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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1978)
Ura Uni Eighteen months after Superin* tendent of School Robert Blanchard d e fia n tly challenged three organizations to solve the problem o f the concentration o f Black students in Jefferson H igh School, the broadly based Community Coalition for School Integration presented a comprehensive analysis o f school desegregation in the P ortland District and recommendations for School Board receives desegregation report PORTLAND OBSERVER change. The most far reaching and con troversial recommendation is the pairing o f schools, which calls for Black and white schools to be paired and to exchange students. The report was presented by Charim an H arry C. W ard, who reminded the Board that he had stood before them 16 years ago as N A A C P president, calling fo r desegregation and equal o p p o r tunity; Herb Cawthorne and Dick Frey, Co-chairmen o f the Research Committee. Jonathan Newman, School Board C hairm an, announced that the Superintendent w ill respond to the report at a meeting to be held December 4th, 7:30 p.m., at Benson High School. The School Board has also scheduled special meetings, on December 11th and 18th. The Board rejected a motion by Board Member Wally Priestley that advance copies o f the Superintendent’s response be provided board members and the Coaltion to enable them to respond. Jeanna Wooley, speaking for Roy Schnaible, President o f the Urban League o f Portland, told the Board that “ The Coaltion’s effort is worthy o f acknowledgment by nothing less than deliberate action on the part of the Board o f Education to correct the problems and inequities in the current desegregation program in- dentified by the research. We are referring specifically to problems such as the mandatory busing o f the upper grade students fro m the Albina area, the wholesale scattering o f the “ adm inistrative tra n sfe r’ ’ students from the black community throughout the city’s schools, and the inadequate preparation o f some receiving schools for ‘administrative transfer* students which the League knows exists from our own work and involvement with personnnel from some schools in the city.” Lucius Hicks, Education C hair man for the NAACP, endorsed the C o a litio n ’ s recommendations and called for a decision from the Board within ninety days. Dr. Richard Hughes, Executive Director o f Ecumenical Ministries, supported the process o f community involvem ent fostered by the C o a litio n and called the report “ reasonable and rational in its ap proach and goals.” He expressed the belief that the people o f Portland w ill recognize “ their ethical and legal obligations.” Opposition was expressed by Ken Brody, who questioned the educa tional value o f desegration and war ned that “ m any special interest groups would like to use the schools to promote their own interests.” Bob Ferguson o f Committee for Kids in Neighborhood Schools questioned the legal obligation to desegregate. See s u m m a ry in S e c tio n II NAACP election: The presidency__ Jackson: The NAACP should be a kind o f an agency to point out where we are not getting equality in a num ber o f things; use its membership and its expertise to supply not only in formation but pressure to help to bring about the things that we are striving for. 1 th in k it ought to be an in strument that can be used to their advantage and to their interest. The role of the NAACP ought to be the forem ost agency in the areas o f desegregation,housing and all the other things that people are striving to get. I think we sould take a cor porative lead in this matter. JO H N H. JAC K SO N Reverend John H . Jackson, current President o f the Portland Branch, N A A C P , was nominated from the flo o r to serve another two- year term. Observer; W hy are you running for the office of President of the Portland Branch, NAACP? Jackson: The principle reason is because I have an interest in the welfare o f people and a concern for the com m unitya nd how people relate and advance and take advan tage o f some o f the opportunities that are here for us in the community and also to Continue to wage some sort o f struggle with the opposition that keeps us from having some o f the jobs, the positions and the things that the community gives to a num ber of other people. Yet we don’ t seem to be able to take advantage o f them. And so I ’m trying to continue to open doors and continue to use the NAACP as a vehicle to help to educate, inform , work with, and do the necessary things to help more people up in to higher economic, moral and educational braquets. O b server: W h e t ro le do you believe the N A A C P should play in Portland? Observer: W h a t are som e of th e issues you b e lie v e th e N A A C P should address? Jackson: The issues don’t seem to change too much. Right now the em phasis seems to be on education because o f the interest in the Coalition’s report, but 1 still think jobs and housing are the main issue we ought to work for. A ll along the line we are striving for some kind o f equality, so 1 think in these basically material things we just don’ t have that kind of equality. As long as any kind o f inequity exists between the minorities, so-called, and the others the NAACP is to tackle these issues to see what changes it can make. I f it can make changes, 1 think it ought to expose them. 1 th in k where people in a f f ir mative action proclaim what they are doing, we ought ot try to monitor them to make sure they are hiring the way they sav they are. We should see what they had before they got into it and wrote out this proposal, and see where they are now. We should monitor and see where they are in six months. The same thing ought to be true o f the Coalition report. I f it is accep ted by the School Board, the N A A C P should give the School Board a definite time it should be adopted and a definite time to im- Goldson accepts Seattle post Reverend Edsel Goldson will leave Portland the end o f November to pastor Grace U nited M ethodist Church in Seattle. Goldson leaves P ortland w ith mixed feelings. "Things are begin ning to move in Portland. The Coali tion for School Integration will make school desegregation an important issue and there are other things beginning to develop. There has been an absence o f Black leadership but it will be better.” Goldson, who is President o f the Albina Ministerial Alliance, came to Portland in 1972 as associate pastor of Mallory Avenue Christian Church. Raised in Jamaica, he had attended college in the mid-west. " I wanted to stay with my own denomination — the Christian Church — and Mallory Avenue seemed like a good oppor tu n ity. It was a white church reaching out to the Black com munity. It fits right in with my idea of being kind of a bridge between the two communities.” Three years ago Goldson left Mallory Avenue to pastor St. A n drews Community Church, a Black church. “ Although I liked working in an integrated church, I could see the need for Black leadership. There is a difference o f opinion — some think Blacks should pastor white churches to sec that whites have the experience of seeing Blacks in leader ship roles and others think Black ministers are needed by the Black churches to build future leadership there." He also expanded his activities in the community, last year becoming President of the Albina Ministerial Alliance. £• 3^ - • >■ plcment it and they ought to tell us how they’ re going to implement it. We ought to set the boundaries by which they attempt to implement it. I don’t mean set one boundary -- but you take one item - for example in tegration o f teachers. One recom m endation is to brin g back the A lbina schools to eight grades. 1 think we ought to ask the School Board when this can be implemen ted. We have to give them some time to bring people in — to upgradae teachers to adminstrative positions. We need to have a time schedule when each o f these things can be done. But tye decision to accept should be made in ninety days. Observer: As president, w h a t are some of the things you have d o n e to p ro vid e le a d e rs h ip in those areas? Jackson: It has been an effort to appoint committees. I ’ ve appointed committees and where committees haven’ t functioned 1 tried to work with them. I suppose the main thing that I ’ ve tried to do is to file for an injunction against the City to stop its economic development money until they in clude minorities in the planning. It isn’ t completed yet u n til it goes before the court, but 1 think it is im portant. I ’ ve sent telegraftis to our Congressmen concerning passage o f the Humphry-Hawkins bill. It has been watered down some but it should help employment. I received w ord from them that they ap preciated the telegrams. I sent (Please turn to page 4 col. 1) Lucius Hicks was nominated by the Branch Nominating Committee fo r the office o f President. Observer: W hy are you running for the office of President of the Portland Branch NAACP? Hicks: Basically to make changes, here, in Portland, in the Association. I’ ve been involved in the NAAC P since I ’ ve been in Portland. I ’ ve had a chance to observe various needs as articulated by a p a rtic u la r com munity or evidenced by the charac teristics o f our community. These needs include, but are not limited to, the need for leadership, the need for political clout, the need fo r com munity development, the need for adequate housing, the need fo r quality education, the need for equal access to employment, as well as training and quite a few other needs that have come to my observation. The NAACP to me is the umbrella o f all civil rights actions, programs and entities in the State o f Oregon plus in the nation. The situation that I find here is that the NAACP does not function as an umbrella, but as a part o f an undefinable whole — and 1 think that if we function as the umbrella agency. By that I don’t mean having the Urban League and the Human Relations Commission report to the NAACP as i f we were their leader and they were our followers. I ’m simply saying that in terms o f civil right activities and con- cers there is no greater organization than the NAACP. We do not use the N A A C P very extensively. The NAACP in Portland is in some ways a non entity, in terms o f becoming a force to be dealt w ith when cer tain considerations are being made concerning zoning, housing, education, economic development, etc. The N AAC P in Portland has allowed itself to be a reaction instead o f an action oriented group. I main tain that as long as you are a reaction group instead o f an action group you are two steps behind because your reaction is the first step and your decision what to do after that is the second step. That’s uncomfortable; that’s unwise; and that’ s ineffective. The N AACP should be the leader o f various civil rights movements. It should be the forerunner for any concerns expressed by the people - a voice for the people. M y purpose for running is to im plement the ideas which I just ex pressed in addition to providing an organizational framework for more effective operation . In that organizational framework I include such fundamental things as a regular and extensive office open hours, an accountability to the membership, communication on a regular basis through a formal newsletter. When a person calls the office they will be sure that there is an accoun table person on the other end that not only hears their concern but ad dresses the concern. 1 think it is in cumbent upon the president to insure that these kinds o f actions take place. Our current president has not insured that these actions take place. 1 am not the kind o f individual that observes something and sits back LUCIUS H IC K S and waits on someone else to do something about it. I am an in dividual who takes it upon himself to correct something i f I think it can be corrected — i f I think my skills can be deployed in becoming more effec tive in that particular operation. That’ s why I ’ m sacrificing my time, and energy, and resources to cam paign for the election. And I pledge to devote an adequate amount o f time and energy and resources to im plem ent the idea th a t I have discussed. I think it is incumbent on the President to outline, for approval, an organizational framework that in sures that each standing committee have its goals and objectives, ac tivities to perform on a regular basis so when people come and become in volved they have a sense o f direction, (Please turn to page 2 col. 4) Restaurants seek liquor licenses, meet King resistance Two businessmen who have ap plied fo r liq u o r licenses fo r their establishments on U nion Avenue have failed to gain the approval of the King Improvement Association. The neighborhood association voted- to oppose the request o f Joe Reese for a type A (hard liquor) license for his restaurant at 3909 N.E. Union. They neither opposed nor favored the application o f Dan Mitchell for a beer and wine license at Pig on the Pit, 4011 N.E. Union Avenue. The neighborhood association members gave as their reason for rejecting Reese’ s proposal, the location o f his business. A large number o f men loiter on the corner, drinking, littering, tossing bottles in to the street and bothering passers- by. The neighborhood association neighborhood association has has previously tried to deal with this situation without results. They fear that bringing another drinking establishment to the area w ill compound the problem. Reese explained that he has pur chased the property involved and has made needed repairs. He has provide garbage cans to help aid the litter problem and allows the use o f his restrooms. Emphasizing that the men lo ite rin g on the corner are drawn there by a grocery store, not by his business, he maintained that a respectable restaurant and lounge would either draw them inside or drive them out o f the area. Reese operates a restaurant and pool hall, and plans to add a lounge that would seat 48. Dan M itchell has applied fo r a beer and wine license for Pig on the Pit, located one block north. M it chell, who now has a seating capacity o f 140, plans an addition that w ill seat another 66 persons. Specializing in bar-b-que, he plans a dining and entertainment establish ment. A disco system, rivaling any in Portland, w ill provide entertainment until 4:00 a.m. But with noise con trol, the surrounding neighborhood w ill not be effected by the sound. W ith sixty o f f street parking spaces. Mitchell is contracting with SWAT to provide internal and exter nal security. He employs twelve neighborhood residents and w ill ex pand to nineteen. M itchell’s plans are continent on obtaining a Class B liquor license. Both men w ill go before the City Council for approval prior to con sideration by OLCC. Please m ake contributions to th e le g a l d e fe n s e o f A l W illiam s to: Al W illiams Defense Fund % A merican State Bank 2737 N.E. Union Avenue Portland, Oregon 97212 Co-Chairm en o f the defense c o m m itte e a re: Jam es L o v in g , Paul K n au ls and Reverend John Jackson. Jordan proposes minority business tracking system REVEREND EDSEL GOLDSON Goldson associates the struggle o f Black people in the United States with the struggle for independence in his nalive Jamaica. Although legally independent since 1962, Jamaica has been under the economic domination o f Europe. In recent years efforts are being made to take control o f the nation's economy, among them requiring at least 51 percent Jamaican ownership o f the in stitu tio n s operating in Jamaica. This, along with closer cultural and trade ties with Cuba, have made the United States and its allies apprehen sive and has placed great pressure on the Jamaican government. Goldson sees the role of a mini ster as tw o -fo ld , pastoring the congregation and providing lor their spiritual needs, but also providing leadership to address the needs o f the community. Commissioner Charles Jordan has notified the members o f the Portland City Council o f his intention to in troduce an ordinance to set up a system to m o n ito r the C ity ’ s utilization of minority firms. “ This would be a system to track the C ity’s efforts in contracting with m in o rity businesses. The current data is not adequate,” Jordan ex plained. "T he City has spent a lot of money but its not getting to minority companies. The C ity is going to spend millions, but it w ill never make an im pact on m in o rity business unless we understand what is hap pening. I f we find that we need to do something to help — provide technical assistance or other types o f aid — we can respond.” On November 10, 1977 the Council passed Ordinance No. 144721 which established the M inority Purchasing Program to promote the purchase of goods and services from m inority businesses. Two different proposals have been developed since the passage o f the ordinance but neither has been implemented. “ The current status o f the program , as I understand it, is primarily attributable to legal con straints and/or uncertainties relating to a m in o rity business set-aside provision. Furthermore, excepting the Purchasing Division’ s efforts to collect data on m inority business u tiliz a tio n , there exists no com prehensive coherent mechanism through which progressive or regressive m in o rity business u tiliz a tio n can be m onitored, measured, and evaluated; nor is there any definitive mechanism to monitor the C ity’s purchasing/con- tracting process to identify problems experienced by m inority businesses as they interface with the C ity’ s pur chasing process. “ It is for these and other reasons pursuant to Ordinance No. 144721 that I am proceeding with a request fo r proposals for the design and development o f a minority business enterprise inform ation system that will enable the City to assess progress in the sale o f goods and/or services by minority businesses to the City o f Portland. The expected time period necessary for the completion o f this system design is four to six months. Funding for this activity is to be drawn fro m the Model Cities Economic Development Trust Fund established by Ordinance No. 140900 for the purpose o f continuing the ob jectives o f the Model Cities Com munity Development Project which, in part, called for assisting the target group in question.” C om m issioner Jordan w ill in troduce an ordinance to contract with a consultant to develop a design that w ould include, but not be restricted to: 1. Ongoing system designed to track m inority firms and businesses that successfully contract with the City o f Portland for the delivery o f goods and/or services. 2. Ongoing system designed to track minority firms and businesses that attempt but fail to successfully contract with the City o f Portland for the delivery o f goods and/or ser vices, e.g., submitting bids but not receiving contract awards. 3. Ongoing system designed to id e n tify , validate, and c e rtify minority firms and/or business en terprise as to ownership as defined in Ch. 3.100.080 o f the Code o f the City o f Portland. 4. Ongoing system designed to identify and validate m inority firms and businesses as to their contracting interest, capability, and availability to sell goods and/or services to the City o f Portland. 5. Ongoing system designed to identify City contracts falling within the scope o f m inority firm s/busi- nesses interest, capability, and avail ability prior to the request for formal bids. 6. Ongoing system designed to identify City contracts falling outside o f interest, capabilities, availability, a n d /o r nonexistence o f m in o rity business in that industry. 7. Identify and validate any other particulars relating to the City pur chasing process, for Council con sideration, that w ill encourage and promote the sale o f goods and/or services by minority businesses to the City o f Portland.
