J Portland Observer Thursday. January 2. 1975 ' president ford 15 I PROPOSING IN ­ CREASE IN THE COST O F STAMPS FROM THE LOWEST INCOME AMERlCANS’ lN HIS *£ A T LESSZ'AMPAIGN WE SEE THE WORLD THROUGH BLACK EYES AIFRED I HENDERSON Editor Publisher JHtOMT CAHILL N M A H V H T WS Jordan’s responsibility No Black problem It is the responsibility o t City Com m issioner Last w ee k the O bserver printed a letter from Charles Jordan to insure that the e m ploym ent State R epresentative H ow ard W illits, questioning program com ponent he is contracting to Portland the fact that m ore w hites than Blacks participated C om m unity C ollege serves those w ho w ere in the local ra lly to support the Boston d em on ­ intended to b e n e fit from the program . stration against racial violence. In selecting PCC over the Concentrated Em­ R epresentative W illits w rote, "H o w can you p lo ym e n t Program, C om m issioner Jordan has expect w hite s to support such efforts w hen very chosen an o rg an izatio n that has yet to prove its fe w Blacks are intereste d ?" capacity to reach the poor and the m in ority R epresentative W illits is a sincere man w ho has groups co ntribu te d m uch to the cause o f e qu al justice W hether or not CEP was com pletely successful but he, lik e m any others, has a pparently m tra in in g and p la cing its clien tel is perhaps fo rg otten that c iv il rights and the d e n ia l o f the q uestionable c £ p cam e into being because the rights o f Blacks are not just a Black problem . State Em ploym ent Service the Division o f V oca­ They are a constitu tion a l problem that must be tio n a l R ehab ilita tio n, and other established d e a lt w ith by a ll Am ericans. agencies d id not serve the poor and d id not W hites have as m uch reason and as much right serve Blacks. as Blacks to be invo lved in the struggle for CEP has been successful in reaching the very justice poor — those w ho have no job skills and no W hites as w e ll as Blacks must be concerned e m p lo ym e n t experience — and placing them in w hen any citizens o f the U nited States are not tra in in g or educatio na l positions. Some have accorded th e ir constitutional rights. been successful and some have not. CEP's success record pro ba bly matches that o f sim ilar program s The CEP program has b en efite d the com m unity in ano the r, m ore im p orta nt w ay From the b e ­ g in n in g , it hired Black people in professional capacities When the W elfare D epartm ent's WIN p rogram , the State Em ploym ent Division, DUR and Dr. Robert Blanchard has recom m ended the the rest could not fin d " q u a lifie d " Black e m ­ q p p om tm en t o f N athan Jones, vice p rin cip a l o f ployees, CEP recruited and train ed in d ivid u a ls W ashington H igh School, to be p rin cip a l of w ho had the capacity but not the fo rm a l tra in in g M onroe H igh School. to serve as counselors, job coaches, and in Jones w ill becom e Portland's o n ly Black high various supervisory positions. M any o f these school p rin c ip a l and the first m ale p rin cip a l of persons, and trainees as w e ll, have risen to the fo rm e rly a ll-g irl school. a d m in istra tive positions in CEP and in other This is a good m ove on Blanchard's part. Jones agencies is a w e ll q u a lifie d a dm inistrator and m any Blacks , Some o f these ind ivid ua ls m ig h t not present have w o n d e re d w he n he w o u ld be prom oted. ♦he proper professional aura or the language o f The school a dm in istra tio n now needs to place the educated, but if they do th e ir |obs w e ll, this a d d itio n a l Blacks in positions that w ill lead to a fte r a ll was the purpose o f the program — to prm cipalships and com parable positions. recruit, tra in and place those persons w ho for The district also needs to turn its atte ntio n to various reasons had fa ile d to m ake it in to the the non-professional areas w hich e m p lo y so fe w econom ic m ainstream . m in o rity p e o ple There are fe w Blacks e m ployed If Portland C om m unity C ollege is to match or in the cafeterias, secretarial positions, w a re ­ surpass the CEP e ffo rt, then it must hire m in o ritie s houses, as truck drivers, etc. and the poor; it must place m in o rity group O nly w hen w e see Blocks e m p lo ye d at a ll persons in a dm in istrative positions; and it must levels in the schools -- professionals and fin d and recruit those persons most in need o f the non-professionals — w ill the school district gain tra in in g program . c re d ib ility w ith Black students and th eir parents. The M yth O f Black Contentment tty Dr. Nathaniel Writfu, Ir Good first step H U M A N R IG H T S A C T IV IS T During the past several years a number of bunks and articles have been written with the suggestion that the period of black discontent has passed and that a vast proportion of hlasks have now entered the "black middle class.” There is no doubt that those w ho look at the pain­ fu l or embarrassing realities around them with may- colored glasses will come up with a roxv slant, no matter how bleak the pit lure mas I m - in actuality. So far as the massive movement o f black Ameri­ cans into a kind of middle class status, the facts cry out loudlv otherwise. Vernon Jordon. Executive D i ­ rector of the National Urban league, reminded the League’s national convention this vear not I m - de­ ceived by the tales or propaganda regarding the growing wealth and t omfort of black Americans. Jordan noted that one out of three blacks is poor and that only twentv percent of (or onlv one out of five) black Americans are existing on middle class living standards. In addition, the league's Execu­ tive Director pointed out that the long-standing and unclosing gap between average white and-black in ­ come in America increased bv $600. I bis latter fact LETTERS TO THE Supports Jordan To the Editor: After all the efforts used to implement the poverty program here in Portland, we cannot afford to let dif­ ferences stop all action on helping people With good consciousness and a deter mination to succeed, we must all constructively keep our efforts on education. I agree with commissioner Jordan, his change to give the CETA funds to PCC for helping the needy, both educationally and with job determination. I believe the new perspective will be the answer to jobs. I hope we don’t fall into the same pit fall as in the past and be so unmindful of a tendency to be guilty of tunnel vision. Because some disagree with com Walter F. Morris Jr. 1st Place 1st Place Best Ad Results ON PA 1973 •5th Place Best Editorial NN PA 1973 Honorable Mention Herrick Editorial Award N N A 1973 Dear Editor: Bad publicity no excuse missioner Jordan, it doesn't mean we will not support him. If those who will equally use their energy to help and assist PCC as they did PMSC in a constructive fashion, everyone will bene fit. I wonder how many of those who have been so quick to protest are regis­ tered to vote and did vote in this last election? Where were those strong voices for our school bond issues to keep our youth in a m odern e n v ir o n m e n t ? Where are those strong voices to help our youth to constructively get an edu cation in our public schools? R IG H T O N C O M M IS SIONER JORDAN. ( ommunitv Service O NPA 1973 Poor politics Editor: In response • to your article "PMSC Challenging Jordan Proposal”. I would suggest that a more ap propriate title is “Jordan Challenges Black Com munity”. I cannot accept the Gilcrease adverse pub licity excuse as a reason to punish poor and minority persons. Since OEO first began in Portland in 1966, the programs have received adverse publicity from time to time. Innovative tech niques were utilized by CEP in order to accomplish what established agencies admittedly had failed to do in the areas of increasing employment opportunities for “hard core" persons. Since the inception of the CEP program operated by PMSC in 1966, many Black unemployed persons have gained experience and edu cation and now have perma nent middle income jobs. Others have gained pride and satisfaction through being able to earn their own money. This program has also helped to reduce recidivism by placing ex offenders on jobs. I would like to know what type of track record Portland Community Col lege established with the M DTA Program. There were many complaints from Blacks and other minority persons that unless they were referred by agencies, they could not receive training and were often told that all slots were filled. A surface appearance with regard to minority hiring practices by PCC indicates that they should begin by recruitment in their own agency. C o m m is sio n e r Jordan could not have dealt a more lethal blow to this com munity. Employment a( fects Blacks (the visible minority) more than any other ethnic group. With out adequate employment opportunities, we rannot attain economic stability or social mobility. Thus, we remain virtual Slaves. In the short time Com missioner Jordan has been on the City Council, some Blacks have lost jobs and others are being threatened. (Human Relations Commis sion. Council on Aging.) Has Commissioner Jordan become the Blark Eraser to remove what small progress that has been made? Where will it end and what is the future of this community under his term of office? Sincerely yours, Beltie Ix>u Overton Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201 North Killmgsworth, Portland, Oregon 97217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3137, Portland. Oregon 97208. Telephone: 283 2486 Subscriptions: $5.25 per year in the Tri County area, $6.00 per year outside Portland. Second Class Postage Paid at Portland, Oregon ÎB Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association The Portland Observer's official position is expressed only in its Publisher's column (We See The World Through Black Eyes). Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual w riter or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portland Observer. MEMBER Association PER Founded 1885 It is always wise to Know all the rules of any game before attempting to play it. That is, if surviving is important in a game that your opponent plays well. It is also important to have some position of power that prevents the rules of the game from changing just to accommodate your op ponent. I feel compelled at the moment because it is im perative that my thoughts I m - a part of the debate over "Where Is Charles Jordan Coming From." Let me be perfectly clear on my poni tion. I think that he is playing the game of politics (»oorly and has made sev era I blunders. The politics that I speak of are as follows. The Mayor has wanted greater control of government dol lars coming into the com munity for some time. Mayor Goldschmidt, like other mayors across the nation, has ideological prob lems with quasi govern mental bodies such as I ’MSC and other community action agencies. Most so called "liberal" mayors have chosen not to invoke the (ireen Amendment which in affect compromises those images of government "for and by th«- people". The invoking of the Green Amendment would auto­ matically give control of dollars to the city. Even though CETA dollars are only a part cl PMSC’s budget, to contract with I ’MSC keeps the animal healthy. Jetie B W Ids, Jr. 6 Î represents the most clear indication that blacks, on the American economic wrne. face a worsening po silion in relation to their white American counterparts. Jordan stated: "T h e grim, brutal reality for black people in 1974 is not middle class status hut deprivation and marginal existence." T hese somber words, based u|M»n the most certain evidence a t­ tainable. should lav to rest the false prognostications of the starry-eyed optimists who would mislead black & while Americans in regard to one of the most grave A- potentially perilous inequities which face us. Perhaps the greatest tragedy is not that blacks, in ­ creasingly are left out of the higher benefit levels (and even have less on the lower benefit levels). Rather it is the ironv that substantial numbers of both the black and while leadership communities rannot bring themselves to accept, either intellectu­ ally nr emotionally, the awesome realities of the d if­ ficult precarious place in which black America finds itself. Driving through the middle class (and even some upper middle class) sec tions of our central cities with lush green lawns and finely built houses vacated hurriedlv bv fleeing whites, and now occu­ pied by a few comfortably situated blacks, mav easi­ ly K