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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 12, 1981)
P » 9 « 2 Portland O bM rver M arch 12. 1181 Black ancestry of Boer heroes revealed EDITORIAL/OPINION Black removal again? It comes as no surprise that Adams and W ashington were the only high schools named by ii»e school district's school closure consolidation committee for closure; Adams 41 percent Black, and Washington 37.7 per cent Black, both serving low income neigh borhoods. The school closure committee - in its wisom - chose not to close schools that "participate in the desegreation program" to the extent that they receive 10 percent of their population through administrative transfer. This the old theory - the Blanchard theory - that Black children should be pushed out of their own neighborhoods while those schools that are willing to accept them should be rewarded. Thus Jackson, which has all of the reasons for closure, is allowed to reamin open because it recruited m inority youngsters, while the schools in the children's neighborhoods will be closed - pushing even more children out. Or is it just that the people of Jackson live on the right side of the river and have the political power to save their school? Adams High School has been scheduled for failure since it opened. First the students had the audacity to refuse an American flag pre sented to them by a racist organization, then they refused to participate in the Rose Festival Princess selection. This was followed by more real problems - the inability of children who had been miseducated and uneducated in the elementary schools to adjust to an experimen tal "open classroom" situation where self- discipline and self-motivtion was prerequisite. This combination - an indpendent, inter racial and sometimes unruly, student body born amid national political and social upheaval - gave Adams a reputation it has never been able to shed Adams is now like the normal structured high school, with a difference. Because of its size and tradition, it has a humanity lacking as many of our schools. It is small for several reasons: When the upper grades were removed from Woodlawn, King and Vernon, the students were sent around the City ano not allowed to return to Adams; the district and the press have discussed closing Adams for years, discouraging students from enrolling; the former reputation - often re peated by the press - continues. There are many questions that need to be answered before Adams and Washington are considered for closure: Has there been con sideration for closing a southeast school and adjusting attendance areas through boundary .changes; with Northeast Portland one of the fastest growing areas in the City, one of the few areas w ith land available for housing, and w ith crowded elementary schools, are future projections being considered; w ith Adams and Washington closed, when will the students of Tubman be assigned; will they be scattered throughout the City or be placed in Lincoln to keep up its sagging enrollment? Where are you, Joe Reike? One of the strongest supporters for planned, coordinated school closure is board member Joe Reike. When he began pushing for the school closure plan last summer, Reike never failed to men tion Lincoln first. Well, Joe, what about Lin coln? Chile first, U.S. next An item in the morning Oregonian sets the stage for the coming attempt to create in the U.S., the "free enterprise" system imposed by the U.S. on other nations including Chile, South Korea and Taiwan. The article, called "CIA seeks freer hand at hom e" outlines the plan of the Reagan ad ministration - through a presidential executive order - to give the CIA legal authority to spy on Americans at home and abroad through "in trusive techniques" such as searches, physical surveillance and in filtra tion of domestic organizations. This will remove - through Executive Order - the few restraints put on the spy organizations by Congress and the Carter and Ford A d ministrations following their attacks on the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-war movement, student activists and political parties. This is not an isolated incident - but should be viewed along with other front page stories - "Rates boosted on state Gl home loans," "Big boosts seen for military" and "$48.6 billion in cuts targeted by Reagan." Chile is a perfect example of the plan that will be established in the U.S., if Americans do n 't wake up. In 1973 the democratically elected president of Chile, Salvador Allende (called communist by the U.S. press), was assassinated and his government overthrown with the aid of the CIA. The citizens who had supported their government, who opposed the m ilitary coup, or who objected to their brutalities practiced by the new regime were imprisoned, disappeared or fled the country. Unions and popular organizations were outlawed; a state of martial law declared. A free market economy was established - that is, no regulation on business. This was carried out by U.S. m ulti-national cor- porations, w ith financing by U.S. banks - Chase Manhattan, etc. W ith no government regulation of business and no opportunity for worker organization, a state of near slavery developed. All government support for the needs of the people - housing, welfare, health care, education was terminated, leaving the people even more destitute. Along w ith low wages and lack of social programs, taxes had to be raised. The huge U.S. bank loans had to be repaid, and in order to obtain more loans the government of Chile had to agree to even more repressive "b e lt tig h te n in g " policies. Today Chile has the highest per-capita debt in the world with no way to pay it except through the rape of its resources. To force the people to live under such ex treme circumstances, repression is required. The army and police force, armed by the U.S., are among the most brutal in the world. The model for this regime - the "free enter prise" theory of Milton Friedman - University of Chicago. Listen carefully and hear this man quoted ever more frequently by the Reagan administration in the coming days. The Reagan adm inistration has already begun - cutting funds to social programs and education; increasing the military spending; strengthening the FBI and the CIA; proposing removal of regulations on business - including minimum wage, worker safety, environmental protection. The people of Chile lost their democratic government through U.S. interventions and the murder of their president. They have suf fered and died to try to regain their rights. Will the people of the U.S. sit back, watching soap operas on TV, and allow our legal and civil rights to be removed in the interest of greater profits for a few? Portland Observer The Portland Observer IUSPS 969 6801 « published every Thur» dev bv E»e Publish.ng Company Inc 220» North Killingsworth Portland Oregon 97217 Post 0 « .c e Bo« 3137 Portland Oregon 97206 Second class postage pad at Portland Oregon 1st Place Ses- Ad Resud ONPA 1973 Subscriptions S I0 00 per year m Tn-Coonty area Postm aster Send address changes to the Portland Observer. P O Bo« 3137 Portland. Oregon 97206 • 5»h Place Best Edrtonai ONPA 1973 The Portland Observer was founded in October ot 1970 by Arf'ed Lee Henderson Bruce Broussard Editor/Publisher I Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association I N ÏW A pep Aaooclaetan • Fowndad I »M S 1st Piace Community Service ONPA 1973 The Portland Observer is a champion of justice, equality and liberation, an alert guard against social evils a thorough analyst and cntc of discriminatory practices and policies a sentinai to warn of impending and e«isting racist trends and practices, and a defender agamst persecution and oppression The reel proWems of the minority population «Hl be »ewed and presented from the perspective of their causality unrestrained ana chronoically en trenched racism N ational and in ternation al arrangements that prolong and increase the oppression of Third World peoples shall be considered m the contest of their e i ptortation and marspuiation by the colonial nations including the United States and then relationship to this nation s historical treatment of its Black population 283 2486 National A d vertisin g R ep resentative A m a lg a m a te d Publishers. Inc N e w York Honorable Mention Heme« Editorial Award NNA 1973 2nd Place Bast Editorial 3rd Place Community Leadership ONPA 1975 3rd Place Community Leadership ONPA 1976 > d Place In depth coverage ONPA 1979 By Fungai Kumbuta Do you recall the controversy and Irouhaha over the Black ancestry of fke o f your American Presidents? That is nothing compared to »hat is going on in South Africa right no». The Johannesburg Sun, an affiliate o f The Sun (A m erican) reported recently on an article in "K ronos” a publication o f the Western Cape In stitute for Historical Research. In a sick society like South A frica, this revelation had the same impact as if someone had found out that the founder o f the KKK »as descended from Black forebears. Paul Kruger, notorious Boer President and General Louis Botha, South Africa's first prime minister, are only two o f South A fr ic a ’ s leading proponents o f racial separation »hose lineage has been traced back to at least one Black parent, in this case a Black woman by the name o f Lisbeth Van Die Kaap. She is supposed to have been born in Guinea, W est A fric a and then moved to South A frica in the late Seventeenth Century. Professor J.L. Hattingh, director o f the research effort, disclosed that he had stumbled across the Black ancestry of Botha and Kruger while researching the ‘ ‘ w hitening process” o f the descendants o f this woman, Lisbeth, a form er slave. H attingh says that in the early 1670's, Lisbeth gave birth to three daughters fathered by Louis Van Bengale, an Indian. These three daughters as well as another two by a John Herr, a German with whom Lisbeth moved in after she le ft Bengale, were all born out o f wed lock as Lisbeth supposedly never m arried any o f the men she went with. The five daughters all m arried w hite men, according to the professor, and the lineage o f 243,000 and 246,000 white South Africans can be traced back to them today. F urther, South A fric a n scientists, themselves champions o f apartheid, the forced separation o f the races in South A fric a , had previously established that there are few white Afrikanners without some non-white blood. However, the in clusion o f Botha and Kruger among this group is the firs t tim e that a member o f the “ ruling clique” has been “ im p lic a te d '' as having anything other than whole w hite lineage. In a society that is also so fanatically religious -- A frikaners view themselves as the chosen people and indoctrinate themselves into believing that by keeping the races separate, they are carrying out a biblical mission - the idea that one o f the “ p illa rs” o f this misguided philosophy not only has Black an cestry but was also illegitim ate, is auite shattering. The revelation o f this report is s till reverberating through the shocked A frik a n n e r communitv and causing quite a few chuckles in the Black com m unity which remembers all too well the in sults hurled at Black people. It also shatters the myth o f white superiority that proponents o f a- partheid have been trying to sell for over three decades now. I f two o f their heroes were actually de scendants o f Black forebears, what does that say about their long held philosophy that Blacks are “ in f e r io r ," savages, u n civilized, fit only for performing manual labour for the whites? Afrikaner academics have also been the form ulators o f this false doctrine and, fo r one o f them to come up w ith this irre fu ta b le evidence o f Black linage on the part o f some o f the A frik a n e rs ’ most revered leaders must send a shiver up their collective spine. What w ill the academics fin d next? Maybe they w ill find that the stories about mighty Black empires throughout the African continent at a tim e when Europeans were s till livin g in caves are true after all? Maybe they w ill even fin d that A frika n e rs have been led by the nose for the past one hundred years and, that far from being the “ chosen people,” they are actually outcasts? Could it be that Pandora’s box has just been opened? Who knows? One o f these days someone may discover that Shockley is not white after a lll Would that be a trip? But pleeeeze, don’t let him be Black! Letters to the Editor Help rebuild the Democratic Party To the Editor: If you are concerned with preser ving our environm ent, natural resources, restoring peace in the w orld, p ro vid in g innovative em ployment opportunities, preserving the health and safety o f w orking people and senior citizens. I f you are concerned w ith the erosion o f human and c iv il rights here and abroad, then 1 invite you to jo in in revitilizing the basic in stitution o f Social change in this country, the Democratic Party. In a special effort to broaden the base o f the D em ocratic Party in Oregon we are inviting the member ship o f all our natural constituen cies; la bor, women. Blacks, H ispanics, Asians, yo u th , con sumers, environmentalists, farmers, small business people and others to participate in Democratic Party af fairs beginning with the Statewide Grassroots Conference May 15, 16, 17 at Oregon College o f Education (OEC) in Monmouth. We must all pull together now to make sure 1982 does not realign the electorate tow ards a rig h t-w in g Republican m a jo rity. Rebuilding the Democratic Party from the bot tom up and insuring the nomination of progressive candidates is the ef fective way to combat Reaganism. Write me or the Democratic Party o f Oregon (P.O. Box 1012, Salem, OR 97308 - 370-8115) to jo in the Outreach Com m ittee or come to Grassroots May 15, 16, and 17th. Cordially, David McTeague Democratic National Committeeman Open letter to the President Mr. President, The Hispanics in the State o f Oregon were appalled at your com ments during your address Monday, March 2nd to the National I eague o f Cities regarding bilin g u a l education. Specifically, your com ments that a b ilin g u a l education program was never getting "...them adequate in English so they can go out into the job market.” Hispanics nationa lly and in the State o f Oregon are equally con cerned as you are that all Americans be equipped with adequate English language skills and other w ork abilities in order to be employed and capable o f supporting themselves and their families. The purpose o f bilin g u a l ed ucation is to allow lim ited English- speaking persons the opportunity to learn academic and vocational skills w hile also learning English. The goal is to maximize a student’ s time. In the past, persons o f lim ite d English-speaking ability have spent years only learning basic English. During those years, nothing else was learned. The result, was that children and adults were not provided an equal o p p o rtu n ity to learn other im p o rta n t jo b preparation skills such as math for students or vocational skills fo r adults. The consequence has been prolonged dependence on a cycle that we all want to break: lower educational achievement, increased unemployment, and increased sub sidies to ill prepared families. Hispanics in Oregon support your e ffo rt to increase work incentives. Hispanics in Oregon are eager to support your economic policies. We understand the tradeoffs during harsh economic times, yet, at the same time, we urge you to research your position on bilingual education and other areas before m aking statements that w ill alienate Americans such as us who want to support your administration for the welfare o f all Americans. Hispanic Political Coalition White man/Black woman = police harassment Dear Editor: Recently, w hile on my way to dinner, I encountered a situation with the Portland Police, that leaves a very bad taste in my m outh, as both a Black woman and employed citizen. M y date (who was white) and I, were driving down U nion Avenue minding our own business when we noticed that a police car, headed in the opposite direction, came to an almost halt, and the officers inside p o in tin g in our dire ctio n . We thought nothing o f it, until it made a sweeping U -tu rn , headed in our direction, flashed lights and pulled us over. There were no citations, but there was h u m ila tio n . The o ffice rs in volved talked to my date and I, separately. The questions asked my date went like this: “ W ho is she? (Meaning me) Where did you pick her up at? H ow long have you known her? Are you sure she is who you say she is?” The o ffic e r questioning me asked things like, “ W hat are you doing w ith him? Where did he pick you up at? Do you work? Show us your I . D . ” And after about a thirty minute wait we were allowed to proceed to our destination. The implications o f this incident are many. First o f all, these officers assumed that since they had seen a Black woman, riding in the car with a w hite man, that apparently the Black woman was a whore, a pick up. tryin g to con this man out o f money, or whatever. Secondly, it is apparent that when the o ffice rs focused their attention on us, while passing, all they saw was race, co lo r, a w hite man and Black woman together, and this, 1 am sure prompted them to pull us over. I am forced to wonder just what w ould have been the reactions o f these officers if the white man in the car had been th e ir boss, or the Mayor, or even the Governor? My point is, these officers didn’t know who the white man was. They didn’ t even care, which points to the fact that, as many Black women as there are working w ithin State Agencies, who go to lunch w ith their bosses who are white, or are involved in business trip s around tow n, w ith th e ir w hite business associates, a dire threat is evident. I went downtown, lodged a com plaint, only to find that the officers didn’t even make a note of any kind to the occurance o f the incident. They didn’t note why we were stop ped, or that we had been stopped. I was inform ed by Com m issioner Charles Jordan’ s o ffic e , that o f ficers are not required to make note o f any incident where they stop citizens, if no citation is involved. I was also to ld that it w ould have been appropriate to write down the badge number o f the officers, and possibly license plate numbers, so that, i f an investigation was to occur, they would know the officers involved. For a Black woman to be made feel like a whore, just because she is rid in g w ith a white man is dangerous. It points to the fact that any Black woman caught rid in g w ith a white man, after a certain hour, stands to be humilated in the same way. I hope that other Black women who find themselves in this same situ a tio n , w ill remember to write down both the badge number and license plate number o f the o f ficers. Sincerely, Jamse Winchester Doesn't believe To the Editor: I believe the moon is made o f blue cheese, that babies come from cab bage patches, and that Mercedes Deiz is a "good judge." And before I disregarded w arn ings that she is not capable o f making financial judgm ents, and appeared in front o f her, I believed in justice in the court room. Kathryn Collins
