u l
Minimum w ag e a social issue
We see the worl
through Block eyes
more difficult to
l e f N e g ra W e
George I
(3 0
this time
Parents
i en « v i l
and btu-m the
O f course, i
ism in the rig ht direction. The
e f th e Confitbn for * F air
W age m a g a f a ii tfo * fact. I t
makes it clear th at Blacks. labor and
others committed to social justice are act
gefag to be satisfied m erely w ith good
i aad rhetoric buss th e sew
T he fight
a fair
«or th e ir support of the poor o r civil
rights. I t is doubtful th at they have
converted to a more
view . Despite all th e claims
" T t h a t any e f the past
caused iacreaaee in unemployment.
Thera is no reason to th iak that it would
be different this tim e. N o r is th e m ini
mum wage lacrosse likely to cause
inflation. The tru th is th at when labor is
, it is i
_
Housing
The
is as
raen pegs 1 co i fi)
staff «or sfitta fair bos
it
ta as y e t relatively
N o one is quite i
they wifi be in the
g reat deal of rending helps too. “Some
tim es I read five books a w eak”, eke any*, .
• M in g . T h e r e w ill he one ia th e kitchen, *
one fa the bathroom aad tw o in th e
badboMo«"
r.a<
scribed ta by local
H U D . local«
i in th e effo rt to w ork
sir bouo
The Oregon Board e f
recently signed a voluntary affirm ative
fair m arketing agreem ent w ith H U D . and
efforts «rill shortly be underway to secure
oth
i I'm f o n d e t e q u iet:
aeons to be watched."
of the « t a . I t
i to love and the
rto i
at U t t f o i
they do n p re tty good job e f
w ritten about prisons in hooka, maga
zines and newspapers, enough has been
said aad seen <m radio and T . V , an that
the m ajority of Americans should have a
good idea of the daily abuse th at goes on.
So you've got aa institution th at doesn't
work. and you've got a society th at a m
aee it. O r does society see it?
I f you w ere to take a tour behind thane
walls, you'd probably see th e school
of desks, blackboards. and books,a nd the
vocational training departm ent that
teaches everything from u ta itro n iti to
mechanics. You'd probably aee indus
tries: the furniture factory, the laundry,
the upholstery shop, the m etal shop.
You'd probably see the prison yard:
basket,hell courts, card tables, a track,
horseshoe pits. And your guide might
tell you about the sever! recreation clubs
w ith their large memberships. And yon
might think to yourself: "W hat is raise
ing?” But what did you see except a
prison environment that you already
know doesn't work?
Now put the eonviete in the picture and
imagine them living, inter acting among
themselves: hundreds of men passing
The penaHty fa r this typ e of
be np to tw o y e a n in
of good tim e, h e a serious charge.
I be easy to prov
i logical th a t th e man h it
should be sake
It
the
e f the ald ariy are beec
obeotate. w tth the aew move te build
ilm pli ipustim -D id Donald D a n fa
you on the heed?" T1
bring a simple “No" an 11 weald be oat of
taek-up. But the staff« o u t do th at: t h a n
aa the
te d e
the vast m ajo rity get aleni
without) each other. B u t th e !
th at
she available. But it to net.
» je b e m e net eeugfo afte r by the
obsoleto befara tt ta completad? And w hy
hy pufatte tn aep o rtatta a?
I f all of theee questioos are anewered ia
the a firm a tiv a , w hera w fll th e Oeanty
afonía th e "start-up" funda aad the
m raey t e parchase th a b fo d fo « fo fig fo e f
rapaeted ahertagee e f fonda and budgot
cute?
A le rt crttiee ere aakfag th at theee
he nnewered befara t u funda
i «vili have no control.
«th aï
TÜTS2 Young
’ by the leas qualified aad that's a tat
(Continued from page 1 col. 8)
ant p art e f :
staff, ta poverty
I to be fa
inte the
Zam wbo was trained in China. "But I
They like to
A ad they are more
raciet than whiten. I wns in China six
months and couldn't get a woman.*
: wonderful people who gave
fanore. the circus roes on.
tee cfoume
Sincerely,
Donald rv-nfcyU
M W » » i^ u o r o
other hand, have w m e common cultural
hnks.
As residents of a form er British colony,
Tanzanians speak a t least some
English C hristianity ranks w ith Islam aa
oue of the top tw o religions; Nyerere
Y e t.
atri
ids aa the
for, or the one who opens foe eefi, or the
one who cie t h ee U m . o r the one who feeds
him, or the one who performs any of the
various other needs.
W h a t happens
between staff and eaeviet, the way a
prieoa ta run, is the gute of a prieoa. And
yon G ary
only the a
Puotished every Thursday by E rie Publishing Company, 2201
North Kilhngsworth, Portland, Oregon 97217. M ailing address:
P .0 . Box 3187. Portland.'O regon 97208. Telephone 288-2488.
Subscriptions:97.90 per year ia the Tri-County area, 98.00 per
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> official position is expressed only ia
The Perttan
its Publisher's col um: : (W e See The World Through Black Eyes)
the paper ta the opinion e f the
Any other material
reflect
individual w riter or
the opinion of the V
í!5íf
1978
I Aw ard
N Ñ A 19T8
O N T A 1979
New York
Oregon
Newspaper
Publishers
Association
/
And
the rig ht of a
Portland Observer
I
T cover the gound th at I stand a n . . . aad
Tve been known to shake more than the
ground I cover."
Citizen of the Week
the
:a a a
himself ta a devout Catholic. A ad. aa
by Andrew Young. Taiwan
i took to th eir ties w ith America's
A L F R E u L. HENDERSO N
' parts of the country
role in her
mo it expands her
I and e f herself. A
know herself end she knows th a t she ta
going to get ever. T believe th a t every
man is a God aad can do anything," she
says. “I knew th at th ere ta something
th at I am supposed to do bora but I don't
knew w hat it is. but I know Fm being
prepared because I know I should have
been removed from here tang tim e ago.
“But I'm still around." she adds, “and
I'm Baaadddd!"
■ ifa
1 eoi. 8)
from
i f th ey W t f t t
The C arter
ested aa increase ia the i
but sot nearly a big enough increase.
T heir proposal to raise the wage fleer a
mare 20 rants aad in the future tie it to 90
per cent of the average wage level is
inadequate aad unfair. I t would
lowest paid workers into a povs
for the future. M any full-tim e
wage workers would still have to seek
supplemental w elfare assistance fa order
to have a decent standard of living.
Tho issue of a (air minimum wage ta a
challenge to the conscience of Am erica. I t
asks that tho plight oi the poorest paid
Americans not he forgotten. As unem
ployment recedes - and it haa not yet
£ Berry
a t the
Td like to
lost to inflation since 1974. when the
minimum wage law
th a t the
m d n y .«
is very good.
ara
Geriatric center
Tp the Editor:
poverty cutoff level. A a
millioe workers ears only a little m ere
than the minimum wags. I t would take a
by law
The
efforts.
Guards number ana problem
U earns au
I to roach t l
w ill remain for mfiboos o f
. W hen workers are peer, they
can move out of poverty only U they are
paid a decent wage. A a increase ia the
minimum wage ta the most im portant
stMp that can ba tahan ta help the
working poor. I t w ill ha a sign th at the
United States ta still committed to econ
omic social justice.
ra s a <
T h e M etropolitan
i w ill be the
f of local government in the
of voluntary fair bousing
JjtttM to tkf, &ttiOl
stag paid the IS J O federal
cents just Z T ro s to ra the buying power
of liberal
taboo I l by the
ith e
Too
Cheiresan of the U .S . I
^ ^ f o n always been the <
youngsters are considered guilty by association.
Parents said their was discrimination in discipline
and PPS said not true. Now the Department of
Health, Education and Welfare has found the
parents' accusations to be true.
The district's policy is not in error - its just that a
few principals don't adhere to the policy, the district
says. Who’s responsibility is «t to see that the
principals do their jobs? It should be the job of the
administration, ond it should be the responsibility of
the School Board to insure that the administration
knows what is happening.
Black parents hove o few more complaints. They
soy they are carrying all of the burden of desegrega
tion. They say their children are not wanted and are
not welcomed in some schools.
say t^t^sir
children can't participate in after-school or evening
activities because there is no transportation. They soy
some teachers have no awareness of Block culture
and history.
They soy these things to administrators and they
say them to each other. If the administration and the
school board can't come a little closer and listen,
maybe they will hovo to say them to HEW.
The district has an opportunity to bridge the gap
before it is too late. They do not hove a long range
desegregation plan, one that is flexible enough to
adjust for the increasing numbers of minority
children. They meet each fall with another stop-gap
plan.
This is on opportunity to involve the community in
developing a comprehensive.workable pion,accept
able to ail, that would provide quality, integrated
education for all children.
School district officials Have taken a big step
forward. They have come across town and talked to
some Block people - and they must be complimented
and encouraged for that. But the fact that they chose
to meet with friendly persons with whom they have
worked before is significant.
They have got »o take one step more and talk to
parents and citizens — who might be strangers ond
might even be unfriendly. Only by getting out in the
community ond among the people will they know
the moods and demands. This is true not only in
the Block community but in the white neighborhoods
also.
They would learn that mony times parents do
know best. It seems that educators donf want
interference from parents or at least donf wnat to
take the time to bother with them, but sometimes
they should stop and listen ond share ideas and
concerns.
If the PPS administrators and school board
members would come to Albina ond talk to parents
they would find that they are genuinely concerned
obout their children.that they too ore often confused
ond frustrated,that they have some ideas that might
be valuobleAut it seems that for some reason school
officials are afraid to approoch those people with
whom they should have the most in common — a
concern for children.
For many years Block parents have been com
plaining that Block students are disciplined more
harshly than their white classmates.Often when two
students get into trouble, one white and one Black,
only the Black is punished. Blocks are the first
suspects when something is wrong, and often Block
erases in the i
i to the Brat mini
ta 1CS7. So this
leb t under eey
e d to i
A t the same tim e, however, W estern
economic and certain cultural influences
ideatified w ith colonialism- are officially
disfavored
And even Black Americans
are not always well liked. Some resent
the desire of com paratively wealthy
Black Am ericans tourists to spook of
them as “brothers.”
Still, about 1900 Americans, many of
them missionaries. live in Tanzania, and
Tanzania's world-renowned game parka
attract a num ber of U .8 . tourists. Aad
wtth the exception of th e Chisses railw ay
advisers, who always w alk ia solitary
pairs. Chinees aad Russians are virtu ally
"Fve never m et any Russians, but
Am erirdhs I ’ve known have always tre a t
ed me w ith respect,” said Jim M ukirya.
“W e may be socialist, but in Tanzania we
don't care if you're capitalist or oommun
tat. as tang as you tre a t us w ith respect.”
T aylo r ta a senior nt Portland State U n iversity, majoring ia
Political 8ctanra. Public Adm inistration aad Black Studies. She plans a
career fa Public Adm inistration.
C u rren tly a proof operator a t U A N ational Bank. K im T aylo r has held a
num ber of interesting positions: Research Aactotant for P S U Stack Studtae
Center; Executive Secretary e f teh Independent Learning C enter at
Concordia Ceitage; Research Assistant fo r the M a rtin L u th er King. J r.
Scholarship fund of Oregoq.
D u rin g the 1977 legislative ssstion she served ea an intern for Senator
M a ry Roberta end spent much e f her tim e organizing support for SB880
which would have established a Commission an Blacks in Oregon.
D u rin g the 1976 session she was an intern for Senator Bill McCoy.
A m ember o f Bethel A M E Church. Mies T aylo r was an elected delegate to
the church's General Conference held in A tlan ta in 1978. She is an active
youth lender in the church.
Use all you need
but save all you can . . .
T/te People at Pacific Power
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