Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 1977)
PMSC plot thickens, W e see the world (Continued from paff« 1 sal. g) through Black eyes gten X tor the fissai Fin the fact that toy's 467 wort A time for answers When Cleveland Gilcrease resigned as Director of the Portland Metropolitan Steering Committee and long-time Board Chairman John Rice also resigned, we predicted that dissident elements on the Board - possibly aided by outside political forces - would attempt to goin control. A small group within the Board has surfaced - this time in on attempt to take the chairmanship of the Board from the duly elected Chairman. This move was carried out through a "secret" meeting and an attempt to substitute their own agenda for that of the Chairman. Is it a coincidence that three members of this bloc are appointed members and that the fourth county appointee - Dr. Ernest Hartzog - did not make the meeting but voted with the bloc? This brings to mind the Sterling - Feeney - Green - Clark connection that surfaced three years ago when the Oregon Journal attacked Gi(crease. The question then was whether the attack was a personal vendetta against Gilcrease, or whether the play was a larger one - an effort to control or destroy the multi-million dollar agency. The answer seems to be near at hand. The Black community has waited those three years knowing that when Gilcrease decided to move on to bigger and better things, we would finally see the conspiracy unfold. Gilcrease Is gone and now the fight turns to whether PMSC will continue to operate as a community based corporation with responsibil ity for millions of dollars in federal funds. If the county appointed delegates to the PMSC Board continue to demand their own hidden agenda and if they cannot be controlled by those Board members who seek to serve the area's poor, PMSCs days are numbered. It is time for Don Clark to speak to this issue - what is going on? Jordan’s position on Carter valid We could feel it 3.000 miles sway. What happened at the Urban League Conven tion in Washington, D.C., especially dur ing the Keynote Address an July 24th, seemed to startle the nation. It startled some Black people too. The Portland Ohearver editorilized that the criticism of the Carter Administration by Vernon Jordan. Jr., was poorly moti vated. in part prompted by Jordan's desire to grab a earner of the national headlines so as to secure himself from the coming of Benjamin Hooks. I wonder whether the editorial w riter read Jor dan’s address! The white community was startled. The Portland Oragaafon editors suggest ed that Vernon Jordan had gone beyond himself with the insistence that the Carter Administration show greater sen sitivity and more activity on behalf of the Black community. But the Oragawtoau as to often the case in editorials, missed the boat. As be spoke to the multitude who gathered for the 67th Anaual Conference of the National Urban League. Jordan struck the right cord. Hto voice was reinforced by many Black leaden across the land who came forward to underscore the basic criticism of this new sdministrs tian: "The sad fact is that this Admini stration to not living up to the First Commandment of polities - to help those who helped you." A fte r noting the advantages and of the Carter Admini straiten. Jordan asked, "Why then, are Black people dtoewehanted with the Ad "And why do so many Black people feel that their hopes sad their needs have been betrayed?" In the bald language of which he to fsmilisr. Jordan answered, "The sad fact to that the list of what the Administration has not done tor exceeds its list of In spite of what the hopeful might want to believe, the record of this Administra tion toward Black people and poor people has not been much to shout about. Jordan was right - and Carter would do well to boor hto call. "Black people, having tasted the sweet ness of victory to November, recent the sour taste of disappointment in July." Jordan told hto audience. "Our resent ment to fueled by impatience. W e. who have been patient far aa tong, are finally running out of pntteuns The eriaeef pain from impoverished rural areas sad urban slums ring out. and cannot ba stilled by minor measures. Our longing for true equality rill not cense, nor will it be diverted by stylistic flourishes.” Judging from the onslaught of criti cism. of the Administration following hto remarks. Jordan served as the pwntman of Black dissatisfaction. He was the bold one who pointed out that the Carter image sad the Carter record ore aim lessly wandering about in the forest of American potitio. unable to mediate the Jordan's keynote address startled the nation - both Bteck sad white. I t s not unusual far the Oregenfan to misunder stand. The fact that the editors of the e re hostile to hto me. But the fact that no one from the local Portland Urban League bothered to bring home the message of the Convention is even mote surprising. I have been fortunate to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Urban League far the past two years. No one to more sincere than Vernon Jordan. No one in the Civil Rights Movement to more to harmony with the mission history has provided than to Vernon Jordan. The leadership he works tirelessly and boldly to furnish an the national level ought to be duplicated to our local community. The fight Jordan The Portland Urban League, by impli cation, has s high standard to uphold. The burden of leadership to grant. Yet, our affiliate here has been unable to reach such high standards. From my vantage point, it flounders like a wounded deer, not sure of its direction or its strength. though our local chapter to really out of its league. P o rtla n d O b s e r v e r PuMtohed every Thursday by Exto Publishing Company, 2201 North Kilhngsworth, Rto-tland. Oregon 97217. Mailing address: P .0 . Box 3137. Portland,’ Oregon 97206. Telephone 283-2466. Subscriptions: 67.SO per year in the Tri-County ares, 68.00 per year outside Portland. 1*71 fLPR ED L. HENDERSON The Portland Observer's official position to expressed only to its Publisher's column (We See The World Through Black Eyes). Any other material throughout the paper to the opinion of the individual w riter or submitter anduloe¬ nacpasarily reflect the opinion of the York member Oregon Newspaper Publishers Í Association $7.50 $8.00 B f N e J i p J I per in Tri-C o u n ty A re a Action has aaked that Finley not be to Lis Welt's repeated in spite ct the promise of i Chairman Ruth Lyon O th e r A reas of the US Address D V u rO Portland Observer 2201 N. K i 11 i ng »worth Portland, Oregon 97217 The hoard approved proposals and budgets for fiscal year 1978. Headstart funds for the Portland Public Schools Early Childhood Education program were approved with the stipulation that the district work with P A C T to develop a plan, within four months, to open a center in Southeast Portland. Although school district representated the move aa an effort to close a center in North or Northeast, the board made it d ear that thia was not their purpose. It was brougl out that in addition to several Headstart centers in North and North east, 1200 children attend PPS Early Childhood Centers in those areas. PACT representatives denied the school dist rict's allegations that centers are not needed in Southeast. Jim McConnell, director of PACT, claimed that although the Southeast canter was underenrolled PPS personnel refused to interview ap plicanU sent to them by PACT. Discipline plan (Continued from page 1 col. 3) and to resolve with the student alone, where necsaaary. the problem giving rise to the suspension. Pstot Ne. X The following material should be ap pended to Item C. page 4: A toncani was expressed regarding the use of w r y reasons that really reflect a basic acedensic problem. F o ri»am ple, a teacher might desire a parent < because a s tijdent is seineving poorly, bat the reason cited for suspenaion to n behavior pntblem that might otherwise he minor to nature. RESPONSE This mattisr will ba a workshop topic for school administrators during this summer's workshop. Administrators will to turn work with counselors and teach ora to ensure that students are not suspended for infractions aa a promise for exclusively academic purposes. The District w ill consider appropriate means of effecting parent conferences for aca- The District to instituting in 1977-78 a new program to deal with problems of disruptive behavior. I t to anticipated that the services of this additional staff members to be employed will aid in alleviating problems through additional home contacts, and related Jackson (Continued from pogo 1 eoL 6) ploy the large number of workers un trained far office work, few jobs have been created. Inner-city unemployment remains high. Jackson's firm opposition to municipal labor unions, however, has reinforced hto popularity. Though elected with support from the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, which represents blue-collar city workers. Jackson has tangled with the union half a donna times, including a 28-day strike tost Union members, whose pay 66.240 a year, have received 10-cent-sn-bour raise in the months When they demanded hourly raise three weeks before starts at only one past 30 a SO-cent the city's Although moat of the striking workers were Black, many local Black loaders, including Reverend M artin Luther King Sr., rallied to Jackson's side. Many low-income Blacks also supported the mayor, fearing a pay raise would lead to a property tax increase. Jackson has also angered organised labor by opposing unionization of the police department, with the firm support of the city 's racially balanced city council. [Mare News. I RESPONSE Six persons, two per decentralised area, are assigned responsibility for working with schools, homes, and the community on problems incident to the District's voluntary desegregation plan. Those individuals are choeen for their potential for further responsibility in the District and are also particularly well qualified to work with minority students and families. Their availability to assist in communicating between the home and school on problems of suspensions will be emphasised to school administrators in workshops to ba held prior to the opening of school this year. The ares resource persons will be present for the admini strator workshops and, thereby, will be able to work out the means by which they might become involved in suspension problems more promptly in order to reduce the number of days out of school experienced by students under suspen S M ITH Coma New and Save! them down, arguing that the city had no money. The workers ignored advice from offiristo and decided to strike. The strike coincided with a nationwide anti-Jackson advertising campaign that AFSC M E had planned previously. "Our campaign was frustrated by the frustra tion of the workers," AFSC M E j Jerry W o rf said to a rocen "The Atlanta power structure that would have looked upon Maynard as an unne cessary appendix to their agenda instead as w him as the vehicle of anti -unionism in the Southland." When the city began hiring replace ments far striking workers, the strike quickly subsided. Most of the strikers were eventually rehired. Pstot Ne. 3 The following material should be ap pended to Item A . page 3: The use of resource persons in the area offices was questioned. It was asked bow these persons would be called upon to reduce the length of suspensions According to Region X sources, the sew addendum will probably be adequate to allow a waiver to be granted. to aa MAYTAG M AYTAG Heavy Duty ? Washers Desegregation coalition (Continued from page 1 col. 6) N ff A 1976 before the School Bnord. consists of mootings in each public school, "Town Hall" mootings, and an eventual election of a city-wide committee to sutudy The local meetings would i the attitudes on, fears of, hopes for, restraints concerning, and perceived benefits of integration. The proposal estimates the cost about 640.000 to 660.000. Save Now on Maytag Dependability M A Y IA « . Power M o d u le O ^ Ä r Dishwashers; T i, Those present elected Ward as tem porary chairman. Ms. Betty Thompson will chair a committee to set an agenda for the next meeting. Ward emphasised that meetings are open and all interested citizens are welcome. S VW AV I I; . MAY[ ¿CÜMt Ask about Special installation offer Deer Editor: Name C i t y ___ JfN/LL of the bosi copies. It to rumored that Finlay s to crossing hostility tow r t PMSC to an effort ta stabilise hto assn position at CSA. I t was recently Fintov. a Nixon aotointee. had beeu > and there to a definite that ha will ha r eaaoaed. The that full fiscal information will ba provid ed at the September 7th Finance Com mittee masting and Roger's invitation to all hoard members to attend that meet- tog. the Board voted with a margia of one vote to hold a special hoard meeting within tea days to review that informs tian. Although Ms. Lyon exlained that the time involvement in compiling the information to great and promised all that to "humanly p o e a ib te M s Eckten de manded that everything be «vailable even if "inhumanly possible". Throughout the meeting Ms. Web. had demanded balances on all line that had been re st the July meeting. Ms. Lyon d to explain that although the information had been pro- mined. doe to staff illness it was not complete, and that no specific date had been set for submitting the information to Ms. W e lt On behalf of the Executive Committee and members of the Portland Branch N A A C P we want to thank you for the excellent coverage we received on the occasion of the Honorable Benjamin L. Hooks' visit to Portland on August 5. Wa especially appreciate it since the tins» for preparation for hto visit was so short. We must note that having a story before the event to very useful. This cooperation wo very much appreciate. We did not get it from the d ty dailies. Sincerely John H. Jackson we give you m ore... r s a r s uirnuu a SMITH’S home furnishings 3001 and S.E. Division Shop W eekdays 9 to 9 Saturday « 6 234-9351 Closed Sunday
