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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1978)
$ Portland Observer Thursday, August 31, 1978 Forests, ranches d ra w O regon’s Black pioneers by M cKinley Burt economic tie between generations i sepat ate father from son) — and if y o j can devise an educational system which falsely teaches the youth that their heritage consists only o f cotton pickers and toters o f mint juleps to the veranda o f the Big House, or solely o f sports and entertainment — then you have successfully created a system o f b e h a v io r m o d ific a tio n which w ill (as intended) reduce a beautiful people o f genius to a Black consum er m a rk et, the only such ethnic grouping in America without an economic base in the system. Against this backdrop only the most insensitive (o r barbaric) student or w rite r on u rb an problem s could reduce his evaluation to a citation o f statistics o f Black poverty, crime or health, while observing exactly how the situation was manipulated. N ow , here in the Pacific N orth west there have been at least two id e n tifia b le wares o f B lack en trepreneurs w ith roots firm ly em bedded in our matrix o f notable ec onomic role models. When the writer first arrived from the old country (Dixie to you) as a late teenager at the end o f the 1930’s he found suc cessful B lack ranchers, fa rm e rs , food producers, loggers, wholesalers and others. They were located on mountains, streams and in C ity H all — on the Snake River, along the Rogue, and in valleys o f which you have never heard. P a rtic u la rly illu s tra tiv e is the Black ranch couple, W alter and M a r tha Anderson, located in the Juniper Lake area o f the Steen Mountains in eastern O regon. T ogether w ith a nearby re la tiv e they owned and operated over 1,200 acres o f prime wheat and cattle land. A n interesting follow-up is that a dozen years later when 1 was a practicing public ac countant in Portland, the very same couple engaged me to set up an ac co unting system fo r th e ir large restaurant and hotel on North Inter state Avenue in A lbina. They had recently retired and sold their land holdings (to d a y ’ s huge and profitable SX Ranch), but most im portantly I was privileged to see first hand how lan d , c ra ft and food- Last week I documented just a few o f the early economic accomplish ments o f B lack p eople, it being readily apparent that the enterprises and techniques o f m anufacturing, distribution o f goods, food produc tion, foresty and machine develop ment are a ll directly related and are sustained by land. There can be no “ Evidence o f Progress . . . ” if this structure is not taken into account, and a failure to do so is as impossible a concept as a house without a foun dation — a pyramid without a base — a body without soul (or romance without finance). Analysis Many of the last decade’s failures in the area o f so-called B lack cap italism may be traced to a monumental failure to understand this vertical, integrated reality o f the Am erican economic system — it makes no difference whether you operate a fast-food franchise or sell n a tu ra l combs, or i f you are m arketing C hristm as trees, or if designing m achine to o ls. In my book, Black Inventors o f America (1 9 6 9 ) I sought by a certain classification technique (innovative machines in general — agricultural inventions — transportation devices — pioneer m an u factu ring modes, etc.) to make very clear to the reader this interdependence o f each com ponent o f our system. In addition I added a separate section in the style of Black capitalism: real or fancied, where I pointedly spelled out the possibility (and necessity) o f securing the interaction o f the Black inventor and the Black entrepreneur, and the Black landowner. It is a fact that 1 underestimated the devastating impact upon Black consciousness and m otivation o f a century o f craft discrimination and the deliberate, racist modification o f Black history. The point being that if you can destroy the c u ltu r a l/ processing skills are integrated into each next step o f the economic lad der. Mrs. Anderson survives and every conversation with her is a touching o f bases with my roots, and a remind er o f what we have lost (and what the system does not tell us — but crime, that's different!). Everyone should note that the first part o f the names o f our giant wood products firms signify their southern o rig in or roots: G eo rg ia P a c ific , Lousiana Pacific, etc. When certain types o f forest lands in the south were depleted many decades ago these c o rp o ra tio n s m oved th e ir operations to the vast, virgin lands o f the Pacific Northwest. A nd in the cultural fashion o f many southern companies they brought with them m any o f th e ir w orkers and th eir fam ilies, B lack as w ell as w hite: fallers, buckers, sawyers, green chain men, loaders, etc., and even mule drivers. Older photographs o f these m o tley crew s, re-em p hasize the nature and reality o f pow er in this country — the Oregon Constitution forbade Blacks to enter the state and, too, there were ‘sun down law s’ in many o f the towns (still on books?). He who owns land, pays taxes and meets payroll calls the tune in our system; others dance. A n o th e r interesting connection was t h a t w h ile w o rk in g in the Willam ette National Forest for the Southern Pacific Railroad, I met a family o f these workers who were on their way to eastern Washington to visit a relative who was a wheat ranch er. Three years later, and now with the Union Pacific Railroad on the Snake R iver near R ip a ria , Washington. I met this Black land- owner, a man o f perhaps sixty years o f age. As a young man d uring W orld W ar I (1918) he had been a dining car waiter on a troop train for Seattle which had been rerouted through this area because o f snowslides on the main line. He saw new, expanded opportunities for a man o f his “ drive and instincts” , and returning to Alabama packed up his fa m ily and brought them to Riparia (population 700-1,000 at the time, 1 believe). Here, at this center o f fertile wheatland, forty miles up stream fro m L ew isto n , Id a h o he launched a thirty-year career that took him fro m an in itia l jo b as cow boy, to w h eat-ran cher-o w n er (2,000 acres) to grange master, to M ayor. Most o f the heirs have long since sold their lands and departed, or have disappeared ethnically by marriage. A side note is th a t his fa m ily visited often with members o f an all- Black farm and ranching community in Idaho, about sixty miles north o f the State University, and which is still intact and prosperous. In the concluding segments o f this article I shall try to make quite d ear why we should be examining the economic and educational potential o f such available programs fo r our youth, as the Young Adult Conservation Corp (Y A C C ), a year-round program — and the Youth Conservation C orp (Y C C ), a summer program. These projects, for which the U .S . Forest Service is a sponsor, incorporate many o f the economic components o f exposure, d irection and tra in ing which we once received auto m a tic a lly in consequence of c u ltu ra l c o n tin u ity as has been described — and which virtually has been destroyed, it is imperative that m any o f us re le a rn tech n o lo g y, ecology and the p ro d u c tio n and ow nership techniques o f fo o d , shelter and clothing. A nd I reiterate fro m last weeks a rtic le , “ our educational process must be stretch ed to meet our needs; in a com petitive system no one else is going to do it for you. Meanwhile, back fro m the ranch, in the A lbina section o f Portland, Oregon there seems little to indicate that most o f the Black population has any awareness that they still retain portions o f some o f the most valu ab le real estate on the West Coast. Next week we shall explore this situation further including an e v a lu a tio n o f those econom ic vehicles or structures which Blacks in other areas have used to develop and exploit their resources for their own benefit. Life, Health, Group Inaurane«. Annuities, Pension Plans PEGGY JOSEPH 287-0215 or 288-5692 The New York Life agent in your community is a good person to know. JASPER L. AMBERS A TTO R N E Y A T LA W GENERAL PRACTICE 1525 N.E. WEIDLER PORTLAND, OREGON 97232 - 288-8141 ECOLOGY AND CAREER EXCURSION By Greyhound Bus to the Beautiful site of the Wind River Young Adult Conservation Corp. (YACC) (Second in a three-part series.) SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Class teaches ~ YA A C Is s U .S. Forest Service sponsored program for male and fem ale youths age 18 to 23 w ho are high school drop outs and unemployed. self-defease The conversation became animated when three representatives from the Board for Service and Mission in America of The American Lutheran Church (ALC) got together during the constituting convention of the Coalition of Black Members in the ALC. The Reverend Kenneth Sanders (left) of Los Angeles and Galven Irby (center) of Portland, Oregon, are both board members, and the Reverend John Houck of Minneapolis is director of the ALC division. The convention was held earlier this month in St. Paul. Mr. Sanders was chaplain for the event. (Photo: Paul Wychor) | This is a FREE, guided tour for this group, and parents or guardians are encouraged to com e along. The guides will e m phasize the objectives o f the program In term s of career preparation, com pletion of education, and the acquisition of RELEVANT SKILLS - Enroute, not only w ill ecenlc points of interest be pointed out, but experts w ilt cite im portant examples of the N o rth w eet’e grow ing and diversified econom y — and how im portant It Is th a t urban youth be aw are of these trends In their career plan ning. - For registration and further inform ation call 221-2807 and ask fo r M cK inley Burt or the YACC Representative. Register now to be sure th a t you are included. ALLEN TEMPLE CME CHURCH i ( orner ol 8th and S kidm ore 1 Sunday School 9:30 a.m. .Sunday W orship 11:00 a.m. I I C hristian Y outh F e llo w s h ip 6:00 p.m. (Second and F o urth Sundays) | R eve re n d Thom as [,. St ray hand, M in is te r | » New Hope Missionary Baptist Church CALDWELLS REVEREND A. BERNARD DEVERS, PASTOR THE CHURCH DESIGNED TO MEET YOIJR NEED COLONIAL Sunday School M orning W orship ATTEND CHURCH THIS SUNDAY Our 50th year of personal service to families of all faiths. 9:34) a.m . 10:34) a.m E ven ing Service 2nd. 4th and 5th Sundays ( om m union 1st Sunday W ed. -- Fam ily P ra y e r M eeting and Bible Study F rid ay ■ Brotherhood Fellow ship S ervice w ith M o rn ing S ta r 3rd Sunday P ra y e r and Pastor Phone 281-64 76 Church Phone 281-4)163 7:00 p.m 5:04) p.m. 7:34) p.m. 7:041 p.m. 3 7 2 5 N. Gantenbein Avenue, Portland, Oregon 9 7 2 2 7 N.fc. 14th Jf Sandy Hl\ J. & Hurn»id< I’onlanJ.OR 972)2 l»«Yttft Mi II D EFEN D OURSELVES, a program o f fre e self-defense classes for Port- land-area women, will begin offering daytime and evening classes in early September. Interested women may call now to enroll. Self-defense in structors will teach simple techniques o f self-protection, escape, personal defense, and a tta c k p re v e n tio n . Classes will meet once a week for eight weeks and will be held in the gym nasium at Sunnyside U n ite d Methodist Church, S .E . 35th and Yamhill. According to a spokeswoman for D E F E N D O U R S E L V E S , “ many o f us think we aren’t athletic’ enough or ‘ strong’ enough to learn self- defense, but you don’t need to know karate or judo to avoid becoming a victim of rape, assault, or battering — your best p ro tectio n against assault is immediate, firm refusal to be intimidated.’ * Call now to enroll at 236-9738 or 235-8726. e - You a r e Welcome to Worship at 232-4111 I HF. ARK OF SAFETY CHURCH OF GOO PEN TEC O STA L, INC. ST. ANDREWS CATHOLIC CHURCH 1UGHE S M E M O R IA L U N IT E D M E T H O D IS t C H U R C H •IV 806 N .E . A lb e rta S tre e t R everend B ertram G riffin . Pastor 111 N.E. FAILING W orship 11:1») a.m 10:04) a.m . C hoir Sunday 12:01) p.m . Folk - Sunday Church School 9:45 a.m Office 281-2332 Specializ/ny In Individual • Marriage and Family • Group Thtrapy “T h e C hurch W h ere No S tra n g e r Feel« S trang e" ST. ANDREW C O M M U N IT Y SCHOOL 491» N .E . 9th A ve. N o rita K e lly , Principal T. 'A warm spirit of fellowship always" The Honorable Bishop D.V. Paterson, D.D. “The Holiness Preacher “ Pastor Sunday: » Sunday School 9:15 mn Morning Worahlp 11:15 am Showers of Blessings Broadcast” YPB(R ,5 W H » « « 12.30pm Masses: 5:00 p m. V ig il - S atu rd ay AUSTIN V »A» M IN IS T I* D ial A P ra y e r 28-10 6 W 281 4129 Phone: 28 11 «20 Grade« I through 8 E van g elistic W orship Tuesday-Friday N 6:30 pm 8:00 pm i Day Prayer Tuesday: Bible Band/Jr. Church Wednesday: 7:30 pm C h o ir R eh earsal 7:00 pth Friday: “T h e P aato r ‘-praks” 84 NE KiUingsworth 28144499 7:30 pm
