P»«* S
Portland Observer
Thursday. January 15, 197«
We see the world
through Black eyes
A day of rededication Mountain needs rules
On the anniversary o f the birth o f M artin Luther
King, Jr. w e must once ag a in rededicate ourselves to
the ideals fo r w hich Dr. King lived and died.
Dr. King was a m an w ho, w ith his ow n inner
strength and b e lie f in the hum anity o f m an, led a
vast m ultitu d e o f p eople w h o had no p o litic a l pow er
or influence and little m oney, but w ere a b le to m ove
the conscience o f a nation. Though po lice dogs, fire
hoses and w ire taps w ere used against him , he never
doubted the eventual trium ph o f truth.
Dr. King was a man w hose philosophy was so
p o w e rfu l, w hose goals w e re so prevading, that he
was harassed, slandered and perhaps m urdered by
the g overnm en t o f the U nited States.
And w h a t was this philosop hy that was so feared
by United States o fficia ls? M erely that the vast
m a jo rity o f A m ericans are good and that w hen they
are exposed to the su ffe rin g they are in flic tin g on
others, they w ill bring a b out change
Dr. King's m ovem ent w e n t beyond the quest fo r
c iv il rights fo r Black Am ericans.
He directed his
efforts to w a rd u n ity o f a ll p e o p le w ho w ere suffering
the d e b ilita tin g effects o f poverty and he sought to
id e n tify the country's oppression in V ietnam w ith its
oppression a t hom £. For this he was m urdered.
On this anniversary o f Dr. King's birth w e must
rededicate ourselves to carry on his w ork. We must
strive to see that this nation re d e fin e its priorities —
that the econom y is re b u ilt to insure m e a n in g fu l
e m p lo y m e n t fo r those w h o can work? and an
adequate incom e fo r those w h o cannot. The w ealth
o f the nation must be used to b e n e fit the people -
not the fe w w h o w o u ld liv e o ff the s u ffe rin g o f the
m ajority.
W e must e xtend our sights beyond our ow n
borders - to see the su ffe rin g o f our brothers in
A frica and the Third W orld caused by our ow n
econom ic p olicies and the secret po lice tactics
devised to protect them .
The anniversary o f Dr. King's birth should m ean
m ore to us today then ever before. W ith the nation
in deep depression, w ith our overseas aggression
increasing, w ith our secret p o lice o p e rating at
homes, it is m ore than ever necessary that w e keep
our eye on the goal.
O nly through continuous
perseverance and d e dicatio n w ill w e ever be ab le to
say w ith conviction — "F ree at la s t."
Three teen-age boys have been lost on Mt. Hood
for m ore than tw o weeks and hope o f th e ir rescue
dims. Since they w ere last seen, on January 1st,
storms have raged and m ore than fifte e n fe e t o f
snow have fa lle n on the m ountains.
W e are g e n e ra lly opposed to the personal restric
tion o f personal freedom , but it does seem that there
should be some e ffo rt to prevent this type o f tra g e d /,
w hich happens a ll too often. Surely the forest service
could rhake some restriction on clim b in g on the
m ountain during stormy periods and p a rticu la rly
d uring the w inter.
Not o n ly can the lives o f these three young m en be
lost, but th e ir decision to take a w in te r hike, and th e ir
parents' approval, endangers the lives o f hundreds
o f men w h o clim b and fly over the m ountain in an
e ffo rt to fin d them.
We pray that these young m en w ill be fo u n d safe,
but w e hope their ordeal
leads to some
consideration o f regulations that w ill he lp prevent
future tragedies.
Freeway brings danger
The B anfield Freeway is a m enace!
Not only are the lanes narrow , but d u rin g w et
w eather - w hich is most o f the »ime - the outside
lanes are alm ost unusable. W ater covers an area
tw o or three feet w id e on the outside lanes, forcing
the tra ffic tow ard the center line, and in m any places
covers h a lf o f the lane.
Unsuspecting motorists d riv in g through these deep
ponds o f w a te r are en g u lfe d w ith a sheet o f w ater.
It seems that w ith as m uch m oney as was spent
re b u ild in g this fre e w a y, proper d ra in a g e w o u ld
have been installed.
It is another e xa m p le o f poor p la n n in g and
tem porary expendency w hich costs m oney but does
not solve the problem .
I »M W**HCIMUMT o
i
O IO M D
ffoeu
For more than 66 years, black Americans, faced with threats
to their civil rights, have turned to the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People.
The N A A C P response to these threats would fill volumes. It
ranges from the end of lynchings, the abolition of jim -crow , the
1954 school integration decision, equal access to public accomo
dations and the extension o f voting rights, to guarding the rights
of blacks on the aircraft carrier, K itty H aw k, and participation
in winning the largest back-pay award ever for black steelworkers
in Alabama.
The means to maintain and increase civil rights gains for
all Americans are threatened because the N A A C P and its programs
are now throttled by inflation and the continuing national eco
nomic crisis. Yes— when we’re in trouble, your civil rights are
in trouble. Only you and your like-minded fellow Americans can
help maintain the Association in times o f stress as the firm and
unwavering civil rights bulwark.
To continue the work o f the N A A C P , send your contribution
today
Margaret Bush Wilson
Chairm an of thè Board
1st Place
Community Service
O N P A 1973
Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201
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O N P A 1973
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N N P A 1973
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Oregon
Newspaper
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Association
MEMBER
AasoeOioo - F ate Os if f MS
It is no surprise that J. Edgar Hoover
hated M artin Luther King. Jr. Hut even
in this cynical age accustomed to dirty
tricks and deceit, it is shocking to learn
the desperate and despicable lengths
Hoover and the F B I went to in order to
destroy King.
During the time when I worked with
D r. King, we knew that the FBI had sent
spies into the Southern Christian Lea
dership Conference and we suspected
that we had been bugged as well. In
re»-»nt weeks it has been revealed that
the F B I went much further
that they
organized and carried out a campaign
designed to destroy D r. King.
ThV F B I tried to prevent a college from
giving King an honorary degree, they
hatched a plan to keep the Pope from
granting him an audience, and tried to
undermine the financial support for the
S.C.L.C.
The F B I did not stop at trying to
destroy King as a civil rights leader. Nor
did they stop at a slanderous whispering
campaign planned to destroy D r. King's
personal reputation. They went so far as
to send a note and tape recording to King
Shotguns in all police cars.
W hat’s
next? Portland now stands out as a racist
militia aimed at the poor and minority
groups.
Honestly, who do you think the
shotguns will be used on? Right. And to
think most hunters use shotguns for large
game animals. But. of course, minorities
are regarded by many as Animals.
I am ashamed of this city; the Bay Area
got rid of Chief Baker because of his
racist tactics there. I t now seems that
the city of Portland has retained him
when others would not. W hat does that
make the city of Portland, a very, very,
racist city.
Citizens remember Kent State, some
times it's not the Rlacks or other
minorities...Students you know how you
are usually regarded
as niggers.
1790 Broadw ay, N ew York 10019
2752 N. W illiam s A venue, Portland 97212
5701 A rizona Drive, Vancouver 98664
A L F R E D L. H E N D E R S O N
Editor/PubUsher
by Bayard Rustin
Against Dr. King
in late 1964 in an effort to drive him to
suicide.
Paradoxically, the revelations about
Hoover's six year campaign to destroy
Dr. King make it clear that it was not
King's reputation that was damaged by
this effort but the reputation of Hoover
and the FBI. Hoover’s suspicions about
King, if they could be called that, tell us
more about him than about King.
Certainly in his later year's Hoover
was a petty man, jealous of his
reputation, and deeply resentful of any
criticism.
It is unclear what aroused
Hoover's suspicion of King, but perhaps it
was the very largeness and charity of
King’s character.
If it could be said that King and Hoover
were foes the way in which they
conceived of their contest and the manner
in which they reacted to each other show
the stark contrasts between the quality
Of man that each was. 'W hile Hoover used
a federal agency to carry on a personal
vendetta against King
M artin was
engaged in a great battle for social justice
through non violence and Christian love.
One incident during my ten year
association with D r. King illustrates this
difference. Apparently angered by Dr.
,’s criticism of the F B I for appointing
.ervative agents to investigate civil
rights violations in the South. Hoover
publically attacked King as the "biggest
liar" in the country.
Many of King's
advisors myself included, urged M artin to
make a counterblast at Hoover, demand
that Hoover produce evidence to bark
s charge.
But public denunciation was com
pletely alien to Martin's character.
Whenever someone was in error and
especially when they wrongly attacked
him, M artin always sought a personal
conference to attempt to reconcile the
differences Thus he met with Hoover
and asked the FB I chief to explain just
what he had done that Hoover considered
deceitful.
Hoover, of course, was unable to
supply any basis for his attack.
I don't imagine that M artin would have
been too alarmed at the knowledge that
the FBI was out to destroy him. What
would have disturbed him and what
should disturb us today is that all the
time and effort devoted to tearing down
King could have saved the lives of many
people who were killed during the great
crusade to gain civil righta.
I hi* good that men do does live long
after they have died. Dr. King did much
good in his life. It is our responsibility to
make sure that that good continues and
that it be expanded. For what King did
will be regarded one hundred years from
now as one of the greatest contributions
to mankind.
M artin took the stategy of non violence
a step even beyond Ghandi. He showed
that it is possible for a minority using the
principles and tactics of non violence to
win concessions from the majority, an
effort Ghandi attempted but failed to
achieve in South Africa
He showed that it is possible to secure
justice and that it is realistic to dream of
a better world.
Dear Editor:
Roy Wilkins
Executive Director
The Portland Observer's official position is expressed only in
its Publisher's column (W e See The World Through Black Eyes).
Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the
individual w rite r or submitter and does not necessarily reflect
the opinion of the Portland Observer.
The Campaign
is on his right and Reverend Ralph Jackson on his left.
R a c is t m i l i t i a
Jesse Turner
Treasurer
Portland O bserver
D r. M artin Luther King marches in Memphis, on March 29,
196H. five days before his murder. Reverend Ralph Abernathy
Honorable Mention
Herrick Editorial Award
N N A 1973
2nd Place
Best Editorial
3rd Place
Community Leadership
O N P A 1975
Xfpk
Ms. F.J. Sandy Yuvienco
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