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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1978)
'A ft Page 2 Portland Observer Thursday Deoembet 14. 1978 We see the world through Black eyes School suit threatens portiaad tranquility Dr. Robert Blanchard, Superintendent of the Portland Public Schools, is leading the school system and the city into the trauma of a school desegregation suit. Dr. Blanchard, in his response to the recom mendations of the Community Coalition for School Integration for a more equitable desegre gation program, not only chose to ignore the inequities in the current plan but misrepresented the facts. Dr. Blanchard's effort to explain away the district's discrimination against Black students and families by confusing the issues is an insult to the community. His claim that white families have equally bom the burdens of desegregation is not defensible. Dr. Blanchard can appeal to the racism of white parents who do not want to be inconvienced, but he cannot change the facts. Dr. Blanchard's proposal differs little from his "Schools for the Seventies" plan, which was not acceptable then and is not acceptable now. This plan called for the removal of the upper grades from all Albina schools, and this plan has been completed for all schools except Boise Ves. it does desegregate schools in w hite neigh borhoods with Black students. But it leaves the seven Albina schools segregated from grades 1 through 5. The NAACP and other Black groups opposed that plan in 1970 and it is no better now. Dr. Blanchard has assured white parents that their children need not participate in mandatory busing. He has told Black parents it is a mere "in- convience." He does not admit the racist im plication* of one-way busing. True, the School Board has not announced its decision and might not for many months. But the decision has been made The Board does not have the guts to develop an equitable desegregation program over the protests of its Superintendent. Only one avenue remains — a court suit. And win or lose, a suit will tear this city apart. Con trary to what the Superintendent and his legal advisors might say, the grounds for a successful suit are there. Portland's white parents might find themselves caught up in a court ordered mass busing plan much more extensive than what the Coalition proposes. And if a suit is lost? The city will have been torn by hostilities and animosities not yet experienced here. The "liberal" reputation - the "liveability'' — will be gone and the nation will learn about the cold, hard facts of racism in this city and in this state. Where are our elected officials? The Mayor, the city and county com m issioners, t h e f legislators and others have been conspicuously silent. W here are the business interests, the Chamber of Commerce — those who win lose face as well as money. Will they let Dr. Blanchard do them in, too? If they value the peaceful existence they have enjoyed while the battles for racial justice have been fought elsewhere, they had better make their voices heard. The lines have been drawn. And we will win. Bilingual newsnanar community need The Oregon Newspaper Publisher's Associa tion, of which we are a member, has once again opposed the funding of a newspaper through federal funds. This time it was an effort of Colegio Cesar Chavez to establish a monthly bi lingual newspaper for the Chicano people of Willamette Valley and an accompanying training program, funded through CETA Title VI. ONPA was concerned with the First Amend ment guarantee of freedom of the press and an apparent fear that government subsidy will taint the news. Of course another major consideration is competition for advertising. One of ONPA's earlier targets was River City Sun, a small bi-monthly tabloid published by and for young people. It consisted mainly of enter tainment and record reviews and appealed to the high school age group. Its advertising — sold by high school students - was negligible. The paper did offer an opportunity for non-achieving high school students and dropouts to work at something constructive even though it might not have inspired many careers in journalism. Funded by PMSC, located in North Portland and targeting the Roosevelt and Jefferson High School areas, the River City Sun came under at tack from the St. Johns Review and the Oregon Journal. Pressure on Oregon's congressional delegation brought a termination of Community Service Administration funds and the River City Sun died. The Rural Tribune, a bilingual paper published in Hillsboro, was also under attack. This paper managed to keep its Community Service A d ministration funding and survives. Publishing news of particular interest to low-income and minority peop'e, this paper is free and carries no advertising. Curiously, O N P A apparently has not questioned the publishing of a new youth newspaper — Paper Rose — with CETA funds. Sponsored by the powerful Ecumenical Ministries this paper carries extensive advertising addressed to Portland area youth. W e agree with ONPA that the federal govern m ent should not fund a general purpose new spaper, although control of the news through funding is a little far-fetched when publishers and reporters were willing to work for the CIA for nothing — not only printing planted news but providing fronts for agents. Funding a bilingual newspaper or a youth news paper should not provide a threat to the established newspaper industry. Spanish-speaking people are Oregon's largest minority, yet there is no commercial Spanish language newspaper. One small newspaper was established in Portland but failed for lack of ad vertising. None of the newspapers in the areas with large Chicano populations have seen fit to print por tions of their papers in Spanish — so these citizens are left w ith o u t the form of com munication that has been so important in protect ing this nation's freedoms — the newspaper. Unless private enterprise is willing to provide this service — why not the government? PORTLAND OBSERVER 1st Placa Comm unity Service ONPA 1973 Publish«) every Thurutay by E x k Publishinj Company, 2201 North Killings»onh. Portland. Oregon 9721? Mailing addrevs P .O . Sos 3137, Portland, Oregon 9?208 Telephone 2(3-2486 Bast Editonal NNPA1973 Subscriptions $7 50 per year in the Tri-County area, M OO per year outside Portland ALFRED L. HENDERSON Editor/Publisher Second Class Poetage Paid at Portland Oregon Honorable M ention Harriett Editorial Award NNA1973 The Portland Observers official position a expressed only in its Publisher s column (W e See The World Through Black Eyes) Any ■her material throughout the paper is the opinion o f the individual writer or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion o f the Portland Observer 2nd Place Beat Editorial Jrd Place Com m unity Leadership O NPA 797» National Advsrtiaing Hspi eeen t e th re Am algam ated PutoHehers. Inc Now York Jrd Place, Com m unity Leadership ONPA 1 t7t A N M p W p ER Assoc>at<an - fo u n ded IB M Ifli ■ ■ 1 i Oregon Newspaper J Publishers ' Association We will win The lines are drawn i>v Herb L. Cawthome Last M onday evening, Robert Blanchard spoke on the issue o f desegregation. He responded io the report and recommendations of the Community Coalition for School In tegration. To anyone who under stands the ideal o f equity. Dr. Blan chard's thoughts are repugnant! Initially, let me acknowledge that D r. Blanchard deserves commen dation for his timdy response to the C o alitio n 's report. W h ile his proposals were toally unacceptable, his efforts were admirable and his in tentions. perhaps, good. But the con tent o f his response to the intolerable scattering and isolation o f Black children can in no way satisfy those who have sought a better education for our children. D r. Blanchard attem pted to suggest that Black children do not carry the burden for desegregation, white children do! By claiming that whites who have been “ incon- vienced” by the need to be trans ported to middle schools are really the ones most burdened by desegregation policies, Blanchard at tempted to prove that we in the Coalition were ''overreacting.*’ U ndoubtedly, Blanchard made Together, we must form the political power that will protect our children. Together, we must stand forthright, unwilling to compromise on the equity issue. If we do not, Dr. Blan chard's twisted logic will prevail. Our children will suffer. And our future will dim. Parents, please help us — speak out forcefully for your children. M inisters, preach the gospel o f sacrifice and community service, using this issue as a case in point. Teachers, unite and speak your well * informed words clearly and show us the way. Lawyers. seize this oppor tunity to give your needed skills to the community that made you strong in the first place. Students, organize to express yourselves and stand up for the ideals of your community. Writers. let the ink flow for the good o f this struggle. Leaders, boldly take your stand, knowing that the only political consequence o f value is the eternal respect you will gain from the Black community you serve. The lines are drawn. We arc en dowed, at this moment, with the people and the skills to progress. The lines arc drawn. And we will win. tremendous headway in solidifying the support o f fear-ridden and racist elements in our city. He said exactly what they had hoped to hear. Bui it will not wash in the Black com munity. I ask Dr. Blanchard to show me a community school, like king, which has its children attending 42 different schools. Show me another com munity in which every school except one has been converted to early childhood centers. No matter how hard he tries to convert and distort the facts, there is no way 1 will ever believe that white people carry the burden for desegregation. I wonder if Dr. Blanchard thinks we are unintelligent. As much fuss as the whites in this community have raised over the thought of sharing the desegregation burd-n, how could Dr. Blanchard have gotten them to assume the “ nearly all of the burden for desegregation" without them even knowing it? The lines are now drawn. If the Black com m unity expects any positive action as a result o f months and months of patient work among ourselves and with well-meaning whites, it is time to look inward. Angola: The pains of growing up by N. Fungai K um buia Ever since the birth o f Angola, three years ago, relations with Zaire have been strained, to say the least. This was due to the factor that the Zairois dictator, Joseph M obuto (sometimes called M obutu Sese Seko) has done everything he could to undermine the Angola govern ment. During the fratricidal civil war in Angola, he sided with the C IA , South A fric a , and some o f the western powers, in backing U N IT A and F N L A in fighting Agostinho Neto and his M P L A being aided by the Cubans. U N IT A is led by Jonas Savimbi and F N LA by Holden Roberto, who is related to Mobutu by marriage. After they lost the war to the M PLA , they both fled from Angola to launch terrorist raids into Angola. U N IT A went south into Namibia where they collaborated and continue to collaborate with South Africa. When South A frica invaded Angola in early 1976, they were using in telligence gathered by U N IT A spies. South Africa was defeated in this war and forced to retreat into Namibia. She had taken the oppor tun ity to invade A ngola on the pretext of chasing SW APO guerrillas who took sanctuary in and used to launch their attacks from bases in Angola. The real aim, of course, was to overthrow the M P L A govern ment in Angola and replace it with a South African backed U N IT A pup pet regime. The criminal alliance between South Africa and U N IT A continues to this day. Twice in recent weeks Savimbi had had to call on his South African bosses to rescue him and his bandits from imminent cap ture by Angolan government troops. M eantim e, Roberto and F N L A had taken refuge in Zaire after the M P L A came to power and they launched their attacks from bases in Zaire and Zambia. Kenneth Kaunda (o f Zambia) had also initially op posed the establishment o f the M arxist M P L A government in A ngola. The bitterness between Angola and Zaire escalated drastically last April when a group of Katangese “ rebels’ * (Katanga is a province o f Zaire) invaded Zaire from Angola. Before being driven out by a combined force o f French, M orro can , and Egyptian troops using American transport planes, they had managed to bring almost all of Katanga under their control. Earlier this year, they repeated the same exercise and were again repelled by French and Morrocan troops using American equipment. These “ rebels" had been living in Angola since the mid 60’s when they fled their homeland following the Congo crisis and the ensuing civil war. They had now come back to liberate their homeland from the neo-colonial exploitation o f the Mobutu regime. After this second invasion, there were overtures from several African countries aimed at healing the rift between Angola and Zaire. Neto and Mobutu held a series o f talks and eventually signed an agreement in which each promised to curb enemy activity against the other. Zaire promised not to harbor any more F N L A terrorists and Angola promised to keep the Katanga guerrillas in check. This past November 11th, the third anniversary o f Angola's in dependence. saw the opening of the Benguela Railway, via which Zaire exports some o f her goods. However, on the very same day, U N IT A terrorists bombed the railway line, killing forty people and injuring 123. A number of them have been arrested and will face trial soon. Since U N IT A has now lost the support of all its former allies, such as Zaire, the C IA , France, West Germany, it is now acting out of desperation. It’s only “ ally” now is South A fric a — “ birds o f a feather.” And South Africa is, of course, using U N IT A for its own selfish ends. And who loses? Again, the innocent Angolan civilians who are caught in the vice of Savimbi’s lust for power. Come Today! M ,P i ¿ I I I ! P l home furnishings F u l She 3 0 " Economy Range RED-HOT STOVE BUY Don't miss this large capacity oven valuel Designed with you in mind and features: infinite hoot surface unit control*, tiff-lock Cal- rod surface units, recessed cook top with no-drip edge and large storage drawer below. iast tirhs s198 With Trade we give you more MITHS home furnishings 30th and S.E. Division 234-9351 Shop 9 to 9 Tuesday thru Friday Saturday 9 to 6 (Not Open Sunday or M onday) Let your mailman bring the Observer to your d o o r. . . Subscribe Today - *7.60 Tri County; M.00 Other Nam«-------------------------------------------------------------------- — _ State (