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% Page 2 Portland Observar January 22. 1981 Namibia: It's the same old song... EDITORIAL/OPINION January 20: A day to remember January 20th was a busy day -- the hostages were freed, the Oregon Suprem e C ourt declared the Oregon death penalty law u n constitutional, the House Committee on Aging and Minority Affairs met in Albina for the first tim e, a state w ide organization of w elfare clients and the poor was established, and the nation got another new president. So although the inauguration of Ronald Reagan as president is ominous for Blacks and others minorities and the poor - the day was tempered with other positives. The end of the death penalty is significant, not only because the poor are executed, but because it is immoral for the government to kill. The organization of a state wide organiza tion of low incom e people and w elfare recipients is an im p o rta n t move tow ard organization to demand that the government provide the basic essentials for those in need. The current w elfare budget does not even provide the basic constitutional right to life. Perhaps this new organization will pick up the spirit of King's Poor People's March and that of the organizations of the '60s. The hostages were freed, but w hile the nation celebrates we should remember that our nation is preventing the freedom of other peoples through the provision of arms and through economic domination. While the hostages were freed, we should remember that the US has one of the highest incarce ra tion rates in the w o rld and th a t Oregon has the second highest incarceration rate of Blacks am ong the states, w ith W ashington firs t. The press is concerned about the psychological e ffe cts of the hostages' long isolation and their return home. But is there concern about the prisoners who leave OSP w ith $100 and no place to go? Is there attention to the causes of the crimes tht send them to prison in such great numbers? The m eeting of the House C om m ittee in Albina was significant - not only as a gesture in bringing the people's representatives to the community, but in allowing the community to set the agenda for the committee work. W hether the sum of Tuesday's events w ill be plus or minus depends on us. If those who are concerned abo ut social program s, education, welfare and bills of particular im portance to Blacks like the racial harassment bill and the Black Commission, and those who oppose reinstatem ent of the death penalty don't show up in Salem to lobby; if the people who are worried about the problem s of the poor, of edu cation and of ju stice do not organize and work together; if we do not in form our governm ent th a t our concern fo r freedom includes all the peoples of the world - then the net effects of the incidents of January 20th will be negative. Black-Jewish unity (Editor's Note: This editorial was originally published in the Afro-American newspapers.) The rise of right-w ing political religion -- racist and anti poor politics masquerading as Evangelical faith - may be creating a quite unexpected reaction: the rejoining of Blacks and Jews. If so, far rig h t, "b e lie v e rs " may be c o n tributing to the very "backlash" that will prove to be their undoing. Not only Blacks and Jews, but also much of the old-line liberal coalition, may be forced to combat politico- religio fundamentalism. Ever since the Seventies began, that venerable coalition (which engineered much of the civil rights legislation) has been falling apart: - A liberating and affirm ing sense of racial dignity caused Blacks to forego alliances with whites, following the purging of whites in SN CC. Growing bureaucracy in the unions, joined by racist resentment against affirmative action decisions, such as the Philadelphia Plan, alienated trade unionism from the Black struggle in some places. - M ost im portant, the Bakke and Weber court decisions, symbolic of many Jews fear of racial quotas (due to the use of such quotas against Jews) served to complete the Black- Jewish break. Because of these and other events, the soothsayers have long announced the death of the Black-Jewish liberal-uion coalition. But the elections have scared some into seeing, once anew, the need for allies. The Atlanta leadership recoiled in disbelief as white Baptist announced that God didn't hear prayers of Jews. And both Blacks and Jews have become alarmed by threats to turn the United States into a "C hristian n a tio n " (meaning, of course a WASP nation). A pre-election assembly of Black clergy in W ashington, D.C., also sounded the alarm against the M oral M a jo rity, as did Patricia Harris and other Blacks in government. Now comes word that Jews (who have felt estranged from most of the Black movement for some time) have taken notice of this Black concern for religious (as w ell as racial) pluralism. It is alm ost as if the M oral M a jo rity has caused Blacks to reaffirm co m m itm e n t to religious d iversity -- m eaning, of course, especially the Jewish and Muslim minorities. Thus, it was w ith much happiness that we heard Rabbi Alexander Schindler, president of the Union of Am erican Hebrew Congregations, call on Jews to rejoin Blacks in "c o a lito n s of decency against the ch illin g power fo the radical right.” Rabbi Schindler went even further. He said, "W e w ill disagree w ith Blacks on racial quotas, but we will continue to share a vision of compassionate society and work together in support of national health insurance, youth em ploym ent, decent housing, and sim ilar programs." This clarion call to u n ity and a llia n ce building is perhaps one of the most promising things to happen in recent days. It is a positive sign that all may not be lost, that the forces of the right wing may not rule for long, and that even Blacks and Jews may be headed toward healing times. Surely this past election has taught us (and all who want to see a just and humane and p lu ra listic society) th a t co a litio n s are ab solutely mandatory in order to combat conser- vativism and racism. It is time for a massive "hom ecoming” of all who once shared in the civil rights family. Portland Observer The Portland Observer IU S P S 959 680I is pubbshed every Thurs day by E»ie Publishing Company Inc , 2201 North Killmgsworth Portland Oregon 97217 Post Oftice B o. 3137 Portland. Oregon 97208 Second class postage paid at Portland Oregon 1st Place Community Service ON PA 1973 1st Place Best Ad Result ON PA 1973 Subscriptions »10 00 per year m Tri County area P o s tm as te r Send address changes to the Portland Observer, P O. Bon 3137 5th Place Best Editorial O N PA 1973 Portland, Oregon 97208 The P ortland Observer was founded in October of 1970 by Alfred Lee Henderson The P o rtla n d Observer is a champior if |ustice, equality and liberation; an alert guard against socia its a thorough analyst and critic of discriminatory practices policies a sentmal to warn of impending and esistmg racist and practices; and a defender against persecution and oppression Bruce Broussard Editor/Publuher [I Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association MEMBER The real problems of the mmonty population will be viewed and presented from the perspective of their causality unrestrained ano c h ro n o ic ally e n tre n c h e d racism N atio n a l and in te rn a tio n a l I M W A peb h u o e lH o n • Fourttfd I M S < arrangements that prolong and increase the oppression of Third World peoples shall be considered in the contest of their e> ploitation and manipulation by the colonial nations including the United States, and their relationship to this nation's historical treatment of its Black population 283 2486 N a tio n a l A d v e rtis in g R ep re s e n ta tiv e A m a lg a m a te d Publishers Inc N e w York Honorable Mention Herrick Editorial Award N N A 1973 2nd Place Best Editorial 3rd Place Community Leadership ON PA 1975 3rd Place Community Leadership ONPA 197B 3rd Place In depth coverage ON PA 1979 » . *>*TiOa»Ai 'gk& tíñr' M*x»a»»e By Fungai Kumbula It was naive to have expected or Namibia. anything d iffe re n t. For a ll the A ll along South A fric a had hoopla the illegal South A fric a n promised to allow the N am ibian regime has received lately, it still has elections to proceed this year. The its collective head buried in the UN U nder Secretary, Brian sand. The only thing that has hap Urquahart had even made a special pened is that a few o f the grains o f trip to Pretoria, the South African sand has been blown aside but all it capital, to assure the South Africans revealed is that even after almost o f he U N ’ s im partially since South four hundred years, the head in the A fric a had charged the UN was sand is still as hard as concrete. biased in fa v o u r o f SW APO , the In spite o f the lessons o f Mozam Namibian liberation movement that bique, Angola and Zimbabwe, the is expected to win any free and fair “ th in k in g " i f one can call it that, elections. The UN had gone so far s till is: one step fo rw a rd and fo ur as to cut o ff funding for SW APO’ s steps back. The lastest backsliding mission at the UN and, the involves South A fric a ’ s latest an liberation movement and its Front- swer to the on-again, off-again Line supporters (Angola, Botswana, Nam ibian issue. Since 1977, the Zimbabwe, Zam bia, Mozambique United Nations has been negotiating and Tanzania) had suspended with South Africa to allow the hold m ilitary operations in Namibia as a ing o f UN supervised elections in the gesture o f their commitment to find UN trust territory South Africa has ing pleaceful so lu tion to the occupied ille ga lly fo r the last 61 Namibia issue. years. In 1978. 1979 and 1980, South Africa agreed to let these elec Even w ith everyone concerned tions be held but each time brought bending over backwards to ac up one or more o f its endless array comodate her like this. South Africa o f stalling tactics. The result has s till found a way to renege on her been that the Namibian question has pledge. She refused to set a firm been in limbo ever since. date fo r the proposed N am ibian After the people’s victory and the elections claim ing that she needed eventual ascendary o f the Mugabe more time to be convinced that the government and its pledge to build a UN was im p a rtia l. The A frica n s nation for all Zimbabweans regard im m ediately headed fo r the UN less o f colour, there was speculation where they pressed fo r immediate in ihe international arena that South p u n itive measures against South Africa would take this as a valuable Africa. They are once again asking lesson and quickly move to resolve fo r the im p o s itio n o f a to ta l the N am ibian problem and even economic boycott o f South A frica begin to make genuine concessions including a c u to ff o f oil. In the past w ith in South A fric a proper. The such sanctions have been vetoed bv latest development should put an none other than the “ land o f the end to any such misplaced hopes. free and home o f the brave,” the US The South A fric a n regime is s till along with her other Western allies; mired in the 16th century and stub Britain, France, West Germany and bornly refuses to deal with 20th cen Canada. The Western argument tury reality. Slavery is s till legal in then was that sanctions should only South A fric a and the apartheid be used as a last resort after all other regime has no intention o f changing methods had ta ile d. The A fric a n the status quo in either South Africa nations are now pointin g out that they have tried every conceivable peaceful method there is; the only other alternative left w ould be a m ilitary confrontation The African measure is likely to be passed by the General Assembly which has a T hird W orld m a jo rity and is con sequently more sympathetic. It is in the Security C ouncil where the Africans are waiting to see whether the West will once again come to the rescue o f the belagured South African regime. S h ortly a fte r South A fric a delivered her negative response to the UN on the Namibian elections, SW APO President, Sam N ujom a, flanked by ambassadors from Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, held a news conference at which he declared SW APO was going to in tensify the armed struggle because that was the only way left to liberate Namibia and her oppressed peoples. He also expressed the hope that Western nations would heed the A fric a n call fo r a to ta l econom ic boycott o f the apartheid regime and so be counted on the side o f those who fight fo r justice and equality for all peace loving people all over the world. So in Naibia, as has happened so many times before, it ’ s back to the drawing board. Analysts say South A fric a may have decided on the latest stalling tactics because she ex pects a friendlier ear in W ashington with the incoming adm inistration. The A frica n s are, therefore, also anxiously watching to see if the new administration will stand on the side o f dignity and equality for all or if it will instead be swayed by the current wave o f right wing rhetoric trying to turn back the hands o f time. More than lik e ly , N am ibia w ill be Reagan’ s first test in Africa. The Red Year 1980 B y Dr. Manning Marable Part / / The last months o f 1979 and the year 1980 brought a reemergence o f a particularly virulent white racism to the very center o f Am erican society and p o litic s . T hro ug ho ut U.S. h isto ry, there have been periodically groundswells o f mass support fo r a n ti-B la c k , anti- Semitic, and/or anti-Catholic ideas; the n ativist Know N othing movement in Northern cities during the 1840s and 1850s; the white reac tion against Black Reconstruction in the late nineteenth century; the xenophobia and racist/anti-Semitic dogma o f the “ secon d" Ku Klux Kian o f the Harding and Coolidge administrations; the segregationist South’ s "M assive Resistance" to the c iv il rights leg isla tion o f the 1950s and 1960s. O nly the terrible Red Summer o f 19 19, when hun dreds o f Blacks were slaughtered, lynched and in some instances publicly burned, outdistanced the racial crisis o f the more recent past. Examples o f this new level o f racist te rro r are almost endless; a cross burnin g at the home o f a Somerset, New Jersey, Black com munity activist in November, I979; the vicious execution o f 22 year old Jimmy Lee Campbell, a Black deaf man, by two white hunters because “ they failed to bag a deer in their day’ s h un ting t r i p , " in O ro v ille , C a lifo rn ia , January, I980; a nine year old Black girl shot in Wrights ville, Georgia, in the wake o f a rally demanding an end to housing and jo b d is c rim in a tio n ; fo u r Black churches firebom bed in Far Rockaway, New Y o rk , in M ay, 1980; two Black teenagers killed by sniper fire in C in c in n a ti as they walked to a neighborhood store in June, I980; the near-fatal shooting o f Vernon Jordan, executive direc tor o f the National Urban League, at a motel in Fort Wayne, Indiana; tw o young Black men kille d by sniper fire in Salt Lake City, where only days before a burning mattress was thrown on the steps o f a Black church and a burnin g cross was planted at a tra n s it a u th o rity w orkshop where a Black man w orked, in August, 1980; the mysterious murdr o f at least eleven Black children in Atlanta, Georgia. P a rticu la rly tragic were the racial incidents in Y oungstow n, O hio. T hroughout O ctober, I980, there were widespread rum ors that the Kian intended to plant a bomb at a Black high school. Several Blacks were chased o ff the streets by gun- welding whites. Black owned automobiles were deliberately shot. F in a lly , a group o f w hite youths decided to shoot “ a couple o f niggers” at random . Their victim was a young teenaged Black g irl who had been playing along the sidewalk in front o f her home. The father o f one o f the white youths admitted later that he allowed them to use his tru c k , even though he knew o f their plans in advance. At the root o f many o f these in cidents was the Black comm unity's historic enemy, the Ku Klux Kian. In its " g lo r y days” o f the early 1920s, the KKK entered state and local elections w ith great success. During I922 and 1923 the Kian elec ted governors in Oregon and Georgia, a U.S. Senator in Texas and hundreds o f sheriffs, state at torneys, mayors, judges and police com m issioners. In I924 it helped elect governors in C olorado and M aine, won almost complete con tro l o f the state o f Indiana, and claimed between 3 tO 5 m illio n members. On one n oto rio us oc casion in Augus, 1925, over 40,000 robed Klansmen marched down Pennsylvania Avenue. Between the Great Depression and the eve o f the modern C ivil Rights Movement, the Kian alm ost disappeared as a natio na l force. YEt according to U.S. Justice Department statistics, from I945-I965 the KK K was “ responsible fo r 70 bom bings in Georgia and Mississippi, 30 Negro church burnings in Mississippi, the castration o f a Black man in B ir mingham, 10 murders in Alabama, and 50 bombings in Birmingham.” A fte r a b rie f period o f decline, the Ku K lu x Kian returned as a national force o f political im p o rt ance in the mid-1970s. The hallmark o f this newest version o f the In visible Em pire m ight be termed "respectable racism.” Kian leader David Duke is typical o f the trend. (Exchanging) his mask and white robe for a three-piece business suit, (Duke) cloaks white supremacy in misleading slogans such as “ reverse d is c rim in a tio n " and “ neigh borhood schools.” He urges his follow ers to file law suits and to “ use the legal system to reverse the gains o f the civil rights movement.” Even though the fascade o f respec ta b ility exists, the gutter tactics o f Kian terrorism remain the same. In 1977 the Kian made headlines by running vigilance patrols along the U.S. M exican border, in a well- publicized e ffo rt to keep un documented Mexican laborers from entering the c o u n try. In 1978 the Kian mounted a major political o f fensive in n orthern M ississippi against the U nited League, a grassroots c o a litio n o f Black ac tivists and residents. In 1979, the Kian was active in the U.S. Navy yards in N o rfo lk , V irg in ia , distributing racist literature and at tem pting to incite rio ts between Black and w hite sailors; w orked closely w ith anti-bu sing forces in campaigns to halt p ub lic school desegregation; brandished sawed o ff shotguns and submachine guns, shooting at SCLC marchers at a D ecatur, Alabam a C iv il Rights demonstration; cruised through the Black neighborhoods o f B ir mingham while shooting ramdomly in to Blacks homes; firebom bed houses in A tla n ta and burned crosses at Black churches, schools and homes in hundreds o f cities across the country. In A p ril, 1980, two Klansmen fired their shotguns and wounded four Black women on a street in Chattanooga, Tennessee, s h o rtly a fte r tw o burning crosses were discovered in the Black com m un ity. In July, one o f the klans men was convicted on a reduced charge after he admitted shooting his gun. The other tw o Klansmen were acquitted on all charges. The most publicized incident o f Kian violence occured in Green sboro. North Carolina, on Novem ber 3, 1979. Approximately 75 anti- Klan demonstrators were meeting in a Black housing project in preparation fo r a m arch. About fo rty armed Klansmen and Nazis drove into the project and provoked an argum ent. As dem onstrators scattered, the racists began shooting. Five unarmed people, all members o f the C om m unist W orkers P arty, were kille d and eleven were wounded. Only 16 out o f 40 Kian and Nazis at the shooting were indicted, and o f that number o nly 6 were eventually trie d . The d is tric t attorney refused to order tw o U.S. government agents who had infiltrated the groups to testify as witnesses. Defense attorneys forced all Blacks o ff the ju ry , and an anti-communist Cuban exile was selected as ju ry forem an. Despite overhwelming evidence on television videotape, the all-white ju ry found the tw o Nazis and four Klansmen not g u ilty o f rio t or m urder. The Greensboro executions and the sub sequent acquittal o f the murderers seemed to many activists to provide legal approval o f the future Klan/Nazi terrorism.
