Pag* 2 Portland Obaarvar January 17, 1980
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Strong leader needed
The State Human Resource Bureau is
seeking a manager for the Albina Human
Resource Center, a position that is of the ut­
most importance to this community.
The center director not only coordinates the
activities of several state and county agencies
housed in the building, but manages
emergency services. He/she also should in­
fluence the policies and procedures of the
various agencies and their relationship to the
community.
The person who is selected for this position
should be Black and live in the community. He
should have a history of involvement in com­
munity agencies and organizations -- both
those with governmental ties and those form­
ed by community people to address their
needs He should have been seen, known and
respected by the people living m this.com­
munity
those who will need services sup­
plied by the center as well as those who will be
depended upon to support the center in the
community.
He should be someone who has a proven
record of work with community based boards.
He should have a demonstrated ability to work
within the state system -- interpreting, guiding
and explaining state guidelines and objectives.
He should have the ability to organize com­
munity support for the center and for its vol­
unteer programs.
The new director must have a personal
knowledge of the needs of the community, the
problems peculiar to Albina, the culture and
the expectations of the residents. He must
also have the training and experience in the
social services field to turn these understand­
ings into concrete programs. He must have
the strength of character to stand up for those
who need an advocate or a protector, and the
energy and enthusiasm to enable him to en­
dure the disappointments and the criticism,
if this person can be found -- and we know
he can -- the Albina Human Resource Center
can rise to a new level of service.
Voluntary integration underscores choice
By Herb L. Cawthorne
Move winter games
Four years ago many Americans were upset
about a boycott of the Olympic Games by
many Africans nations, saying the games
should be above politics. Now many of the
same Americans, including our President, are
calling for the removal of the games from the
Soviet Union.
These same Americans should be calling for
the removal of the Winter Olympics from the
United States, for the housing of visiting
athletics in a prison is an insult to the spirit of
the Olympics.
Olympic Village, near Lake Placid, New
York, will become a youth prison for the
Federal Bureau of Prisons after the Olympics
are completed. Funded by the U.S. Depart­
ment of Justice, the $22 million project will
become a medium-security prison for 500
youthful offenders -- mostly non-white be­
tween the ages of 18 and 25.
The prison, 300 miles from the Eastern cities
from which it will draw inmates, ignores the
government's own policy that prisons be
located in or near metropolitan areas so family
and community ties can be retained.
Contrary to other nations in the western
world, which are steadily decreasing their
prison populations, the U.S. is building
prisons at a rapid pace. Olympic Prison is one
of an estimated 1,000 federal prisons that wiM
be built in the next five years, housing an ad­
ditional 300,000 prisoners at a cost of $25
million.
The Olympic Village -- with bars over the
small windows, solid doors w ith little
peepholes and firm, heavy locks, surrounded
by a double cyclone fence - should not house
young athletes who come together to enjoy
the sharing of different cultures and races as
well as the spirit of competition.
It is an insult to the athletes and to the
nations they represent.
Rhodesia to Zimbabwe:
The rocky road
Black children can learn
in all-Black schools... But
Black leaders must work to
provide alternatives that
make a choice, particularly
fo r poor parents, a viable
one And here, litigation is
no substitute fo r the hard,
u n g la m o r o u s p o l i t i c a l
education that is essential in
building effective pu blic
schools whereever they are
found.
(Derrick
Bell
“Learning from the Brown
E xperience“ The Black
Scholar, S e p tem b er/O c­
tober)
In recent weeks, the messages
from the Black community which I
have heard have been mixed. Some,
in the tradition of Thurgood Mar­
shall, say integration is essential for
quality education and it must be
mandated by the Board o f
Education. Required busing is ab­
solutely necessary.
Indeed, there are those who feel
quite comfortable with the present
structure o f desegregation in Port­
land, arguing that the process o f in­
tegration in a society soaked with
racism is a burden Blacks alone
must bear since the great majority
o f whites will not participate.
Some say integration is not highly
valued if it must be achieved against
the s tiff resistence o f the white
community and that seeking it un­
der such circumstances only con­
tributes to the sense o f inferiority
often fostered in the Black psyche.
Yet others have urged that self-
determination is far more important
fo r the Black race than is in ­
tegration. W hile expressing a
general distaste for integration, they
say there is an undeniably pressing
need for Black parents to maintain
the right to insure a strong influence
on the values im parted to their
children.
The conflicting messages are not
signs of confusion. They reflect the
Crucial year coming up
By V ernon E. Jordan, Jr.
By N. Fungiti K um bula
Fifteen weeks o f sometimes up
and sometimes down negotiations at
Lancaster House culminated in the
signing of a peace agreement in late
December ending the bitter seven
year war of liberation in Zimbabwe.
When the negotiations started in
early September, the opposing sides
were so far apart that an agreement
did not seem at all possible.
However, the grim realities o f the
war prodded some o f the same
African countries that had prevailed
on Britain to back away from her
original course which was to
recognize the illegal Muzorewa
regime and the hell with everything
else, to soften their position
somewhat.
So, as discussed last week, the
front line states o f Angola, Bot­
swana, Mozambique, Tanzania and
Zambia which offered sanctuary an
other related support to the
Patriotic Front guerrillas leaned on
the PF to be more flexible in their
demands As a result o f this
pressure, the agreement fin a lly
signed was a lot less than the
Africans had been demanding The
most contentious issue had been the
veto power that Muzorewa had
allowed the whites to retain in the
so-called internal agreement.
Another equally burning issue was
involved “ compensation” to those
whites whose land were to be ex­
propriated under an independent
Zimbabwe’ s land reapportionment
plan.
Though the new agreement does
address both questions as well as
control o f the army, police force
and civil service, it is little different
than the old. For one thing, the
whites still are allowed 20 seats in a
100 seat Senate-that’ s s till 20ff'o
representation even though they
constitute less than 3V# o f the
population. Though theoretically
this 20ffo no longer has veto power,
whites s till exercise a dispropor­
tionate clout because any con­
stitutional changes w ill require a
unanimous consent. This is the only
constitution I know o f with such an
absurd stipulation.
The question of "compensation”
for white owned land was sidestep­
ped. Instead, Britain, the U.S. and
several other European economic
community members agreed to set
up a Zimbabwe development fund
and it is money from this fund that
will be used to buy this land from
the whites and pass it on to the
government of Zimbabwe The PF
had logically argued that, since the
land was stolen in the first place,
there was no need to compensate the
thieves.
The Lancaster House agreement
also calls for the holding of elections
from February 27 through the 29th
to elect a m ajority Black govern­
ment fo r Zimbabwe. D uring the
abortive March elections the PF
boycotted the elections because the
constitution on which they were
based was so unfair. This time the
PF will contest the elections which
also would be supervised by a com­
bined B ritis h -C o m m o n w e a lth
peace-keeping force. A cease-fire
agreement which was also signed as
part o f the Lancaster agreement
stipulated that this peace-keeping
force would also be responsible for
keeping the former combatantspthe
PF guerrillas and the Rhodesian
army apart.
Rhodesia also reverted to colonial
status and the British appointed a
Lord Soamesto be the all powerful
governor. Though he was supposed
to have been running Rhodesia only
with the help of the Commonwealth
peace keeping force while both the
Rhodesian army and the guerrillas
were confined to camps, lately he
has been relying very heavily on the
Rhodesian army to " tra c k down
renegade guerrillas.”
* W ith the whites guaranteed 20
seats, it means the Africans will be
contesting only 80 seats out o f the
100 to ta l. Also given that the
Africans vote will be split at least six
ways-there are six Black candidates
running-no Black can come up with
a majority. A majority would mean
at least 51 seats.
NEXT: Is there life after the elec­
tions?
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ranging and changing attitudes that
different schools in 1977. This was
attend the subjects o f desgregation.
not voluntary!
Indeed, no matter what one’ s per­
I believe the voluntary program
spective, the experience o f Brown
now under discussion is appropriate
vs. Board o f Education has ren­
given the multitude o f opinions in
dered many lessons. One o f the
the Black community. Under a truly
forem ost is reflected in the
voluntary program, those who have
realization o f many Black parents
transferred can come back to their
that “ ...equal education o p p o r­
neighborhood school. Boundary
tu n ity is not simply racial com ­
changes, space adjustments and
position o f schools,” as Robert G.
capital construction will insure this.
Newby wrote in a recent issue of
Those who do not want to transfer
The Black Scholar He asserted that
out o f their neighborhood school
‘ ‘ Therefore,
the q u a lity
of
will not have to do so. The Board of
education rather than the racial
Education w ill not eliminate scat­
com position o f the schools is of
tering that exists at present; but
critical importance.”
parents can reduce it or eliminate it
Given the changing o f attitudes
by exercising their right to select
and a firm realization that quality is how they will participate.
far more critical than racial num­
No parent w ill be required to
bers, I have come to believe that a transfer a child. Thus, in making a
voluntary desegregation program is choice, a parent can follow his or
best suited to present needs. When I
her belief as regards integration.
say “ v o lu n ta ry ,” th a t’ s exactly
This seems far better than trying to
what I mean
elim inate scattering, which is
In the past, the Board o f
detrimental, by rnandatorily pulling
Education instituted policies that
all the children back and changing
required Black parents to par­
all the schools to accommodate
ticipate in the administrative trans­
mandatory busing for racial bal­
fer program. And the Board con­
ance.
doned the a d m in istra tio n o f the
Educational improvements must
program which sent Black children
be the heart and soul o f any new ef­
in small numbers to more than 50 forts. This is wise, for as Derrick
schools throughout the city.
Bell has w ritten, “ Desegregation
The C om m unity C o a litio n for
plans that emphasize upgrading o f
School Integration in November
teaching standards and techniques
1 r e p o r t e d , “ The m andatory
at schools where Black children at­
elimination o f grade levels in all o f
tend are gaining judicial support in
the elementary schools, except
Detroit, Boston, and elsewhere.”
Boise, has not been carried out in
P o rtla n d ’ s Black com m unity
any other community in the district.
does not need to gain "judicial sup­
Students leaving the Black com ­ p o rt" to insist that standards of ex­
munity for the purpose o f school cellence be devised and imparted to
desegregation have been scattered
parents, students, teachers, and
and isolated throughout the whole administrators working within our
school district."
shcools. No child should be forced
For illustration, Sabin grades 6,
to transfer from a neighborhood
7, and 8 were eliminated in the fall
school because the quality o f oppor­
o f 1976 -- 201 students were sent to tunity is less there than it is at a
15 schools. The 7th grade was school outside the neighborhood. If
eliminated at Woodlawn in 1977, a child is transferred, it should be to
and that year 176 students were sent
obtain special instruction in a
to 18 schools. Each year, more
unique program that suits well the
students were sent to more schools.
aspirations of that particular child.
U ntil, as the ultimate example, 451
This is distinctly different that
students from King were sent to 39 what has gone on before.
1st Place
Community Service
ONPA 1973
We’ re entering one of those years
that come along every decade or so
in which decisions are made that will
affect the course o f the future.
One such decision, of course, will
be made by the electorate --
choosing a President.
Both parties are em broiled in
heated primary campaigns, a sure
sign that this election won’ t be a
routine one. The stakes are big.
Am erica’ s position o f the w orld
leadership, a faltering economy,
future energy policies, and the cour­
se o f m in o rity aspirations to
equality are all in the balance.
Black people will be the targets of
vote-hunting politicians searching
fo r support o f a key group that
holds the balance o f electoral power
in many important states.
Carter partisans are pointing to
the Administration’ s generally good
record on m in o rity -- oriented
issues, while glossing over some un­
filled promises. Kennedy and Brown
backers are saying they can and will
do more.
On the other side o f the political
fence, Republicans are still trying to
decide how far to go to attract
Blacks to their banner. In the past,
their national candidates have
generally ignored Blacks But all too
often Democrats have just taken
Black voters fo r granted. So the
field is wide open for a real scramble
for the crucial Black vote.
Thus, 1980 w ill find candidates
coming to A m erica’ s ghettos in
search o f support. That support
should not be given lightly. Black
voters shouldn’t slide silently into
anyone’ s hip pocket.
Black bargaining power can be
maximized by two strategies. First,
Black leadership at all levels and in
all fields, should be demanding con­
crete, ironclad commitments to key
elements of the Black agenda. It is
no longer enough for candidates to
make promises in private. They’ve
got to make them out front in full
public view, and thus shift the cen­
ter o f gravity o f national debate
away from national indifference to
minority needs.
A second, perhaps more im por­
tant strategy, is to sharply boost
Black registration. In 1976, when
Black voters elected a President, less
than half actually went to the polls.
Unless that figure is increased,
politicians w ill continue to believe
that the Black vote is not central to
their campaign strategy .
Alm ost as im portant for Black
people in 1980, w ill be the census.
Past census figures grossly under­
counted the true number o f Black
people in the population. The result
has been to shortchange Blacks and
the cities they live in, since most
formulas for federal aid are based
on census -- derived population
figures.
Those census figures also are used
in reapportioning legislative distric­
ts, from Congress on down to local
councils.
That
means some
Congressional seats w ill be lost in
areas where Blacks predominate, as
Black votes may be diluted by the
a d d itio n ot suburban areas to
existing urban districts.
Lhat is the likely outcome if the
census undercounts Black urban
populations. So it is in minority in­
terests to make sure the Census
Bureau gets an accurate Black and
H ispanic
count,
and
every
minority person has a stake in being
counted.
Economic issues are bound to
dominate 1980. Inflation continues
to hit the poor hardest and the
OPEL price - gouging w ill inflict
greater damage on the economy. By
late 1979 there were wholesale
layoffs in key manufacturing in ­
dustries that employ large numbers
o f minorities.
So a Black community that never
recovered from the last recession
will be hit by a new one. That’ s sure
to lead to an increased flow o f
emergency aid programs, but such
jo b creation is not substitute for
mainstream employment. And even
stop-gap programs will be bitterly
fought by those who think a balan­
ced budget is more important than
avoidance o f harsh suffering for
working people.
How the nation deals w ith its
economic problems in 1980 could
set the pattern fo r the decades’ s
economy. How the census operates
in 1980 could determine Black
political and economic prospects for
the decade. Who the nation chooses
as its President in 1980 could deter­
mine America's future.
This is a year o f high stakes.
1st Place
Best Ad Results
ONPA 1973
5th Place
Best Editorial
ONPA 1973
Honorable Mention
Herrick Editorial Award
NNA 1973
2nd Place
Best Editorial
3rd Place
Community Leadership
ONPA 1975
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3rd Piece
Community Leadership
ONPA 1978
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