Portland Observar Thursday. M ay 3. 197S
EDITORIAL/OPINION
W atch their votes!
ACT-SO presents youth talent
by Herb L. C aw ih o in t
M a rk your calendars! Plan an
The Oregon House of Representatives evaded
their responsibility to vote on an amendment to
the U .S . Constitution that would allow the
residents of the District of Columbia the right to
elect two U.S. Senators and a Representative.
Instead tfiey voted to submit the question to the
people of Oregon as an "advisory vote.” The
people's vote has no legal standing since only the
Legislature can make the decision.
The Senate — which had already passed the
bill — refused to concur with the House and a
compromise between the two positions will
have to be made. The members of the Senate
and the two Senators who led the effort in the
Senate — Bill McCoy and Jim Gardner — de
serve our thanks.
Some legislators are opposed to granting the
American citizens who live in Washington the
basic right to vote that all other citizens have.
Others are afraid to vote on what they consider a
controversial issue Whatever their motive they
should be remembered.
Those voting for referring the Constitutional
Amendment to a vote of the people were: Ted
Achilles. Bill Bellamy, Robert Brogoitti, Ted
Bugas, Bud Byers. Larry Campbell, Drew Davis,
Jack Duff, Chick Edwards, Mary Alice Ford,
Mark Gardner, Jeff Gilmore, Bill Grannell, Paul
Hannemon, Cecil Johnson, Eldon Johnson,
Denny Jones.
Kip Lombard, Caroline M agruder, Bill
Markham, Al Riebel, Max Rijken, Bill Rogers,
John Schoon, Josephine Simpson, Max Simp
son, Norm Smith, Doc Stevenson, Tony Van
Vliet, Glen Whallon, Gary Wilhelms, Curt Wolfer,
Donna Zajonc.
Remember those names because you will see
them repeatedly voting on the wrong side of
issues that are of special concern and importance
to this community.
evening oui! This coming Monday,
M ay 7th, at 7:00 p.m ., the annual
NAACP
A cadem ic
C u ltu ra l
Technical — S cientific Olym pics
(A C T -S O ) will be held at the King
F a c ility A u d ito riu m . This is a
program worthy o f your support.
Portland was introduced to the
A C T -S O Program in a first-hand
manner last summer The N A A C P
convention held its first competitive
artistic and academic Olympics here
during its 69th annual gathering. It
was a special honor to host the con
vention: the o p p o rtu n ity to be
among the finest young talent Black
America has to offer was an added
treat.
From all over the country they
came to display their talents. A
pianist from Philadelphia, a sculp-
turer from Nashville, a painter from
San Francisco, a film m aker from
Florida, a dancer from Boston —
young Black youth came from far
and wide to bathe in the glory o f ap
preciation from their people. It was
exciting. Those who are constantly
dem eaning the fu tu re o f Black
Am erica by constantly demeaning
the co m m itm en t o f Black youth
found no iota o f p ro o f fo r their
faithless predictions.
The ACT-SO program helps Black
people work in harmony with others
in our community to encourage the
highest development o f the talents
our youth have to share. It is rooted
in a sound principle: There is no bet
ter means to foster high achievement
and competent development among
our youth than to get Black adults
deeply involved in work.ng with the
young. A C T -S O says to the commu
nity, "T a k e this child by the hand,
be strict and firm and yet be kind,
but guide these talents to their fullest
heights.” It is a meaningful message
the result o f which we will be for
tunate enough to see this Monday
evening.
The A C T -S O program is popular,
says G ladys M c C o y , this year's
chairperson. “ By comparison, last
year's program had about a dozen
applicants; this year there are more
than 52 and they come from every
high school in the d istrict.” Next
year she hopes to get an earlier start
and involve more students, parents,
coaches and public school teachers in
the program.
M ark that calendar! D on't forget!
This M o n day evening, M a y 7th,
you'll have a chance to hear Genatta
W illiam s o f Cleveland High ting.
Tamaia Lowe o f Grant will read her
poetry. Jefferson's Beverly Hughes
will dance, while Marshall's Gwen
dolyn Woody will demonstrate her
research skills with a sketch on the
greatness o f Paul Robeson. These
are just a few o f the many young
people who have worked hard to
bring their talents to perfect pitch so
they might be worthy o f representing
their city in the national competition
in Louisville, Kentucky this summer.
1 believe in A C T-S O . It is a posi
tive program. To promote it's worth,
Benjamin Hooks does not have to
galevant around the country preach
ing about the evil influence our child
ren suffer from drugs, sexy records,
and too much television. He does not
have to characterize Black parents as
uncommitted and Black children as
unmotivated. Instead, he labors to
encourage each o f us to challenge
and nurture the eager talents abun
dant in our community.
Join us, Monday evening. M ay 7th
at 7:00 p.m. for the A C T -S O Com
petition sponsored by the Portland
Branch o f the N A A C P .
Zimbabwe Rhodesia — whither now?
by N. f-unqai Kumbula
THE YEAR O E T H E C H tLD 7
Sears challenges government regulations
(Continued from page 1 col. 6)
dicap, and
— Bar Federal agencies from
seeking back pay or other damages
from Sears and its class until they
have made compliance possible.
Sears is America’s largest retailer
and accounts for one per cent o f the
gross national product, with sales of
17.9 billion in Fiscal 1978. It had
395,200 employees in January o f this
year, 13.6 per cent o f which were
minority and 57 per cent female.
Blacks make up 7.3 per cent o f the
officials and managers; 6.1 per cent
o f the professionals; 11.9 per cent o f
the technicians; 11.3 per cent o f the
sales workers; 13.4 per cent o f the
clerical and office workers; 9.2 per
cent o f craft workers; 19.9 per cent
o f operators; 23 per cent o f laborers;
and 32.3 per cent o f service workers.
This is an increase o f from 5.9 per
cent Black workers in 1966 to 13.6 in
1979. Asian Americans make up .9
per cent o f the Sears work force; In
dian/A laska Natives are .3 per cent;
Hispanics 5.2 per cent.
The local Sears operation has, in
employment statistics to the O bser
ver According to Casterline, that is
the company's national policy. Stat
istics are released only on a nation
wide basis.
mm
In August o f 1973, the Chairman
o f the Equal Employment Opportun
ities Commission (E E O C ) charged
Sears w ith d is c rim in a tio n on the
basis o f race, color, sex and national
origin. On A p ril 19, 1977, E E O C
found reasonable cause to believe
Sears was in violation o f section 703,
Title V II , by discriminating against
Blacks, women and Spanish sur
names! Americans, with regard to
recruitm ent, hirin g, em ploym ent,
selection procedures, jo b assign
ment, promotion, transfer, training,
compensation, layo ff, benefits and
other terms and conditions o f em
ployment.
In January o f 1978 Sears' model
a ffir m a tiv e actio n plan was a p
proved and in A p ril o f 1979 the
governm ent n o tified Sears that it
would conduct an on-site review of
the plan. In A pril Sears declared that
it will no longer seek contracts with
the governm ent and charged the
government with harassment.
Casterline writes, "T his suit was
filed in an attempt to require the
government to get its bureaucratic
mess straightened out, its conflicting
priorities resolved, its erratic and un
fa ir enforcem ent o f the law con
sistent and fair, its adversarial and
punitive posture changed to one o f
en cou rag em en t,
e xam p le,
and
cooperation where warranted; and
by accomplishing this, Sears believes
equal o p p o rtu n ity w ill become a
rality instead o f a promise.
" W e believe it obvious tha the
court will support the C ivil Rights
Act o f 1964 and that no court would
take action to do anything other than
improve the implementation o f the
law and to clarify the law, where
needed This is precisely what Sears
has requested. The questions raised
by the suit are not whether equal op
portunity is proper but rather how
can it be more fairly, equitably, and
effectively implemented.”
"Regardless o f the outcome of the
su it,
Sears w ill co n tin u e to
aggressively pursue the goal o f equal
opportunity within the Com pany.”
How do those Sears purports to
aid with its suit feel about it? Benja
min Hooks, N A A C P executive direc
tor, said, “ The N A A C P regards the
suit as not only highly unsual. but we
feel it is a skillful public relations
maneuver aimed at preempting im
pending action that the Equal Em
ployment Opportunity Commission
(E E O C ) was about to take agaisnt
Sears. One p ertinent fact is that
Sears filed the suit the day that
E EO C notified the company o f its
‘ failure to conciliate' on emplvee’s
(Please turn to page 3 col. 3)
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Community Service
ONPA 1973
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A M O c itiian - fo u n d e d IB M
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Publishers
Association
The Rhodesian elections are over
now and, as expected, Bishop Abel
Muzorewa won a majority o f the 72
seats allocated to the Blacks. Smith
and the whites had already won the
28 seats reserved for whites who
make up less than 4 #7# o f the popula
tion. In the four way race for the
Black seats, Muzorewa won 52 o f the
72 seats. His main rival, Ndabanmgi
Sithole, won only ,2 . " C h i e f ’ Chi-
rau, a nobody whom Smith tried so
desperately to make into a "some
body", a stooge actually, did not win
a single seat — not even in his home
district! Kayisa Ndiwem, his former
deputy who broke with him shortly
before the election, won the last 9.
A few hours before the election
results started coming in, Sithole had
been ranting and raving about "w hat
a fair election it was, an exercise in
democracy, A frica had never seen
such democratic elections." At that
time, he was predicting he would win
at least 50 seats. When the results
started coming in and he realized
how badly he was doing, he suddenly
changed his tune. N ow he was
charging "massive fraud and coer
cion by the Ministry o f the In terio r.”
Obviously if he had won then the
elections would have been ‘ free and
fa ir’. ”
As we have said all along, the elec
tions w ill change n o th in g . A
Muzorewa government (he will take
office later this month) will be little
d ifferent than the present regime.
The whites will retain control o f the
army, the police force, the judiciary,
the civil service, the economy, just to
mention a few. Smith, who is gua
ranteed a cabinet post in the "n e w "
governm ent is dem anding the
Ministry o f Justice, Law and Order!
So, to all intents and purposes, the
present concept o f "justice” , " la w ”
and “ order” will be carried over into
the new administration. This certain
ly gives a whole new meaning to the
old saying: ‘The more things change,
the more they stay the same.'
While the mood in Zimbabwe is
generally one o f "w ait and see” , a
number o f things arc already patent
ly clear. First and foremost is the
breakup o f the unholy alliance that
on the 3rd o f March last year signed
this sellout agreement. The three
Black “ moderates” who so far had
clung together and to Sm ith for
political survival are now turning
against one another. Sithole, spurn
ed by the guerrillas and repudiated
by the voters, is finished politically.
Chirau, the nobody, will just slide
o f f in to o b liv io n . F o r h im , that
shouldn't be too hard. M atter o f
fact, it should be as easy as eating
banana pie. Ndiweni, who won the
last 9 seats, does not seem to be
headed anywhere but to oblivion.
The alliance between M uzorewa
and Smith has been showing some
signs o f strain. Shortly after the elec
tions, Smith delivered a veiled warn
ing to Muzorewa not to tamper with
the entrenched clauses — the ones in
tended to perpetrate white privileges.
He has hinted that, to maintain what
Black support he had, M uzorewa
Albina schools score low
(Continued from Page 1 Column 6)
Also, these children test at 196, near
the district's average o f 200.80.
Tests are being given this week and
McCrea believes that when the May
1979 tests for each child are com
pared with the fall o f 1978 tests for
that child, progress will be demon
strated. " I expect that the school
average will have gained a year, and
th a t m any students have gained
much more. I f that hasn’t happened
I will be very surprised and o f course
w ill have to reassess what we are
doing.
"Boise has been at the bottom for
years and although we are still near
the b o tto m , and w ill be, we are
show ing progress.” M c C re a ex
plained that in most schools in low
socio-econom ic areas students
stead ily lose ground as they get
o ld e r, u n til eighth graders are
three or four years behind their grade
level. “ We started out low, but if
each year we can gain a year in
achievement and not fall behind, and
then if we can gain more than a year,
we are having a lot o f success.
" T h e atm osphere at Boise has
changed. Our students are eager to
learn and they are learning.”
M c C re a was in fo rm e d by Vic
Dougherty, assistant superintendent,
that Boise had a greater percentage
o f improvement last year than any
school in the district.
In the fall o f 1978, Boise began its
third year as a “ Basic School.” Its
enrollment o f 468 was 72.9 percent
Black. Its class sizes ranged between
18 and 30, with an average o f 23.4 in
grades one through eight.
A ccording to D o h e rty , the
d is tric t’ s reading scores declined
between 1977 and 1978, with the
greatest drop in Area II. M ath scores
rose slightly, except in Area II where
they declined.
A lth o ug h K ing, Sabin, Vernon
and Woodlawn vary from 46.7 per
cent to 5 6 .1 percent Black, the white
students are clustered in the pre-k,
kindergarten, with grades first-fifth
heavily Black.
W hy are Portland’s Black schools
at the bottom o f the achievement
scale after fourteen years o f compen
satory education, Title I, state disad
vantaged funds and special p ro
grams? Could it lx a result o f racial
segregation?
The U.S. Supreme Court said in
1954, " W h e n we come to' the
question presented: Does segregation
o f children in public schools solely
on the basis o f race, even though the
physical
fa c ilitie s
and
o th er
‘ tangible* factors may be equal,
deprive the children o f the minority
group o f equal educational opportu
nities? We believe that it does.”
(Next
: King ECE)
might be pressured to scuttle the
current constitution for one that
w ould severely restrict w hite
privileges. This fear on Smith’s part
is not without foundation: there will
be a lot o f pressure on Muzorewa to
do away w ith those entrenched
clauses.
Meantime, the war will rage on.
Muzorewa has promised to end the
fighting. Apparently, he must have
been thinking that the war is some
form o f a faucet that he can turn on
or o ff at will. He promised to end the
war last March when he first signed
the internal agreement with Smith.
So far he has not delivered because,
on that score, he cannot deliver.
He is reportedly putting out feelers
to the Front Line states o f Angola,
B otswana, Z a m b ia , M ozam b iq u e
and Tanzania to initiate some form
o f economic cooperation. A t the
same time, he is also insisting that he
will maintain economic and diploma
tic ties with South Africa — Africa's
nemesis. Even though these Southern
African countries are unfortunately
economically interdependent, it is
unlikely the Front Line states would
deal with a Muzorewa government in
its present form. So, what will hap
pen is that the people in all these
countries will continue to experience
severe economic difficulties due to
the intansigence o f one U n ite d
Methodist Church bishop.
Again, we hold our breath as we
wait to see which way the wind will
blow.
Letters.
Not usl
To the Editor:
The Church o f Scientology has
scheduled a program for senior citi
zens on M ay 7th at the M asonic
Temple in Portland. In its press re
leases, brochures, etc. it is indicated
that the event is in cooperation with
the C ity -C o u n ty Com m ission on
Aging.
We strongly regret that the Church
o f Scientology would use the C om
mission in this unauthorized fashion
to promote its activities. The C om
mission on Aging emphatically dis
claims any affiliation with this event.
Osly Gates,
Executive Director,
City-County Commission on Aging
Without your he^
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