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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1978)
>.«S. : 12 Portland Observar Thu rulev, November 23, 1978 I Rhodesia’s ’elections’ postponed W e see the world by N. Fungai Kumbuta through Black eyes More non-compliance Arion Weils, chairman of the Social Studies Departm ent at W ilson High School, is quoted in the Oregonian as saying that he is glad the school has rid itself of such frills as Black history. "W e d o n 't have one M ickey M ouse course in the departm ent n o w ." W ells said he opposed teaching Black history as a course because " If we do that then we've got to have Chinese history, Chicano history . . . and where do you draw the line?" "T h e re is a broader culture that everybody m ust assimilate in to ." He said the Black staff at W ilson is to be congratulated for assimilating so well. "They have become just like the whites. They have completely assimilated. That's how it should b e ." The Portland School District appears to be in gre a t need o f s ta ff tra in in g in m u lti-e th n ic curriculum, for if Wells is an example, the staff completely ignores the rich diversity of different ethnic history and custums. But has the district expanded its m ulti-cultural offerings? No. But it has finally come to light that the P ortland district has once again been found in non-compliance w ith the federal requirements and that about $52,000 for staff traianing has been withheld. This finding was made prior to the beginning of the school year and some of the planned training classes were eliminated, yet no acknowledgm ent that federal funds had been withheld or the reasons tor this action was made. iS J ____ OF SCHOOL This serves to point out w het the Community C oalition and many Black groups have been saying - that teachers are not being taught to deal w ith th e c o m p le xitie s o f n u lti- e th n ic classrooms. The only way to insure that staff members receive the inform ation that w ill allow them to teach children of d ifferent races and cultures — and to treat the students, their families and their communities w ith respect - is to make this training mandatory. This is the fourth non-compliance finding by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in three years, should make the public w o n d e r ab o u t the q u a lity o f th e d is tric t's desegregation program. We’ll never know W e m ig h t never learn the tru e s to ry o f Reverend Jim Jones and the four-hundred mem bers o f the People's Tem ple w h o co m m itted suicide in Guyana this weekend. This newspaper was one of the recipients of Reverend Jo n e s' occasional new s releases claiming harassment and persecution by the San Francisco newspapers and by government agen cies because of race. His last news release told about plans to relocate in the Guyana jungle where they would be free to live as they chose. According to Jones the organization was made up largely of outcasts — prostitutes, addicts and others — w ho, drawn to the Temple, hoped to improve their lives. The need to separate them selves from their old associates led to the interest of communes. While serving as the chairman of the San Fran cisco Housing Authority, Jones and the Temple came under fire from the San Francisco press. In the resulting publicity, opinion was divided about evenly among those who believed he was a good man interested in helping others and those who said he used and abused his followers. The settlement in Guyana was to have been se lf-s u ffic ie n t, w ith the people p ro vid in g fo r themselves. W ho is to say now whether followers were victimized or whether soft Americans found working in the fields from dawn to dusk attem pt ing to build a home too much for them? Were the complaints valid, or were they the usual dissatis faction? Were the charges and the special interest of the U.S. State Department on the Temple the result of Jones' belief in socialism — in sharing the work and the wealth? W hat drove Jones to call for the mass suicide on earth could they find peace and therefore they should make the ultimate passive resistance? Or did the pressure become too great and drive him from his mind? Along w ith the great sadness over more than 400 people, most of them Black, who needlessly died there w ill remain the haunting question — why? Mediation project solves neighborhood problems (Continued from Page I Column 4) plained. " I t ’ s not unusual for it to have gone on for four or five years and to have started with a small in cident.” One example Ms. Powell gave is that o f two families using the same driveway. “ One person left a car in the driveway and the other asked them to move it. The first person was having a bad day and was more cross than he needed to be. The second person later retaliated. The conflict grew and soon involved many mem bers o f the families as well as friends and visitors. By then all the con troversy and disrespect made it hard to settle.” Most cases referred to the program have involved the police. “ Most con flic ts have involved at least one police call and sometimes five or six,” Paris said. The th ird Mediation Project O f fice is located at 3214 S.E. Holgate, Third Floor, and is coordinated by Ms. Catheryn Steinberg. The offices are open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. but appointments can be made for evenings and weekends. There is no fee. Any person who would like to refer problems to the Mediation Project should call the M etropolitan Human Relations Commission, 248-4187. PORTLAND OBSERVER 1st Placs Community Service ONPA 1973 1st Place Best Ad Resultn ONPA 1973 Publisher every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201 North Kilhngsworth, Portland. Oregon 9^217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3137, Portland. Oregon 97208 Telephone: 283 2486 Subscription*: J7.J0 per year in the Tri-County area. $8.00 per year outside Portland. ALFRED L. HENDERSON Editor/Publiaher Second Clasa Postage Paid at Portland. Oregon Honorable Mention Herrick Editorial Award NNA 1973 The Portland Observer’s official position is expressed only in its Publisher s column (We See The World Through Black Eyes) Any 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 2nd Place Best Editorial 3rd Place Community Leadership ONPA 1975 National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc New York MMBOt N 5th Place Best Editorial NNPA 1973 e N p A p ER a b x x ib / mxi ■ B 3rd Placs Community Leadership ONPA 1979 When Smith, Sithole, Chirau and M uzorew a signed the ‘ in te rn a l agreement* earlier this year, the cen tral theme o f this agreement was the holding o f elections by December 31st o f this year. The idea that they were trying to sell was that, on that day, Zimbabweans o f all races would go to the polls to vote foT the coun try ’ s first popularly elected govern ment in 88 years — ever since the whites first came to "c iv iliz e ” the then subjects o f King Monomotapa. This was the same idea they tried to sell to the outside w orld — that a governm ent so elected should be recognized as le g itim a te . So, technically, Zimbabwe was to start the New Year as an “ independent m ajority ruled nation.” The plan was. o f course, rejected by virtually all o f Zimbabwe's Blacks and all o f their comrades around the world, because, as somebody put it. ‘ ‘ it w o u ld m erely tra n s fe r the shadow o f pow er b u t leave the present ra c is t, w h ite p rivile g ed system in ta c t.” As a result, the guerrilla war intensified, more and m ore people showed up at the training camps to jo in and the rest o f the population pretty much threw in th e ir s u p p o rt, m o ra l, p o litic a l, financial when possible, behind the freedom fighters. In desperation, the ’ internal regim e’ imposed m artial law over 8O^o o f the country in a fu tile e ffo rt to thwart the guerrillas and cut them o ff from their support and supplies. The guerrilla alliance, fo r its part, was doing all it could to sabotage the proposed elections. A n announcem ent fro m the JL c UM Publishers Association about as smart as Fungai walking down the street expecting to fin d S im . ly in g on the sidew alk. The rainy season in Zimbabwe starts in N ovem ber and extends th ro u g h A p ril and, fo r the guerrillas, this is the best time o f the year. This is the tim e when the tru c k s , arm ored vehicles and helicopters o f the enemy are almost useless because they get bogged down in the mud. A fte r the spectacular diplom atic and m ilitary victories o f the past several weeks, all indications arc fo r a m ajor push this rainy season. That was the reason fo r Smith’ s raids into Mozambique and Zambia. He wanted to preempt the guerrillas before the anticipated m ajor offen sive. T hat is also the reason that Ndabaningi Sithole, one o f the Uncle Toms in the interim government has been pushing fo r the extension o f the d ra ft to Blacks — up t i l l now they have been exempt. That raises the interesting spector that, i f the Blacks are pressed into the service o f a co u n try to which they owe no allegiance, can they be trusted or ex pected to serve fa ith fu lly ? I f you armed your m ortal enemy and force him to defend you, how do you know that he won’ t turn around and aim fo r your head? What o f deser tions once they are taken to the operational zones? W o u ld n ’ t it be funny i f Sithole started to train the very people who w ill bring about his downfall? 1 can’ t help but get the feeling that we are now on the home stretch. It would be so good to go back home after an ab sence o f seven years. tO tJbt, EditM Use the right words To the Editor: Education is an emotional subject these days therefore it is important that persons address objective data. This is not the time fo r erroneous satire. Careless use o f terminology in the N ovem ber 19, 1978 O regonian Forum Page article by Oralee Beech confused; fo r example the statement “ W hite children going to predo minately white schools are not called ‘ isolated.’ ” The legal definition o f "m in o rity ” delineates racial m inorities and also certain white persons. I f one reads current defin itio ns o f “ m in o rity ” and “ m inority isolation” in Public Law 92-318 (as amended), one finds Portuguese. A lso inclu de d are L o u isia n a Acadians w ho speak French. A lth ou g h federal guidelines re garding Title 7 (Public Law 92-318 as amended) classify students as “ m in o rity ” and “ n o n -m in o rity ” , the Beech article erroneously cites “ m ajority” students. Precise d e fin itio n s are tools to p ro v id e a c c o u n ta b ility in d e te r mining that students do not spend more than 25*7o o f the school day in isolated circumstances. Newspapers have an opportunity to assist readers in understanding the mandated definitions. Understand ing o f the definitions is necessary for comprehending the broad concept o f in te g ra tio n w hich includes racial diversity, economic diversity, and a defined academic achievement mix. The mandated definitions quantify conditions on a measurable basis and assist communication. Sincerely, (M rs.) J.M . Gates Work Release Center problems hit To the Editor: W ork Release is a privilege. It is given to individuals whose sentence has met guidelines set by the Correc tio n A d m in is tra tio n . Those who have minimum custody are eligible and may apply fo r reduced custody. W hich is a step to w o rk release screening. The screening procedure determines whether you are o f a violent background which classifies you as a ‘ B’ client. O r non-violent which classifies you as an 'A ' client. I f you are a ‘ B’ client you are in vestigated from four to eight weeks before approval is given. I f ‘ A ’ you can be approved sooner. Included to apply are those inmates who are w ithin a year to their parole date. That does not mean that you go to work release but that you go through another waiting period to be placed in a work release center. In the P ortland area there are three such facilities which serve the The C.R.I.B presents an In te rn a tio n a l Bazaar. Friday, Nov. 24 from 12- 3 and 6 10, Sat. and Sun., Nov. 25 26 from 12-7. 4904 N.E. Rodney, 284 2692 for all in terested pa rticip a n ts. The C.R.I.B coupon free with each purchase. Interested in current books about African Liberation? p o p u la tio n o f b oth O .S .P . and O .S.C .I. They are M .C .C .l. (M u lt nomah Community Corrections In stitute), Troutdale; Portland’s Men Center, Portland, which along with Milwaukie Work Release Center serves state prisoners specifically. These two centers 1 have mentioned that serve the state are located in fa irly middle-class communities or on the o utskirts. They are c o n tro lle d by men who are corrections officers and counselors. A t M ilw a u k ie W o rk Release Center there is o nly one Black o ffic ia l. W hile there are no Blacks in a counselor capacity or c o rre c tio n a l at the o th e r tw o . However, when we are sent to these facilities (m inorities) it is expected that cooperation is foremost when in reality it is d iffic u lt for these men to relate and understand a m in o rity . And though they give the appearance o f concern they co uld care less w hether a man com pletes the program or fails. 1 am a member o f the Prisoners C oalition for control o f abuses and com m unity awareness o f fla gran t violations o f officials in these cen ters toward the enrollee. We want the public to be aware o f the deprivation o f rights that a man must sign over to participate in these programs. When if he is accused o f a violation depend ing on whether the officials like him or dislike him he can either return to the fa c ility o r p ris o n . W ith ab solutely no defense fo r any allegation the center chooses to charge him with no m atter how untrue it may be. Sure, you have rights but that is strict ly so that the managers o f the cen ters can say you h ave n't been discriminated against to protect the center. When in fact your rights are but words on a piece o f paper. And nothing more. Prisoners C oalition Against W ork Release Abuses W oodrow V. Broadnax Jr., #39989 2605 State Street Salem, OR. 97310 Unibed W äy Let your mailman bring the Observer to your d o o r. . . Subscribe Today - $7.80 Tri County; 88.00 Other Visit: JOHN REED BOOK STORE In the Dekum Building 619 8.W. 3rd Avenue Sixth Floor Oregon Newspaper Rhodesian regime this last week in dicates that the guerrillas have suc ceeded in this venture too. The an nouncement was that the elections were to be postponed to A p ril 20, 1979. The reason given fo r the post ponement was that the w riting o f the new constitution had not been com pleted as had been o rig in a lly scheduled. The new date set fo r the completion o f the w riting o f the con stitution is the end o f January after which it would be submitted to the w hite voters fo r approval. I f ap proved, it would then be ratified in February and the re g is tra tio n o f voters w ou ld take place between then and the election date. As you can sec, no provision is being made fo r Black a p p ro va l o f the co n stitution. The holding o f these elections is still dependent on so many factors. One o f these is that white voters w ill approve the constitution. The second is that there w ill still be an ‘ interim government.’ The third is that the war w ill have de-escalated enough to allow the registration o f voters and the conducting o f the elections. The fourth is that the U.S. and the rest o f the w o rld w ill somehow be per suaded to go along w ith th is shameless fiasco. Yet another is that the people w ill somehow be induced to vote. Looking at all this, o f course, you realize that the plan has about as m uch chance o f succeeding as 1 would have in pushing a Tri-M et bus through the hole o f a needle. The whites can reject the constitution. And to imagine that the war is going to scale down some tim e soon is N am e_________________________ Address ________________ C i t y _____________________ _____ .State Z'P _______________ __ PORTLAND OB8ERVER Or cell: P .O . Box 3137 P o rtlan d , O R . 9720S 227 2902 I 1
