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OBSERVER
6
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Ne. 52
i«c p«r
NAACP
selects
Hooks
____
Benjamin L. Hooka has been named
executive director of the NAACP. The
selection by the national board was
unanimous.
Hooks is currently a member of the
Federal Communications Commission. He
is a former criminal court judge and a
Baptist minister.
Hooks will succeed Roy Wilkins in
January. For the next year Wilkins will
receive hie full salary of nearly >40,000.
Thereafter, he will receive $26,000 con­
sultant fees for three years and will
receive $20,000 annual retirement.
Hooks to considered a dynamic speaker
and an outstanding administrator.
White power group organizes
A “White Power Hot Line" has raised
concern in recent days. The Alpha Circle
message - asking white people to organ­
ise to protect racial purity - can be
reached by calling 222-2A46. Although the
message states it to the first in a series,
the organisation has been in Portland for
at least a year. The speaker identifies
himself as Larry Dixon.
The speaker calls on white people to
organise, "White America A w ake!. . . We
are a group of Oregons who are proud of
our white racial heritage and loyal to our
American homeland." The Alpha Cirele
expresses 1) a deep concern for white
western culture, "our most precious
heritage” and feels a sacred obligation to
the defense and furtherance of that
heritage; 2) a recognition of the natural
superiority of whites; 3) an absolute
rejection of neo-liberalism. I t advocates
“safeguard racial identity by putting an
end to the present insanity of forced
racial integration which to threatening all
involved with social chaos, cultural diso­
lution and racial death.”
Vanguard carries ad
Alpha Circle advertised in two issues of
the Portland State University student
misgivings it did not seem to go against
their policy. Longmire said he equated
the 'white culture" study with Black
culture studies.
I f there is question or complaint about
an advertisement it can be taken before
the Publication Board - a committee of
students and faculty - but this case was
not referred.
The second with the advertisement ran
in the Vanguard, it contained the tele­
phone number. Longmire listened to
part of the recording and asked that the
advertisement not be run again.
newspaper, the Vanguard. The adver­
tisements asks students to organize a
white students alliance. Dave Long-
mire, advertising manager for the Van­
guard, said it to the editor's policy to
accept all advertisements unless they are
libelous, contain inacurate statements, or
are in poor taste.
Longmire. who said he could not
speak for editor Mary Mertens, explained
his interpretation of the policy. Last year,
the editor turned down C IA advertising,
causing a great deal of adverse publicity
and finally being removed from office.
This year’s editor, Ms. Mertens, believes
turning down an advertisement is with
holding information and determining
what students should read, so will only
withhold an advertisement if it is con-,
trary to the policy stated above.
“What is poor Taste'?” Longmire
asked. “This causes a loi of problems
because it depends on who is judging.”
Longmire and Ms. Mertens accepted
the advertisement when the purchaser
explained that the organization was to
help students become more aware of
“white culture” and teacn others about
“white culture." Longmire took it to the
editors and although there were some
The Vanguard has received one or two
inquiries but no real protest about the ad.
A spokesman from the Portland Com­
munity College newspaper. The Bridge,
said his paper did not receive the
advertisement, but felt it would not have
been printed. “We reserve the right to
refuse otlensive material," he said. He
considered the words "White Students
Alliance” to have been a clue to the
organizations intent.
The Portland Police Bureau has re­
ceived inquiries and to making an investi­
gation. The Metropolitan Human Rela­
tions Commission was not aware of the
existence of the “H ot Line."
Affirmative action programs face extinction
On November 17th, minorities and
women may loose the gains in employ­
ment opportunities gained through affir­
mative action.
On September 17th the Department of
Labor's Contract Compliance Programs
(OFCCP) printed revisions of affirmative
action laws in the Federal Register and
allowed only 60 days tor public comment.
The guidelines have met wide criticism
from civil rights groups across the nation,
charging that they were drafted in
secret, without serious consultation with
the groups that will be affected.
In June of 1976. the Women Employed,
a Chicago based organization, met w ith
Lawrence Lorber, new director of the
Office of Contract Compliance. During
W IL L IE
Im k proMotas Willie Decker«
Willie M. Deckard has been appointed
a banking officer at the Moreland-Sell
wood Branch of the First National Bank
of Oregon. 'Among Miss Deckard's re­
sponsibilities are consumer loans, basic
commercial loans. Bank American! appli­
cations, courtesy card applications, and
customer services.
Miss Deckard has been in her current
position for two months. A fter manage­
ment training, she worked for nearly two
years in personnel, first as an interview­
er, than as « job and salary analyst In
January of 1076, she entered training in
loans. During her training she was at the
30th and Powell and the Tualiton branch­
es. The appointment to Moreland-Sell-
wood to her first regular assignment to a
branch.
Mias Deckard is a native of Texas. She
completed her first two years of high
school in Waco, then spent her final two
years at Manuel Arts High School in Los
Angeles.
She is a graduate of Pacific University,
with a degree in Business and Economics.
Miss Deckard hopes to make her career
in personnel relations. She expects to
in more experience in the branches and
partmenta of the bank, then return to
departmental banking.
A resident of Beaverton, Miss Deckard
is active in the Urban League of Portland,
serving on several committees. Her hob­
bies include sewing, crochytting and
cooking.
£
Roberts seeks leadership job
State Senator Frank Roberts of Port­
land will oppose Jason Boe for the
position of Senate President which Boe
has held for two terms. Roberts was
selected by urban senators in their bid for
the leadership.
Boe is from Reedsport, on the southern
coast, and the man holding second posi-
tion, majority leader Fred Heard, is from
Klamath Falls.
Senators from the tri-county area who
are generally more liberal and concerned
with urban problems, will attempt to take
at least one of the positions away from
the more conservative down-state group.
New attesrs af the A M a a M
the *1 1 te T T year. L e it te right aret I
«harsh. Treaaarer; Beveread B. E.
Christ • PrsgnMi CaardHbbstar;
Minority Affairs at Ceaeerdla Calage, Pru-Msat i 1
«f New Hope Baptist Chareh, Vice P rs tid ia t; i
harsh (UCCI,
C h m h of Gad la
af the Otffsd of
d Devers, Pastor
toldoaa, Paster of
this meeting Lorber mentioned that new
affirmative action guidelines were being
written. Women Employed asked for a
copy and tw o months later were "leaked”
a copy of proposed revisions. Jean Hof-
fenbomp, spokesperson for the group.
said, "Their proposal w ill also seriously
undermine efforts to achieve equal op­
portunities for women and minorities.”
Business Week said, “In a little-herald­
ed step towards regulatory reform, the . .
. OFCCP is making it easier for business
to comply with affirmative action require­
ments.”
The proposal regulations will make the
following changes in affirmative action
guidelines:
1. Exempts from affirmative action
requirements all contractors with less
than 100 employees and contracts less
than $100,000. Creates a new category of
contractors with a "legitimate employ­
ment structure” that is "unique” and will
be exempt from affirmative action com­
pliance plans and allowed "variations” in
stead.
2. Complaints of discrimination may
have to be filed first with employers.
Only after sixty days can they be filed
with OFCCP or an agency.
group for affirmative action.
b) Employers' five year affirmative
action plays are subject to review only in
“exceptional circumstances.”
7. Specific employer guidelines for
promotions, training, testing and selec­
tion, active involvement of community
groups, career counseling, review of job
descriptions, and managerial accountabil­
ity have been efinainated. Contractors
may tailor measures to meet their own
situations.
8. New goals will be based on fewer
labor force available figures. Results will
be lower required goals in hiring and
promotion of women and minorities.
3. Abandons use of “shew cause”
notices which presently demand that
employers show why monitoring or en­
forcement proceedings should not be
instituted.
4. Drops the former threat of “no
compliance equals no contract” in pre­
award situations. Even without an affir­
mative action program, a contractor will
get an automatic clearance if the agency
fails to review the contractor within 90
days prior to the contract award.
6. Adds several additional steps and
greatly extends the time period during
which the employer may meet compliance
through conciliation and mediation. Only
when conciliation fails can the compliance
agency request that the OFCCP under­
take an administrative hearing or that
the complaint be referred to the Justice
Department.
6. Employers may structure affirma­
tive action programs in one of two ways:
a) Employers choose their own target
The impact of these regulations is to
make contract compliance into a self­
regulation or back to “good faith."
The National Coalition to Defend A f­
firmative Action has requested that
public comment be accepted for 90 days,
(Please turn to p. 2 col. 4)
Black vote demonstrates political power
Atlanta, Georgia - The southern Black
vote on November 2nd, 1976 was the
most decisive and influential single exer­
cise of minority political power in this
century, according to the nonpartisan
Voter Education Project (VEP).
“In the largest Black vote of this
century, the margins of victory for
President-elect Jimmy Carter, several
southern members of the U .8. Congress,
and for local and state candidates were
provided by minorities who were largely
denied voting rights ju st 11 years ago,”
commented John Lewis, V E P executive
director and long-time civil rights leader.
“A fter a long, hard year of intensive
voter registration in the 11 southern
states, the final groundwork was laid for
the record turnout on November 2nd. I t ’s
a great object lesson. Two and one-halL
million unregistered Blacks can now see a
positive example of the power of the
Black vote and, hopefully, will add their
voices to the governmental process in
future elections.”
In a preliminary survey of the effect of
the Black vote on November 2nd, the
Voter Education Project made spot-
checks of predominantly Black precincts
in.each of the 11 southern states and
determined that, on the average, be-*
tween 60 and 70 per cent of all registered
Blacks turned out to vote. Over 96 per
cent of all southern. Blacks were esti­
mated to have cast their ballot for Jimmy
Carter for President.
According to the V E P study, a recent­
ly-expanded base of registered Black
voters and a record Black turnout com­
bined to provide President-elect Jimmy
Carter with the obvious margin of victory
across the South, with the exception of
Virginia. President Ford was estimated
to have won approximately 56 per cent of
the white vote of the 11 southern states.
Looking closer at Black returns, > n
estimated 200,000 Blacks or 73 per cent of
registered Black voters in South Carolina
turned out, giving C arter 96 per cent of
their votes. Carter’s winning margin in
South Carolina was 90,000 votes, having
received 40 per cent of approximately
782,000 white votes.
• In South Carolina, the Black vote also
assured the victory of incumbent John
Jenerette, who won the 6th U.S. Con-
gresaion District post by a margin of
15,000 votes. The presence of active local
registration projects and a host of Black
candidates for local offices increased
voter interest and participation in that
state. A ll 18 Black members of the South
Carolina House of Representatives won
reelection.
In North Carolina, where the Black
vote was decisive for Carter for Presi­
dent, it provided margins of victory for
other candidates as well. Congressional
incumbent Stephen L. Neal from the 5th
District and John Brooks, a liberal
candidate running against an appointed
incumbent for the post of state labor
commissioner, also received strong Black
votes which made possible their election
victories. Black voter turnout in the city
of Durham was estimated at 70 per cent,
with at least 95 per cent of the votes
going to Jimmy Carter.
Tennessee’s Black voters provided
Carter with approximately 60 per cent of
his vote as the Black turnout in areas
such as Memphis was estimated at over
70 per cent. Blacks also overwhelmingly
supported and provided the margin of
victory for James Sasser, challenger for
the U.S. Senate seat held by William
Brock. In a statewide race, Black support
was crucial in the Public Service Com­
mission race of Franklin Cochran.
Tennessee's only Black representative,
Harold Ford, won reelection, as did his
two southern Black colleagues, Andrew
Young of Georgia and Barbara Jordan of
Texas. Ford received an estimated 96 per
cent of the Black vote in the 8th District
of West Tennessee and increased his base
of white support from 14 per cent of the
vote in 1974 to 21 per cent in 1976.
Republican candidate Paul Trible won
a closely contested race in Virginia’s first
Congressional District, with the narrow
margin of his victory coming from the
Black vote. While his opponent for this
vacated seat won the majority of Black
votes cast. Black voters who split their
tickets made the difference as Trible won
with less than a 2,000 vote margin.
In Mississippi's Second Congressional
District, David Bowen won 62 per cent of
the vote total, including strong support
from Blacks who comprise 38 per cent of
the voters in that district. Statewide,
approximately 55 per cent of the state’s
290,000 registered Blacks voted, casting
approximately 94 per cent of their ballots
for Jimmy Carter.
“We have not yet completed our
survey to determine how many of the
approximately 400 Blacks who ran for
office were successful,” sai<^ Lewis, "but
we are compiling scattered results which
show that Blacks were elected for the
first time to the county commisssion and
school board posts in Richland County,
South Carolina and, most significantly, a
Black sheriff was elected in Williamsburg
’ County. South Carolina."
Lewis said his organization, which
provides nonpartisan assistance to minor­
ity political participation through pro­
grams of education and motivation, can
not afford to relax its efforts because of
the record Black southern turnout.
“We are pleased that large numbers of
Blacks responded positively and exer­
cised their voice in government,” ex­
plained Lewis, “but the Voter Education
Project is more concerned with the
remaining voiceless millions of Blac..? •»
the South. This has been the concern of
(Please turn to n. 9. m l 41
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