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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 11, 1981)
Peg* 2 Portland Obaarvar Juna 11,1M1 Burundi: Looking good EDITORIAL/OPINION Self-serving in the Senate Last week the residents o f Albina heard on TV that the Senate Committee had adopted a "M c C o y '' am endment to the House reappor tio n m e n t plan. This am e n d m e n t w as p e r petrated by Senator Bill M cCoy - the State's only Black legislator - w ith o u t co n su lta tio n w ith the Black c o m m u n ity . M cC oy pushed this plan to dilute the political im pact of the Black voters because he knows he would have a d iffic u lt time being elected in a district that has a large percentage of Black voters. Mr. McCoy has not identified w ith nor been respon sive to the Black c o m m u n ity . This m ove on his p art d e m o n stra te s w h y those citize ns -- Black and w h ite - living in Inner N o rth e a st Portland w ant an o p p o rtu n ity to elect a representative. A fter a democratic process the House drew a district that would be approximately 44 per cent Black (this could hardly be called a Black ghetto as infered by Mr. McCoy). Prior to this decision the Observer and a number of com m unity organizations sponsored a com m unity forum at which 4 plans were presented by their pro p o n e n ts. These plans were discussed in detail. Mr. McCoy was not there. The fo llo w in g week, Glen W halon, C hair man of the House Committee on Elections and R e a p p o rtio n m e n t, held a fo rm a l hearing in Northeast Portland. The com m unity represen tatives and citizens w ho spoke, dem onstrated overw helm ing support for the one-d istrict plan. Mr. McCoy was not there. The House a d o pte d a plan th a t was very close to the plan favored by the co m m u nity. Mr. McCoy was not there. Following the adoption of District 18 by the H ouse m any o f th o s e persons w h o had favored other plans endorsed the new House plan. N ow w e have th e M cC oy A m e n d m e n t - designed to fu rth e r the political am bitions of one man. Is this democracy at work? There has been an air of expectation - the prom ise th a t at last th is c o m m u n ity , an in tegral c o m m u n ity of com m o n in te re st, th a t has been so badly divided and neglected by our elected officials, w o uld finally be able to elect a representative. Now we learn -- fro m TV - that those hopes have been dashed, at least tem p ora rily, by the self interest of one man. B u ru n d i is a tin y c o u n try (som e w hat s m a lle r th an the state o f Oregon) that borders on Zaire to the West, Tanzania to the East, Uganda to the n o rth -e a s t and R w anda to the s o u th . Z a ire ’ s e con om ic p ro blems are by now legend; w h ile c o rru p tio n in high places (and low ones to o !) has sadly come to be ac cepted as a way o f life. O f late Tan zania has been b u ffe te d by economic woes and drought as well as the w a r w ith Id i A m in . A fte r e ig ht years o f some o f the w orst economic mismanagement ever seen anyw here, to pp ed by a c iv il w ar, Uganda’ s p lig ht has been well doc- cumented. W ith neighbours in such straists, it is a ll the more am azing that this little East A frica n country has man aged not o nly to escape the merry- g o -ro u n d o f p o ve ty and decling standards o f livin g but has actually prospered. Burundi is today one o f few tru e success stories anywhere one cares to lo o k . H e r success, iro n ic a lly , has come a b o u t as a result o f the b itte r , b lo o d y feuds that wracked the country in the 60s p ittin g the H u tu against the T u tsi. In that unhappy civil war only a few years a fte r independence, as many as 100,000 were k ille d b e fo re the carnage was fin ally halted. The current governm ent, headed by President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza who toppled M ichel M icom bero in 1976, has done an adm irable job o f resuscitating the economy, and virtu wiping out corruption. This is all the more remarkable given the fact that B u ru n d i is la n d -lo c k e d and must rely on T a n za n ia or U ganda or Z aire th ro u g h w hich a ll her trade must pass. Burundi’ s enviable economic per fo rm a n ce is fir m ly ro o te d in agriculture w hich provides 64% o f her G N P and 90% o f her fo re ig n exhcange. The m a jo r cash crop is corn, 30,000 tons o f which are pro duced annually and sold to Europe and the U.S. Tea and sugar are two m a jo r crops. A suger re fin e ry w ill soon be opened w ith fund from the A rab Bank fo r Econom ic Develop m ent in A fr ic a and sh o u ld make B u run di not o nly s e lf-s u ffic ie n t in sugar but a net exporter also. The icing: creation o f over a thousand jo b s and ern om ou s savings in fro m p o ve rty, inadequate sch o o lin g , d ila p i dated housing and poor health. Black children, already facing life w ith e x treme disadvantages, will be most hurt by the proposed cuts: - Reagan w ill a b o lish a ssistan ce fo r homeless children contained in the A d option A ssista nce and C hild W e lfa re A c t of 1980, which would financially assist adoptions. - A 20 percen t cu t in e d u cation program s w ill harm m illio n s o f d isa d va n ta g e d Black children w h o are c u rre n tly p rovid ed special program s to com pensate fo r in ferio r educa tional opportunities. - A t least $1 b illio n w ill be c u t fro m medicaid, a program that provides health care to 13 million poor children. W hile planning increased m ilitary spending and tax cuts for the w ealthy, the a dm in istra tio n callously ignores the p lig h t of the m ost needy - the nation's children. ‘Live anti Let Live! Right? Letters to the Editor Dear Editor: The very d e s c rip tiv e a rtic le by Pam Sm ith entitled ‘ ‘ AC T-SO : No E xce lle n ce? ” serves to a le rt my o ffic e to the need fo r c la rific a tio n o f N A A C P ’ s ACT-SO program and its intent. The A C T -S O (A fro -A c a d e m ic C u ltu ra l Technologicasl, S cientific O ly m p ic s ) is a N a tio n a l N A A C P program which focuses on youth in grades 9 through 12. A C T -S O is a cam paign to d is cover, develop, nurture and reward academic achievement among this nation’ s Black high school students. It is a p ro gram roo ted in the firm c o n v ic tio n that Black yo u th s can succeed in the classroom (at the superior levels o f achievement con s ta n tly d isplayed by Blacks in the a th le tic arenas o f th is n a tio n ). It is the goal o f AC T-SO to afford the same respect fo r Black academ ic, cultural, technological and scientific achievement that we give our heroes in the w orld o f sports. The program is relatively new and each year we seek to improve and re fine. There are n a tio n a l g uidelines which we expect the local N A A C P chapters to fo llo w when they are sponsoring an ACT-SO program. N o w here in the n a tio n a l g uide lin e s is a fig u re 90% or any other figure se t. N A A C P ’ s A C T -S O p ro g ra m is an “ inclusive” one it is not an “ ex clusive” one. It is the intent o f our National AC T-SO program to serve to m o tiv a te young people, to en courage our branches to reach out and serve the comm unity. We seek to in v o lv e parents, ” teachers, other c o m m u n ity groups in a process w hich puts the youth and their present talent and poten tial for growth at the center. W inning the top National prizes is not the p rim a ry purpose fo r A C T - SO. The process, the competition at the local level and the National level must flo w fro m b ro a d e r perspec tives than the prize. There are occasions when o u r local comm ittees may lose sight on the true purpose. There are also some instances where judges move beyond their assignment which is to a pp ly th e ir kn ow led ge to a measurement o f the perform ance before them. Judges are not expec ted lo g o beyond that function. The P o rtla n d program this year grew to its largest size. The leader ship involved persons all along the w ay, and we feel these volunteers gave their best in trying to serve. The failure to select winners at the loca l level to go to the N a tio n a l Convention was a mistake which we Close Lincoln, or close them all To the Editor: In the a rtic le h eadlined “ C o a litio n requests new high school,” the 9th paragraph contains the sentences: “ These (M o n ro e students) and those from the Wash ington D istrict have not been assign ed to new schools and are to be d iv id e d am ong J e ffe rs o n . C leve la n d , and F ra n k lin . The W a s h in g to n students were under direct threat o f closure u n til three years ago when M onroe was moved to their b u ild in g .” Portland Observer Bruce Broussard Editor/Publisher M ■ M tM M * ■ ■ Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association MEMBER ~ ft ¡> Q 1st Place Community Service ONPA 1973 The Portland Observer (USPS 959 680) is published every Thurs day by Exie Publishing Company, Inc , 2201 North Killingsworth Portland. Oregon 97217, Post Office Box 3137, Portland, Oregon 97208 Second class postage paid at Portland. Oregon 1st Place Best Ad Result ONPA 1973 Subscriptions $10 00 per year in Tri County area P ostm aster Send address changes to the Portland Observer, P O Box 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208 5th Place Best Editorial ONPA 1973 The Portland Observer was founded in October of 1970 by Alfred Lee Henderson The Portland Observer is a champion of justice, equality and liberation; an alert guard against social evils, a thorough analyst and critic of discriminatory practices and policies a sentinal to warn of impending and existing racist trends and practices; and a defender against persecution and oppression The real problems of the minority population will be viewed and presented from the perspective of their causality: unrestrained ano chronoically entrenched racism N ational and in te rn a tio n a l arrangements that prolong and increase the oppression of Third World peoples shall be considered in the context of their ex 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 ational A d vertisin g R epresentative A m a lg a m a te d Publishers. Inc N e w York foreign exchange The governm ent in B u ju m b u ra , the c a p ita l, has also had the fo re sight to recignise the value o f trees. A date is set a side when every Burundian must plant a tree! The tree -lin ed streets and th ick woods everywhere are examples to gladden the hearts o f anyone who has a love fo r and an a ppreciation o f nature. Alm ost $4 m illion w ill be spent over the next several years on another tree planting campaign and the g overnm ent is e s ta b lis h in g a peat industry fo r use as fuel and so further conserve Burundi’ s trees and valuable hardwoods. O n ly in his m id - th ir itie s , President Bagaza and his g ove rn ment have done w onders fo r th is b u b b ly young n a tio n and set an example that all A fric a and the res o f the w o rld should be p ro u d to im ita te and em ulate. M aybe this youthful vigour can be injected into the Kagera Basin D evelopm ent, a jo in t venture in which B urundi has been join ed by Rwanda, I anzania and Uganda. Burundi: definitely to be included on any progressive itin e ra ry o f A frica. NAACP 'ACT-SO' process breaks rules Black children will suffer first Black children w ill receive more than their share of harm from the Reagan budget cuts. A recent report by the Childrens' Defense Fund sh o w s th a t even before the cu ts Black Children, youth and families are worse off than whites in every area of American life. A report reveals: - Almost 10 million U.S. children receive no regular health care. - M ore than 18 m illio n ch ild re n under 17 have never seen a dentist. - More than 50 percent of private insurance plans exclude prenatal care; about 90 percent e xclude fa m ily p la n n in g ; ab o u t 50 pe rce n t leave gaps in coverage of newborns. - Poor children have twice as many hospital stays, spend more days in bed, and lose more days from school than children w ho are not poor. - Black children have an infant mortality rate almost twice that of whites. - Black children are tw ice as likely to suffer By Eungai Kumbula Honorable Mention Herrick Editorial Award NNA 1973 2nd Place Best Editorial 3rd Place Community Leadership ONPA 1975 3rd Place Community Leadership ONPA 1978 3rd Place In depth coverage ONPA 1979 “ N '» > „0»“ NAT.O a I. Both my brother and I graduated fro m W a s h in g to n H ig h School - lon g b efo re present day students were born. M y sons graduated from W a s h in g to n in 1968 and 1970 re spectively. Washington High School and I are 2 o f a very few P o rtlan d in s titu tio n s born on the West side and moved to the East side o f P o rt land to stay. I have not participated in any o f the hearings or meetings o f the current School Board decisions about what high schools or elemen tary schools to close. When our sons were in school, we su p p o rte d and to o k issue w ith procedures and issues a ffecting the Í I I I I I I I I I I I I education o f our sons and their con temporaries. We regard this activity as the responsibility o f every parent. In doing my p a rt, I was harassed, accused, occasionally thanked, o f ten laughed at, and little supported by other parents (at least openly). The donim ation o f the East side o f Portland by the West side most cer ta in ly appears e vident in the decision to close East side schools fo r the m ost p a rt. The lack o f in terest in P ortland schools and their relationship to P ortland neighbor hoods has been neglected by all but a handful o f C ity Council members. In the M ultnom ah County library the o th e r evening, 1 scanned m ic r o film o f the O regonian. The December 20, 1953 Sunday O reg on ian c a rrie d the h eadline “ New W H S gets S chool Board n o d .” The new W H S p re lim in a ry plans was pictured by an architect’ s drawing and it was located - get this - on 82nd. ( In N .E . P o rtla n d ). It was la te r nam ed M a d iso n H igh School. We live on the SE corner o f the W a s h in g to n , M a d is o n , M a rs h a ll High School districts. Students who attend M t. T a b o r and Glencoe Be concerned! Be informed!! know the facts!!! have requested the local chairm an and the branch officers to correct in tim e fo r P o rtla n d ’ s top winners to attend the N A A C P N a tio n a l C on vention and the N a tio n a l O lym pic run-offs. During the b rief period N A A C P ’s AC T-SO has been operating, there have been several instances where young people who failed to capture a top prize returned the next year and to o k a p rize , in one instance here in our Region, the young lady took the top prize o f $1,000. We believe the e ffo rts o f the judges to stimulate young people to do th e ir best stems fro m the very best in te n tio n s . H ow ever, the set tin g o f a high m ark o f 90% and e lim in a tio n o f a ll the contestants fro m c o m p e titio n at the N a tio n a l level is c o n tra ry to the N a tio n a l policy and guidelines. Y our assistance in helping us gel the word out to the com m unity w ill be very much appreciated. Sincerely yours, Virna M. Canson N A A C P Regional Director (E d ito r’ s Note: The N A A C P has announced th a t I isa M c C o n n e ll, Julia Black and C indy P hillip s w ill represent P o rtla n d at the national competition.) schools w ent to a ll three high schools according to the preference o f them and th eir fa m ilies. T rans portation had a lot to do with which students went where, as did tra d i tion. Since the 1950s, in conclusion, I can rem em ber d iscussion about closin g W a s h in to n H ig h S chool, Monroe (once G irls Polytechic) was later added to the list, then merged with Washington. I w ou ld lik e to propose (1) that L in c o ln H ig h School be closed rather than another East side high school. (Linco ln property would be advantageous to the C ity to enlarge the stadium or to build low income housing close to d o w n to w n P o rt land) or (2) close all the high schools in d is tric t N o. 1; add a year to the M iddle schools, and provide Secon dary Education through community colleges. High schools closed should become c o m m u n ity schools, operated independent o f school district No. 1. 1 also suggest th a t T ri-M e t provide bus service across tow n or the convenience o f secondary stu dents, as well as other citizens. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! ONLY $10 PER YEAR Name Portland Observer Box 3137 Portland, OR 97208 Elizabeth L. Sale Address- City ........................State............. Zip
