P *0« 2 Portland Observer Thursday. Septamber 21. 1978
O u r heritago, O u r ch alU n g «
'To Set Afoot a New Maa’
by H erb L. Cawthorne
"Z «r»i u.sfwm«7 io think how easily
we capitulate to badges and names,
to large societies and dead institu
tions. ”
President Carter took an enormous gamble
White the city administrator tor aging programs
when
he invited the warring Israeli and Egyptian
is extolling the virtues of Measure 6, the elderly
rulers
to
an unprecedented conference at Camp
citizens are worrying that the tew programs they
David.
Credited
by Begin and Sadat for his
have will be taken away.
leadership
in
the
conference.
Carter was able to
It is a crime that in this day end age. older
citizens still have to worry about how they will announce to the world that great progress toward
buy food, medicine and still pay the rent. Right peace was made.
A side effect of this announcement was to
here in Portland old people who have worked all
of their lives raising families and trying to make raise Carter's image a few points on the polls.
the nation a better place to live are dying of Under unceasing attack by the press. Carter's
malnutrition. They have neither the food nor the public image has slipped badly and had the Camp
David talks failed he would have been in trouble.
teeth for proper nutrition.
Yet Carter took that chance and this time his
They must use their meager pensions for rent
and utilities and often are sick from the cold. courage was rewarded with success. We can
Some are known to spend their days in bed to only hope that should the peace effort now be
stay warm. Others, who are able, spend the cold reversed, the blame be placed squarely where it
days away from home — anywhere that is belongs, on Israel's prime minister Menachem
Begin.
reasonably warm.
Another man who took a chance and won is
Transportation is another major problem. In
Governor
Bob Straub. Calling a special session to
terested community citizens provide a once-a-
month luncheon for the seniors, but many have deal with Measure 6 was a politically dangerous
no way to get there — especially in cold or wet act, opposed by many of his own party.
Had the legislature failed to write an alternative
weather.
Many senior citizens cannot sew, read, or that he could support, Straub would have been
watch TV because they do not have necessary left out in the cold. To add to the problem,
Straub's opponent. State Senator Victor Atiyeh
glasses or hearing aids.
was
busily trying to get his own measure, a
Yet they are told that $1 million might be lop
cleaned
up version of Measure 6, through the
ped off the small budget that attempts to meet
legislature.
some of these needs.
Straub won that round, but deserves credit for
A community meeting will be held at 7:00
p.m., September 29th, at the Senior Adult Ser risking everything in an attempt to save the
vice Center, to address the needs of the elderly people from the devastation of Measure 6.
citizens. The 'leaders'' of the community should
be at this meeting to provide assistance and sup
port for the trying days ahead.
Politics before principles
Student safety absent
Last weekend a young man was killed in a
motorcycle/car accident at the intersection of
Rodney and Tillamook. This is a dangerous cor
ner, where according to several neighbors,
frequent accidents occur. It also is a corner
where school children wait for their bus.
Last year a car crashed over the sidewalk and
into an apartment building on 6th and Alberta.
Several children who had been standing on that
corner had boarded their bus and left just minutes
before the crash occurred.
Parents complained. Children still stand in the
rain on that corner waiting for their bus although
King Schoo! is less than half a biock away. Just a
block from the school, in another direction,
another group of students stand waiting in the
rain.
It does seem that a little more consideration
could be given to these young children — that
they could wait in safe and dry areas.
Will the school district wait until a child is killed
before they will see to the safety of our children?
We all know that politics makes the world go
round. Politics can be gentle persuasion,
negotiation and compromise, or “ you pat my
back and I'll pat yours,’’ or it can be strong arm
tactics designed to have one's way at all cost.
An example of the latter type happened re
cently when the long arm of the School Board
reached to Salem and pressured the Attorney
General's office not to w rite an opinion
designating “ Minority Business Enterprise" as
dealing with ownership and stating that this use
is legal in Oregon. Fortunately Attorney General
Jim Redden had the courage to do what he con
siders to be right.
Another example of "strong arm" politics was
the scolding of Gregg Batiste for his statements
opposing the School Board's proposal definition
of "Minority Business Enterprise' based on em
ployment, and supporting his statement with the
Attorney General's letter.
It seems that one of our local politicians has
forgotten the words of our great statesman and
Senator, Wayne Morse, "P rinciples before
politics."
The rush to make political points has left the
school district in a position to foster ridicule and
hopefully a court suit.
Iä t Place
C o m m u m ty Service
O N P A 1973
PORTLAND OBSERVER
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O N P A 1973
Published ever) Thursday by Exie Publishing Companv. 2201 North
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other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual
writer or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the
Portland Observer
,n T ri-C o u n ty A re a
In The Wretched o f the Earth,
F ra n z Fano n le ft us w ith the
challenge that our struggle demands
in this modern age. “ Come, then,
comrades, it would be as well to
decide at once to change our ways.
W e must shake o f f the heavy
darkness in which we were plunged,
and leave it behind. The new day
which is already at hand must find us
firm , prudent and resolute . . . we
must turn over a new leaf, we must
work out new concepts, and try to set
afoot a new man ”
by Fungat N . Sengerwe Kumbula
The situation in Rhodesia reminds
me so much o f a picture that keeps
going in and out o f focus. A t times
everything seems clear enough, as if
the persistent problem is fin a lly
headed fo r a solution. B ut, each
time, without fail, something always
happens to cloud the issue. Things
have been like this ever since the set
tlers First arrived to ‘civilize* Z im
babwe. I f it were a normal country,
Zimbabwe would have been free fif
teen-twenty years ago.
The latest trip -u p occurred two
weeks back with the shooting down
o f that A ir Rhodesia plane near
Kariba and the subsequent deaths of
48 o f the 56 whites on board. As
usual, the American media pounced
on this like a hawk pouncing on a
rabbit. Every day now for a whole
week, it has been: ’Smith on national
T V , ’ ‘ N k o m o denies m e e tin g ,’
’ Kaunda appeals to B ritain,’ ‘Smith
declares lim ite d m a rtia l la w ,’
‘ N k o m o claims responsibility for
shooting down o f plane,’ ‘ Front line
Presidents’ meeting concludes incon
clusively,’ ‘ A ll parties' conference
now dead’ , etc. etc. etc. And in all
these stones, all the writers made
repeated references to “ the murder
o f the 48 innocent whites’ * and the
revenge promised by Smith and his
cohorts.
The declaration of a limited form
o f martial law will make very little
difference to most o f the Blacks since
a state o f emergency declared in 196?
and still in effect affected them more
than any other group o f people.
W hat it will mean though, is that
what little “ freedoms” they had will
now be taken away. For the whites, it
will also make very little difference
since they have always had preferen
tial treatment anyway. The only d if
ference w o u ld be that now they
would be liable to be called upon at
any moment to “ defend their way of
life .”
In his latest speech. Sm ith in
dicated he might attack both Zambia
and M o za m b iq u e to " liq u id a te
guerilla bases." The problem with
both countries is that they do not
have v ia b le a ir forces and are
therefore virtually defenseless when
Rhodesian bombers come to attack.
Rhodesia inherited her air force from
the now d e fu n c t F e d e ra tio n o f
Rhodesia and Nyasaland as well as
the bulk o f its army. Zambia (then
called N orthern Rhodesia) had to
start from scratch.
There has been speculation that
both M o za m b iq u e and Z a m b ia
might request the aid o f the Cubans
in defending themselves. But, that
approach is highly unlikely because,
for one, the Cubans are committed
in too m any places elsewhere
a lre a d y . F o r a n o th e r, Kenneth
Kaunda, the President o f Zambia is
so stridently pro-West and would
balk at inviting the Cubans for fear
T o the Editor:
o,her
P.O. Box 3137
C i t y _______________________________
■»
I
Go slow, they say —
While the bite
O f the dog is fast.
Go Slow, Z hear —
While they tell me
You can’t eat here!
You can ’I live here!
You can ‘I work here!
Don "t demonstrate! W ail!
While they lock the gate.
Martial law in Rhodesia: So what else is new?
O N P A 1*75
PORTLAND OBSERVER
Address
G O SLO W
o f alienating his Western ‘allies.’ If
they were invited to Mozambique, it
is highly unlikely they would get in
volved in the Fighting in Zimbabwe
because Robert Mugabe, co-leader
of the Patriotic Front, has been op
posed to this. H e has co rrectly
stated: “ We are our own liberators.”
Smith would very much like for
the Cubans to get involved so he can
summon help from the West. There
are so many people who would like
to back him but so far do not have
the excuse. I f the Cubans do get in
volved militarily that would be the
excuse he has been waiting for to
come to bail out Smith.
Journalists like to speculate as to
the final outcome in Zimbabwe. One
theory being tossed around is that
S m ith
w ould
lik e
to
dum p
Muzorewa, one o f his partners in the
interim ad m in istratio n, and align
him self w ith Joshua N ko m o , co
leader o f the Patriotic Front — the
so-called alliance o f minorities. Also
rumours continue to surface about
efforts at establishing contacts be
tween M ugabe and M u zo re w a , a
formidable alliance. This alliance is
being to u ted as being fa r m ore
workable than the present Nkomo-
Mugabe alliance. And you thought
you had heard it a ll! L ik e the
A m ericans say ‘ Y ou a in 't heard
nothin g y e t!’ T h e Z im b a b w e
tragicom edy isn’ t over by a long
shot.
Conflict of interest
3rd Place
C om m u nity Leadership
O N P A 1978
$ 8 .0 0
In recent weeks I have gotten a
good deal o f personal advice and
questions fro m m any d iffe re n t
people. In the process, a healthy one
for me. 1 have come to realize one
reason why we so often fail to make
the kind o f progress which bestows
the benefits o f A m erican society
upon our people in an equal manner.
The reason is reflected in an attitude,
a fe a rfu l stance, a d e b ilita tin g
hesitation — all because the system
o f A m e ric an p re ju d ic e has con
ditioned too many o f us to stand
back and "lo o k out exclusively for
Number O n e ."
1 spoke out during the controversy
over the screening process the Board
o f E d u c a tio n used to select a
replacement for Ms. Gladys McCoy.
T h a t, coupled w ith the tense
discussion now taking place regard
ing desegregation, caused a certain
destructive attitude to be placed in
my path several times.
The state o f mind about which I
am talking came first in a question:
"H o w will your speaking out like this
a ffe c t your jo b ? " Then it came
dressed in a veiled and fearful tone:
" T h is could affect your television
show or y o u r w ritin g in the
newspaper, you k n o w ." The un
m istakable impression was that a
Black man should look out for him
behind the fe a rfu l w a ll o f an
exaggerated concern for his job, for
his status, for his own selfish future.
He is so unconcerned about hjs
community, so willing to sacrifice
anything for his moment o f personal
security, he becomes the chief in
strument in the Divide and Conquer
philosophy. He is the one who says,
" D o n ’ t speak o u t, d o n ’ t m ake
waves, don’ t call attention to our
plight.” This is the person who, in
the words o f Langston Hughes, con
stantly impedes our progress with
bad advice:
JL c OM! to thl Sdito
2nd Place
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3rd Place
C om m u m ty Leadership
N atio n a l A dvertising R ep resentative
A m a lg a m a te d Publishers. Inc
N ew York
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N N P A 1*73
Subscriptions: 1 7.JO per year in the Tri-County area. M OO per year
outside Portland.
self, no matter what goes down in the
community.
Too many Black people have been
conditioned to w orry about their
jobs first. As the "last hired and first
fire d ," we knew it makes good sense
to worry about one’s means o f em
ployment or one’s livelihood. In the
process, how ever, this legitim ate
concern has become so perverted, so
self-centered, that nothing else seems
important. Even those actions which
do not threaten our jobs and per
sonal security are avoided. The daily
struggle o f our oppressed people,
therefore, is secondary. Our personal
situation is first. In reality, though,
one cannot be separated from the
other. As our community is strong,
so are we strong as individuals. " A
race o f people is like an individual,"
said Malcolm X , adding that "u ntil
it uses its own talent, takes pride in
its own history, expresses its own
culture, affirm s its own selfhood, it
can never fu lfill itself.”
I f more o f us could stop worrying
so exclusively about our jo b and
about our personal circumstances,
perhaps collectively we could move
together in ways which, ultimately,
w ill create better jobs and more
stable personal circumstances for
everyone in our community.
On the other hand, if everything
politically is measured by the narrow
yardstick o f “ m y” individual gain or
" m y ” individual loss, then most of
our people will always feel lonely and
isolated. An isolated individual is in
secure. H e or she w ill never act
boldly in support o f those less for
tunate. This person will hide forever
A fte r reading the August 29th
column o f 'Behind the W a ll', on how
the Oregon Prisoners Legal Services
arc misusing the people in prison by
their phony representation, for the
First time I felt an urge to write my
feelings to the ‘colum n.’
First I would like to thank Larry
B aker, the O .S .P . Correspondent
and the Portland Observer for him
and his staff putting together news
worthy articles each week o f many of
the things that go on in this prison.
But more so I am thankful that the
Black community has knowledge First
hand on how Black prisoners who
are sent to prison in this state are the
First to be exploited.
The question has been brought up
many times, why hasn’t the Oregon
Prisoners Legal Services defended
Black prisoners’ civil rights cases as
th o ro u g h ly as they have w hite
prisoners’ over the last two years. Is
it because they refuse to hire any
Black people to work in their office?
I have heard many Black prisoners
com plain how the PLS attorneys
would not even answer a Black in
mate's request when they were called
upon, especially when it came to civil
rights issues concerning their incar
ceration or the treatment they were
receiving.
Now that the full story has been
exposed on who’s funding them, is it
a w onder why the O rego n Bar
Association and the Law Enforce
ment Assistance Association would
even fund such a legal organization?
Since they are doing n othin g to
p ro tea the civil rights o f people in
prison some o f the legislators should
be asking for a full investigation on
where the taxpayers money is going
that pays for such a service to be
provided for prisoners.
W hy were the facts kept so secret
that the Prisoners Legal Services was
receiving local fu n din g fro m the
Oregon Division o f Corrections?
There have never been so many
Black people placed in our Oregon
prisons in Oregon's history, and now
it is only more sickening to find out
that they are there being exploited by
agencies like the Prisoners Legal Ser
vices who are supposed to be helping
them with federal funds to protect
their civil rights. It is very fortunate
that PLS is not located in A lbina, in
stead of safely tucked away in Salem.
There must be another route found
to give prisoners who have no money
to have their legal rights protected. I
hope the ’ Behind the W a ll’ column
can suggest more in their future ar
ticles. Keep up the good reporting to
the public so that they know what
their (axes are paying fo r behind
closed doors.
Thank You,
Richard W ilbrun « 8 7 5 7
I