Portland observer., February 23, 1978, Page 27, Image 27

P ortlan d . O b se r v e r
H IE
S e c tio n II
T h u rsd a y . F eb ru a ry 23, 1978
P a g e 21
F irst black umpire in organized
W H IT E H O U S E
BASEBALL,W HEN HE STARTED IN THE
V S'il INU I ON
SOUTHWEST INTERNATIONAL LE AGUE (1951).
VER
F e b ru a ry 2 4 , 1977
*>O U T Ä /
V
The one h u n d r e d and f i f t i e t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f
th e B lack- P r e s s i s a la n d m a rk m th e h i s t o r y
o f e x p r e s s i o n and i n th e l i f e o f
t h e c o u n tr y i t h a s e n r i c h e d .
EMMETT ASHFORD
F LOS ANGELES, ONCE UMPIRED
SANDLQT GAMES F O R « AGAME.
ON DEC 15,1955 HE BECAME THE
FIRST BLACK UMPIRE IN ATR1PLE-
A-LEAGUE WHEN HE SIGNED WITH
THE PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE. THE
COLORFUL UMPIRE SPENT 15’ VEAI
IN THE MINOR LEAGUES BEFORE
HE BECAME THE FIRST BLACK IN
THE MAJOR LEAGUES-THE AMERICAN
LEAGUE IN APRIL Wfeb.HE WORKED
HIS FIRST WORLD SERIES IN 1970
AND THEN RETIRED AT THE AGE OF
5b,ONE VEAR PAST THE AUTOMATIC
RETIREMENT AGE. ONLY 5 -FOOT "
INCH HE HELD HIS OWN WITH
THE B IG 6E ST ....
O
o u r n a t i o n w as fo u n d e d .
This im portant
p r c p r i a t e tim e f o r a l l o£ u s w
“ tS T
s o irit
N a i i o n l l ^ e ^ s p a ^ e r P u b lis h e r s A s s o c ia tio n in
^ ^ e d ^ ^ S t i ^ ^ s T f °af d - r c ^ c P s o c i e t y .
HIS ALL-OUT STYLE OF CALLING
PLAYS WERE EXCITING....
Mootgoomy Ward Bargala Caatar
r/ '
5329 N.E. Union A v . 2886515
The United States Army
ressin gly low and few in deci-
ion m ak in g p o sitio n s.
F in ally, th e p r e ss itse lf is
h n n k in g as m ore and m ore
ic w s p a p e r s a n d m a g a z in e s
nerge or g o o u t of b u sin e ss,
lele v isio n w ith its in sta n t cover-
ige has b e c o m e in c re a sin g ly
nore im p o rta n t - th is d e s p ite its
luilt-in fa u lts of tim e c o n str a in ts
ind its p en ch a n t for m aking
tew s e n te r ta in in g r a th e r th an
m b stan tive in its c o n sta n t search
or m ore v ie w e r s.
All t h e s e fa c to r s p oin t up th e
iced for a B lack p r e ss, b u t th e
failure o f m any o f t h e s e p a p er s
X) in crea se th e ir circu lation a t a
im e w h en p op u lation in c r e a se s
in th eir m ark et a r ea s c o n tin u e to
mount, in d icate th a t so m e th in g is
wrong. It is not th e p u rp o se of
this p ap er to m ak e a d e fin itiv e
a sse ssm e n t o f th e situ a tio n s , but
at th e v e r y least th e r e are
several q u e s tio n s th a t sh ould be
considered .
• T h e fir st is w h e th e r B lack
people b e lie v e th a t th e y h a v e
becom e so a ssim ila ted in to th e
m ain stream c u ltu r e th a t th e y no
longer n eed th e ir o w n . s p e ­
cialized p r e ss.
• T h e seco n d is w h e th e r th e
Black p r e s s is a d e q u a tely se r v in g
tod ay's B lack r ea d er s and w heth
er th e y h a v e r ea c ted to th is
c o v er a g e or lack o f it by w ith ­
d raw in g th e ir su p p o rt.
N e ith e r of th e tw o p o ssib ilitie s
by th e m s e lv e s sa tisfa c to rily e x ­
plains w h a t ca u sed th e d e c lin e ,
but to g e th e r th e y o ffer str o n g
in d ication s o f w h a t m u st be d on e
in th e fu tu re if th e Black p r e ss is
to rem ain a v ia b le in stitu tio n .
It is q u ite clea r th a t its s u r v i­
val is in th e h an d s of Black
p eop le. T h e y alon e can d ecid e
w h e th e r to su p p ort B lack p u b li­
ca tio n s or abandon th e m .
O f co u r se th e p u b lica tio n s
th e m s e lv e s h a v e a r e sp o n sib ility
to im p rove so th a t th e y are m ore
a ttr a c tiv e to th e ir rea d er s. T h e y
m u st b e g in to r e fle c t th e ir c h a n g ­
in g and co m p lex con cern s.
It is folly to b e lie v e th a t th e
sa m e ty p e of n e w s p r e se n ta tio n
and se lec tio n o f n e w s s to r ie s th a t
ch a ra cterized th e B lack p r e s s of
tw o d e c a d e s a g o is su ffic ien t to
a ttra c t and hold to d a y 's so p h isti
ca ted read er. B lack p eo p le h ave
ch an ged and so m u st th e Black
p r e ss if it is to su r v iv e .
It can n e v e r fo r g e t th a t it ca m e
in to b e in g a s a v e r y sp ecia lized
p r e ss and th a t it e x e r te d its
g r e a te s t in flu en ce w h en it cam
p aign ed m ilitan tly and r esp o n sib
|y a g a in st th e e v ils in ou r so c ie ty .
T h e r e a re le s so n s to b e learn ed
from th a t glo rio u s p a st, for in
c re a tin g a Black p r e ss. B lack
A m erica n s add ed a n eed ed and
v alu ab le d im en sion to th e con
c ep t o f a “fr ee p ress" in A m erica.
It p rovid ed a forum in w h ich
unpopular id ea s w e r e aired uni
fy in g an o p p re ssed m in ority and
in th e fin e st sp ir it o f th e F ir st
A m e n d m en t p e titio n in g th e g o v ­
e r n m e n t to
r ed ress th o se
w r o n g s.
T h e B lack p r e ss has
been a se n tin e l a g a in st in ju stic e
loudly and fe a r le s sly d e c r y in g
th e e v ils o f our so c ie ty d e sp ite
e ffo r ts to silen ce th em .
T o b e su re , th e Black p r e ss h as
se r v e d th is nation w ell b u t its
ta sk is far from b e in g o v e r. N or
w ill it be un til th e c o n d itio n s
w hich g a v e it birth are no m ore.
T h e w o rd s o f Joh n R u ssw u rm
w r itte n in 1827 still rin g tru e:
"Too lo n g h a v e o th e r s sp ok en
for u s.”
Salutes
IE
Black History Month
February 1978
aMUf
»food, jobi, yo&b Paif'i
and tu s J b ^ d
wmm *
S ta jl
in^vunatiOM. call
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