ie. im
Equity in social security
We see the world
through Black eyes
Far fetched claim
Some justice yet?
H *
and body Skt bad juat
SyBipXlMHM
that she was M t edg
Security benefits
The
Being considered by Cengreea are
rwviawna of the Serial Security law that
would establish a aew system of record
keeping. It would enable both partners in
a m arriage to develop th eir own tadivid
ual wage records far Social Security
U»W by a
I l CMPiR
-*_v
far Serial
k explained
ra th e r than 19 years and atx months she
would have qualified.
A Social Security check ia precious
little upon which to live. But after years
of w orking in the borne, fulfilling a role to
which our aociety accords much pratae. to
be left standing in a Social Security office
w ith nothing, m income whatsoever, is
understandably devastating. It happens
every day.
The Social Security law, w ritten in
1935. is based on the assumption that
women w ork in the borne and that
marriages last forever. Such is not the
case today.
A t present, almost five out of every 10
women have outside jobs. They make up
40 percent of the nation's work force. And
since I960, there has bee« a 41 percent
increase ia widows and 166 percent
increase in divorces. In 1973 there were
S J5 milbon divorced women in the
United States.
Attorney General Griffin Bell has ordered the FBI to
Affirmative oction and minority enterprise plans
moke o "very active, high priority" investigation into
ore receive)ng close scrutiny in recent months os
the cose of the Wilmington 10.
white males ore coming »o the conclusion that these
The Wilmington 10ore one Block man, Ben Chavis,
plans discriminate against them. Some detrocton;
eight Black youths ond a white woman who were
base their claims or: "discrim¡notion" ogonst white
convicted of joining m the firebombing of o •
moles and others on the possibility that affirmative
wh.te-awned grocery store m a Black neighborhood
oction might cause greater hostility by whites toward
during a period of racial violence in Wilmington,
minorities.
North Carolina six years ago.
Affirmative oction and minority enterprise pions
The disturbance began with a protest by Block
would never have been necessary if minorities hod
students who were not allowed to commemorate the
not been the victicms of discrimination. The ony
birthdate of Dr. Martin Luther King.
reason some companies are having problems
Violence centered around o Congregational
m ee’ ing minority requirements now is that they kept
church used os o heodquorters for the protesters. The
minorities out of their work forces until forced to let
church was besieged by white night-riders shooting
them in — so it will take some time ond effort to
up the Block neighborhood. The white pastor called
moke up for lost rime.
in Ben Chavis, on odvocate of non-violence, to
A personnel man from the U S. Department of
provide
leadership for the Block youth. Throughout
Interior was recently overheard to remark that his
’be
days
ond nights of violence the city hod refused
deportment's minority work force is so small that he
to intervene.
has to hire more minorities than he would like — and
Chavis ond the others were convicted of planning
he feels sorry about having to pass over some white
and corrymg out the burning and other violence.
The American Civil Liberties Union of
applicants who ore equally qualified Of course, if
Oregon w ill honor ten persons for sigmfi
Children who testified at the trial hove since stated
the Interior Deportment hod provided equal oppor
cant contributions to the cause of uxhvid
that they were cooched in their testimony ond were
tunity for minorities all of these years, they would
ual freedom
bribed by low enforcement officials. The cose has
Eric W
AUea. Jr., editor of the
have a suitable number of minority employees.
been of particular interest because of the denial of
M edford M ail Tribune, w ill receive a Civil
For those who say affirmative oction is causing
civil rights of the defendents, triol irregularities, ond
Liberties A w ard for his contribution to
white hostility - th e *ogic is never to do what is right
public understanding of constitutional
on atmosphere of violence during the trial.
if it is not popular. Using this logic, we would still be
issues through his editorials over a period
Now Bell has. at the request of Representative
skives Civil rights have never been awarded by a
of many y e a n .
John Conyers and others, ordered on FBI investiga
vote of the people _ even Portland tried that and
Senators Elisabeth W . Browne. Ed
tion.
ward N. Fadeley. Stephen Kafoury.
foiled
This, along with Bell's statement that on inquiry
Frank Roberts and Representative Vera
More basic -s the question of whether white males
Katz w ill be recognised for th e ir dedica
into the murder of Dr. King should include on
con claim they are discriminated ogomst because of
interview with his confessed killer, James Earl Roy. is ted support of the rights of individuals in
race. Block citizens ond other minorities con easily
a good sign. Although he confessed guilt, Ray has the Oregon Legislative Assembly.
prove that they are members of groups that were
Dean Wilson. M olalla High School
intimated that a conspiracy existed ond he was
Social Studies teacher, w ill be honored
and are the objects of hatred and discrimination
sentenced without the usual full explanation of the
for his courage in resisting hostile com
No white Amencon con legitimately moke that
crime.
munity reaction to his having invited
claim.
Perhaps the Justice Deportment will yield some speakers of diverse political views to
address his Political Science rt»««
He
justice yet.
This legislation, called the Equity ia
Social Security for Individuals and Fami
ties Act. assumes that the work in the
home has economic value.
U nder thia system, if only one spouse
worked ia employment covered by Social
Security, both spouses would he credited
w ith aa equal portion of that wage. The
Social Security recoin of the s|touae ia
noncovered employment is not dependent
upon the length of the m arriage, as it is
today Upon dissolution of the marriage,
each spouse has an independent Social
Security record that is unaffected.
Each p artn er’s Social Security record
is computed annually.
The proposal
portability in Social
Security
records. Partners may m arry, be wmow
ed, divorce or rem arry without losing
benefits. T h e ir personal records follow
thorn throughout th eir lives.
for widow's benefits for women between
SO and 60 years of ags who are left with
no other income.
It will provide a
minimum income to the newly widowed
homemaker to sustain her during the
period she is adjusting to her ne» life
situation. The benefits are phased out aa
the widow is able to join the labor
m arket.
The tie of the widow's benefit w ith the
services of the displaced homemakers
centers proposed in legislation I intro
duced is obvious and natural.
The
Displaced Homemakers Act recognises
the problems faced by the increasing
number of women who find they must
enter the job m arket after hi ving apent
the major portion of their lives as
homemakers. It would establish multi
purpose centers to help these women
become self sufficient, productive mem
bers of the labor force.
For women who are left alone, after a
life as a homemaker, to find th eir way
into the job m arket, these tw o bills ran
make the difference.
It may mean
whether or not a woman becomes self
supporting. It is s lifeline that benefits
all.
There are also provisions under this act
ACLU awards announced
and one of his students successfully
ckalienged in U S. District Court as an
infringem ent of th eir F irst Amendment
rights a decision by the Molalla School
Death p en alty political tool
D ear S ir :
Concerning "Lawyers Know Better".
Thursday. F eb ru ary 17. 1977. What
about the National Bar Association and
U h National Conference of Black Law
vers? W e would like th eir views concern
¡ng the Death Penalty
Concerning the A B A . Brother Malcolm
once said. “You cannot expect your
enemy to give you the tools to liberate
yourself.” A ny Student of history, is
aware of this Double Standard of Justice
in Am erika. Many so-called Caucasian
A uthorities are unaward of the (art. that
hate and prejudice are versatile forces
that can degrade the constitutional
scheme. Those Caucasians who are not for
the abolishment of the Death Penalty.
may open a veritable Pandora's Boat ia from the law of caucaamd A m erika which,
Oregon.
by its intention and by the very nature of
No one would disagree, ail poor people the cultural values which determ ined it is
who confront the A m erikan legal J«g
inimical to Blackness
geraaut are political prisoners. It's the
M ore Black than eaucasoufs have been
political decision of this system that executed ia the United States - and this
Third W o rld people should get the short does not include lynchings, "self-defense"
end of the striek. O v e rt forms of racism or police killings. From 1 9 » 196». 2066
against T h ird W orld people support a BUck people w ere executed, to 1.751
system of exploitatioo and before T h ird caucasoids. Four hundred and five Black
W orld people can participate ia the men w ere executed for rape, as compared
system these overt racist policies must be to 48 caucasoids during the same period.
---- «-J
ptxxi
Blacks are about four tim es as likely to
No Black o r poor person should be for fall victim to forcible rape and robbery
the D eath Penalty. Black people cannot and about tw ice as likely to face burglary
be protected by Am erikan law. for we and aggravated assault.
have no franchise in this country. I f
anything, we suffer double indemnity, we
D r. Jam il Cherovee
Field D r . F o r I C O R E i
have no law of our own and no protection
Mother of the Year
(Continued from page 1 eoL 41
is a m ember of Vancouver Averne? First
Baptist Church
M rs Payne ts a ide
member of the National Conned of Negro
Women, and she belongs to the N A A C P
In 1976 she served as Northeast apart
merits director for United W ay. a voiun
leer position United W ay funds ninety
tw o social service agencies in the m etro
politan ares
She is the Co-founder of Parents of A ir
Force Academy Cadets and Graduates
and has been affiliated with many other
organizations including: Citizens for In
terraria! Understanding. Oregon's l i t e r
acy. Incorporated and Oregon G irl's
Conference Advisory Board.
‘ I enjoyed my children when they were
growing up
W e did so many things
together and I can rem em ber so many
things they did when they w ere young
Holmes
and as they w ere grow ing up. W e have
fun about those things now and I would
advise any m other to do everyth in g she
(Continued from page 1 col. 21
Developm ent Division, w here his mother
M rs. Yvonne W ebster has taught for
can w ith her children, because the things
that th ey do when they are young, they
will never do again
Those are very
pleasant, preciotus. happy memories, to
rem em ber the little things they are
doing, because to them they are tug
things in th e ir lives. In a mother's life
they are big things too. because she sees
them grow ing and she knows how they
w ere at d iffe ren t stages, and you learn to
love them m ore at every stage."
several years. He expected the job to he
tem porary. but became ve ry involved in
the program
As Social Service Supervisor. Holmes
About his responsibilities as Social
Service Supervisor. Holmes said. “M y
biggest goal ts to really build this
departm ent up and make people realize
th at somebody is concerned and some
body is involved in the parent problem»
and child problems, somebody who wants
io make it w ork "
“A m other ts not just a m other to her
own children. She is a m other to other
children, too . . I don't have any small
children at home, but I still have children
I still have the pleasure of my young
fnends."
U “Black Businessman" w ill supply Ins
name and address we will be glad to prtnt
his letter. W e cannot p rint anonymous
letters
Board to baa all political speakers from
the school.
Aw ards will also be presented to
T erranc e J. Hammons. James P. Harrang
and Leslie M . Swanson. J r.. Eugene
Cooperating Attorneys who have been
involved for over tw elve years in btiga
tion to challenge, as a violation of the
principle of Church-State Separation the
Placement of a cross on e r t / p r o p e r t /
T h e swards w ill be presented by
Charles F . H inkle, Chaiperaon of the
A C L U of Oregon.
The program w ill include a report from
the Chairperson of the A C LU 's legisla
tiv e Com m ittee. Charles R. Wilhamsoo
on the Status of civil liberties bills in the
Oregon Legislature.
The awards w ill be presented at a
dinner meeting. March 14th at the Keg
and P la tte r Restaurant in Salem.
A buffet dinner w ill be served at 7 JO
P M w ith the program beginning at 8:15.
The dinner w ill be preceded by a cocktail
hour beginning at 6 : » . Reservations for
dinner should be made by March 10 with
the A C L U office, telephone 227-3166.
Notice
The N ew Hope Missionary Baptist
Church, located at 3725 North Ganten
bein Avenue «rill hold tis Annual Pastors
Aide Program on Thursday. March 10th
at 7 JO p.m .. F rid ay. March 11th at 7 JO
p.m and Sunday. March 13th at 3 JO p.m.
The guest speaker is Reverend Jody
S taruth er of Muskogee. Oklahoma. Rev
erend A. Bernard Devers, pastor, invites
the public to atte n d .'
Published every Thursday by E zie Publishing Company 2201
N o rth Killings w orth. Portland. Oregon 97217 M ailing add resa:
P O . Box 3137. Portland. Oregon 97206. Telephone 283 2466.
Subscriptions S7 50 per year in the Tn<3ounty area. $6 00 per
year outside Portland.
A L F B E D L- HENDERSON
! » ip rra v w tn tiv i
included. Multnomah County
reserves the right to reject
any or all bids.
Specifications may be ob
tained at the Purchasing
Section. 2505 SE U th A v«..
Portland. Oregon 97202
R-W Ty deman
Purchasing D irector
(Continued from page 1 col. 6)
M cDonald was promoted to foreman, a
position he held for 19 years before
being moved up to N ig ht Shift Supenn
tendant in 1969. D u rin g that tim e, the
DeUmgham Corporation of Haw aii bought
out Albina Engine and Repair W orks and
McDonald became a m em ber of a corporate
family th at includes nineteen m ajor comp
anies and. currently, the largest shopping
center in the w orld, the A u M own«
Shopping Center in Haw aii.
McDonald is a m em ber of the A F L -C IO
Laborer's International Union Local 296,
the Portland Chapter of the N A A C P . and
he is n e e president of the Paris. Texas
Club ia Portland. When he isn't supervis
» t the late shift sand blasting, painting
and repairing ships engines, propellars and
hulls on Swan Island, he is at his 4319 N .E
Cleveland home w ith his wife of 32 years.
Lois M cDonald.
Although he has earned himself a good
life afte r y e a n of hard w ork and dedica
tion. he hopes for young Blacks to do even
better, (aster. “I'd like to see them go on to
college, get an education and be prepared
for the good ju b e-th e top notch jobs
instead of starting out at the bottom like I
did."
But for those who are more
interested in the trades, like in the
«hipping industry, he feels th e ir opportune
ties w ill im prove greatly w ith the advent of
the new dry dock facilities at Swan Island
which would not only allow for the main
tenance and repair of newer and larger
ships like the "Supertankers", but would
provide a boon to the economy of the
greater Portland community as well.
During a lifetime the average
human heart beats 2 1/2
billion ornes!
COME AND JOIN A STUDY-ACTION GROUP ON
Women end Corporate Imperialism.
Thu group will investigate and oct on the problems
focing women who work for lorge corporations in
Portland, and in Third World counties.
Contoct: Susan Dobrof
American Friends Service Committee
235-8954
Subscribe ta Tba Portland Observar
Tri-County ere« $ 7 . 5 0
other areas $ 6 .0 0
Name
Address
City
O N P A 1973
le t Pince
lent A d «esulti
O N P A 1973
Sth Pince
Beet Editorial
N N P A 1973
The Psrtlswd Observer's official position w expressed only in
its Publisher's column i W e See The W orld Through Black Eyeel.
A ny o ther m aterial throughout the paper m the opinion of the
individual w rite r or subm itter and does sot necessarily reflect
the opinion of the Pertfood Observer.
Herrick Editorial Award
N N A 1973
PORTLAND
CLEANING WORKS
N O R TH A N X . PO RTLAND
O N I DAY SBIVICS
>dl
SHOP
lENOW 'S
■
O re g o n
0 «
O N T A 1975
3 8 5 5 N .'
you kn o w
V A R IE T IE S
2124361
K N IT B L O C K IN G O U R S P E C IA L T Y
FO R
■ BRANDS
Pith •aeâD elh w j
New York
M otor Vehicles & Mounting
Dump Boxes bids due March
28. 1977 9:00 a.m. Bid 4 B
06-200-3306.Sealed proposals
w ill be received at the office
of the Director of Purchases.
2506 SE 11th Avenue. P o rt
land. Oregon 97202 for Three
(3l Truck Cabs & Chassis,
Tw o (21 Club Cab Pickups,
One (1| Pickup. Mounting
tw o (21 Dump Boxes and
Pumps. & One (1) Dum p Box
&
Hydraulic
Pump
on
Truck«.
as per specifications on file
with the Purchasing D ire ct
or. No bid w ill be received or
considered unless the bid
contains a statement by the
bidder as part of his bid that
the requirements of subsec
tion (4) ORS 279 350 shall be
Me Donald
le t I
P o rtlan d O b s e rv e r
M U L T N O M A H CO UN TY
wcu lik e
S IZ E S y o u w a n t
The
Stares In Tewn|
'Sines IM S