For the children o f Atlanta and for
all children who are hungry, suffer
and live in fear.
National Black United Front organize for action
By C. Eddie Edmondson
fo r Crassroot News N. H'.
Over 800 paid delegates to the
second annual convention o f the
N ational Black U nited Front
(N B U F ), chanting “ Forw ard
together, backwards never,’ ’ met in
a B rooklyn high school this past
Fourth of July weekend and ratified
a consitution, by-laws and structure
fo r NBUF members and chapters
throughout this country to “ resist
the suppression and oppression
visited upon our people in this
c o u n try ,” said the Rev. Herbert
Daughtry, chairperson and spokes
man fo r N BU F, and whose
renomiation unopposed signals the
trust fo r the man who recently
publically challenged the leadership
o f Urban League president Vernon
Jordan, on the theory that the
highly connected and well paid
Black leader, who shares the same
board rooms and tennis courts with
some o f the richest and most power
ful corporate executive in this coun
try, is out o f touch w ith the needs
and lives o f the m ajority o f Black
people in this country who depend
on modest or subsistence Incomes to
live.
Established a year ago, NBUF
(pronounced "N -B u ff” by its mem
bers) grew from a grassroot network
o f six recognized chapters, including
P ortland, Oregon and New Y ork
C ity where Rev. Daughtry was ac
tive in 1978 in establishing a net
work o f Black UnitedFront chapters
throughout the C ity and in
Brooklyn where Daughtry is head
pastor o f The House o f the Lord
Church. Called the M e tro p o lita n
BUF, the New York Chapter acted
as host for the second convention.
The first Black United Front was
established in the 1960s in C ario,
Illio n o is and is s till headed by its
leader
Rev.
Charles
Koen.
Originally begun as an umbrella for
almost all Black civil rights, civic
and social organizations in the small bership w ith in the com m unity
southern midwest Illinois town once regardless o f p o litic a l or social
famous fo r its connection w ith ideologies ju st so long as the are
Abraham L in c o ln , the BUF o f Black owned, run and funded
C ario has been in a continued organizations Rev. Koen served as
m ilita n t battle against the white a midwest regional coordinator for-
leadership which denied the de the foundin g o rganizatio n a fte r
mands o f the Blacks fo r c iv il and NBUF began last year.
Ron H erndon, co-chairperson
equal rights.
Not unlike the o rig in a l C ario and spokesman fo r the P ortland
BUF, BUF’ s under NBUF are com BUF, and who served as the
posed o f various Black community national secretary last year, was
organizations who apply for mem (Please turn to Page 7 Col 1)
PORTLAND OBSERVER
I
July a. 1981
Volum e XI N um ber 37
2BC Per Copy
USPS 959-680-855
Boise goes to Grant
School
School Board politics entered a
new era Thursday as the Board,
with its two new members, pushed
through its plan to close Adams
High School. A surprise move, with
no advance notice even to the
residents of the school area, was the
closure of Jackson High School.
In related action -- also un
announced to the com m unity
concerned -- was the assignment of
Boise students who live in the fo r
mer W ashington/M onroe district
to Grant High School. Tubman
students w ill not be assigned to a
oard closes Adams , Jackson
high school together, but w ill go to
the high school in the area where
they live or to a magnet school.
The meeting was long and hostile,
w ith Chairm an Forest Reike a t
tempting to cut o ff public testimony
and board discussions to end the
meeting by 10:00 p.m ., and the
public demanding to be heard. Herb
Cawthorne, who called the meeting
a “ travesty” w ith a pre-arranged
decision, accused Rieke o f chosing
from the speakers list, those he
wanted to allow to speak.
Steve Buel accused the board and
staff o f hiding the fact that closure
o f Jackson w ould be considered,
stating that the had called the press
and the Jackson residents to let
them know. M any persons from
Jackson said they had found out the
afternoon of the meeting date.
The 50 percent rule was raised
again as Dr. Fenwick admitted the
switch o f Boise students to Grant
rather than Jefferson was fo r
“ desegration’ ’ purposes. Frank
M cNam ara had introduced an
amendment to be included in the
policy if the changes had put Jeffer-
son over 50 percent m in o rity ,
however the shift o f Boise students
probably prevents that.
Among the members o f the public
testifying were:
Vesia Loving - “ The only thing
removed is the chains and the
shackles. Blacks are still enslaved in
Portland. No racist, prejudiced in
dividuals have the right to sit up and
make judgement.”
M ark R othert - N o rth w e st/
Southwest C o a litio n fo r a New
(Please turn to Page 3 Col 1)
Return students to neighborhood schools
o f children, parents, and goodw ill
in the community, the “ new board"
a b ruptly closed Jackson High
Several weeks ago, I indicated
that should the “ new board” , School as well.
In as much as the suit 1 had plan
decide in public to close Adams
ned to file centered on the closure o f
High School, after the form er
Adams and W ashington/M onroe
Board
has
already
closed
as the only high schools closed, legal
W ashington/M onroe, I would file
counsel gave me the a ffirm a tiv e
a complaint in federal court alleging
sense that the case was strong, that
that the closure of these two schools
legal precedent supported it, and
violated the Equal Protection
that the “ burden” argument as an
Clause o f the 14th Amendment and
indication o f discrim inatory intent
amounted to an act o f racial
was sound fo o tin g on which to
discrimination It was clear, accord
challenge the decision in court. Now
ing to press statements and official
that the new board has voted to
comments, that Adams was the only
close Jackson as w ell, a suit
school to be considered for closure
narrow ly centered on the school
in the summer months. As it turned
closure outcome, seeking remedy
out, however, in a move that can
for extensive discrim ination, does
only be considered the height of
not have the legal strength my
political manuvering at the expense
By Herb Cawthorne
lawyers think is essential if we were the legal standing. This action o f
to spend the tim e, money and closing Jackson was a negative
energy in litigation. Therefore, 1 am response to a positive opportunity.
There was a trem endously
continuing to assess the situation. 1
positive coalition o f Northeast and
w ill not file at this time the law suit
which was prepared since the factual Southeast parents who were
circumstances have been substan w o rkin g to make Adams a high
school with renewed vigor, a much
tially changed.
Nevertheless, the very act o f better program and more students.
secretly deliberating tow ard the The School Board could have en
closure o f Jackson as a p o litic a l dorsed this positive energy. Instead,
they closed Jackson without notice
choice to avoid the possib ility o f
litigation underscores the legitimacy to that community and without any
serious respectful attempt at public
of the Black community’ s claim that
involvement.
there is gross and unjustified burden
The entire process has produced a
placed upon Black children and
clear message and it is one 1 think
parents in the school closure process
the Black community w ill heed. The
and results. The “ new board”
decided to close Jackson, and this is message is clear: Continued involve
ment in the adm inistrative transfer
no way minimizes the impact on the
Black com m unity, even i f it alters
(Please turn to Page 12 Col 1)
Benson graduate heads for chemistry career
M rs Edna B h ^ ke tt jo in s c o m m u n ity m e m b e rs , p aren ts and
students to protest School Board plan to close Adams High School.
M arch to July 2nd School Board meeting was sponsred by the Black
United Front.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
Angie Davis joins PDC Board
M ayor Frank Ivancie has ap
pointed Mrs. Angie Davis and M r.
John Piacentini to the P ortland
Development Com m ission. Mrs.
Davis is the employment manager
fo r the Portland o ffic e o f Pacific
Northwest Bell.
The
5-member
Portland
Development Commission oversees
P o rtla n d ’ s urban renewal ac-
tiv itie s . Under its d irection, the
Commission staff develops plans,
acquires properties, relocates per
sons displaced by project activities,
assists in the rehabilitation of homes
and buildings, contracts fo r the
design and construction o f public
improvements, promotes industrial
grow th and the expansion o f
business in the City of Portland.
Assassination plot exposed
A lenghty investigation by PNS
correspondent John Dinges has un
covered significant new leads in the
s till inconclusive o ffic ia l in
vestigation o f the murder o f four
Am erican missionaries in El
Salvador last December. The new
evidence sharply contrasts with the
official theory o f the crime -- that it
was com m itted on the spur o f the
moment by young soldiers acting
beyond the control or authority o f
higher m ilitary or government of-
ficials. Instead, these new leads in
dicate the murders may have been a
m ilita ry operation planned and
authorized by superior officers. If
this theory proves correct in sub
sequent investigations, the result
could have far-reaching im
plications for U.S. policy toward
the Salvadoran regime. Mr. Dinges
was the author o f the PNS in
vestigation into the accuracy o f the
State Department’ s White Paper on
El Salvador. (Please see page 8)
»
Grassroot News, N.W . - By now
our proud 1980 graduates have put
their gowns away and have hit the
pavement in search o f employment.
One graduation occured without the
public fire works that it warrants. In
1981, Benson High School had its
first Black female graduate, Toni
Marie Graves. In the last four years,
there has been a threat o f a school
boycott, a new School Board and
the death o f the school Superinten
dent. W ithout fanfare during this
period, Toni survived P o rtla n d ’ s
West Point.
Did she have any doubts about at
tending an all boys school? “ I put
that in the back o f my mind. I was
attracted to Benson because of their
math and science programs. My
first week, I was hiding behind the
corners and running up the halls. I
went to the office during this time
because I wanted to leave, but I
followed the advice o f the principal
and gave it a month. In that month I
started to look at my future and
their science and math program. I
kept telling myself that I was there
for the education and not just ap
pearances.”
In many cases Toni was the only
girl and the only Black in many of
her classes. She gave an account of
how her fellow classmates respond
ed. “ A t firs t it was very rough.
Their reaction was like ’ What are
you doing here?* It was bad but I
had to ride out the rough tide. There
were so few brothers there to sup
port me but the few that were there,
did.”
Y ou’ ve probably heard stories
where someone who w».s a first in
4
something, had a teacher to put
them under their wings. Toni had no
such teacher. “ I was on my own
to ta lly. Most o f the teachers were
men who were close to retirement.
They reacted like you shouldn’ t be
here. This is an all guys school.
What are you doing here?
" A lot o f teachers d id n ’ t like it
and they would show it in various
ways. For instance, they would pick
on me regarding a problem and ride
you i f you did n ’ t know it. When I
asked fo r help they w ould try to
make you feel dum b. You know,
like you should really know this.
A typical day for Toni was atten
ding classes, doing research, and
bringing a mountain o f home work
home to burn the midnight oil. She
indicated that she received a great
deal o f support from her home.
“ My mother and father always told
me i f someone else could do it, so
could I. They just said keep on at
it.”
And keep at it she d id . Toni
graduated in the class o f 81. The
first and only Black woman to sur
vive Benson Tech. C urrently, she’ s
w orking at the C orp o f Engineers
and is boning up on her math at
Portland State. She plans to attend
Oregon State University this fall as a
m ajor in Chem ical Engineering.
There’ s no way to conclude this ar
ticle , but w ith the concluding
thoughts provided by Toni ” 1 have
arrived. A ll the people who said I
couldn’ t do it; all the people who
did n 't want me to do it; well, I did
and I ’ m looking forw ard to other
Black females to do the same.”