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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 17, 1979)
2 Portland O bM rv.r Thui 17 1*71 EDITORIAL/OPINION Inner Northeast Council Divide and Conquer? by Herb L. Cawthorne Twenty-five years later: No desegregation here " It is safe to assert that no aspect of deprivation under state procedure has been more dam aging to the Negro than the racially deg regated school system. Under it the Negro has been de-fused' before he could get a start in life . . . The Negro child was crippled by the criminally unequal and inadequate Jim Crow School. He could not do much because he had not been permitted to know much." These words were spoken by Roy Wilkins in Virginia in 1966. They could just have well be spoken in Portland, Oregon in 1979. Twenty-five years after Brown vs Board of Education, the Portland School Board and its administration are still resisting desegregation. In 1970, Federal Judge Damon Keith, ruling on the Pontiac, Michigan case said, "The harm to another generation of black children w hile awaiting implementation of long-range plans to integrate simply cannot be tolerated, and no degree of expense is unbearable when placed along side the unbearable situation that exists for those black children." In Portland, another generation is suffering. For fifteen years the Portland Public Schools have endured some type of desegregation program, yet it continues to support majority- Black schools. Federal money earmarked for the education of low-income Black children is used to upgrade early childhood education for upper- class white kids while Black youngsters are neglected. The sizes of classrooms in "Early Childhood Education C enters" that are supposed to educate "disadvantaged" children are a disgrace — 30 to 35 students to a class, many already two or more years behind. After fourteen years of so-called compensatory education, where are the Black majority scools? Still at the bottom of the heap. M artin Luther King, Jr. Early Childhood Education Center, ironically named for a Black man who gave his life to brighten the future of Black children, is absolutely at the bottom academically. And what is the raction of the District - no surprise and no concern. It's just as they expected. They blame their inability or un willingness to teach Black children on the low socio-economic level of the neighborhood. If the socio-economic level is to blame, why not allocate personnel accordingly? W hy put twenty four-year-olds, 68 per cent of whom are white upper and middle class children, in a classroom with a teacher and an aid, while in the same building another teacher struggles with thir ty or more third or fourth graders, nearly all "poor Blacks"? The answer is simple enough. The District has not had to deal with the Black community. The Community Coalition for School Integration, like the NAACP and other organizations before it, demanded equitable integration. The District said no. And that's where it ends? Twenty-five years have passed, but school desegregation still has not come to Portland. And neither has the quality education th at desegregation is supposed to foster. A life of service A. Philip Randolph died today at the age of 90. Randolph attained national notice for his work in the 1920s organizing the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, a union of poor and powerless Black porters who brought the arro gant Pullman Company to its knees. It was Randolph who, threatening a March on Washington in 1941, forced President Roosevelt to sign Executive Order 8802, the first fair em ploym ent practice ruling. He won a 1948 Executive Order from President Truman, barring racial segregation in the armed services. Randolph organized the 1963 M arch on Washington which took 250,000 Americans to Washington to demand "Jobs and Freedom". A strong union supporter, he spoke out against racism in the trade unions and called on organized labor to join in the Black workers' struggle for freedom. A socialist, he believed a decent and well-paying job is the first step toward social and political reform. In his magazine, "The Messenger", he early called on Black and white workers to unite. "The history of the labor movement in America proves that the employing classes recognize no race lines. They will exploit a white man as readily as a Black man . . . they will exploit any race or class in order to make profits. . . The combination of Black and white workers will be a powerful lesson to the capitalists of the solidarity of labor." The struggle is not finished and 'T h e Gentle Warrior" will be missed. Letters to the Editor No justice for Blacks in Portland T o the Editors: I can’t get over the justice we have in P o rtla n d , O regon to d ay fo r Blacks. We pick an all-white jury to try a white man accused o f killing a Black man. The all-white jury finds the white man innocent o f killing the B lack m an . W h a t was th e ir reasoning, beyond me. Lewis M angum was drunk and verbally abusive — obnoxious per haps That is no reason to be mur dered. H e was accused o f being physically th reatening . How ? He said he was going to whip Burbach’s tail, he said he was going to get his beer. The defense a tto rn e y said M r . B urbach ’ s actions were “ reason able” because he honestly believed his life was in danger. Yet Lewis voluntarily opened his jacket reveal ing and stating the fact that he had no knife. According to the dictionary "re a s o n a b le " is ra tio n a l, possessing sound judgement. Where was Bur bach’s sound judgement after Lewis opened his jacket revealing the fact that he had no knife — at the end o f a 38 revolver? Defense attorney said Lewis did not allow anyone to search him. He was never asked i f anyone could search him. W hy should a customer o f a grocery store who had not been accused o f stealing, after voluntarily opening his jacket, have to submit to be searched? Justice is supposed to be equal. Then why is Albert Williams sit ting in Oregon State Penitentiary a f ter d efen din g h im s e lf against a young drunk white, who according to witnesses, had a knife — in fact used that knife on Williams. Why is Williams in Salem? Because an all- white jury put him there. Williams goes to jail for defending himself against a white. Burbach is set free for shooting down an unarmed Black man. Given a raise, patting on back and told if he wanted to return to guard duty he can have his gun back. In essence, get a few more. As defense attorney told the jury, M r. Burbach is not the "brightest” man, and it is because o f this lack o f brightness my husband, Lewis M an gum, was unjustifiably shot. When a white kills a white, you may see one or two Blacks on the jury, and the person is usually found guilty, but we have a long ways to go in Portland to get a Black on a jury where a white is accused o f killing a Black. Burbach was described as a nice young m an and th e re ’ s no reason to believe he did anything wrong. Lewis Mangum was a nice young man, a very much loved man and more important than that — a human being. Yes, there is every reason to know Burbach did something wrong — he took a person’s life. W JJIl Mangum I Bessie Congressional representation for DC 'ominous' To the Editor I do not make it a habit to re spond to newspaper editorials, but occasionally an editorial requires a logical and th o u g h tfu l response. Such is the case with your editorial o f M ay 3, 1979, entitled: "W atch their votes!” That editorial condemned a m a jo rity o f the members o f the House o f Representatives for asking for public input on the very ominous question o f granting congressional representation to the people in the nation’s capitol city. The amendment would treat the city o f W a s h in g to n , D C . " a s though it were a state,” by giving it all the benefits of a state with vir tually none o f the responsibilities borne by the rest o f the country. The amendment is poorly worded, little discussed, and raises serious Constitutional questions that have yet to be answered. Amending the world’s most important document o f civil rights is not something that should be rushed in to n or done without having all the answers to serious and perplexing questions. Those questions in clud e: W ho would appoint a successor to fill a vacancy in Washington, D .C . if one were to occur? W ho reapportions the city every ten years? H o w w ill Washington, D .C . participate in the ratification o f future Constitutional am endm ents? N one o f these questions has been adequately an swered, except for “ the Congress will do it .’ Well, that is not good enough for me. It was the concern over these unanswered questions and the feel ing that we were moving too rapidly in passing this measure that led a m ajority o f the House to vote to send the issue to the people o f Oregon for discussion. W h a t is wrong with allowing the people the opportunity to express thetr opinions on a matter as important as a change in the U.S. Constitution? Oregon has until 1985 to ratify the amendment, but ratification is final and irrevocable. Valid constitutional and legal questions rem ain unan swered and unresolved at this time. So why must we feel compelled to ra tify the am endm ent during this legislative session when there are three m ore sessions during which ratification may be considered? I believe our decision in the House o f Representatives was a good one. I disagree with your statement that those o f us who supported the ad visory vote referral will be seen "re peatedly voting on the wrong side o f issues that are o f special concern and importance to this com m unity.” It is a p lo y very com m on in America — when politicians want to get something accomplished a.yainst the grain o f a vast m ajority o f the B lack c o m m u n ity , th ey seek to divide and conquer. And that is exact ly what is happening with the ap pointm ent o f an In n er Northeast Council to study possible economic development projects for the Union Avenue area. T h e s itu a tio n developed when President Carter came to Portland on M ay 4, 1978. H e brought with him a grant from the Economic De velopm ent A d m in is tra tio n __ S12.O8O.2OO! P ortlan d was desig nated a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy City and the federal funds would be used to im prove the unemployment outlook in the City. On acceptance o f this grant, City H all signed an agreement with the Economic Development Administra tio n . P a rt o f this agreem ent required that the city seek participa tion from m inority representation. The "employment requirements” o f minority people were to be woven in to the development strategy. The City made the agreement and before the ink was dry on the bottom line, it set in motion mechanisms to ignore the right o f minority people to parti cipate in the decisions on how this money was to be spent. Several groups in the community responded quickly. A suit was filed. The suit is pending. There have been few genuine efforts to seek re conciliation. There are some who believe that the funds are already earmarked to insure a comfortable transition for Wacker, the German chemical firm which is coming to Portland. Some believe the C ity does not want us involved because our plans may be d iffe re n t than the priorities already established. U nw illing to try much else, the C ity now comes to us with The Ploy. Instead o f making efforts to help unify the concerns and encourage their expression to the appropriate departments, the City has decided to Divide and Conquer. Thus, the creation o f the Inner Northeast Council. The Council will be used to show that the C ity is in volving the m inority community. It will undermine the foundation o f the suit. It has been conceived and staff ed, not by those who have a vested interest in the economic development o f the Black co m m u n ity, but by people loyal to C ity H a ll. The Black people who have asked to serve on this mechanism for division and de feat should stop and think. They should ask, " W h y are six o f the most reputable organizations in our community suing the C ity, the C om m erce D e p a rtm e n t, and the Economic Development Administra tion ovet lack o f participation?” They should ask, " W h y didn't the City officials appoint some represen tation from within the membership o f those organizations who have de fined their complaints?” They should stop and ask, “ W ill my efforts on the Inner Northeast Council serve to divide the Black community and make it easier for the M a y o r’s O ffice to use the division for its own purpose?" T h is is the P lo y . D iv id e and Conquer. The City is banking on a lack o f communication in the Black community. It is banking on the dis trust which it can foster; a distrust which w ill m ake us break in to camps, each one o f which will be too weak to be productive. The camps can be manipulated. And the Black community will lose. I f we expect to gain anything from cooperative efforts with the C ity, we had better make certain that we are unified in the pressures we bring to the political process. Since the suit is pending, since the course o f action is already set in m otion, we should scrutinize the purposes o f the Inner Northeast Council very, very closely. Let's not fall for The Ploy this time! Britain inches to the right by N. Fungai Kumbula tne big news last week has been the election o f M arg aret T h a tc h er, the C onservative P a rty leader as Britain’s first female prime mini ster. She also becomes Europe’s first woman prime minister and only the fourth female parliamentary head o f a country’s government. The other three are S irim avo B and aran aike who led Sri Lanka (Ceylon) from 1960 to 1965 and again from 1970 through 1974, Isabel Peron o f A r gentina who was finally ousted in a military coup and Golda M eir o f Is rael. Thatcher’s election was there fore being hailed as a m ajor victory for women. T h a t last m isconception was quickly dispelled when she announced her cabinet. There was not a single woman appointed to this cabinet. Only one was chosen to be a junior minister without portfolio. On this score, the outgoing Labor govern ment had a much better record. The above mentioned information was o f sig n ifican ce because her choice o f cabinet appointees had long been predicted which leads us to the next headache. A num ber o f other predictions made about the direction in which she will steer Bri tain are even gloomier. Having come through on this first one, she is therefore expected to push through with the rest o f her non too popular programs. H er policies will definitely be much further to the right than were those o f the Labor government. A few months ago, she made the headlines when she supported the p osition o f B r ita in ’ s n e o -N a zi National Front. This “ fro n t” , the counterpart o f the U .S .’s KKK has been calling for the expulsion o f all im m igrated Britons — those are people who have migrated to Britain from Com m onw ealth countries in A frica, Asia and the Caribbean. Theoretically, Britain has an open door policy to all Commonwealth citizens who choose to reside in Bri tain. They are supposedly offered the same status as a ll o th e r B ritis h citizens. Some o f these people have come to England, usually London, seeking employment opportunities which are non-existent in their home countries. It might also be added that most o f these countries have become impoverished as a result o f British exploitation. So over the years, various m inori ties have begun to fo rm sizeable communities. As Britains through one economic set-back after another, the racial climate has turned ugly, spawning the birth o f the National Front. The National Front redirectly places the blame for the country’s economic woes on these minorities. T h e re have been several racial clashes over the past several months. The “ Front” has been calling for the expulsion o f all Asians, Africans and West Indians so as to improve the em ploym ent prospects fo r Britain’s white citizens. This in spite o f the fact th at u nem plo ym en t among their people is two to four times higher than in the rest o f the population. P overty, neglect and disease abound in the Black and Asian ghettoes. M argaret Thatcher spoke out in support o f this definitely racist sentiment: to expel non-white Britains. Now that she is in power, calls for such expulsions will probably never be carried out. Watch out for more racial violence to come. In th.e ‘foreign areas, look fo r trouble with a capital T . To begin with, she is a firm believer in “ free e n terp rise" and, by now , we a ll know what that means — give the corporations all the rope they need to strangle the little people. She has al ready said that she will resist any calls for the imposition o f economic sanctions against South A frica. This will definitely check the progress that opponents o f the apartheid regime were making. These people, as we recall, have been calling for, among o th er things, divestm ent and the withdrawal o f foreign corporations from South A frica, as well as a trade embargo. I f the British government comes out in support o f the corporations, that will have a decided impact in this country too. O u r efforts will now meet with more resistance. The previous labor government had not been so chum m y w ith the c o r porations and tended to be more re ceptive to the pleas o f the anti-apar theid groups. In the Rodesia quagmire, Thatcher has indicated that her government " w ill move to lift sanctions” if it is determined that the elections were free and fair and that Britain would recognize the government thus elect ed. The U N had imposed the sanc tions in 1968 o f the instigation o f B rita in , the fo rm e r " c o lo n ia l power.” The idea was to cripple the rebel Smith regime and bring it back to legality. Now, Margaret wants to ’legalize" that same illegal regime. She really is sticking very close to her watch-word: “ corporate profits at any cost.” This will have disastrous implica tions for Zimbabwe. It would allow the Muzorewa-Smith clique to pur chase more weapons and prolong the war. Creating the mass slaughter o f innocent civilians and delaying the successful conclusion o f the peoples re v o lu tio n . I f B rita in recognizes "Rhodesia-Zim babwe,” that would also put a lot o f pressure on P resident C a rte r and U N A m bassador, Andrew Young who, all along, have insisted on the inclusion o f the freedom fighters as a pre condition for U.S. recognition and a lifting o f sanctions. So much for Bri tain’s first woman prime minister. PORTLAND OBSERVER la t Place C o m m u n ity Service O N P A 1873 Th* Portland Observer IUSPS 868-680) ia publiahad a v a r v T h , . , . P^rttand^O Compan* ' ,nc • 2201 North Krtlingeworth Oragon 97217. Poat Office Box 3137, Portland O rL o n 97208 Sacond claaa postage paid at Portland, Oragon ' la t Placa Baat A d Raaulta O N P A 1873 * 7 80 P * Tri-County araa. M .0 0 par yaar outaida Tri-County Araa P oatm aatar Sand addraaa chanaaa to «ha Portland Observer. P .0 Box 3137, Portland, Oragon 9 7 r a ®th Placa Baat E ditorial N N P A 1873 PO* ,,° " " only in Its tditonal column Any othar malarial throughout (ha papar » the Sincerely, Gary L. Wilhelms State Representative (Editor s Note: Attorney General Jim Redden ruled Monday that the House used the wrong method to refer the D.C. voting rights amen dment to the people, that the only method fo r the Legislature to refer is through a properly adopted statute. Opponents hope to avoid another vote on the issue this session.) It was charged that the city neglected its responsibility to involve a wide and diverse segment o f the com munity. As one informed observer said, "G o ld s c h m id t did w hat he usually does and that is, use his exag gerated and hollow commitment to minority participation as a lever to get the funds here and then he proceeds to ignore the Black com munity as though we did not exist." — • Ub*n't ‘ " • " " * > « nacaaaanly raflact tha opinion of tha Portland Observer ALFRED L. HENDERSON Editor/Rublisher N ational A dvartlaln g R ap raaantatlva A m a lg a m a ta d Publlahara Inc N a w York H o n o rab le M e n tio n H arrlok Editorial A w a rd N N A 1873 not 2nd Placa ■ * « E ditorial 3rd Placa C o m m u n ity Laadarahlp O N P A 1876 3rd Placa C o m m u n ity Laadarahlp O N P A 1878 M l M at X V.Mi«es«MS r / W Xarociabon «Issi
