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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1978)
Paj»e 6 Portland Observer Thursday. February 2. 1978 American corporate investment prolongs Black suffering by A rt Aleai Clody W right. first full-time coordinator of S,ianish a;s >r the Portland Diatrict. Army Corps of Engineers. Wright EEO programs Clody Wright is the first full-time coordinator of Spanish speaking and women's programs for the Portland Dis trict. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Working in the district's Equal Em ployment Opportunity tEEO) Office. Ms. W right will head two federal EEO special programs - the Federal Women's Pro gram and Spanish Speaking Program Coordination of these programs had formerly been accomplished on a part- time basis by other district employees. Ms. Wright has thirteen years of federal service and broad experience in the field of human rights. While in Omaha, she served as member, then chairperson of the Nebraska Council for Vocational Education. Mayor's Commit tee on the Status of Women, and Plan ning Committee on Mental Retardation for eastern Nebraska. Her responsibilities with the Corps in Portland will be to support the Portland District's EEO "Affirmative Action Plan” by her leadership of federally-employed women and by helping to bring Spanish speaking persons into the Corps. Ms. Wright’s most recent past employ ment was as personnel administrator with the county government in Omaha. Prior to that, she served as assistant EEO officer for the Corps' Missouri River Division office and as job information specialist with the U.S. Civil Service Commission. COMMUNITY CALENDAR The Minority Women of the Oregon Women's Political Caucus will sponsor a Breakfast for Unity on February 3rd from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. at the Portland Motor Hotel (S.W. 6th and Clay). All minority women are encouraged to attend. Continental Breakfast - $2.25. Senior citizens and low-income residents free income tax ire mration. Where: King Facility. 4815 NJS. 7th; When: February 9th. 14th, and 16th; Time: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.: Who: volunteers from IRS Vita Program. Sweetheart Ball. Polish Hall. 3832 N. Interstate, featuring the Chet Combo from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., $7.50 per couple, $5.00 per adult. This is a bring your own liquor (BYOL) and set ups will be provided. Sponsored by the North Portland Knights of Columbus. Inquiries: phone Mr. John Slowik 286-3064. Everyone is invited. Tuesday. February 7th - Community Coalition for School Integration public forum. Jefferson High School Cafeteria. 5210 N. Kerby. 7:30 p.m. W ednesday, February 8th - City Council bearing on HCD 4th year program. Council Chambers, City Hall. 9:30 a.m. Thursday. February 9th Community Coalition for School Integration public forum. Roosevelt High School Cafeteria. 6941 N. Central, 7:30 p.m. Saturday. February 11th - “The Family and the Changing Role of Women” conference. Westminster Presbyterian Church. N.E. 16th and Hancock. 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. $1.00 registration, bring brown bag lunch. Wednesday. February 15th - Planning (ommission discussion on alternative develo.tment irograms for St. Johns UDAG site. James John School, 749 N. Charleston. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. February 21st - Metro,toiitan Human Relations (ommission meeting. 12:30 p.m.. call 248-4187 for location. Teaching Children About...Tuesday. February 7,1978 - 7:30 p.m. Teaching Children about Sex and part of a special service co-sponsored by the Pre-School and Family Life Committee of the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, 6651 S.W. Capitol Highway. Guest speakers Robert Mendelson. MD and Lottie Mendeison. RN. No charge for the program. Portland area students and their parents are invited to a Linfield College reception at the Thunderbird Motor Inn in Jantzen Beach Sunday. February 5th at 2:00 p.m. Faculty, students and staff from the college will be there to talk with prospective students. For more information contact: Carolyn Knight. 1503) 472-4121. ext. 244. An open Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. followed by a District meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Income Tax Information will be held by Oregon Nurses Association District One, February 7th at Providence Hall Auditorium. 621 N.E. 49th. Steve McConnell. CPA. will be the guest speaker on Taxes. Nurses are invited. All questions are welcome. The Contemporary Lecture Series sponsored by the community services office at Mt. Hood Community College will present Dr. John Allen, professor emeritus of geology at Portland State University. Wednesday. February 8th, at 10:30 a.m. Dr. Allen will present an illustrated natural history of New Zealand with an emphasis on the area's geology, earthquakes, explosive volcanoes, great faults, and geothermal energy The lecture is scheduled for the Community Room of the Far West Federal Savings. Gateway Branch. 1205 N.E. 102nd. Tickets are $1.50. For more information call 667 7181. The W omen s Health Clinic offers know-your-body workshops for women every other Tuesday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Call 234-9774. February 7th Northwest District Association Board Tentative every Tuesday call 223 3331. February 7th - Southeast (oafition PACT Office. 3534 S.E. Main. 7:30 p.m. (1) Representatives from the Bureau of Neighborhood Environment will be present to discuss neighborhood clean up campaigns; (2) Ernie Bonner. Director of Planning Bureau, will be present to discuss comprehensive planning. February 8th Piedmont Neighborhood Association. Holy Redeemer School, 127 N. Portland Boulevard, 7:30 p.m. (1) Housing and Community Development Study. League of Women Voters of Portland will hold a Special Judiciary Meeting February 8th. 11:30 a.m. to Noon, Westminster Presbyterian Church. N.E. 16th and Hancock. There is a 75c charge for registration and coffee. Speaker and discussion of topics in the State and Federal Judicial System. Guest speaker: Judge Phillip Roth. The public is invited to attend. For further information call 228 1675. "A Timely Forum on Ethiopia,” presented by UPESUNA (United Progressive Ethiopian Students Union of North America) will speak on The Revolution In Ethio;na. Portland State University, Newberger Hall, Harrison and Broadway. Room 462 on Friday. February 3rd, 7:30 p.m. There is no admission charge. For further information call the John Reed Bookstore, days 227 2902. The Auxiliaries of the Parry Center for Children invite you and your guests to an auction “A Bid For Parry Night." Saturday, February 18, 1978, Masonic Temple. 1119 S.W. Park. Portland. Admission: $3.00 per person. Silent Auction begins at 6:30 p.m. Oral Auction at 7:30 p.m. Auctioneer: Bob Ginsberg, refreshments, reservations for tables of eight may be made in advance by contacting Terry Mischke 774 2103 or Parry Center 234 9591 This is Parry Center's fourth Auction and the Auxiliaries' largest fund raising project It was informative land a relief from the usual misinformation heaped upon us by American media) to hear first hand news of the struggle of Black people in South Africa, from Sipho Buthelezi, form er secretary general of the Black Peoples Convention which was founded by the late South African leader Steven Biko. In a press conference Monday. January 30th. Buthelezi addressed several aspects of the current political situation in South Africa. His speaking tour in the U.S. is being conducted to encourage and reaffirm South African people's support movement here in the U.S. Himself a victim of trumped-up govern ment charges, arrest, and torture for his high level of political activism in South Africa. Buthelezi was forced to flee his country in 1974. whereupon he was appointed External Representative of the BPC by the BPC National Executive Committee. Direct access to the organ! zational structure has enabled him to relay unadulterated information on the struggle in South Africa. Buthelezi spoke first to the level of political organization amongst Black South Africans which he explained as much higher and more sophisticated than represented in the American press. Bu thelezi blamed the press and the South African government for the commonly held notion that the various uprisings and strikes that have taken place over the past two years were spontaneous unre lated incidents concerning local issues, whereas in actuality "The Soviets upris ings can be regarded a mature stage of political organization and mass mobiliza tion. that has been ushered onto the world scene by the emergence and rapid growth at a Black consciousness move ment." Buthelezi went on to describe this burgeoning consciousness as “...embrac ing all sections of the Black community, students, workers, and the Black intelli gence." The movement, although effective in broadening and intensifying the struggle of Black people is seen by Buthelezi and the BPC as complimentary to the various underground movements which are con strained from by the necessity of secrecy from actively seeking widespread sup port. While Buthelezi and the BPC might at one time been considered under ground, the political awareness of the people is such that. “People don't look this way and that way before they whisper their political opinions. Discus sion of the political situation is much more in the open.” The government response to this situa tion has been the shutdown of "liberal" newspapers, the banning of Black organi zations. and the arrest and subsequent "...cold blooded murder of our leader Steve Biko.” When asked about the Biko inquest. Buthelezi stated that it was staged in an attempt to appease mounting interna tional pressure and revitalize declining foreign investment interest in South Africa. Part and parcel of this attempt to cosmeticize the situation in South Africa have been the government declarations of a liberalization of apartheid policies. Buthelezi explained that the changes were at best trivial and affect only the tiny petty bourgeois class of Blacks amounting to “...permission” to enter a few formerly restricted areas...but only upon specific invitation from a white person. In an attempt to “liberalize" and at the same time encourage a split between Blacks and “coloreds" (a separate group in South Africa, basically anyone not white or Black African) the government offered the "coloreds" their own little parliment, but according to Buthelezi “...the situation is so polarized there that the people refused to accept such an offer." When asked if any compromise is possible in South Africa. Buthelezi re »ponded that, “The Vorster Ad mini stration has no real interest in com promise and is bent on taking the whites down a collision course." In speaking to western involvement in South Africa, Buthelezi pointed to the insulting hypocrisy of both western cor porate and governmental positions las suming of course that there is difference between the two). American and multi national corporations, while taking credit for the few changes that have occurred, also maintain that their continued pre sence in South Africa is the best insur ance that things will get better for Blacks and that corporate withdrawal would only result in great suffering for Black people. In regards to the gradual improvement of conditions for Blacks. Buthelezi sums up the Black opinion as. “We are not interested in 'humanizing' apartheid. We are not interested in congenial sufferings over an extended period of time." As to potential suffering Black people. “No one in the U.S. stood up to worry about Cuban people suffering or Chileans suffering as a result of U.S. economic boycotts...We welcome any ac tion that will weaken the existing re gime...We cannot suffer much more. As to peace motives by Western Powers, “We cannot help but be doubtful about the motives of nations who supply the economic support of the existing regime." About the role of white liberals in the struggle of Black South Africans, he indicated that there is “limited supporj from and "only informal connection with" the liberals because "liberals will not work to mobilize the white commu nity. They insist instead on trying to I ell Black people what to do." He describes their assessments of the situation as a matter of “getting the bad guys out of a good system. He characterized liberals as unwilling to deal with the possibility of armed struggle. "When it comes to crucial situations, liberals sit on the fence.'' As to that “crucial" situation, Buthelezi stated the people of South Africa, unlike the people of Angola who were fighting the Portugese, the South Africans and the Americans are prepared to undertake and succeed in any armed struggle "with nothing more than moral, financial and logistical support from other nations.” Mis assessment of the South African military was that its efficiency is vastly overated and that (to paraphrase the Guevera) "While they may kill revolu tionaries, they cannot kill a revolution.” Buthelezi felt that it would be three to five years before the outbreak of orga nized armed resistance in South Africa. Regarding Buthelezi's place on a politi cal spectrum he said, “I consider myself a revolutionary." Condemning the U.S. press that has on occasion labeled him a Black marxist. Buthelezi stated that be is open to whatever government best suits the needs of the people, but that it must be remembered that it is unwise to attempt to transform a country using the same system that was responsible for the original situation. Educators charge textbooks too advanced for grade level W hen Johnny and Joanie say a story from their reading book at school is "too hard for me." they may have the situation sized up better than the textbook pub Usher, say two Oregon State University education professors. More than 40 percent of the stories from 6th grade reading books were found to be “two or more grades more difficult" than the publishers' designated reading level, Gwyneth E. Britton and Margaret C. Lumpkin report in the fall issue of “Reading Improvement." They call for more accurate labeling. "Teachers should not be expected to have to re-write, edit or analyze textbooks in order to select the appropriate materials for a given student." Only twenty percent of the stories in the 6th grade books were written at a Hth grade level, it was noted. Readability refers to reading ease or difficulty. The determination of read ability levels has been tremendously simplified by the computer. Britton and Lumpkin point out. For their paper in the national journal devoted to reading improvement, they ran 776 computerized readability tests on five current 6th grade reading textbooks. Four different commonly-employed read ability formulas were used. The multi-formula computer program developed by Britton and Lumpkin com pleted the calculations in a few minutes and summarized, averaged, ranked and displayed the data. "Publishers could do the same thing at low cost but with high returns to the teachers and students." Britton and Lumpkin insist. "Inaccurate labeling of textbook ma terial compounds the problem of class room teachers who are individually pre scribing for their students." Teachers assume that the textbook material is written at the reading level designated by the publisher, they point out. “The student consumer represents the greatest tragedy in this area," the educa tors emphasize. "Mislabeled textbooks impose stresses of a continuing nature. These stresses are expressed in frustra tion, boredom, diminished self-concept and self-guilt for failing to succeed.” The accurate labeling and testing of products produced in the areas of medi cine, foods, chemicals and tires has become standard procedure. Britton and Lumpkin observe. "Textbook products that shape atti tudes. self-concepts and foster the sue cess or failure of our teachers and children need to share the same labeling and product assessment standards.” they stated in their journal article. Among their recommendations: Each story in public school textbooks should be analyzed using multiple read ability formulas that pinpoint the level of reading difficulty. Readability assessment data should be provided or verified by an out-of house agency independent of the publisher The sample passages used for testing and readability findings should be made avail able to textbook adoption groups prior to book selection. The teacher's edition should contain the reading level for each story or chapter. If textbooks are published in a progressive sequence of difficulty, this should be documented. Britton and Lumpkin are now publish ing computerized readability guides for each of the major public school reading series. They plan to analyze and publish similar readability guides for social stu dies sen es in 1978. The two published a book last year entitled "A Consumer's Guide, to Sex. Race and Career Bias in Public School Textbooks." Is America heading into a new cycle of racism? (Continued from Page 1 Column 6) essentially from the moral failings of individuals." In other words, the old stereotype of the lazy and shiftless Black persists. At the same time, fully 55 percent of white Americans feel Blacks have “moved too fast" in their struggle for equality, according to a 1977 Harris poll. Syndicated columnist Bob Greene re ports that the use of the word "nigger” has regained prominence. 'The word is popping up more and more in polite company as well as among people who used it all along," he says. “It probably means that we're on our way into a new cycle of racism in America..." Recently, Atlanta businessman J.B. Fuqua, chief executive of Fuqua Indus tries and a friend of President Carter, exposed a slight variation of the neo- conservative theology. Fuqua told New York magazine writer Dan Dorfman that Blacks are the "least capable of producing in today's society. You park a certain (percentage of them - like antiquated machinery i which you depreciate i and you support them through welfare... which w.e're doing. (Blacks) say they haven't had the opportunities, but that doesn't change things. The fact is many are not productive...they're just not as skillful as the whites..." The subtle message of Fuqua's not so- subtle words is that racism is no longer to blame for the condition of Blacks. Blacks are poor because they are incapable of being anything else, he seems to say. The complexity of this “new racism," as some have called it, was cited in a September 1977 report by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. It noted that "...more subtle forms of discrimination continue to materialize requiring ever more stringent enforcement to ensure compliance with the law.” One example of this new subtlety may be found in sports, an area viewed by many Americans as the greatest example of equal opportunity. After analyzing twelve National Foot- ball League games on the three major television networks, psychologist Ray mond E. Bainville of the State University of New York in Oneonta found that the •announcers subjected Black athletes to more negative comments about their talents, abilities, and motivation. He concluded that the announcers were "building a positive reputation for white players and a comparatively negative reputation for Black players." And there are other examples. Most of the dozens of Black studies programs that authors are published today, and since the demise of "blaxploitation." the film industry has reverted to the lily white look of the 1950s. sprang up in the 1960s are gone today, the victims of underfunding and general neglect. Few books or articles by Black Major box office hits give little evi dence of a movement toward Glazer's "pluralistic society." In “Star Wars." "Annie Hall,” 'The Deep" and other major films, Blacks are either excluded or limited to villainous roles. And despite the success of "Roots." the television industry has made little pro gress in its portrayal of Blacks or other minorities, who are too often cast as modern day versions of Amos and Andy. "Few Blacks" on television, says Dr. Eugene Thomas of the University of Wisconsin, "are seen with the pluses and minuses of the average man, the ambi guitv. The Black is either super-excellent or super-deficient " "It appears to mean that the American majority is nowhere near ready to accept Blacks as equals - if you see television as a reflection of society." Thus while the opponents of affirms tive action still point to the considerable progress Blacks have made in the last two decades. Blacks are growing ever more concerned that whites have made little progress in their racial attitudes, and that the "new racism” will spread and affect opportunities for Blacks and other minorities. Dr. Faustine C. Jones of Howard University studied changes in racial attitudes between 1969 and 1975 and concluded: "Black Americans feel that a significant proportion of the white popu lation has shifted priorities from eliminat ing the vestiges of racial discrimination as the major goal of this society to reviv ing feelings that Blacks have had as much help as they need or deserve." She adds: "The feeling is that Blacks cannot afford to let this happen again. If you understand history, you don't sit around and let history repeat itself." IJoel Dreyfuss. formerly a staff re;«ort- er for the “New York Post" and “Washington Post," is a member of PNS’ Foundation-funded task force of scholars and journalists on inner cities.) SHOP IENOWS FOR BRANDS you know VARIETIES you like SIZES you want The Fnorvdliett Stores In Town Since 1908 A4 1 V S.I. Milwevfcto SSoA A loot i u r n i K o A N.C GU m m » 140» A S.E Maeetoan I3 e 4 A N .l H an o x k >♦0» A S.E. M. I m o S w I at Craalay lir a * WM| Sortoa. 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