I
Portland Observer
By J.M . Galea
«
»’ AST A N D PRESENT:
IIO I II SIDES
OF T H E S A M E CO IN
Recurring concerns are
sometimes confused by up
parent newness in a veneer
of change obliterating the
paat. It often seems that
reform strategies of pant
anil present merge, obarur
mg the rrilli-al issues anil
giant reformers of other
years. Comparison of some
major issues of the 20th
Century indu-ates a notice
able similarity in efforts
ami methods to achieve
mutual goals of inclusive
ness and participation on a
racial basis; there is con
structive continuity of vi
sum and action Comments
and strategy
for
unity
repeat through the years.
The M ark Caucus mirrors
efforts of the twenties in
w h ich A f r o A m e ric a n s
united with Professor Kelly
Miller in the new .Sanhedrin
Movement which included
six civil rights organiza
lions: The National Asso
nation for the Advanre
rnenl of Colored People.
The Equal Rights League,
The Hare Congress, The
Blood Brotherhood. The In
ternational Uplift Ix-ague,
and The Friends of Negro
Freedom .
E ffo rts
to
achieve unity then resulted
in a Chicago conference
which Alain Ix>cke reported
us attended by .’KM) deb-
gates representing sixty
th re e
o r g a n iz a t io n s .
Frederick Douglas reported
in his autobiography
a
similar conference in 1853
hi Rochester, New York.
According to Professor
Alain IxM-ke, the delegates
representing sixty three or
gunizations evolved a na
tional council The Negro
Sanhedrin
committed
to
public
health,
education,
labor, politics, endorsement
of equal rights and equal
p a rtic ip a tio n of women,
public utterance including
the right of protest, and
in t e r r a r i a l
r e la t io n s .
Among the unanimous re
commendations was:
The desirability of build
mg up cooperative contacts
la-tween the Negro peoples
President Ford
praises Black Press
The Black Press was
praised last week by Presi
dent Gerald It. Ford as
"crucial in |M-rpetualing and
preserving the legacy of
freedom we cherish "
He made his rommenda
lion in a statement on the
observance of Black Press
Week, March 10th 16th, is
sued by the White House
on Friday.
Further, the President
said: "As we approach the
celebration of our national
bicentennial, it ia appro
priate that we pay tribute
to the Black Press in our
country.
"Since the early
19th
century, Americas Black
newspapers have champ
luned the cause of equal
opportunity and justice,” he
added
"They have," he con
tinued, "staunchly defended
the
very
principles
on
which our nation
was
founded and sought full
expression for those prin
nples in our daily lives.”
Black Press Week was
observed across the nation
last week in recognition of
the founding of the first
Black new spaper. Free
dom's Journal, on March
16th, 1827. by John B.
Russwurm and the Itever
end Samuel E. Cornish at 5
Varick Street, New York
City.
In Washington, Howard
University's school of com
munications held a week
long com m unication con
ference. And the National
Newsjia,x-r Publishers As
sociation was joined by the
National Press Club and the
Capital Press Club in con
ducting a luncheon sympo
slum on "The Role of the
Black Press in our Central
Cities."
The panelists were: Ms.
Ethel I,. Payne, associate
editor of the Chicago Daily
D e fe n d e r;
S im e o n
S.
Booker. Washington editor
of Jet and Ebony maga
zines; Dr. Carlton B. Good
lett, president of N N PA
and editor publisher of the
San
Francisco
Sun Re
porter M etro Reporter.
Also James 1,. Hicks,
executive editor. New York
A m sterdam
New s; and
Samuel F. Yette. author of
"The Choice: Issue of Black
Survival in America" and
professor of journalism at
Howard. John H. Murphy
I II . chairman of the board
of A fro A m erican News
papers. served as modera
tor.
C lim ax in g
the
Black
Press Week luncheon was
the presentation of awards
to: Mrs Alice Dunningan,
author of "A Black Worn
man's E xp e rien ce from
S c h o o lh o u s e to W h ite
House" and longtime Wash
ington bureau chief for the
Associated Negro Press;
Commissioner Benjamin L.
Hooks, Federal Communi
cations
Commission;
the
School of Communications,
Howard University; and the
National Press Club.
Other observances were
held during the week in
New
Y o rk .
A tla n ta ,
Indiana,Mills, Houston, and
San Francisco.
Taxp ayers use
w rong ta x tables
The IRS reports that a
common error being made
on federal income tax re
turns, if not corrected by
taxpayers, could result in
delaying refunds for as
many as 12,311 Oregonians.
"The taxpayers are simply
using the wrong tax table
or tax rate schedule for the
filing status which they
indicated on their returns,”
explained Ralph B. Short,
IRS District Director for
Oregon.
Income tax
processing
procedure* require returns
containing this type of error
to undergo a sqecial type of
handling that includes di
reel correspondence with
the erring taxpayer.
This
extra processing could de
lay the taxpayer's refund an
additional two to three
weeks.
"Taxpayers not itemizing
deductions and earning less
than
$10,000,
w h e th e r
single, head of household,
or married (filing jointly or
singly), should use one of
the Tax Tables 1 through
12, depending on
their
number of exemptions and
filing status,” Short said.
Taxpayers who itemize
deductions or earn greater
than $10,(KM) should use Tax
Rate Schedules which are
listed in their general tax
instructions.
Further information con
cerning filing status, and
answers to other questions
concerning
federal
taxes
ran hr obtained by calling
the local toll free telephone
numbers listed in all Ore
gon telephone directories.
of A m erica, the W est
Indies, and Africa, and of a
development, both as a
responsibility and oppor
tunity, of the movement for
help in the economic, edu
rational and spiritual re
dempion of Africa.
We owe much to the
great gains of change for
their legacy regarding so
rial, political and cultural
uplift. Those noble persons
were a part of difficult
times; it was not easy to
risk concern for quality of
lif.-
P e rp e tu a lly fru s tra tin g
the struggle then and now
parasites
Eternal
Fence Straddlers who float
through life without an
opinion on anything while
they absorb the benefits of
the struggle without ronlri
tin tin g t h e ir VOICES to the
struggle of living.
They
stay with Safe Projects
some dollars here and there
but
NEVER
TH EIR
VOICES!
The lives of Alain Ixx-ke,
W .E.B. DuBois. Frederick
Douglass, M artin Delaney,
Ida Wells Barnett, M a ry
Church T e rr e ll, W a lte r
W hite, Adam Clayton Po­
well, and M artin Luther
King. Jr. were interwoven
w ith p e rs o n a l w r i t in g
through either books or
periodicals They definitely
committed their voices.
As a part of the tradition
of greatness, the
Afro
American Press is a signifi
cant example of a rommu
nity voice
a medium of
education in public affairs
and also a crusader and
reformer.
Courage to stand up and
lie counted on the critical
issues is as necessary today
as it was for Washington's
troops at Valley Forge. The
survival of the positive
aspects of our heritage is a
serious matter; one should
not be silent
while
a
cultural "blackout" or fade
away is threatening survi
val. Consequently, a dyna
mic program is essential for
responsible community or
ganizations. A chronicle of
the unrelated
does not
qualify as valid program.
It would seem that a
four percent vote in a dues
paying organization would
be a major cause for
concern regarding imme
diate program reform and
election reform.
A four
percent vote should be
interpreted as a cause for
immediate change in as
much as fo u r p e rc e n t
voters, on a R E S T R IC T E D
one name only for office
ballot, leave little for justi
fo-d jubilation. What is the
potential weakness of a
four percent vote to the
community at large? How
authentic is leadership with
a four percent base????
It was announced at the
F eb ru a ry 16th Portlan d
Branch N A A f'P
meeting
that a letter concerning
police relations was just
received at the Branch and
would be discussed at the
F eb ru ary
17th
Branch
Board meeting.
At the March Branch
meeting of the Portland
NAACP, the sister of a
recently slain victim ap
peared seeking support for
an investigation. She al
leged that her brother was
shot in the back of the head
at the rear of a building.
The Reverend John Jackson
stated that he did not
believe
that
conferences
w ith M ayor N e il Gold
schimdt or Chief of Police
Baker would be helpful; Mr.
Casson mentioned the pos
sibility of the assistance of
the Regional N A A C P Board
member and was present
when said discussion was in
process but offered
no
possible alternatives for a
more responsive investiga
live attitude from local
officials regarding the re
c u rrin g unusual circum
stancs of recent victims
slain by police.
One of the great needs of
our time is a consistent
effort by community or
ganizations on specific local
concerns.
The February
24th full page ad ve rtise
ment, which appeared in
the daily press, emphasized
the Bicentennial need for
people to wok vigorously
and courageously reforming
people to people inju stice
such as the lack of equal
opportunity in order that
the Bicentennial era might
truly lie "a realistic period
for tough minded planning
and
a c c o m p lis h m e n t."
Tough minded planning and
accomplishment poses a dif
ficult challenge
that
is
specific in direction and
continuity.
In times like this, it is
well
to call upon
the
positive resources of the
ages for insight toward
bridging the gap of frac­
tured
relationships.
The
New Testament lesson of
the Samarian woman at the
well depicts the opportunity
for
understanding
which
Jesus provided through the
positive uniting diversity.
Thursday, March 20, 1975
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