte ,M n u u s w Robert Blackwell , Highland Park. Michigan MAYORS OFFICE Kenneth Gibson Hermarije Fauntleroy Jr Newark, New Jersey Doris Davie Petersburg/irgima Compron, California E arl 5. Lucas Thomas Bradley h . ¿C ooperar. LOS Angele», California Pnchard Alabama Matthew Carter Walter Washington Montclair, New Jersey Mound Qoyou m is v w p i Bennie T Woodard Grambling, L oulaianj = H tarded if the criteria for judging mentally retarded were fair and just and not based upon one's ability to I feel that on the concept succeed in a chaotic society, of sterilization for the men or one's agressiveness, or tally retarded and poor in one's com p etitiven ess, or that order, as stated by the one's p erspective employ people who support it, is an ment; but based on one's insult and a slap in the fare ability to show traits such as of the people of this country. compassion and love and an For so long now, the words ability to survive, under that echoed in the ear of the stand and learn. This society poor have been words that can't stand anything or any support the upper classes body flowing in the opposite like Phases I, II. III, and IV': direction. The mentally re soaring food prices; energy tarded flow in a different crisis; crime in a high office direction so they must be controlled. On the other that would have sent a com moner to prison. Things that hand, this country must main really show and force the tain the illusion that every privileged few out of hiding one, regardless of race, creed and separate them for the or religion, can ascend to the whole world to see. With highest class of them all most people concentrating on "the elite" the upper how to succeed in something class, if they (the people) falling faster than they are, work ____ for it. Too many people are a direct threat to they fail to see exactly what that illusion because in this is meant by sterilization. society someone has to be First off, the mentally re tarded is not the question but poor and the affluent aren't only used in this text as some making w im at the top. thing to take the pressure In order not to have to off the other "the poor". share the pie of America with the growing masses We should be for the sterili which are straining the limits zation of the mentally re TO of capitalism, the poor aie reduced by manipulation of their growth and big brother grows steadily. We should oppose economical restric tions on life for the poor who are not able to afford off spring; neither do they con trol their means of employ ment and therefore those who control em ploym ent (capitalist corporations) can also control life in its basic form. Check out the issue and determine who profits from it. It has been said that the masses of the people are the leeches of society. Living off the wealthy, sucking them dry. But sterilization points out the true nature of the real vampire that eases its way close to its victim by offering them eternal life in the future in exchange for a little sacrifice now. The people should see through all the schemes used to divide and control even in their future working classes . .. soon we'll be bred just for labor! = Washington, DC. Blacks do care! Support the Black Press- Our Freedom depends on it SUBSCRIBE TODAY! If Y o u A r e n ’t G e ttin g The O b server You A re n ’t G etting The N ew s P o rtlan d O b se rv e r Readers ANYWAY YOU LOOK AT IT IT’S YOUR NEWSPAPER LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AN OPEN LETTER THE PEOPLE N am e Address ON SALE AT YOUR FAVORITE NEWSSTAND »«• A n F0R mail V IT : CALL call subscriptions ! z , p 283-2486 ( 220 1 N . K illin g s w o rth P o rtla n d , O re g o n 9 7 2 1 7 ' • « per veer Box 3137 ur rHtwr/MH f 'Namtambu' Flovd Cruse t Portland, Oregon 283-248« 97208
