Portland observer., February 22, 1979, Image 1

Solar eclipse thrilling experience: Dangerous to eyes
On M onday, February 26th, at
8:13 a m ., Portland w ill experience a
total eclipse o f the sun. A profound
experience, the eclipse nevertheless
o ffe rs the danger o f blindness to
those who do not use special care.
The eclipse is caused by the moon
passing between the earth and the
sun, w ith the m oon co m p le te ly
hiding the view o f the sun from ear­
th. This is possible only because the
size o f the earth, as seen from earth,
are (he same.
The O regon A cadem y o f Op-
thamology warns that looking at the
sun at any time causes permanent eye
damage — even blindness — and
that special care needs to be taken to
avoid looking at the sun during the
eclipse.
It is dangerous to look at the sun
at any time — whether the fu ll sun is
shining or whether 99 percent o f the
sun is eclipsed. But the wonders o f
the eclipse can be experienced safely
i f care is taken.
Moments after sunrise, the moon
w ill begin to cover the sun. A t first
the darkening w ill not be noticeable,
then one-half to one-quarter hour
before to ta lity people, animals and
birds w ill become excited and con­
fused as the darkness becomes per­
ceptible. As the sun disappears, the
temperature drops from five to f i f ­
teen degrees and the birds return to
their roosts.
Then, suddenly the earth w ill be
plunged in to to ta l darkness. T w o
and a quarter minutes later, just as
abruptly, the sun w ill begin to appear
again. An hour later it w ill be over.
The effect is p o w e rfu l and in ­
spiring. It w ill be experienced by all.
The eclipse can be viewed safely i f
proper care is taken.
Viewing the Eclipse
A safe way to view the eclipse is to
stand facing away from the sun. The
first phenomenon that can be seen is
shadow bands — dark, wiggly lines
about six inches long. These are
caused by the passage o f the sun’ s
rays through turbulence in the ear-
atmosphere. To see them, watch a
light area on the ground, roofs or a
building.
One minute before to ta lity, facing
away from the sun, one can see over­
head the passage o f the m o o n ’ s
shadow. The shadow w ill appear on
the h o riz o n as d a rk smudges.
Sweeping from southwest to north­
east at a speed o f nearly 2,000 miles
per hour, the sight is incredible and
can be seen even i f it is cloudy. The
speed o f the approaching shadow,
which finally engulfs the spectator, is
such that many observers want to
duck.
As soon as the eclipse is total, the
sky is dark and stars can be seen. The
planet M ercury w ill be visible 14
degrees east o f the sun. Mars w ill be
8 degrees west o f the sun and Venus
45 degrees west. Above Venus w ill be
three bright stars called the “ summer
triangle ’ ’ The biightest, Vega, w ill
be almost straight up at the zenith.
A t this time, as the moon closes
over the sun, the Bailey’ s beads, and
the “ diamond ring” — a bright glow
on one side o f the sun which together
with the glow around the edge o f the
moon form the shape o f a diamond
ring — can be seen.
D uring to ta lity it is safe to view the
solar corona, the sun’ s outer atmos­
phere, which is visible on earth only
PORTLAND OBSERVER
during a total solar eclipse. The solar
corona appears as a soft, hazy blue
light surrounding the black disk o f
the moon. Near the edge o f the black
disk w ill be several bright pink points
o f lig h t. These are solar p ro m i­
nences, solar gases suspended above
the sun’ s surface in magnetic fields.
Filaments, called solar streamers,
stream away from the sun as far out
as several solar diameters.
As to ta lity ends, the diamond ring
and Bailey’ s beads w ill appear again.
Now is the time to look away from
the sun. As suddenly as it disappear­
ed, the sun w ill begin to appear and
once again is dangerous to the eyes.
(Please turn to Page 5 Column 3)
Volume 9 No 7
Thursday, February 22. 1979 100
Coalition responds to Board resolutions
The C o m m u n ity C o a litio n fo r
S chool In te g ra tio n , m eeting last
Thursday, prepared a response to the
S chool B o a rd 's action s on its
reco m m e n d a tio n s
fo r
school
desegration and related issues. The
response w ill be made at the School
Board meeting, M onday, February
26th.
The C o a litio n response states:
“ O ur response is a m ixture o f en­
couragem ent th a t in m any areas
there is basic agreement to address
the problems that have been outlined
in The Equity for the 80*s and disap­
pointm ent at the refusal o f the Board
to acknowledge the inequity b uilt in­
to the present system, and at the
failure o f the Board to recognize its
duty to provide leadership in ad­
dressing and rectifying that inequity.
"T h e re is a moral issue involved in
this question o f fa ir treatm ent o f
Black school children and the Board
has responded as though it were only
a p o litic a l q u e stio n . They have
refused to acknowledge the m oral
issue.”
C a llin g
its
own
research
“ exhaustive, the findings devastating
and the recommendations specific” ,
the C oalition charges that the Board
has not acknowledged the underlying
failure in its educational philosophy;
that the white comm unity shall not
be required to carry its share o f the
burden fo r desegregation.”
The C oalition response continues,
“ In most cases, the Board has not
even couched its re so lu tio n s in
words which indicate willingness to
assume the leadership required. The
Board has ‘ endorsed’ the Superin­
te n d e n t's ‘ in te n tio n s ’ , and ‘ en­
co u ra g e d ’ the d e ve lo pm e nt o f
p ro gram s ra th e r th an re q u irin g
them. It is but the verbalization o f
their inability and unwillingness to
lead.
“ Where the C oalition has presen­
ted specifics, the Board has respon­
ded w ith generalities. Where we have
recom m ended percentages and
timetables, the Board has suggested
non-specific ‘ improvements’ . Where
we have outline d s tra ig h t-fo rw a rd
guidelines fo r action, the Board has
chosen further ‘ study’ o f the same
issues. Is th is a v a ria tio n o f the
legislative ploy o f referring a matter
to committee in the hope that it w ill
die? This is a matter which w ill not
die. We w ill not tolerate inaction.”
The C o a litio n response to the
specific resolutions o f the Board
follows.
Administration
The key elements o f the C oalition
reco m m e n d a tio n s were th a t the
Board should: develop a comprehen­
sive plan, make the program directly
responsible to the Superintendent,
develop an a n n ua l re p o rt w itfi
specific content, and continue close
cooperation w ith the C oalition.
The B o ard ’ s response: has n o t
called fo r the development o f a com­
prehensive plan, has placed respon­
sibility fo r action in the same office
which has been responsible fo r the
present inequitable and ineffective
p ro g ra m s ,, has created a s ta ff
position so ill-defined as to render its
impact questionable, has requested
non-specific improvements in data
collection.
"W e acknowledge the Board’s in­
tention to do something general in
this area. However, the Board has
stopped fa r s h o rt o f d em anding
s p e c ific
a c tio n
of
the
Ad­
m inistration. The C oalition contends
th a t instead o f “ e n d o rs in g the
Superintendent’ s inten t’ , the Board
should have directed the Superinten­
dent more specifically. The C oalition
feels that the development o f a com­
prehensive plan is essential to the
success o f future plans.”
Curriculum
The key elements o f the C C SI
re c o m m m e n d a tio n were th a t the
B o ard s h o u ld :
M a n d a te th a t
m inority culture be taught as an in­
tegral part o f the school curriculum ;
commission an independent study to
determine how well this objective is
currently being met; continue and
improve the search fo r m ulticultural
educational materials.
The Board’ s response: Allow s the
principals to encourage rather than
insist that teachers include m u lti­
ethnic Ih c m c í'íf)'fhfeir lésson plans;
a llo w s the a d m in is tra tio n to in ­
vestigate its ow n p e rfo rm a n c e n
m in ority education; allows fo r con­
tinuing efforts to locate new teaching
m ate ria ls strong in m in o rity and
ethnic education.
" T h e C o a litio n is not satisfied
w ith the Board's ‘ endorsement’ o f
the Superintendent’ s intent to take
a ctio n , ra th e r th an d ire c tin g the
S u pe rin te nd en t to take s p e c ific
measures to rem edy id e n tifie d
problems. The C oalition belives the
B oard should in s is t th a t the
curriculum include m in o rity values
and culture — simply allowing p rin­
cipals to encourage such curricular
development is not enough. In ad­
ditio n, the C oalition still believes an
independent study is appropriate and
necessary.
F u rth e rm o re ,
the
C oalition recommended such a study
be conducted fo r the 1980-1981
school year; the B o ard ’ s response
specifies no tim e fra m e .
The
C oalition agrees w ith the Board that
all children w ould benefit from a
continuing search fo r new material
on ethic and m in ority cultures.”
UNITED FE
BOOKSTOi
Teacher Training
The
key elem ents o f the
C o a litio n ’ s recomm endations were
that the Board should: Develop a
long-term plan to insure that those
who have direct contact w ith the
students should receive approprate
training and that a record be kept o f
such training and that the record be
made public; specify levels and types
o f in-service tra in in g who should
receive it, and how it should be fun­
ded and a d m in is te re d ; sp ecify
requirements fo r in-service credits,
permanent teacher status, and teach­
er certification.
“ CCSI commends that Board fo r
a c k n o w le d g in g in the te n o r and
thrust o f its resolution that problems
continue to exist in this area. W hile
(Please turn to page 3 col. 1)
COSSPO asks commission on Spanish speaking citizens
“ Maybe it ’ s pushing too hard too
fast, o r maybe pushing instead o f
persuading," is how Lee Johnson,
A dm inistrative Assistant to Gover­
nor V ictor Atiyeh, described a ffir ­
mative action. Johnson described his
own experience as A ttorney General
o f Oregon. H irin g unskilled m inority
employees he found that "W e had
people come into a highly organized,
fa irly effective operation who did
not show up a good part o f the time,
who made no e ffo rt really to try to
fit in to that system . . . the result was
we had to dismiss them. As far as
their fellow workers, they were tu rn ­
ed o ff . . . it basically set back racial
relations ten years because you just
can’ t do that —- bring in someone at
the same salary who is making no ef­
fo rt to carry the loa d.”
Speaking to the Board o f Directors
o f the Committee O f Spanish Speak­
ing People o f Oregon (COSSPO),
Johnson held out little hope that the
special needs o f Spanish speaking
citizens w ill receive attention from
the Atiyeh adm inistration.
A fte r explaining the services o f­
fered by COSSPO and explaining
that COSSPO was organized because
the public and private agencies do
n o t d e liv e r adequate services to
Spanish speaking citizens, a series o f
questions and proposals were o f ­
fered.
Q u e s tio n : W hy a re n ’ t Spanish
speaking people, the State’ s largest
m inority group, provided the services
they need?
Johnson: \ good part is the failure
to recognize Spanish speaking peo­
ple. Blacks have been very much out
fro n t, and now women are out fron t,
but Oregonians do not recognize the
problems o f Spanish speaking peo­
ple because they are subjected to the
national news which m ainly discuss­
Bates heads Woodstock Bank
Lonnie Bates
Lonnie L. Bales has been appoint­
ed manager o f the 46th and Wood-
stock Branch o f the First N ational
Bank o f Oregon. Bates was previous­
ly manager o f the Lovejoy Branch in
Northwest Portland.
Bates has been w ith First N ational
Bank since 1968. A graduate o f
G rant H igh School, he graduated
from Northeast College o f Business
and Portland C om m unity College.
Join ing the bank as a manage­
ment trainee, Bates was assigned as a
Branch Assistant Operations O f f i­
cer in 1967, supervising customer
service, bookkeeping and tellers.
In 1971 he was p ro m o te d to
O perations M anager, w ith super­
visory and operational responsibili­
ties. He entered the A dm inistration
Headquarters Credit Department in
1973, and became a commercial loan
o ffice r tw o years later. In 1976 he
was promoted to Branch Manager.
es Blacks.
COSSPO: There is a problem o f
comm unication — both that many
Spanish sp eaking people have
English language problems — and
that Anglos do not hear. Also in ur­
ban areas Spanish speaking people do
not live in particular areas, but are
scattered. The needs o f urban, set­
tled Spanish speaking people are d if­
ferent than those o f rural people and
migrants.
Spanish speaking people come
fro m diverse b a c k g ro u n d s —
Mexico, Cuba, South Am erica, etc.
— have d ifferent cultures and d if­
ferent needs.
Q u e s tio n : W h a t is the A tiy e h
p o lic y to w a rd Spanish sp eaking
people?
Johnson: There is no policy; they
are trying to identify one. “ This is an
era o f risin g expectations — and
there arc lim itations o f what can be
delivered.” Explaining that both the
state and the federal governments are
attem pting to reduce budgets as a
reaction to demands to reduce taxa­
tion Johnson said that was the state’s
first p rio rity .
“ We are trying to look at the pro­
grams that are most successful. We
w ill w ithdraw from programs that
are not w orking. It is im portant that
the Human Resource people report
that they are impressed w ith your
program. ”
Question: W ould the Governor be
w illing to create a Commission to re­
search the needs o f Spanish speaking
people and recommend policy and
programs? There is a need to iden­
tify the numbers o f Spanish speak­
ing people in the state, and to
develop programs to meet the em­
ployment, educational and housing
needs.
(Please turn to Page 8 C olum n 1)
Rlen Jones loads a box of clothing headed for Africa into
a waiting truck.
Clothing has bean gathered by the American Friends Ser­
vice Committee and Portland Citizens Aganist Racism for
the past eight months. Whan gathered together this weak,
the contributions came to two tons.
The clothing will ba shipped to Southam Africa where it
will ba given to refugees from Zimbabwe.
A drive for school supplies for 20,000 refugee children, art
supplies and medical equipment has begun.
(Staff photo: Abubakar, Please see page 2 col. 4)
Hicks committed to lead, others must assist
by H erb Cawthorne
When Lucious H icks ran fo r the
presidency o f the N A A C P , there
were many people who rode the fen­
ce. There was a big question mark as
to whether he would run a successful
campaign. I f he failed, they would
have wanted to remain in good stead
w ith his highly respected opponent.
Reverend John Jackson. I f he won,
they could jum p on the wagon once
it got rolling.
Analysis
Lucious Hicks has a vision fo r the
local branch o f the N A A C P . It is a
vision which is developing and taking
positive shape. As he gains the ap­
preciation o f more and more in the
Black com m unity, and as he realizes
that he must encompass the good-
hearted whites in this city, he w ill get
his program moving and those who
have been reluctant to jo in in the
realization o f that vision can come
aboard.
This needs to be said because, just
the other day, a small group o f Black
people were overhe ard speaking
about what Lucious Hicks has not
done. It was a curious conversation.
Here is Hicks, unpaid and extremely
overworked, subject to criticism fo r
what he hasn’ t even had a chance to
a c c o m p lis h . A n d those speaking
were likely ones who were tim id with
their support and have not yet gotten
on the bandwagon.
We have to give Hicks a fa ir chan­
ce. No one who knows the situation
can fa irly criticize him fo r lack o f
purposeful e ffo rt. A lready he has
met w ith num erous in d iv id u a ls .
S low ly he is try in g to create that
fragil coalition o f interests which w ill
push the N A A C P into the forefront
o f advocacy fo r Blacks in Portland.
He deserves a fighting chance, and
those w ho have harsh w ords fo r
him are now negative forces in the
com m unity.
Some o f this comment is typical,
unfortunately. Somehow, we expect
great things, but we are not w illing to
contribute great things ourselves. We
demand a high price o f leadership,
but we pay the lowest wages when it
comes to active support. In the wake
o f Portland's good fortune to host
the national N A A C P convention and
the m om entum > which came from it,
each o f us must make a more per
sonal comm itment to help Hicks and
his officers do the jo b required in
these d iffic u lt days.
Committees are now being form ­
ed. Lucious Hicks is searching for
people to help analyze the work o f
the C oalition and the course o f ac­
tion best suited to the desegregation
controversy. He is w orking to bring
together a legal team to advise on a
range o f issues. He is planning a
Youth Leadership Conference - a
way to remind our young o f their
history and thier obligation to serve.
It is service that makes Hicks so
s ig n ific a n t now . He is n ot p aid.
There is not much glory - certainly
not much when compared w ith the
personal sacrifices. He must work
long hours and still continue to func­
tion comnetently on his normal job
He is an example o f what Carter G.
Woodson had in m ind when he siad,
" . . . by service we may prove suf­
fic ie n t u n to the task o f self-
development and contribute our part
to modern culture.”
It is hard to serve a community
which, instead o f firm ly standing in
support, bites and complains at every
turn. It is easiest to serve those who
daily express their appreciation, even
th o u g h they m ay, when it is
(Please turn to page 2 col. 3)
I