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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
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Com m unity Leadership
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National Advsrtiaing Hspi eeen t e th re
Am algam ated PutoHehers. Inc
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Jrd Place,
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A
N M p W p ER
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Ifli
■ ■ 1
i Oregon
Newspaper
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' 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.
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