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Cawthorne joins School Board, Newman resigns
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V _
Herb Cawthorne
was elected
to the
Portland School Board to f ill the
vacancy created by the death o f
Phyllis Wiener by a 4 to 2 vote.
Voting fo r Cawthorne were Frank
McNamara. Steve Buel, Bill Scott
and W ally Priestley. Cawthorne's
selection was greeted by a standing
ovation from the large audience. The
audience swelled th ro ug h ou t the
evening as others who had heard the
news rushed to the administration
building to be present.
The ceremony installing Cawth
orne on the Board was followed by
an e m o tion al resignation by
Jonathan Newman, who credited his
decision to the fact that the six mem
ber all-male Board had failed to ap
point a woman. The resignation was
effective immediately and Newman
a
took a seat in the audience for the
remainder o f the meeting.
Newman is the author o f most o f
the district’s desegregatin program,
which has been under fire from the
Community Coalition for School In
tegration and now from the Black
U nited Front. C urrent e ffo rts to
change the desegregation effort to a
more equitable plan began with the
announcement o f the controversial
"Newman Plan” which would have
barred some Boise and King students
from Jefferson High School.
Cawthorne credits his a ppoint
ment to the united e fforts o f the
Black community on the desegrega
tion issue. He told the Observer:
“ Deep down, the success o f the
appointm ent was a shock. I had
originally applied to place the issues
o f inequity and discrim in atio n a-
gainst the Black community before a
Board o f Education that had hereto
fore refused to listen.
“ 1 thought my presence would in
sure a progressive candidate, hope
fully a Black woman. As it turns out,
the appointment is symbolic for the
Black com m unity o f P ortland. It
proves that we can attain political o f
fice without backdoor dealings and
denying our heritage and our com
m itm ents to a c o m m u n ity -in
struggle.
“ I hope people in our community
w ill help me speak with understand
ing and authority. 1 w ill continue to
speak my mind and lay before the
community a clear vision o f the best
kind o f education our children can
receive. My vision w ill have to be
supplemented, sharpened and in
formed by the willingness o f others
to get involved and stay involved.
"W ha t has happened in the last
three weeks is a great testimony for
what unity can do. This community
can no longer tolerate Black leader
ship that separates its e lf - that
thinks it ’s better than the people in
the community.
“ In light o f this new realization,
there w ill be many Black leaders who
are going to have to rethink their
posture and redefine their philoso
phy. This community w ill no longer
allow them to gain their positions
because o f their Black heritage and
then deny the community that gave
them strength.”
Cawthorne said his appointment is
not the School D istrict’ s answer to
the threat o f boycott. " I t is absurd to
think that my appointment w ill, be
itself, stop the boycott just as it has
been absurb fo r some people in the
Black community to think that the
boycott was being used to gain my
appointment. It has been said again
and again - the only thing that will
stop the boycott is the absolute w ill
ingness o f the Board to develop a
comprehensive plah that w ill alter
the present ine qu ities, meet the
demands that have been expressed.”
The Board voted to send M c
Namara to the BUF leadership to
begin talks toward dealing with the
demands. The Board’ s desegregation
committee - Cawthorne, Joe Rieke
and McNamara - w ill meet Thurs
day evening.
The Black United Front w ill also
PORTLAND OBSERVER
meet Thursday night to continue
boycott plans.
W*e are very happy and pleased,”
Ronnie Herndon, co-chairman o f the
BUF, said. "H e rb ’s appointment is a
success fo r the com m unity. He is
there because o f the com m unity’ s
unity around the issues. It is also a
personal victory; it shows what we
can achieve by taking a strong stand.
W*c don’ t have to compromise our
convicitons in order to gain political
o ffice.”
C aw th orn e ’ s a ppointm ent does
not automatically stop the boycott,
Herndon said. "T h e re has to be
policy changs by the Board. I am
pleased that four members voted for
Cawthorne and I hope that this in
dicates a willingness to move to a
more equitable system.”
Volume 9 No. 32
Thursday. August 16. 1979 IOC
An open letter to the
Church Community
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
You have boen following the developments of the Black United
Front, an organization with wide support in the Black community
which is planning a boycott of schools for this Septomber. While none
of us wants to boycott the schools, it is imperative that we express
our unequivocal dissatisfaction with the present system. We seek the
reduction of scattering, resulting in a 40 per cent enrollment of Black
children in the schools involved in desegregation. We want a two way
transfer system, equitable to both Blacks and whites, and we are
calling for the establishment of two middle schools in the Black com
munity. These demands are fair and just. They are supported by a
series of other demands which, we are certain, will go far in improving
the quality of education for our children.
Newly appointed member. Herb Cawthorne. takes his seat with the
Portland Public Schools Board of Education.
Herb Cawthorne swears to uphold the Constitution and perform his
duties as a member of the Portland School Board.
NAACP Founder's Day draws Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks w ill be the featured
speaker for the NAACP, Portland
Branch, Founder’ s Day Banquet.
Ms. Parks began the Montgomery
Boycott by refusing to give up her
seat to a white man, a boycott that
launched Dr. Martin Luther King into
national leadership and led to the
Civil Rights Act o f 1964.
The Banquet w ill commemorate
the 65th Anniversary o f the local
branch, which was chartered on Sep
tember I, 1914. It will also serve as a
vehicle for rededication to the goals
o f civil rights and to work to meet
the needs o f the Portland community
especially in the areas o f education,
em ploym ent, housing and youth
leadership.
Special guests w ill be Judge
Charles Johnson o f Seattle, national
board member; Theresa H all Pit-
tinan; Verna Canson, Director o f the
Western Region; A tto rn e y Don
Haley, President o f the Northwest
C onference o f Branches; and
NAACP branch presidents.
The Banquet w ill be held on
September 1st at the Red Lion Inn --
Jantzen Beach, C o lu m b ia Ball
Room, at 7:30 p.m. A no-host cock
tail hour will be held from 6:30-7:30
p.m.
Some thoughts on the problem
by Wm. H. McClendon
"B lack intelligence should be
viewed as the ability o f Blacks to
defend themselves attains! their
environment in general and white
people, in particular, and the pur
pose o f such intelligent behavior is
to insure the survival o f the race. ”
Marcus Garvey
For the first time in over 70
years o f direct appeals to this
school district Black people may
be about to observe the School
Board give some measure o f
positive attention to matters that
w ill b ring about concrete im
provements in the education o f
Black children. This may happen
because Black people have persist
ed whenever possible in demon
strating that they really do know
more about the needs o f their
people than those highly vaunted
authorities o f the dominant popu
lation.
The operation o f this school
system using policies o f conceal
ment, connivance, deception and
evasion in its accommodation of
Black students are without merit.
It is a widely held belief in the
Black community that this modis
operandi is attributable to the man
agerial style o f the Superintendent
and his cohorts. It is the deter
m ination o f the Black U nited
Front to bring about recogniz
able beneficial changes.
At the most recent Board meet
ing there was an extensive utiliza-
tio n o f imprecise and flexible
rhetoric in the adm inistration's
response to inquiries made about
the inequities suffered by Black
children. Prior to this, apprenhen-
sions were voiced about the ada
mant stands white parents would
take against having their children
p articip a te
in
cross-busing
schemes. The BUF never intended
to interfere with these parents’
rights to choose. Its commitment
is to obtain the same rights for the
Black p o p u la tio n . This means
that the unequal and troublesome
facets o f student dispersal and
middle school facilities for Black
children w ill be corrected, no
more, no less.
Analysis
The response to this initially was
" it could lead to separatism.” The
fact is that this school administra
tion under the guise o f pursuing
the mythical and impossible objec
tive, integration, allowed segrega
tion to become crystallized. Now,
Blacks know as well as whites that
integration is not the opposite o f
segregation!
The Black c o m m u n ity must
give careful thought to reading o f
the signals that have been sent out
by the remainmg School Board
member who did not vote fo r
Herb Cawthorne. The concern
here is that the candidate whom
he supported is quoted in another
publication, in an interview, as
saying, " I think change works
behind the scenes, and I consider
myself very effective in behind-
the-scenes a c tio n ." Such a
position raises serious questions
about the candidates’ sense o f
identity and indicates a confused
and unreliable state o f politiciza
tion. It can also be viewed as a
low-level, unremarkable attempt to
be thought o f as useful by whites.
I f so that is to be deplored with
out reservations. Black people
com m itted to struggle learned
long ago that if the principles un
derlyin g their struggle were
correct then there must never be
any concealed or esoteric arrange
ments entered into with the oppo
sition or the oppressor. The only
result from such activity is that
Blacks will be either the victims or
co-conspirators in a lousy bar
gaining, compromise or sell-out.
Most o f the dilemmas and con
troversies o f this period have their
roots in the unbridled latitude that
some SATS had in th is com
munity over the past 40 years to
play their sick, sterile, little games
o f "w h ite boss favor h unting."
These wierdos created many frus
tratio ns fo r Blacks seeking to
acquire autonomy over their own
lives. The special problem ele
ment in relation to all o f tl
is
that whites who display any af
finity for Black people who give
such performances are bad news.
The Black c o m m u n ity should
view them with skepticism.
l ickets can be obtained from Mr.
Hicks (229-4422) or Bethel AM E
C hurch (288-5429). M r. H icks,
President o f the Portland Branch,
urges corporations, clubs, agencies,
etc. to purchase tables o f ten, which
w ill provide them a savings o f $50.
Tickets are $25.
Chairman o f the Freedom Fund
Committee, which is presenting the
Banquet, is Mrs. Grayce Kennedy.
The Black United Front, as the chief body which is leading this
fight, needs your support Long before the movement was announced
the Black United Front held a luncheon for ministers to discuss the
ideas. Later there was a breakfa«' to further refine the issues. The
BUF realized that "a spiritual beginning” was the best way to kick off
such an important movement. I would like to call upon each of you to
lend a helping hand and to support our community, for we are asking
only for that which the white community enjoys without struggle,
without sacrifice.
On Sunday, August 19th, we are asking every church to take up a
special collection, funds will be used to print the program for the
boycott, to buy food, and to purchase special instructional services. I
am making a personal appeal to your church to participate in this w or
thy collection.
Also, on Friday, August 31st, 7:30 p.m. we are holding a rally at
Vancouver Avenue Baptist Church to demonstrate our unity. It will be
a rally to put our religious principles into action for the good of our
children Please spread the word and support this beautiful effort to
bring the entire church community together for achieving a better
quality education for Black children.
Yours, in the brotherhood of Christ,
Reverend John H. Jackson
Board hears desegregation report
The Portland School Board heard
Superintendent Robert Blanchard’ s
report on his activities to respond to
the recommendations o f the Com-
minity Coalition for School Integra
tio n and the School Board's
resolutions adopted in January. The
discussion was a prelude to dealing
w ith the demands o f the Black
United Front.
The m ajor concern o f the
Coalition and the BUF is that Port
land’ s “ vo lu ntary” desegregation
program places the .greatest burden
on Black students by m andatorily
transferring them from their neigh
borhood schools while white children
move only voluntarily; that Black
children who are bussed are widely
scattered; and that the absence o f
mandatory transfers o f whites leaves
the Albina elementary schools segre
gated.
Dr. Blanchaid, along with Dr. Er
nie Hartzog, responded with an at
tempt to demonstrate that w hite
children bear equal burden fo r
desegregation. He reported that
because
of
m iddle
school
reorganization across the city 5,049
white students have had to move
from one school to another while
1,774 Black students move because
they have no local school with their
grade level. Also 802 m in o rity
children accept v o lu n ta ry ad
m in is tra tiv e transfers, w hile 828
white children volunteer »o attend
the Early Childhood Education Cen
ters in Albina.
Jonathan Newman attempted to
explain that middle school reorgani
zation is directly related to desegre
gation. "T h e point we have never
been able to get across is that middle
school reo rg an izatio n is d ire c tly
related to integration and that far
more m a jo rity children are man
datorily transferred than m inority
children.” The middle school, he ex
plained, is the basis for an integrated
cluster. The co ntrove rsy, in his
opinion, is where the middle school
is located. The District has located
them on the borders o f Albina rather
than in the heart o f the area, where
he believes they would be majority
Black.
He cited Fernwood, Beaumont
(1979), C o lu m b ia /W h ita k e r and
Ockley Green (1980) as directly ef
fecting desegregation and creating
integrated clusters. Among the mid
dle schools to which Dr. Blanchard
referred as having caused w hite
children to be m andatorily trans
ferred are Binsmead, Sellw ood,
Hosford, and Markham, all located
fa r fro m A lb in a where the o nly
Black students involved are those
who are bussed in.
Blanchard also pointed out that
Albina schools are not the only ones
w ith o u t upper grades. There are
several other primary schools from
which students attend adjacent upper
grade centers or K-8 schools. These
were compared to Eliot and King
(Area I) where students are bussed
across town to numerous schools.
D r. Blanchard adm itted that
although he speaks about " t w o
way” busing, this refers to white
children transferred from one white
school to another because o f
reorganization and that no white
children are assigned to a majority
Black school. He admitted that in
clusters such as Sabin-A lam eda-
Beaumont, no white children had
been assigned to the Black school
and that an opportunity for desegre
gation had not been used.
Dr. Blanchard made a distinction
between " t w o w ay” busing and
"cross busing” , stating that Por-
tlandhas “ two way” busing.
Newman stated that a ll w hite
transfers
to
Benson
and
Washington/Monroe could be con
sidered as "integrative" since those
schools are also attended by m inority
students. The Jefferson magnet
draws 104 white students in full and
part tim e program s, w hile 293
m inority students attend Benson and
Washington/Monroe. Students who
attend other than their neighborhood
school, not including Benson and
W ashington/M onroe, number 652
minorities and 65 whites.
Early Childhood Center»
Dr. Hartzog reported that due to
increased re c ru itin g more w hite
children w ill attend the ECEs this
year. W hite child re n attend Pre
Kindergarten and Kindergarten in
seven A lb in a schools and are in-
(Please turn to page 2 col. 4)
F or Colored Girls .. w ill play
at Cabell Center this weekend
rather than an Opening N ig h t
Cabaret as previously announced.
(Please see Page 5 column I .)
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