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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 1980)
F*»*« r.. cea U n iv e r s ity o f e.- - *- ** - - > » - ¿ .3 „ i . National Black Political Convention meets The N ational Black P o litica l Assembly (NBPA), an outgrowth of the historic National Black Political Convention held in Gary, Indiana in 1972, will convene its fourth Con vention in New Orleans from August 21st to 24th. The NBPA was formed as a direct result o f the Gary Convention. At the Gary Convention, the first o f its kind in America, over 8,000 persons attended and heard the leaders o f the NBPA in conjunction with the Convention delegates, develop an alternative Black Politics for Black people. M ore s ig n ific a n tly , the N BPA adopted a “ National Black Political Agenda" at the Gary Convention, and the agenda has since its adop tio n , been considered one o f the most comprehensive statements o f Black concerns, goals and policy preferences in this generation. Using the agenda as its guide, the NBPA has taken stands on issues o f concern to Black people as well as raising its own issues o f concern and holding conventions throughout the country. This year’ s convention theme is “ Developing A Progressive(Black Agenda fo r the 1980’ s fro m the Grass Roots” . The Louisiana Black P o litic a l Assembly is serving as host. A ccording to M ashariki Kurudisha, co-chairperson o f NB PA, “ We expect approxim ately 2,000 persons, including delegates, alternates and observers from thorughout the country. Highlighting the convention, in ad dition to our principal speakers, will be a series o f interesting and exciting workshops focusing on a wide range o f topics and issues.” These include em ploym ent, housing, education, economic development, health, food, land, energy, alternative technology. Black culture, the Black Church, lib e ra tio n , youth and students, Black women, te elderly, labor, the media and com m unity develop ment. Minister Louis Farrakhan w ill be the keynote speaker, speaking on “ B uilding a Grass Roots Black Political Party in the 80s” . Dr. Barbara Seizcmore, former Superintendent o f the Washington, D.C. Public Schools and considered one o f the nation’ s most progressive educational innovators, will address the topic o f “ Building Community Based Institutions.” Dr. Seizemore w ill include in her remarks a position that she has long m ain tained that the Black com m unity must participate more fully in the existing public school systems in the United States. Among the Convention goals will be: to adopt a statement o f p rin ciples for the development o f an In dependent Black Politca! Party; to offer a major statement on the state o f the Black Nation; to update the 1972 National Black Political Agen da; to examine the relationship o f the National Black Community in America to A frica, the Caribbean and the T h ird W o rld ; and, to provide analysis o f the p o litico- economic order in the United States. Father A lb e rt J. M cK n ig h t, recently appointed member o f the N ational Consumer Bank, w ill speak on “ Where have we been? Where are we going?” An activist scholar, Father McKight is president o f the Southern Cooperative Development Fund, Inc. The Convention w ill be held at the dowtown Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. Volume 10 Number 30 Auguat 7,1980 10$per copy PORTLAND OBSERVER U S P S 9 6 9 680 i « m tail Senior citizens seek service center site Sonja Coleman and friend explain boycott iasues during picket of Lloyd Center. Because of the involvement of Bob Cameron, vice president of the Lloyd Corporation In the school board recall movement, the Black United Front Is asking Black people and sup porters not to spend their money at Lloyd Center. (Photo: Richard J. Brown) Portland youth seek world titles Five Portland students are with the fifty -tw o member N ational A A U /U S A freestyle and Greco- Roman wrestling teams currently in Stockholm, Sweden seeking to ex tend U.S. domination o f the World Cadet Championships. A A U /U S A teams have been quite successful in previous W orld Schoolboy events, winning six of the seven team championships. This is the first time that the age group competition, Intermediate Division (13-I4), Advanced Division (15-16), has been held in Europe. The American teams qualified through the Am ateur A th le tic U nion’ s Junior Olympic program. Top place finishers in the A A U Grand N ational Cham pionships (Ju ly 17-20 in L in c o ln , Neb.) qualified for the Schoolboy Team elim inations. A fte r selection, the squads trained for one week in Lin coln, Neb. For the first time Greco-Roman w restling is part o f the W orld Schoolboy program. Greco-Roman involves the exclusive use o f upper body holds, as compared to freestyle, where attacks are permit ted below the waist. There were 400 participants in the Grand National Greco-Roman tournament, making it one o f the largest Greco-Roman competitions o f all time. Marc Sprague o f Portland is the best known o f the U.S. wrestlers, having won five consecutive Schoolboy crowns. W illia m T a ylo r also has won previous Schoolboy titles. Others from Portland are: Keith Stewart, advanced freestyle team; John W achsm ith, advanced Greco- Roman; and Andre Taylor, inter mediate Greco-Roman. The inner N ortheast senior citizens have been assured o f the availability o f $100,000 from the C ity and C ounty to purchase facilities for a senior citizen center. The Near Northeast Seniors, Inc., which is chaired by Maude Young, is an outgrowth o f the Northeast Senior Citizens Service Center which was established by the Model Cities Project. The Northeast Senior C itizens Service Center, which became an exemplory program and is the model for other senior citizens programs in the metropolitan area, was gradually phased out o f existance after the termination o f Model Cities. The center was established and operated by a policy board o f senior citizens, chaired by M rs. M arie Sm ith. A t its height, the center provided transportation, handyman services, telephone reassurance, emergency help, and educational and recreational program s - all provided by a contingent o f senior citizens they employed part time. Three years ago the program , under a new City policy, was sub contracted to the Urban League o f Portland with the senior citizens board in merely an advisory capacity. Last summer the demise of the center was completed with the move from its former location on Union Avenue, which in the mean tim e had become unsuitable, to King Neighborhood Facility where they share space w ith the youth program. Although it is a location for the program offices, the current facilities do not provide adequate space for the senior citizens. In an effort to regain control o f their center the seniors incorporated their board as the Inner Northeast Senior Citizens, Inc. and attempted to get their own City contract. This hope was not fulfilled, and the U r ban League was awarded a four year contract to operate the service program. The opportunity to again have a center that would provide space for activities as well as house the service program offices arose w ith the availability o f a $100,000 one-time grant. For several months a Task Force, chaired by Maude Young and R oberti P h illip s , have been meeting to discuss potential sites and to plan fund raising activities. M onday the Task Force was presented with two possible sites - 4128 NE Union Avenue and 1516 NE Killingsworth. The property at 4128 N.E. Union, which is owned by S. M. and G. Home Development Contractors, Inc. (Eddie Moss) is a tw o-story frame building with a full basement. built in 1904. Max Bolte, with the C om m unity Design Center, ex plained that the first floor would be usable for seniors providing a ramp were built to provide acess to the rear door, which is above ground level. He said the furnance, elec trical work and plumbing seem to be in good condition. The building has a parking lot in the rear, which ex tends to Grand Avenue, but there w ill be no parking on U nion Avenue. Moss has agreed to sell the ad joining property for future expan sion and two additional pieces o f property are potentially available. The property at 1516 NE K illin g sw o rth is owned by Coast Janitorial Service. This is a one- story, masonary building with no basement, built in 1938. It has an adjoining parking lot, convenient to the front door. Adjacent property is also available for expansion. Watts Reginald Hendrix (right) and Mark Sanchez Oregon representatives to Boy s Nation visit with said the b u ild in g w ill probably require a new furnance, extensive rewiring and lighting and possibly some plumbing. Since it has an ex tremely high roof, it w ill require a lowered ceiling. The Task Force elim inated the Union Avenue property from con sideration and extended the time lim it fo r a property search u n til August 18th, hoping to find a more suitable building. Senator Mark Hatfield while In Waehlngton. D.C. Hendrix represents Oregon By Stephanie Cote Reginald Hendrix who was elec ted Governor o f the 1981 Beavers Boy’s State, represented Oregon at the Boy’ s Nation in Washington, D.C. The week long session was held July 18-27 at the American University. The session was spon sored by The American Legion. Hendrix’ s main responsibility as Oregon’ s representative was to write a Legislative Bill and try to have it passed. H e n d rix ’ s b ill was a proposed Federal B ottle B ill modeled after Oregon’ s own bottle bill. Upon arriving, ail the represen tatives became Senators, and were divided into two political parties, the Federalist and the Nationalists. Senate sessions composed o f both parties, were held and a Senate Sub committee reviewed each proposed Bill by the Senators. The activities o f Boy’ s Nation in cluded: a dance with G irl’ s Nation held upon their departure and Boy’s Nation arrival, a full day on Capitol H ill, tours o f the Jefferson and Lin coln M e m o ria l, the W ashington monument, the State Department, the W hite House, A rlin g to n (Please turn to Page 6 Col 3) illygate: The Washington establishment fights for survival By Frank Viviano (PNS) S hortly after the Democratic Party primary season ended in June, a curious scene un folded at the White House. When Jimmy Carter and Edward Kennedy emerged before TV cameras from their first and only post-primary meeting, Kennedy was all smiles. But the President looked unaccoun tably troubled - even though he had "w hipped Kennedy's ass” in the primaries, just as he had predicted months earlier. What troubled him? Any answer is speculative, but amidst the current furor over "B illygate," the campaign to free p rim ary- committed convention delegates and the new coziness between Kennedy and John Anderson, that curious White House scene is beginning to make sense. It is almost certain that the June conversation turned to sub jects o f an unpleasant character for Jimmy Carter - perhaps some em- brassing information about brother B illy , perhaps the threat o f a Kennedy/Anderson alliance. Whatever Kennedy told Carter that day, the real message conveyed in the meeting was that the Massachusetts Senator held a critical trum p card: high-ranking membership in the W ashington “ C lu b ,” the deeply entrenched power structure in the Capital which includes the nation’s most influen tial legislators, senior civil servants and jo u rn a lis ts . The Kennedy family has been a key element in the Club since the Senator’ s father went to W ashington during the New Deal. But the membership list decidely excludes Jimmy Carter, and despite his incumbency and record string o f prim ary victories that may be enough to elim inate from the Democratic ticket. The candidacy o f Ronald Reagan makes this scenario all the more plausible. For should C arter be renominated to face him, it would mark the first time in 50 years that neither m ajor party candidate represents the W ashington establishment. Unlike Carter, however, Reagan has his own establishment: an in dependent power base in the neo conservative West, the populous and prosperous exception to the general rule o f m elancholic American depression these days. Few people in Washington under stand with any clarity what Reagan means, regardless o f their party af filiation. But they respect the power he symbolizes. Reagan has signalled his intention to apply a shock treatm ent to government, and the people who comprise the government are plainly scared. Rumors have been c ir culating for months that even mid level staffers in the federal bureaucracy are looking fo r new jobs elsewhere. Carter’s approach to government has never commanded either fearful respect or sympathetic cooperation. It sought a middle ground between the tired and largely discredited policies o f the Democratic Party’ s liberal wing - the ideological home o f most federal bureaucrats - and the slightly terrifying, incomprehen sible alternative posed by the new right. Although many Americans find that ground congenial, it does not measure up to a well-organized base o f power. Carter is synonomous w ith the New South, less a real geographical entity than a buzz term invented by jo u rn a lists in search o f catchy d e fin itio n s . The New South has none o f the intransigent w ill o f the O ld South and none o f the economic force o f what Kirkpatrick Sale calls the “ Southern R im ,” which draws its power from the concentrated fin a n cia l and population centers o f Texas and Southern C a lifo rn ia . Jim m y Car ter’ s Atlanta is at best a very poor sister to Los Angeles and Houston, and an anomaly in the region which surrounds it. Behind the smokescreen of (Please turn to Page 7 Col 1) k
