Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, June 28, 1979, Page 2, Image 2

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    Page 2 Portland Observer Thursday. Juna 21. 1979
EDITORIAL/OPINION
The discriminating press
We were dismayed, but not surprised, to read
the headlines in a Portland daily: "Justices OK
employer bias toward blacks." It is headlines like
this and the misleaaing articles in the white press
regarding affirmative action that incite the white
public against equal opportunity for minorities.
W hite people in this country actually believe
that Blacks are being favored by employers —
that Blacks are being given jobs for which they
are not qualified and that they are preferred over
whites. W hy do they believe this? Certainly not
because they see large numbers of Black people
h o ld in g good jobs w ith businesses or w ith
government. Few white employees ever see more
than a minimal number of Blacks at their place of
employment.
No. Those people get their mistaken ideas from
the white press and its continual discussions of
"reverse discrim ination" and preferences.
The true fact behind the Weber vs. Kaiser case
is not that Kaiser decided one day to do a little
something for Blacks. Kaiser had a long history of
racial discrimination and was found in violation of
equal employment laws. Rather then face a court
suit, be found in violation, and be ordered to pay
m illions of dollars in bacK pay and penalties,
Kaiser decided to include Blacks in its training
programs.
In order to make up for lost years and begin to
equalize the work force, they agreed to reserve
half of their training slots for Blacks until Blacks
reached a reasonable level in the w ork force.
Weber, who was not selected to fill one o f the
positions still available to w hites, sued. The
Supreme Court said Kaiser has the right to reserve
positions for Blacks in order to make up for past
wrongs it has done against Blacks. Is that "e m ­
ployer bias toward Blacks?"
If there were such a thing as reverse discrim i­
natio n, or em ployer bias to w ard Blacks, we
should see a trem end ous decrease in Black
unemployment, which, as usual, is tw ice that of
whites.
No glory for the House
Representative Rick Bauman told the members
of the Oregon House of Representatives that they
should be proud of themselves for passage of a
compromise bill providing a one year m oratorium
on siting future nuclear power plants. The House
had earlier passed a bill calling fo r a m oratorium
u n til th e fe d e ra l g o v e rn m e n t p ro v id e s safe
storage fo r nuclear waste — a m oratorium fo r a
period estimated at from ten years to eternity.
A good appointm ent
danger to society.
U nder c o n s ta n t fire fro m the in m a te s, the
public, and from over-zealous District Attorneys,
the Parole Board is not an easy place to serve.
We believe Mrs. Hays w ill dem onstrate the com ­
passion, understanding and strength this position
requires.
Prosecuting the wrong man
his family.
While the government spent five
years trying to build a case against a
man, who, (even if guilty o f every­
thing he was accused of, which I
doubt) posed no serious threat to the
safety o f the community, the same
federal o fficia ls have consistently
refused to prosecute certain
organized crime figures for murder
simply because to do so would ex­
pose F B I. d irty tricks. And our
civic leaders wonder why the citi­
zenry has lost respect for law and or­
der.
Sincerely,
Floyd C. Forsberg
le t Piece
C o m m u n ity S ervice
O N P A 1973
PORTLAND OBSERVER
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O N P A 1973
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6th Place
Best Editorial
NNPA 1973
The Portland O tn errrr j official position ■ expressed only m its
Editor is* column Any othe* material throughout die paper « ;he
opinion of the individual w riter or subm itter end does not
neceseeniy rafter.! the opinion at the Portland O btervtr
Honorable M ention
Merrick Editorial Award
N N A 1973
National Advertising Representative
Am algamated Publishers Inc
New York
Beet E ¿ ..jrigl
3rd Place
Comm unity Leadership
ONPA 1976
2nd Place
ALFRED L HENDERSON
Editor / Publisher
3rd Piece
Comm unity leadership
ONPA 1979
H
e J
by Herb L. Ciiwihitrne
A shock wave sent a numbing feel­
ing through a large segment o f the
Black com m unity. Many white
liberal organizations noticed the
strange feeling too. Vernon Iordan,
Should the members o f the House congratu­ in a carefully worded speech, showed
late themselves fo r accepting the compromise? his astonished disagreement.
The energy policy o f the NAACP
Isn't one year better than none? W e d o n 't think
passed
January 9, 1978 was entirely
so.
unexpected.
There has been a lo t of talk about nuclear
It shocked us: “ N A A C P Takes
pow er at the Legislature this year. There has Side o f O il In d u stry,” “ N A A C P
been a lot of hard w ork on the part of legislative
Takes Giant Step Backwards,” and
“ A Travesty for Blacks" were a few
employees, citizens, and even legislators. The
o
f the headlines sym bolizing the
legislature has provided a forum for the discussion
astonishment.
of the issues surrounding nuclear pow er plants.
And the immediate numbness o f
Many people have become more aware of the
the shock has now transformed into
controversy and many w ho were disinterested or the daily reality that the N AAC P’s
unconcerned have joined the anti-nuclear cause.
policy on energy, p a rtic u la rly
But, in spite of the tim e devoted to the issue — nuclear energy, is being used to un­
and along w ith taxes it became the major issue of dermine the interest o f Black people
and all o f humankind.
the 1979 session — not one substantive piece of
The “ Statement o f Position on a
legislation was passed. Of the six bills introduced
N ational Energy P olicy by the
— regulating the siting, waste storage, waste
NAACP National Board o f Direc­
shipment, emergency plans, etc. — only the one
tors” not only caught thoughtful
members o f the Black and liberal
year m oratorium survived. In spite of the heated
community
by surprise, but many
debate and the noise over the Governor's replace­
members o f the Board were “ totally
m ent of members of the Energy Siting Com ­
unaware ’ o f the contents o f the
mission, his nominees have been accepted and
resolution.
confirm ed.
“ The truth is that the NAAC P
No. The one year m oratorium is no great vic­ board, racing cavalierly through a
huge agenda, adopted a flawed
tory of w h ich to be proud. It merely lets the
energy policy without proper discus­
people th in k som ething happened th a t d id n 't
sion, and with some board members
happen at all.
totally unaware o f the implications
o f what they were approving,” wrote
Carl Rowen in his national column
less than twenty days after the vote.
The national office o f the NAACP
had fallen asleep and while its eyes
W e must com plim ent Governor Atiyeh on his were closed the organization was in­
filtrated by energy special interest.
appointm ent of Mrs. Hazel G. Hays to the Parole Roy Wilkins had long since reached
Board. W hile w e have not been favorably im ­ his peak His physical condition lead
pressed w ith m ost of the G overnor's a p p o in t­ to loss o f concentratio n in the
ments, it does take some courage to name a sec­ waning years, and rendered a strong
executive organization the captive o f
ond Black person to the five member board.
its board. The new executive direc­
The Parole Board is - a s Mrs. Hays said - an
tor, Benjamin Hooks, had not yet
awesome responsibility. Not only is the board re­ been able to take charge; by the time
sponsible to see that prison inmates - many of he a rrived, the strangle hold o f
them Black - have fa ir consideration of their energy special interest was well in
plade. W ith o u t strong executive
parole standing but ft also has a responsibility to
leadership, the board took actions
protect the public from those persons w h o are a
which did not necessarily harmonize
Letters to the Editor
I have followed the persecution (or
is that prosecution) o f Cleveland Gil­
crease with interest. Having exper­
ienced firsthand the U.S. Attorney’s
selective prosecution policy I feel a
deep sympathy for Mr. Gilcrease and
NAACP's Energy Policy
That bill, HB 2570, met opposition from the
Governor, and so failed to be passed by the
Senate. Those anti-nuke Senators hoped fo r a
tw o year m oratorium , but opted fo r a one year
period th e y th o u g h t m ig h t be acceptable to
Governor Atiyeh.
By Brumsic Brandon. Jr.
To the Editor:
A Dangerous Step Backward
I p J I p EP
Aatatial'dn - founded >999
1
w ith the rebuilding needs o f the
executive department that runs the
NAACP.
In 1978, a Task Force on Energy
studied intensively for seven months.
Obviously the policy discussion was
initiated by a NAACP board bent on
making the N A A C P a friend o f
energy
producing
C orporate
America and vice versa, although the
rationale for the policy was tied firm ­
ly to the negative impact o f poor
energy planning on Black folks.
And make friends it did. One sec­
tion o f the N AAC P’ s policy sounds
like it was written by the Public In­
formation Department at Portland
General Electric. “ We recognize that
nuclear power does present certain
problems,” the policy acknowledges
with all but indifference, “ But wc
think these problems can be solved
through dedicated efforts by govern­
ment, the scientific community and
the industry working cooperatively
together. Notwithstanding the claims
o f opponents o f this source o f
energy, the fact is that nuclear power
w ill be required to meet our future
needs for electricity. I f we do not
move ahead now with nuclear, the
next generation is likely to be sitting
around in the dark blam ing the
utilities for not doing something this
generation’ s officials would not let
them do.”
The daily reality o f this policy is
visible. It serves to place the Black
community on the wrong side o f a
very important issue. For example,
recently on Channel 2’ s Town H all
program about nuclear energy, a
Black member o f the N AACP's Task
Force, who also works for Portland
General Electric, assured the audience
that the N A A C P supports the
development o f nuclear power.
People unaware o f debates in the
Black communitj might accept this
pronouncement as “ the Black con­
sensus." It was offered that way —
Hrvihf on nurnose.
A firm deeply committed through
investment in the nuclear industry
can dispatch a Black mouthpiece
who can speak not only the propa­
ganda o f his company, but in the
same breath the “ o fficia l” word of
the NAACP. The NAACP is com­
prom ised. The connection is
spurious. The situation is rather like
the helpless, unsuspecting lamb
being enticed to testify for better
working conditions for the wolf!
The nuclear industry docs not need
nor warrant the support o f minority
people. The risks cannot be justified
by the benefits.
The question o f nuclear waste
must be at the top o f the list of reser­
vations in the continued develop­
ment o f nuclear energy. It takes no
genius to figure the mathematics. If
it takes thousands o f years for the
waste from nuclear plants to evolve
to harmlessness, how can anyone
speak on behalf of man’s ability to
manage such long-term com m it­
ments.
The modern world, beginning with
Egypt, is little more than 3,000 years
old! Who can speak for the stability
o f this world over a hundred year
period, much less a 100,000 years?
Plutonium, the powerful contami­
nant o f nuclear waste, remains
potent for 240,000 years! And it is
deadly. To contain it, genius un­
bridled by the cost-cutting mentality
of the profit seeker would have to
work long and hard.
The NAACP position on nuclear
energy is dangerous; it promotes a
form o f electrical generation which is
more costly to the poor and can have
nothing except an adverse affect on
the economics o f the Black com­
munity.
Last year, when the N A A C P
convention met in Portland, the exe­
cutives o f the organization prevent­
ed a discussion o f the energy policy
by the delegates from Pennsylvania
and New York, and other states.
Perhaps this year in Louisville the
discussion can be held and, by listen-
ins to its articulate constituency, the
7 E ditor s Note: The three voting
delegates who are representing the
P o rtla n d Branch at the N a tional
Convention are: President Lucious
Hicks, Bernard Richardson o f PCE;
Cart Ta!ton o f Pacific Power and
L ig h t Company; Bob Bryers, vice
president o f the Northwest Region
Thanks, Spinks. We needed that
by N. Fungai Kumbula
Brace yourselves, friends. We face
the p o s s ib ility o f having an
Afrikaner WBC heavyweight cham­
pion! For that unhappy prospect, we
have our own “ b ro th e r,” Leon
Spinks to thank.
A lot o f things have been written
and said about Spinks ranging all the
way from the scurrilous to the down­
right malicious. So much has been
made o f his frequent brushes with
the law, his numerous car accidents,
being arrested for driving without a
license, for wrecking a brand new
Corvette because he was unfamiliar
with it, for possession o f dope, and
the stories about his missing front
teeth were almost legend. A ll o f these
stones had one familiar ring in them:
they were designed to “ show” that
Spinks was ‘ dumb, a buffoon.'
I never came to Spinks' defense
even though I felt that most o f the at­
tacks against him were unfair in that
they were personal attacks and had
nothing to do with his professional
career. True, he had just committed
the ultim ate crime: defeated the
People’ s Champ but all the same he
deserved much better treatmen; than
the media was according him.
Now after last Sunday, 1 fee! that
1, too, w ill have to join the hordes of
writers, journalists and other news­
persons who poked so much fun at
the former champ. I, however, do so
only because 1 am appalled and dis­
turbed both by his professional inep­
titude and his lack o f sensitivity
towards the Black Cause. Winning
that title from Muhammad A li had
propelled him to dizzying heights
and even a fte r A li won it back,
Spinks had remained one o f the top
contenders to get the title back once
A li retires. A li is expected to retire
‘soon’ .
Several months back, Reverend
Jesse Jackson o f Operation PUSH
and hundreds o f other concerned
Americans raised such a big stink
when Kallie Knoetze, a former south
African policeman who, during the
Soweto riots o f June 1976, shot and
crippled a IS-year-old Black youth,
was allowed to come to the U.S. to
fight a Bill Sharkey in Miami. This
was part o f the elimination process
to determine a successor to Muham­
mad Ali. Our objection to this fight
which eventually took place even
though the State Department had
revoked his visa and work permit
because some judge issued an injunc­
tion, was that this gives South Africa
a respectability, an acceptance it
does not deserve. A ll o f us concerned
about South Africa feel that she is
now trying to use sport as a way of
getting back into the international
community. Currently, South Africa
is barred from several international
sport governing bodies because o f
her apartheid policies.
We have, therefore, strongly urged
Americans, Black Americans in par­
ticular, not to be so used. Portland’s
own Mike Colbert, a welterweight
contender, went to Johannesburg
last March 17th to fight an unknown
by the name o f Chris Weir. That, as 1
predicted in my column o f the same
week castigating Colbert for going to
Johannesburg, propelled Weir into
world prominence, gave South Africa
much needed, free and uncritical
publicity and pushed Colbert closer
to oblivion.
John la te , the other contender to
the WBA heavyweight crown, went
to Bophutatswana, a Black ‘ indepen­
dent’ reservation in South Africa,
earlier this month to fight the same
controversial Kallie Knoetze. Tate
won that fight in eight rounds but,
again, the big winner was South
A frica because it meant that the
W BA was giving South A fricans
serious consideration fo r w orld
championships. It meant that the
wall o f isolation from international
sport was cracking.
Last Sunday, Leon Spinks, former
W BA v ic to r over The Greatest,
fought another South African heavy­
weight contender, Gerrie Coetzee in
Monte Carlo. And, you guessed it;
he lost! He was knocked down three
times in the first round and the fight
was stopped after only 2 minutes and
3 seconds. Now Coetzee is set to
fight Tate for the W BA heavyweight
championship.
A sam pling o f what to expect
should Coetzee win was provided at
Monte Carlo. The crowd, made up
mostly o f South Africans, taunted
Spinks most o f the evening. They
banged on his dressing room window
shouting “ k a ffir ” , A frikaans for
“ nigger” . The police had to step in
to separate Spinks* sparring partner
from the Afrikaners when it became
evident a brawl was in the making.
Did Spinks have to fight Coetzee?
No. Did he need the money that
badly? Again, no. He had made quite
a lot o f money over the past two
years. Why then, did he fight and
provide legitim acy to this, the
ultimate o f racists?
Bob Arum who is promoting the
upcoming Tate-Coetzee fight says it
will be staged in South Africa if the
South African Boxing Board of Con­
trol w ill agree to ’ integrated seating’ .
“ It w ill be their first equal oppor­
tunity legislation,” he adds.
Thank you. Arum , for letting us
know that all we want in South
Africa is integrated seating at boxing
matches. Thank you, Leon Spinks,
fo r doing so much harm to the
African-Am erican cooperation that
we have worked so hard to build over
such a long period o f time. Thank
you for giving these Afrikaner racists
their day in the sun. We really
needed that.
(NOTE: ‘ The Steve Biko Legacy:
Part I I ' w ill be in next week’ s
column)
Interested in current book* about
African Liberation?
Visit:
JOHN REED BOOK STORE
In the Dekum Building
519 S.W . 3rd Avenue
Sixth Floor
Or call: 227 2902
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