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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
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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.
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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