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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1977)
1 Page 2 Portland Observer Thursday December 1, 1977 Rvtb Spencer: A volee te the community We see the world by Herb Cawtberae through Black eyes Where were we then? A suit has been file d charging that the O regon C ivil Rights Division and the Justice D epartm ent are not ca rrying out their o b lig a tio n to persue the rights o f those w h o have expe rie nce d d iscrim in a tio n . It is w e ll know n that fo r years the C iv il Rights D ivision has not fu n ctio n e d a d e q u a te ly . Persons w ith va lid com plaints have not hod them in v e s ti gated m a tim e ly m anner and sta ff inco m p e ten ce or unconcern has d e n ie d to co m p la in a n ts th e ir rig h t to redress Others have d e clin e d to file co m p la ints because they fe lt the action was hopeless W hether the co ntin ue d in a b ility o f the Labor Bureau to get and keep its caselood current is caused by p urpo seful n eglect charged by the suit, w h e th e r by lock o f p rio rity, lack o f decisive m a n a g e m e n t or by lack o f a dequate staff, the results are the same. S om ething must be done to insure th a t the p e o p le of O regon have the p ro tectio n o f th e ir c iv il rights that is g ua ra ntee d by the C onstitution a nd by low . Stevenson says th a t g re a t progress has been m ade but that he needs a d d itio n a l sta ff to m ake the d ep a rtm e n t o perate e ffe c tiv e ly . He a nd A ttorn ey G eneral Redden w ill go to the Em ergency Board on Decem ber 15th to ask fo r funds fo r add ed staff W hether this is a reaction to the suit, or w h e th e r it is a lo n g -p la n n e d action also is not im p orta nt. The im p o rta n t factor is g e ttin g the m oney necessary to do the job. This is the role that the Black C om m un ity can play. W hatever the fe e lin g s to w a rd Stevenson or his staff, he does need assistance and support in p re sen ting to the E Board the urgency o f the situation. Stevenson cannot reca ll any Black o rg a n iza tio n or Black person a pp e a rin g b efo re the Ways and M eans C om m ittee d u rin g the 1975 or 1977 leg isla tive sessions to te stify on b e h a lf o f the a d d itio n a l fu n d in g he had requested. The Block co m m un ity o f Portland is notorious fo r its la x 'ty in a p p e a rin g b efo re the leg isla tu re . In recent years o nly tw o or th re e issues have taken Blacks to Salem and those w ere not such m un da ne things as m oney fo r th e ir C ivil Rights D ivision. We seem to have the idea that once the la w is on the books the struggle is over. Stevenson has been in o ffic e fo r three years, yet w e kn ow of no Black o rg an izatio n th a t has e ith e r o ffe re d to h elp or g ive n him h ell. It has rather been a silent m u m b lin g a nd g ru m b lin g . N o w the cards are on the ta ble — the issue is on the fro n t pages and needs to be d e a lt w ith . Stevenson and Redden are not the o nly ones to be held accountable. There are those w ho k n e w the problem s and rem ain ed silent. There is also the Legislature ~ w hich has been a w a re fo r years that they have not p ro p e rly fu n d e d the C iv il Rights Bureau — and there is a series o f G overnors w ho have not p ro vid e d the lea de rship to m ove the leg isla tu re on this issue N ow th ere are tw o options. This co m m u n ity can stand aside and let Stevenson a n d Redden try to solve " t h e ir " p ro ble m — or it can let the m em bers of the E Board kn ow it looks upon c iv il rights os serious business w hich requires ade qu ate fu n d in g and th a t it is no longer w illin g to settle fo r crum bs issue com es to a fin a l vote on D ecem ber 12th, o ne o f these school b oa rd m em bers w ill ch a n g e th e ir vote a nd a llo w co rp oral p u n is h m e n t to re m a in a p a rt o f school district p o lic y . H ow this change w ill be ra tio n a liz e d -- a n d the p o litic a l pressure to do so w ill be g re a t — w ill be inte re stin g to observe. FBI not reformed yet R ecently it cam e to lig h t th a t a P ortland jo u rn a lis t had co op erated w ith the FBI to harass a n d in tim id a te a m em ber o f the C om m unist Porty. This a c tio n is being excused both by th e p a rtic ip a n t a nd by m uch o f the p u b lic based on " th e tim e s ." This a ction to ok p la ce in 1964, w h ic h c o u ld h a rd ly be ca lle d the M cC arthy — or " g e t the C o m m ie s " — p erio d in our history. By 1964 th e C iv il Rights M o ve m e n t w as at its peak a nd fe e lin g a gainst A m e rica n in v o lv e m e n t in V ie t N am w as b e g in n in g . This was a tim e w h e n the m ore sensitive e le m e n ts o f the U.S. c itiz e n ry had com e to d e m a n d personal freedom s. Even if this a ction had occurred d u rin g the M cC arthy era, w h e n th e re was g re a t p u b lic fe a r o f com m unism , an e n lig h te n e d press sh ou ld not have co op erated w ith an in te rfe re n c e w ith a m an 's rights. Even m ore disgusting w as a rece nt TV in te rv ie w w ith the loca l le a d e r o f the FBI, John D evine. D evine stated that he considers this type o f b e h a v io r by the press to be correct a nd useful a nd th a t it co u ld a nd should occur today. He also app ro ves th e re c e n tly re v e a le d c o in te l p ro gram , th ro ug h w h ic h the FBI n ot o n ly spied on w h a t they c a lle d "d is s id e n t g ro u p s " (w h ic h in c lu d e d the C iv il Rights M o v e m e n t) but in te rfe re d in the o pe ra tion s o f these groups a nd a tte m p te d to destroy them . D evine app ro ves o f such a c tiv itie s as fa ls e ly in fo rm in g a m an th a t his w ife is u n fa ith fu l in o rd e r to cause dissention w ith in a gro up . Keep in m in d th a t these groups a re not fo re ig n spies b ut A m e ric a n citizens seeking the rig h i "g u a r a n te e d " by the C onstitution. It appears that the FBI s till needs a goo d houseclea n in g. Watch that vote! M onday n ig h t a rare th ing h ap pe ne d at the School Board m eeting. Four m em bers o f the Board — Phyllis W iener, W a lly Priestley, Frank M cN a m ara and Gladys McCoy ,oined to vote against Jonathan N ew m an and Bob R idgley. N ot o n ly that -- at the same tim e they reiected the w ishes o f S u pe rin te n dent Robert Blanchard. It is a rare th ing fo r N ew m an a nd R idgley — the decision m akers — to be d e fe a te d w he n th ey are united It is even m ore rare to see them d e fe a te d w hen they are carrying out the re co m m e n d a tio n s o f the S uperintendent. The fo u r in opposition expressed th e ir a d a m a n t d isa pp rova l o f corporal p un ish m en t in any circu m stance - h ow eve r, w e pre dict th a t by the tim e this REVERSE DISCRIMINATION Second Class Postage Paid at Portland. Oregoo The Portland Observer's official position is expressed only ii its Publisher's column (We See The World Through Black Eyes). Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual w riter or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portland O b s e rv e r National Advertising Re.iresentative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc. New York Oregon Newspaper Publishers 1 Association As 1 have worked along side her in the efforts of the desegregation Coalition, I have come to appreciate her warmth and understanding. It is also clear why some think so negatively of her. She is not comforting to those who deserve no comfort. She will not smile at one whose intent toward the Black community is suspect. She cannot be purchased with a cheap lunch and even cheaper ronversa tion. She is, in a word, uncompromising So the next time someone mentions that Ruth Spencer is a liability to the Black community, check the source. Above all. reserve the right to draw your own conclusion. DuBois once said, "When a man evil, he does not call it good, nor evade it. He meets it breast forward, with no whimper of regret or fear of foe." That reminds me of Ruth Spencer. Bonding stronger ties with Africa by Re;i. Cardies Co t aucus T r Why is it that most Black Americans are just now becoming really involved in developing cultural and historical ties with Africa? Is it because they knew little about the continent except from those movies which gave us false images that were not intended to inspire respect about our heritage? Or is it because we have had so much to do climbing up the socio economic ladders that we have little tune for anything else? W'hatever the reason, it seems that the necessity of concentrating on the present and the future, has caused us to sorely neglect the past; and in that vein, overlook our heritage and ignore what should be our obligation to be concerned about the well-being of our counterparts who just happen to still live on that continent surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. Alex Haley, in describing this separa tion between Black Americans and Black Africans, has been most persuasive in urging us to develop a relationship, not only with our African past, but with the African present: ...the African people and the Black people who are descendents of the Afri can people now living in other places should become far more aware of each other. They must know each other, feel each other, be more concerned about each other and respond mutually back and forth to each other much more than we tend to... What can be done on the part of Black Americans to establish closer ties with Black Africans? First of all. and on the individual level, we Afro Americans must increase our very low level of investment in African business enterprises. Africa has many To the Editor: Subscriptions: $7.50 per year in the Tri-County area. $8.00 per year outside Portland. MtMatP the Community Coalition for School Inte gration While always firm, even insis tent at times, Ms Spencer has helped to give direction and meaning to the Coali tion. She serves on the Research Committee, the Task Coordinating Body, and participates regularly in the meet ings of the general body, 'he Coalition would be less if not for tin work of Ruth Spencer. valuable resources which are coming increasingly under the control of the majority. W ith the help of Black Americans. United States capital and technology can be made available to help Africa develop its own economic potential and concomi tantly strengthen the natural bonds between Africans and A fro Americans Secondly, we must move from the fiscal ties to a more physical bond; low-cost tourism to Africa should be encouraged so that Black Americans of moderate means can search for their heritage and roots. The African continent is enor mous. One must travel to it to appreciate both its size and diversity. Public and private programs for the exchange of Black students, scholars, athletes and artists should be expanded and developed. In addition a greater effort should be made to recruit Ameri can Blacks for responsible work in the Peace Corps and the Agency for Inter national Development in African coun tries. The exercise of valuable skills in a new environment will enable us to better serve the Black community at home. In short, American Blacks should learn to use existing institutions, such as the Con gress, the African American Institute, our colleges and universities, etc., to find their way back to Africa There are many areas of endeavor where young, trained Black Americans could substantially aid in the develop ment of African countries. Engineers, urban planners and architects on the designing end of the spectrum, followed up by bricklayers, steel workers and plumbers on the construction of new urban and industrial projects are just a few examples. The enormous job of establishing mod ern communication and transportation links across dry plains, over rugged mountains and deep into the bush area will take at least as much effort as bridging the gaps between over 300 ethnic groups and. formed rather recent ly, in a historical sense, the 50-old political units we know as modern Africa. Industrial development, commercial expansion, agricultural modernization, mineral extraction and processing, and the harnessing of rivers for hydroelectric power generation are just some of the areas where the Agency for International Development and the Peace Corps ran use the skills of American Blacks to build strong positive bonds of friendship and international cooperation between the African states and the U.S. Economic assistance by this country to African countries when coupled with the sensiti vity of using Black skills and labor would go a long way toward demonstrating to the Africans and the rest of the world that we truly care about their economic growth. Qnnttvnt A rm trt «HAT VfTIHARS AHI 11 »««I I FM A «A ’H N S W ! »f • HA A «HHTB WTTN IITHA AflHHHTS »Of M F fH M H U » g Form eeeetty C Cartata varttaia aataraai ever afa AS •H i a teteAs diseFted I m » Had i M t a t • H i a ItaaHad .« ta a ta 3 r» I HASH« aztiain • » n t 4* » the rarjn-sl V A u f ft tr Hi I n ink I IH astile Veleta»» Isaan . " I A M IO VatntassH A»e Nt» IX JO4Í1» Oregon worse than most Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201 North Killingsworth. Portland, Oregon 97217. Mailing address: P.0. Box 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208. Telephone: 283 248b. (:< st*®«« seriously. l-ong ago. when most Black educators were thrashing about searching for orga nixations with commitments to affirms live action. Ruth Spencer put together Oregon Minority Educators It is said to be composed of more than 100 teachers, although some have claimed this to be a groas exaggeration. W hatever its sise. Oregon Minority Educators has been the only Black educational organization bold enough to challenge the Portland public schools. It was under Ruth Spencer's leadership that a complaint was filed regarding suspension practices. The U.S. Office of Civil Rights found the Portland district out of compliance, and forced changes which will insure, hopefully, better con sideration for our children. The word about town is that the Civil Rights Office is making a return trip to Portland, again at the request of Oregon Minority Educators. This time the focus will be on affirmative action, language discrimination, and perhaps unfair treat ment of Blacks as a result of elimination of grades in elementary schools. Whether this is true is yet to be seen, but Ms. Spencer's leadership in Oregon Minority Educators has benefited the Black com munity. Ruth Spencer has been a mainstay in J j (0 m to tke, EdiM Portland Observer A U REI» I, HENDERSO N E d ito r/Rubli »her The word is that she has been fighting the school administration for so long that her perspective of it all has become distorted. Her dissatisfaction over the manner in which Blacks have been considered by the Portland public schools is well reknown. Recause of it, some contend, she has become ineffective, angry, and blinded by the complete frustration her efforts have brought. But Ruth Spencer has been miscast. She is, indeed, angry. Her pronounce ments against the uneven manner in which desegregation has been managed here led many to misunderstand her motivations. She is misunderstood pri niarily because she is right, she knows she is right, and far too many Black educators in our community simply do not want to face the compelling facts of desegregation. So rather than focus on her arguments, many have focused on her manner. 1 have heard it said. “Ruth is well meaning, but she will never be effective because she turns so many people off with a hard attitude. She is angry to the point of scaring people." Information must always be examined in relation to its source. And those who fear the work of Ruth Spencer most are educators whose lack of commitment will undoubtedly be exposed if she is taken Attocithon lst Place Best Ad Kesults ONPA 1973 5tb Place Best Editoria! N N PA 1973 Honorable Mention Herrick Editorial Award NN A 1973 2nd Place Best Editoria! 3rd Place ( orauiunity Leadership O NPA 1975 $7.50 in Tri—County Area $8.00 Other Name Address City MEMBER tm Is t Place Community Service ONPA 1973 Here at Oregon State Penitentiary, we have had to eat all our meals with the wind blowing on our food and us. The staff and officials over the dining room couldn't care less about this kind of cruel punishment, but insist on it, for they do not have to put up with eating their meals in the dining room. I have been at O.S.P. for one year, and the showers are the same as when I first came; some don't work at all and some don't put out but a few drops For every five showers there are two bad ones. Sometimes the water is so cold that an inmate does not care to take one. The clothing which we receive does not fit right, it is too large or too small, or is not fit to wear at all. The accounting office PER founded IMS sometimes takes up to three weeks to a month to send an inmate his receipt of the money left by his wife or friends at the front office. There are inmates that need teeth bad and have to wait one year or more to get some. If an inmate becomes sick, they take their time about getting to him to see what is wrong, I have seen so many men just fall out. before getting help here at O.S.P. There have been many men that have had to be picked up by an ambulance from Salem hospital, before they receive this medical help. Is this how, you. the people, want your tax dollars spent in here; this is the way M atson and Cupp put it to use for you, the people, and 1.1 have been in over seven federal corrections and three fed eral penitentiaries all over the United States and hrve never in my life seen a State Zip O bserver Box 3137 97208 penitentiary run the way it is here at O.S.P. For there would tie staff and officers lying in their own blood, from being so wrong in doing a human the way one is done here, and this is not needed. In a Lime and age of today people have to move with the times, here in this Stale of Oregon, we are over twenty years behind the times. Men and women in jails all over the United States can have conjugal visits with their wives and loved ones, but not here in Oregon. We have at O.S.P. asked legislature to OK conjugal visits here at O.S.P. but got turned down. Cupp will never try to look ahead, but only back in time. Sincerely, Hizedis L. Goodspeed
