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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 30, 1981)
Peg« 2 Portland Observer July 30. 1 M l EDITORIAL/OPINION P l ____________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Reporting fro m Los Angeles, C A. 'Let there be light' Things do not look good for the Ameri can people - the Reagan budget and the Reagan tax plan have been adopted. The country Is In a recession and most econom ists forecast tougher times ahead. Unemployment Is growing while programs to assist the unemployed and unemployable are being terminated or drastically reduced. At the same time, prices are clim bing -- especially here in Portland. When October arrives, bringing the new budget year, seasonal unemployment and cold weather, many citizens w ill find themselves in trouble. Where must they turn for help and encouragement? To their public officials. It is essential that these public officials communicate with the citizens -- explain the policies and procedures, help locate resources, offer a kind word, or just be available. A fter all, they are the ones selected by all the people to serve as our representatives. They are the ones who have the knowledge and the power to find solutions. The unfortunate truth is that contrary to the ideal of the republican form of govern ment most of these public officials have long ago become professionals. They are not just citizens, living next door, working In the same shops, sharing the same ex periences and thus able to represent the views and expectations of the citizens. A n Original Poem By Fungai Kumbula Reporting fro m Los Angeles, CA They are far removed from the ordinary citizen and often no longer remember. In the coming months, communication w ith the public w ill be essential. We realize that most public officials have few contacts In the Black com m unity and many have never considered the Black voters to be of much Importance. Although some are open to public con tact, the 8:00 to 5:00 worker has little ac cess to government. This Is one reason why we invited several officials to use the Observer to communicate with our readers through regular columns. Some eagerly accepted the opportunity -- and the challenge. Among these was Mayor Frank Ivancie. But it appears that our Mayor has suc cumbed to the advice of one of his aides who said that the Mayor has no obligation to "s e ll newspapers" for a Black publication. But . . . the Mayor Im mediately began writing for the shopper “ This Week’’. We would hate to think that our Mayor does not consider communication with Black readers to be necessary or desirable. The Mayor's Image has become somewhat tarnished by some of his recent actions and remark. We again invite him to explain himself - to speak directly to the people. He needs to shine some light on where he is and where he is going. Let them starve? One of the most cruel actions of the Reagan Administration's budget cutting orgy is the reduction and removal of minimal Social Security payments to In dividuals 80 years and older who are not eligible for retirem ent or survivor’s benefits. Since Social Security did not come Into existence in this country until 1936 and then did not cover all types of jobs, many older citizens did not have the oppor tunity to work In covered employment. Many of these are Black people or mem bers of other m inority groups who because of racism were not allowed to hold covered jobs, but were relegated to uncovered service positions. Others are women who were barred from covered employment or who are widows of men who were unable to work in jobs covered by Social Security. The three m illion current minimum benefit recipients -• 77 per cent of them women -- receive just $122 per month. The current budget plan w ill elim inate payments for future recipients and cut the payments of current recipients. Surely we cannot expect elderly citizens, 80 years and older, many of whom worked hard all their lives, to go out and work for their bread and water, so, let them starve? In nearly every nation of the world elderly citizens are valued and cared for. They are provided with the necessities of live including medical care. Only in the US are they cast aside -- useless because our culture values only those who have or can earn money. Representative James Shannon is sponsoring HB4140 and Representative Ron Wyden Is cosponsoring. The bill would restore the minimum benefits program. Everyone who has any regard for the fathers, mothers, uncles and aunts who worked hard to make the world easier for us should actively support this bill. Letters to the Editor Impressions of Detroit To the Editor: I spent three weeks in D e troit, M ichigan during June and July 1981, and I would like to share with the readers of the Observer some of the impressions I gathered while there. Detroit is run almost exclusively by Blacks: M ayor, S h e riff, Fire M arshall, Chairperson o f C ity Council, Union representation for most city employees, television stations, weekly newspaper, and a host o f other places that make the wheels turn. Mayor Coleman A. Young, in my opinion, is doing a wonderful job, in some areas. His re vita liza tio n and three pronged programs are sound, workable, and offer an incentive to a c ity vastly infused w ith over spending. Detroit is 56 to 60 percent Black; showcasing S23.OOO cars, $50,000 condom inium s, pastured land homes far in excess o f $100,000 and ruins, dilapidated buildings, public buses in some Black neighborhoods that are not desirable or adequate transportation. Detroit is fear, apprehension; old elderly citizens who live behind grills, bars and burglary alarms, afraid to speak o f what they see because o f retaliation, while they wonder about garbage collections. D etroit is not sensitive to the needs o f children and education; voiceless printed media coverage that does not serve the needs o f the people. Riot: The Governor’ s Task Force determined that rio tin g in the prisons resulted because guards were rural, Southern M ichigan, (w hite) and inmates, inner-city (Black). D etroit is parents, citizens and students not taking advantage of an open door policy in its public school Wants Jordan To the Editor: I nom inate Commissioner Charles Jordan fo r the first Representative from the new District 18. We could do far worse and I ’ m personally convinced we can’ t do better He has projected a worth- system. Detroit is a beautiful city, depic ted by a riv e rfro n t skyline that reeks with gloom as the Joe Lewis Arena passes without a dedication. Detroit is a challenge that require common bond. Coleman A. Young Mayor of a City A Black City Majestic and proud Evelyn Collins I am a mother Looking after the children The future of Zimbabwe I am a mother Rebuilding the nation I am a father Bringing home the breed Cleaning up after the war I am a father Cornerstone of Zimbabwe w9an I am a doctor Tending to the sick I am a farmer Feeding the people I am a Zimbabwean I am the president The Heed of State I am the Prime Minister Head of the government I am a Zimbabwean I am a teacher Enlightening the masses I am an entertainer Playing for the people I am a Zimbabwean I am journalist Informing the nation I am an entrepreneur Spurring the economy Politician, student Scientist, housewife Administrator, worker I’m on the team I am a Zimbabwean I am a Zimbabwean Reagan and the NAACP By Dr. Manning Marable Since its beginnings as an ad vocacy organization fo r the civil rights o f Black people, the NAACP has expressed tw o co n tra d icto ry tendencies - a desire fo r m ilita n t reform and democracy w ith in A m erica’ s social and p o litic a l system, and a belief in the inherent justice and fairness o f this country’s w hite economic leadership and power elites. The first tendency was expressed by a founder o f the N A A C P , Dr. W.E.B. DuBois. The second was the position o f W alter W hite and Roy W ilkin s, the secretaries o f the group until the late 1970s. DuBois became convinced that Blacks as a group could not obtain fu ll civ il rights u n til the entire Am erican economic system was turned upside- down. White thought it was possible to achieve social and p o litic a l equality within the existing system. As a result, DuBois relationship with the N A A C P was always stor my. In 1934, he resigned as editor o f The Crisis when it became clear that the N A A C P w ould not develop a progressive economic agenda to deal w ith the Great Depression. DuBois returned to the N AAC P in 1944, but was fired four years later when he and other progressive Blacks, notably Paul Robeson, refused to support the C old War and the Truman ad m in istra tio n ’ s economic program that purged militants from organized labor and gave b illio n s to big corporate in terests. Since 1940, the N A A C P has never been in the fo re fro n t o f the Black Freedom Struggle. In the 1940s, it was A. Philip Randolph’ s Negro March on Washington move ment which challenged the R o o s e v e lt A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ’ s discrim inatory policies that led to the adoption o f Executive Order 8802, the beginning o f A ffirm ative A ctio n . In the 1950s and 1960s, Wilkins was jealous of the successes o f M artin Luther King’ s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. D uring Black Power, the organization lost touch w ith the mind and mood o f an entire generation o f Black youth. During the C arter A d m in is tra tio n , it rambled aimlessly from one policy meeting to another, seemingly witnout orientation or direction. As the period o f Reaganism, racism and reaction began after the election of 1980, the NAACP finds itself hopelessly mired on the rocky shoals o f p o litic a l im potency, ideological ste rility and organizational choas. This was never more clearly illustrated than this summer, when the N A A C P hosted Ronald Reagan at its annual convention in Denver, Colorado. Last A p ril, the group’ s board o f directors had charged that Reagan’s budget proposals were based ’ ’ on an Alice in Wonderland approach that takes from the pOor and gives to the ric h .” They had been insulted last year when candidate Reagan snubbed their convention invitation, claiming that “ his staff had lost the invitation.” Yet actions speak louder than words. In the Denver Convention, Reagan declared his indecision on the extension o f the Voting Rights A ct, and his opposition to federal spending for job programs. ‘‘ Just as the Em ancipation Proclam ation freed Black people 118 years ago, today we need to declare an economic em ancipation.” Reag4n insisted that his “ economic recovery program ” was ‘ ‘ the surest, most equitable way to ease the pressures on all the segments o f our society.” A dding insult to in ju ry , the President had the incredible gall to ju s tify his cruel social policies by evoking the name o f Black abolitionist freedom fighter Harriet Tubman. "H a rrie t Tubman’s glory was the glory o f the American ex perience,” Reagan gloated. “ It was a glory which had no color or religion preference or nationality.” The NAACP response was reserved. Benjamin Hooks, executive direc to r, declared that Reagan’ s ap- ptarance “ does not mean we have been persuaded to his point o f view ” An Associated Press photograph o f N AAC P President Margaret Bush W ilson in a warm embrace w ith Reagan at the con clusion of his address made virtually every major newspaper in the coun try. This is a form o f “ symbolic in te g ra tio n ” the Black com m unity neither respects nor desires. We have to ask these questions: W ho does the N A A C P represent, and where is this group going? We do not need Ronald Reagan to give us lessons in economics, public policy, or Black history, fo r that matter. We need decisive leadership, criticism of the corporate economic establishm ent, bold and uncom prom ising attacks on Reaganism and white racism, and a vision o f Black self determ ination that transcends the politics of cooperation and cooptation. It is now obvious that such leadership is not coming from the i.aacp board of directors, nor from older c iv il rights-style “ misleaders.” African businessman expelled (Continued from Page I Col threatened with a gun. The officer harassment” and slammed against then went to see Munne, and in the the trunk o f the car, handcuffed and discussion that followed decided to taken to ja il. The female o ffic e r arrest him. He reported that Munne said, sympathically, “ I ’ m sorry it accused him o f harassment and in ended this way.” dicated that he w ould file a com The police report says that the p la in t, and that because he is a woman reported she was talking on citizen o f Kenya, the incident could the phone when Munne approached have repercussions. her and propositioned her. She went Two persons in the store said they in the store and then went across the had been present when the woman street to use another phone. She came in and said Munne had went home, then returned to the harassed her, and that they had seen store fo r a can o f tom ato juice. no man. In M unne’ s fa vo r, the When she walked by the phone woman whom he had called on the booth he grabbed her arm. In the telephone called the police to report scuffle that followed, she got out a that they were talking when sudden can o f mace to defend herself. He ly the phone dropped. He had later grabbed the mace and shoved her called to te ll her he had been against the phone booth. arrested. While the officer was talking with No complaint was filed and Mun the “ v ic tim ,” he learned that ne has heard nothing more about another o ffic e r had responded to the charge. However, he had the call by Munne - that he had been requested that the Police Bureau n o tify INS so that agency could provide assistance. But later, M un ne did file a complaint against the Police Bureau. Munne states that he had began discussing his status with the Port land Immigration Office prior to the June 30th date. “ I have dealt with this o ffic e fo r ten years about receiving extensions o f my student visa, and never had a problem b e fore.” His most recent visits to the o ffic e had been on Septembr 25th and November 7th, when he was told not to worry, that as long as his application had been submit ted everything was in order. He was never notified that hiTrequest for an extension was denied. Suddently he was notified to ap pear, on A p ril 21st, at a hearing to show cause why he should not be deported fo r overstaying his visa. (Please turn to Page 3 Col 5) Portland Observer Detroit’ s Black people My brothers and sisters Black, Black people Your’ s is a challenge The Portland Observer IUSPS 969 6001 is published every T h u n day by Erne Publishing Company, Inc . 2201 North Killmgsworth PofTland. Oregon 97217. Post Office B o. 3137, Portland. Oregon 97208 Second class postage paid at Portland. Oregon Struggling for all Let the world see Black, Black people Your's is a challenge 1st Place Community Service ONPA 1973 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 Bon 3137 Portland, Oregon 97208 The Portland Observer was founded in October of 1970 by Alfred Lee Henderson The Portland Observer is a champion of |ustice, equality and liberation, an alert guard against social evils; a thorough analyst and critic of discriminatory practices and policies, a sentinel to warn of impending and existing racist trends and practices, and a defender against persecution and oppression Never forget Those boys and girls Black, Black people Your’s is a challenge. Nathaniel Scott while p o litic a l philosophy, his commitment to the people has been manifest in these years of leadership in our community. His ability as we all know is top of the ladder. I nominate Charles Jordan! Sincerely, 1 " Bruce Broussard Editor/Publisher u ■ M IM B f R The O bserver w elcom es letters to the Editor. All letters must Include the w r ite r ’s neme end eddreee. The Obser ver retains the right to edit for length. Oregon Newspaper Publishers ■>v Association MEMBER I 1 N e W A per The real problems of the mmonty population will be viewed and presented from the perspective of their causality unrestrained ano chronoically en trenched racism N ational and in ternation al 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 dvertising R epresentative A m a lg a m a te d Publishers Inc 5th Place Best Editorial ONPA 1973 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 ,,o « “ V “ '» I- V A I,O N *, N e w York L N p a i.l Asiocittion - Founded IM S >
