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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1978)
Page 2 Portland Observer Thursday, October 5, 1978 O f Common Bonds W e see the world bv Herh L. Cawthorne through Black eyes Vice publicity signals tro u b les a h e a d We must wonder when the police and the press show an inordinate interest in vice in the Black community. Is this a genuine concern for ridding the community of an undesirable element and protecting innocent citizens, or is it a diver sion to draw interest from the real problems of crime? Last week a headline article appeared in one of Portland's dailies telling about North Precinct's crusade against after hours clubs. This closely follows a great crusade against prostitution, which has driven the prostitutes and their customers off of Union Avenue and into the neighborhoods. We are not advocating that vice be overlooked or that lawbreaking be condoned. But what happens while the police force is busting after hours clubs? Sure enough, a few days later an article ap peared in the back pages of the same newspaper stating that in a 48 block area of Northeast Port land there have been 49 burglaries in one month. Now was the great publicity over the vice arrests a ploy to draw attention from the fact that the police have been unable to protect citizens from burglary? We hope not. Then still later this week, the other daily went to great pains to point out that the Prince Hall Masons invited Police Chief Baker and others to come and talk about crime prevention. The editorial goes on to state that "It's a move that could not have been considered five years back, let alone actually get off the ground as it appears it will this week . . . Police have tried neigh borhood crime prevention programs successfully in other com munities, but they haven't felt welcome in Portland's predominately Black neighborhoods." This editorial not only gives an erroneous pic ture of the Black community — a no man's land where no police dare tread — but it is completely untrue. For the past year the Greater Northeast Police Precinct Council — a Police Bureau sanc tioned community council — has been meeting with police representatives on crime prevention, and serving as an advocate for persons with com plaints against the police. Each Neigh borhood Association has a crime prevention committee, which presents crime prevention meetings and forums. And this is not new — Model Cities worked closely with the police department through the Police Community Relations Office as did the Albina War on Poverty Committee and others had done before them. The people of Albina have continually attempt ed to work with the police department in an ef fort to gain the police protection that is their right. It is true that there have been tensions and conflicts — m ostly brought on by police harassment, brutality and neglect. The editorial also mentions that "crime com mitted by Blacks far exceeded their represen tation in Portland's population." It is true that Blacks have a high percentage of arrests, of con victions and of prison sentences. But is this the result of a high crime rate or of discrimination? After all, the city's highest crime rates are in white Lents and St. Johns, not in Albina. We salute the efforts of the Prince Hall Masons to work with the police department on a crime prevention program, and especially their inten tion to involve youth. But the effort should not be used by others for racist attacks on Black people. What is the purpose of this apparent attempt to make Portland's Albina area seem a den of iniquity? Does it foretell an attack on Black of ficials or Black-run programs? Or is it as the recommendations of the Community Coalition on School Integration draw near, an attempt to tell white parents that Albina is not a good place to send their children to school? .4 o f hands to help — Thus the dream becomes not the man ‘s dream alone. But a community dream. Not my dream alone, but our dream. Not my world atone. But your world and my world Belonging to a ll the hands who build. Langston Hughes fro m ‘ 'Freedom‘s Plow ’ ’ After discussing the dissatisfaction many Black residents have with the manner in which desegregation has been handled here, a surprisingly odd question arose from the audience: “ Is there really a Black community in Portland?” T o my continued surprise, the question has reared its head in several telephone conversations since then. And, for an ultimate shock, during the recent controversy over the shotgun screening process used by the Board o f Education to fill a vacant p o s itio n , both m ajor newspapers wondered on their e d ito ria l pages whether the “ so- called” Black community was an en tity at all. For those unaware, or those hard ened by a refusal to sec, the Black com m unity is definitely an entity. Moreover, what is understood about its dynamics can prove helpful to a creative approach toward better race relations in our city. The Black com m unity, like any other, composes a society o f people bound together under a similar set o f experiences. A common character has been forged, a togetherness of brotherhood and spirit. Black people in Am erica stand on com m on ground. They enjoy together like possessions, sim ila r rig h ts and privileges, and common interests. The possessions which make the Afro-American existence distinctive are not the material goods charac teristic o f modern society, but the less tangible influence o f heritage, color and spirit. Black heritage possess, above all, the ever-present conflict between u Western crust and an African core, a Black soul and a white perspective. “ One ever feels his twoncss,” wrote W .E.B. OuBois, “ an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings, two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.” In a d d itio n to the heritage o f duality, the possession o f a dark skin color renders many a prejudicial hurdle for every Black American. This is reflected in the economic structure, particularly employment. While national unemployment holds around seven percent, the unem ploym ent rate fo r Black people averages about twenty-five percent, according to the N ational Urban League's respected hidden unem ployment index. Consistent with the trend, Black youth unemployment averages over forty percent. In spite o f the gains accomplished recently, Blacks on the whole make half as much as the average incom e o f whites. In economics, as in untold other aspects o f American life, the in e q u ity is rooted in color discrimination. The Black community can be un derstood in terms o f the spirit it possesses. Dr. DuBois touches briefly on the unshakable spirit which drives Black people tow ard a better tomorrow. “ It is our duty,” he ex plains, “ to accomplish the immor tality of Black blood in order that the day may come in this dark world when poverty shall be abolished, privilege based on individual desert, and the color o f a man's skin be no bar to the outlook o f his soul.” Together w ith these com m on though intangib le possessions, a community is also measured by the enjoyment o f the same rights and Guess w ho’s coming to the USA by N. Fungai Kumbula It appears that competition per meates every stratum o f American life: the need to be different, to be “ visible.” During the mid and late 60’ s, when a ‘ lib e ra l’ trend was sweeping the co u n try, almost all politicians stumbled over each other to outdo the other in ‘ liberalism .’ Now, that the pendulum has swung the other way, the catch-word is no longer ‘ lib e ra lis m ’ , but ‘ conser vatism.’ But the way the new right wing on slaught has been waged gives one the im pression that any pretense at liberalism demonstrated in the past was nothing more than a show, a put on. The true colors o f our politicians are once more coming to the fore. The late trend surfaced a few weeks back when Senator S.I. Hayakawa (R., CA.) extended an invitation to Ian Smith, rebel prime minister of Rhodesia along w ith his cohorts Ndabaningi Sithole and Jeremiah Chirau, the other members o f the ruling Executive Council. The in vitation was subsequently signed by 276 other senators. Ever since the defeat o f the Senator Jesse Helms (R ., N .C .) proposal to lift sanctions against and resume trading with Rhodesia in an e ffo r t to rescue the beleaguered Smith regime, the conservatives had been gearing up for another push. Underlying all this is an effort to change American foreign policy vis a vis southern A fric a . The conser vatives. aided and abetted by big business, are pushing fo r a n o r m alization o f relations w ith Rhodesia and South Africa. And, as usual, they are using the same, tired old arguments about countering the Soviet threat, support ing those regimes because they are pro-W est, safeguarding American interests to insure the continued flow o f m inerals, o il and other raw materials. And, they are so strident in their demands that they almost drown out the voice o f reason that has so far prevailed in the Carter Administration. As regards Rhodesia, led by UN Ambassador Andrew Young, the a d m in is tra tio n has refused to 1st Place Community Service ONPA 1873 PORTLAND OBSERVER Published every Thursday by E x k Publishing Company, 2201 North Killingsworth, Portland. Oregon 97217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3137, Portland, Oregon97208 Telephone: 283-2486 Subscriptions: $7.JO per year in the Tri-County area. $8.00 per year outside Portland. Second Class Postage Paid at Portland. Oregon ALFRED L. H ENDERSON Editor/Publisher The Portland Observer's official position is expressed only in its Publisher’s column (W e See The W orld Through Black Eyes). Any other material throughoui the paper is Ihe opinion o f the individual writer or submitier and does not necessarily reflect the opinion o f the Portland Observer. National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc. New York N am e _ 8th Placa Beat Editorial NNPA 1873 Honorable Mention Herrick Editorial Award NNA 1873 2nd Place Best Editorial 3rd Place Community Leadership ONPA 1878 3rd Place Community Leadership ONPA 1878 MÍMMR M tM e fR Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association $7.50 1st Place Beet Ad Results ONPA 1873 Aaaoeiahon - FaunBerf 1MB in Tri —C o u n ty A r e a — $8.00 O th e r ______ PORTLAND OBSERVER A d d re s s c»ty I P.O. Box 3137 Portland, OR. 97208 -------------------------------------------------- 1 recognize the internal agreement as long as it leaves out the guerilla alliance o f the Patriotic Front. The argum ent, w hich has since been proven true, was that there can be no peace in Zimbabwe if the guerrillas are left out o f any agreement. So, the U.S., along with Britain, have been trying to compel Smith and Com pany to attend an all parties con ference as outlined in the Anglo- American plan. T his approach is a lot more realistic and a lot less dangerous than the H ayakaw a-H elm s’ e ffo rts to disregard the wishes o f the Zimbab wean people. Technically, Rhodesia remains outside the international com m unity and, accordingly, any leader o f this outcast has to be an in ternational outlaw. To bring Smith and his cohorts over here as guests of the U.S. Senate w ould be ta n tamount to giving tacit approval, tacit recognition to the illegal regime. That is the aim o f the whole exercise. In Sunday's Oregonian, one James K ilp a tric k , Washington colum nist and self-styled spokesperson for the New Right took the C arter A d ministration to task for delaying in issuing visas to Smith, Chirau and Sithole. Yeah, you guessed it. He made the same, tired, old, recycled, hollow arguments about Rhodesia being a “ stable, pro-West democracy in a sea o f Black dictatorships." He didn't miss the opportunity to write about the “ terrorists who shot down a civilian plane and then slaughtered the poor survivors in cold blood” or the “ 37 w hite m issionaries massacred by Soviet armed terrorists.” D id he m ention the 700 odd women and children killed when Smith’s forces bombed Chimoio, a refugee camp in Mozambique? Did he mention the 94 unarmed, Black civilians killed in a “ crossfire" at S ipolilo in which the only people firing were Smith’s so-called security forces? (There were no guerrillas anywhere in that area at the time.) Did he mention that thirty Blacks are k ille d each and every week by this same, “ stable, pro-West de m ocracy?” No, o f course not. That would have taken the steam out o f his arguments. Last I heard, the State Department was still considering the applications for the visas ard had not made a decision one way or the other. I f the visas are granted, it would mean that Smith can come to the U.S. to sell his interim government. That would be a tremendous victory to someone who has been ostracized for the past thirteen years, and a very serious blow to the lib e ra tio n (Please turn to Page 4 Column I) privileges. However, as applied to the Black Americans, the definition is perverted: It has been the universal denial o f the basic rights and privileges that has created the cohesive bond. The denial is nowhere better exem plified than in the fie ld o f education. O f course, slaves were denied education m aliciously. Following Emancipation in 1863, it was not u n til 1896 that the legal rig h t to equal education was acknowledged by the Supreme Court. Even then it advanced the spurious “ separate but equal” doc trine. Legalized inequality existed until 1954 when the infamous Brown vs. Topeka B oard o f E ducation decision outlawed segregation. The denial o f privilege and right to education bound Blacks together in a relentless thrust for change Richard Kluger's book, "Simple Justice,” is a m agnificent history o f Black struggle to gain educational equity. It is suggested reading for those who carelessly refer to the Black com munity as a "so-called” entity. The Black com m unity is also marked by its common interests. This interest is reflected in the fact that over ninety percent o f the Black voters cast ballots fo r the Dem ocratic presidential hopeful. The collective interest is generated fro m an understanding, an awareness, an identity. Given its possessions and the frequent denial o f its rights, the Black com m unity holds together with a willingness to fight for the same causes, to uphold the same values. The common interests can be explained; the values and causes shared. Thus, there are those whose backgrounds are different and whose skins arc white, but whose perspec tives harmonize with the common in terest o f the Afro-Am erican com munity. Obviously there is a way to iden tify the Black community as these b rie f references demonstrate here. Therefore, those who discount its existence simply because they do not understand its dynamics, or wish not to, do the larger community a disser vice. I say this so strongly because 1 believe that what we understand about the dynamics o f the Black community, as well as other ethnic cultures, creates the fo u n d a tio n upon which to b u ild a better tomorrow. 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