Page 2 Portland Observer Thursday, August 24, 1978
W e see the world
through Black eyes
Too much power for one
Now that the truth has come to light it is
evident that Gladys McCoy has taken the leading
role in selecting her replacement on the School
Board. Ms. McCoy found a candidate, Evie
Crowell, asked the candidate to apply and lined
up five of the remaining six Board members to
vote for her.
All of this was prior to the Board knowing who
would apply. The Board then went through the
farce of seeking candidates, and interviewing
candidates when they knew the selection had
already been made.
Fifteen persons presented themselves to the
Board's selection committee in good faith,
believing they would be judged according to their
character and abilities and what they could offer
to the citizens of the district. Fourteen of those
candidates had been ruled out even before they
applied.
It is a disgrace to all of the people of Portland
that the School Board would be so arrogant and
self-seeking to treat citizens with so little respect.
It is an even greater insult to Black citizens,
since the School Board had decided it would
select a Black candidate. Of course, considering
the mentality of the School Board, that choice
would not be the Black person who would be
most qualified to speak of Black concerns, but it
would be the Black person they believed they
could manipulate and use.
There would be no quarrel with the idea of
naming a Black to the School Board if the intent
were to get another viewpoint, another perspec
tive. There would be no quarrel if that Black per
son had the ability and the desire to speak to the
issues of special concern to Black students. There
would be no quarrel if that person were strong
enough to be an advocate for Black children and
parents. There would even be no quarrel if the
person had been selected fairly, without a pre
arranged deal.
Although one Black school administrator said,
"I want a Black face on the Board; any Black
face," most thinking people want a person who is
in tune with the community, who can interpret
Black perspectives and will fairly represent the
special interests of Blacks as well as those of the
white community.
But has the white press taken the Board to
task? No, they have attacked the Black community
i0
"leader"
because the School Board decided to select a
Black. The white press and the entire population
of the School District should put an end to this
high handed dealing and insist that the School
Board members honestly and fairly select the
best candidate.
Ms. McCoy should release the other members
from their obligation to her candidate and allow
them to attempt to use their best judgement in
the selection if this is still possible.
In some parts of the country one or a few
selected Black "leaders" have served as brokers,
passing out the few benefits white society has to
offer. Those Blacks who needed jobs or other
favors had to receive them through these per
sons. It appears that Portland has reached the
state where one Black person can pick and chose
who will succeed and who will not.
This is not a system that should be allowed to
prevail in Portland, but it will take the efforts of
the white community as well as the Black to end
it. Whites can no loger have such contempt for
Blacks that they will deal with one "leader" at the
expense of all other individuals.
Fauntroy's victory
A bill giving the residents of Washington, D.C.
voting representatives in the U.S. Senate and the
House has passed both bodies of Congress and
now needs the approval of thirty-eight states
within seven years.
The bill, which will bring the right of represen
tation to Washington, D.C. residents, has been
opposed for many years because of the District's
Black population majority and the inevitability
that some if not all of its elected representatives
will be Black.
The passage of this bill is a tribute to Walter
Fauntroy, who has been the District's non-voting
member of Congress for the last four years.
Fauntroy's untiring efforts and his organization of
Black support played a leading role in the victory.
Perhaps Fauntroy will become the District's
first U.S. Senator. He would serve the nation
well.
because of absence of jobs, and with a minority
youth unemployment rate of forty percent, it
seems unfair for the government to subsidize ar
tists who often have college training and could
find employment. It is unfortunate that everyone
cannot always work in their chosen field, but
perhaps those who have chosen art as their
vocation should get another job for a while and
continue to pursue their interests in art.
On the other hand, the unskilled person does
not have a choice. A CETA job to him is the only
way he can support himself and his family other
than welfare.
With the impending shortage of CETA funds
and the possibility of lay-off of CETA employees.
we must support the original goals of CETA, to
employ and train the unemployed in skills which
will enable them to make the transition to per
manent jobs.
1st Place
Community Service
ONPA 1973
PORTLAND OBSERVER
Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201 North
Killingsworlh, Portland, Oregon 97217 Mailing address: P.O. Box
JI37, Portland, Oregon 97208. Telephone 283 2486
Subscriptions $7 50 per year in the Tri-County area,
outside Portland
MOO per
year
The Portland Observer's official position is expressed only in its
Publisher's column (We See The World Through Black byes) Any
other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual
writer or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion o f the
Portland Observer
National Advartiaing Representative
Amalgamated Publishers. Inc.
New York
/ *
5th Place
Best Editorial
NNPA 1973
2nd Place
Best Editorial
3rd Place
Community Leadership
ONPA 1975
3rd Place
Community Leadership
ONPA 1978
by Herb L. Cawthorne
Some have
ve lamented. They think
the Bluek people are fighting again.
Others have been moved by the
recent controversy over an appoint
ment to the Board o f Education.
And they have begun to search for
answers. I assure you there is more to
the dispute over the School Board's
screening methods than another frac
tional fight within the Black com
munity. It's much more than that.
In the screening process to select
an in d ivid u a l to f ill the vacancy
created by Ms. Gladys M cC oy’ s
resignation from the Board o f
E ducation, a controversy which
many may not fully understand has
developed. I hope you will allow me
a chance to explain it. The core of
the issue has to do with a process, a
candidate, and an ultimate question.
Oregon
Newspaper
Publishers
I Association
tcH
only three finalists from a total list o f
sixteen. The fin a lists were Evie
Crowell, Father W illiam Wetzel, and
Dean Gisvold.
The Committee fo r Responsive
Leadership, a m ulti-ra cia l group
which spent several weeks in te r
viewing
po te n tia l candidates,
challenged the short-sighted process.
How could the Board members have
given each person a fa ir and
reasonable consideration when it did
not take enough time to familiarize
itse lf
w ith
the
credentials,
q u a lific a tio n s , experience, and
com m unity support o f each ap
plicant? That's a good question —
no matter who you may or may not
have supported. The process was
faulty.
elimination was a factor in the con
troversy.
The ultimate question is an age-
old one for Black people. W ill our
community continue to sit back and
let a handful o f so-called leaders
select those who w ill represent us?
The question is at the heart o f the
present controversy.
Some sources assert that Ms. Evie
Crowell w ill be selected to the Board
and that the entire process has been
slanted toward her candidacy. She is
the choice o f Ms. M cC oy. It is
frustrating to realistically note that
any Black individual supported by
Ms. M cC oy w ill lik e ly gain the
position, and (hat they w ill also
likely serve in the same manner as
Ms. McCoy. Nothing could be worse
for a community interested in im
proving the futures of their children
through betterment o f the educa
tional system in Portland.
The question must be faced. Can
we remain silent, as our children are
shipped all over the city and our
schools remain inadequate and our
teachers dwindle, while the Board of
Education uses a tilted process to
select someone who does not have
the capacity to address the issues
facing the future o f Black education
in this city?
The candidate supported by the
Committee for Responsive Leader
ship was Dr. D arrell M illner, an
associate professor at Portland State
U n ive rsity.
D r.
M iln e r
was
recognized by many as one who
would have the fortitude to speak to
the aspirations o f the Black com
munity while he applied his wide
educational knowledge toward im
provement o f the Portland Public
Schools overall for everyone. He was
q u ickly elim inated. His rapid
The process is one that should in
sult the Thinking members o f the
Black com m unity. It smacks o f
backdoor politics. The sequence o f
events confirms this.
August 14th was the deadline for
applications for all who wished to be
considered fo r the position. On
August 15th, a screening committee
made up o f three members of the
Board narrowed the list down to
by V'emon Jordan
The President o f the United States
operates out o f a goldfish bowl — his
every move is subject to public
scrutiny and criticism. Because the
Executive Branch has responsibility
for carrying out the laws and for
initiating new programs, the White
House becomes a lightning rod for
critics o f federal policies.
Congress managed to escape that
kind o f pressure. It’s easier to focus
on the lone figure of the President
than one 535 Representatives ai^l
Senators. But much of what is wrong
with the country today can be traced
to Congress’ inaction and to its often
ffitlous attitude towards the needs of
the poor.
In the wake o f Vietnam and
Watergate there has been a massive
shift o f power from the President to
the Congress. The loosening of party
ties has increased the numbers o f
maverick Congressmen answerable
only to themselves. And some
nominally liberal Congressmen elect
ed from more conservative districts
a fte r the backlash against the
Watergate scandals have abdicated
the responsibility to educate their
constituents and instead have turned
further to the right.
This Congress is relatively inex
perienced as well. Obsessed by local
concerns, many Representatives lack
the breadth o f vision to transcend
political expedience and act for the
benefit o f the whole nation. And
many are overly sensitive to single-
issue lobbyists, fearing to act right
on issues like abortion, gun control
tfl
PER
The same process is behind amend
ments that would end federal af
firmative action compliance efforts.
Congress stripped from poor women
the freeom o f choice affluent women
have regarding abortions. Il is trying to
weaken the Humphrey-Hawkins lull
employment bill, which should have
been passed intact weeks ago, with
amendments that would render it
ineffective.
While practically every Congress
man gives up lip service to the
need fo r fiscal responsibility and
e ffic ie n t use o f federal funds,
Congress refuses to endorse targeting
those funds where they’ ll do the most
good.
The CETA program o f public job-
creation is intended for the benefit of
the unemployed economically disad
vantaged, but it now is primarily a
vehicle fo r helping tem porarily
jobless better-educated skilled
workers, most o f them white males.
The Administration wants to target
CETA funds to the poor and many
Congressmen are resisting.
Instead of pulling the teeth o f the
tax revolt by reforms that would
make the tax system more equitable,
Congress is bent on cutting capital
gains taxes fo r the affluent and
ramming through a tuition tax credit
that w ould help relatively few
moderate income families.
Congress is supposed to be the
voice o f the people but his Congress
seems to be the captive voice o f
special interests and o f forces deter
mined to resist efforts to help poor
people and the cities.
th f
r /h tfM
UWWT/
School Board shows contempt
To the Editor:
Once again the Portland School
Board has neglected the wishes and
desires o f the Albina community,
this time in their hasty action, and
procedures used in selecting a Black
person fo r replacement o f Ms.
Gladys McCoy from the Board.
The whole process used was
detrimental to the applicants who
had failed to be considered for the
position on the Board. We feel that it
was a rush job, and that the hand
picked choice o f Ms. McCoy’s was
the only one who was given con
sideration.
The reason the procedure was
rushed was Dr. Millner not only is the
best qualified but is supported by a
large element o f the Black com
munity.
Ms McCoy has sat on the School
Board for eight years as a visible
$7.50
N am e
Black symbol but never has been
visible in the neighborhood. Last
year she came to Jefferson High
School when the Newman Plan was
being discussed. She came to the
meeting w ith a very nasty and
negative attitude toward those o f us
at the meeting and the community.
She also did a good putdown on us
when we went to the Board to tell
them our feelings.
We feel that Ms. McCoy's hand
picked person will fit into the same
role as she. We feel that with the
dropout rate of our children, the un
fair busing program, prisons being
filled with our young people and
others, the stakes are too high to use
being Black as the only criteria, to
help make decisions for us.
We feel Black or white people who
are making decisions concerning us
and our children must have these
in T ri —C o u n ty A r e a
qualifications.
I. More sensitivity to all children.
2. Better and more effective com
munication between the Board and
Portland community, both white and
Black. 3. Fair and equal treatment
for all students.
Millner has all o f these essential
traits, as well as the education and
qualifications to add leadership to a
Board that is out o f step with the
people, and time.
We are tired o f being sold out by
people w ith Black faces but who
don’ t associate with or respect our
opinions.
It is up to the Black community to
let the School Board know that we
won’ t accept this kind o f manipula
tion from them.
Sincerely,
Vesia l oving
$8.00
° ' h er
_.
A ddress
A llocu tion - Fosjrsood t8M
and others that arouse emotional
voter responses.
The result has been that this
Congress is a big bust. Unable to
produce a substantive record, some
o f its leaders ju st go a fte r easy
headliners. So Senator Byrd, the
M a jo rity Leader o f the Senate,
makes pompous statements about
giving Andrew Young “ one more
chance,” when he should be pleading
himself for just one more chance to
get needed legislation through the
Senate.
On both domestic and foreign
policy the Congress has dragged its
heals. It has failed to deal construc
tively with such important issues as
w elfare re fo rm , energy, and tax
reform, preferring instead to take a
piecemeal approach by passing
isolated amendments that often
sabotage the intent o f progressive
legislation.
For example, the law authorizing
community development bloc grants
clearly labels the program as intend
ed fo r the benefit o f law and
moderate income people. But when
HUD tried to enforce the letter and
the sp irit o f the law by issuing
regulations forcing local governments
receiving those bloc grants to spend
at least 75 percent o f the money for
the benefit o f poor and moderate in
come people, Congress reacted.
It came up with an amendment
that would cancel the regulation, and
mounted an e ffo rt to override
Cabinet Department regulations.
The intent is clearly to remove from
the Executive Branch the ability to
enforce the laws o f the land.
.
a
/ pttfJlA.
MlIUiBl
mfmkr
I
1st Place
Best Ad Results
ONPA 1973
Honorable Mention
Herrick Editorial Award
NNA 1973
Second Claaa Pottage Paid at Portland. Oragon
ALFRED L HENDERSON
E d ito r/P u b lish e r
Poor process insults community
The case against Congress
Direct CETA jobs to the needy
In the crunch over funding of CETA jobs it
could come to a conflict over whether artists,
theater and dance should be supported by CETA
funds.
Think of all the art, music, and other endeavors
lost to humanity because those with talent do not
have the education or training to pursue their
talents or because they must work long hours
and do not have the leisure or the economic
security needed to try to make a living in the arts.
We have always felt that it might be well to pay
talented people to paint, to compose or just to
think or philosophize. The world would be better
off in the end.
But is CETA the proper vehicle to support the
arts? Or should CETA be a way to provide
training and employment for the hard core
unemployed?
With thousands of people in Portland unable to
find work either because of lack of skills or
School Board challenged
C i t y ___
PORTLAND OBSERVER
P.O. Box 3137
Portland, OR. 87208