Page 8 Portland Observer, October 22, 1981
Fight 'voodoo Reaganomics'
with 'voodoo economics'
by Ullysses Tucker, Jr.
M ayn ard H . Jackson. J r., the
honorable mayor o f A tlanta. Geor
gia was in P ortland recently to ad
dress the "E c o n o m ic Survival o f
Black People” in the ’80s. The con
ference was sponsored by the Ore
gon Assembly for Black A ffa irs
based in Salem.
Jackson, an early admissions
scholar at Atlanta's Morehouse Col
lege where he received a B .A . in Po
litical Science and History at the age
o f 18 (1956), believes that Blacks as
a race are locked in a deadly b a ttle
for survival in A m erica. The
graduate o f North Carolina Central
Law School (1964) feels that condi
tions are far better than they used to
be but they are not what they should
be.
" T h a t ’ s just the way it is ,” he
said confidently. “ Too many o f us
have been left behind in America's
progress,” said the man who has
served as mayor for two consecutive
terms. Jackson will be unable to run
for a third term because o f Georgia
law.
In a day and age o f " V o o d o o
Reaganomics” which has replaced
traditional economics, Jackson says
that Blacks should not be surprised
at all the programs Ronald Reagan
is cutting because the handw riting
was on the wall.
“ He (R eagan) told the country
what he was going to do. W e can't
claim that his administration caught
us o ff guard because he is doing ex
actly what he prom ised to do. W e
should come up with some ‘voodoo
M AYOR M A Y N A R D JACKSON
(Photo; Richard Brown)
economics’ o f our own because we
do have some power.
" I f Black people in A m erica had
their own separate nation, we would
have the th ird largest Gross N a
tional Produce (G N P in the entire
Citizens challenge PDC plan
(Continued from page 1 col. 3)
N el-T ech previously com m itted
themselves to developing jobs, but
have hired at the northeast site only
75 people, five o f whom are Black.
He said he'd been unemployed and
actively loo kin g fo r w ork fo r
months. He stated need for a mech
anism to guarantee Black residents
" w ill have the first shot at jobs—
perm anent jo b s ," so that people
aren’t put in the position o f break
ing laws to survive.
Bob Nelson, chairman o f the NE
C o a litio n
of
N eigh b o rh o o ds,
echoed this concern, saying, “ Be
sides no guarantee o f jobs, there is
no good fa ith e ffo rt even to say
we’ll do it.”
James H ill said, "Black people’s
problems aren’t social. As identified
by the Kerner C om m issio n , the
problem is in s titu tio n a lize d ra
cism.” He said P D C ’ s program ex
cludes concern fo r B lacks, who
"need careers, not jobs.”
Ron H e rn d o n , Black U n ite d
Front co-chairman, said that busi
ness particpating in the plan’s devel
opm ent in northeast d o n ’ t hire
Blacks. O f 525 jobs in local busi
nesses, he said, only 25 are held by
Blacks.
O .B . H ill said the plan calls for
giving jobs to people by developing
the periphery. He said 50 per cent o f
the contracts on in d u s tria l sites
should be set aside fo r m inorities
and 50 per cent o f all jobs, from en
try level to executive level, should be
given to Blacks in the target area.
The plan, he said, "benefits people
who sign the front o f the check, not
the back.”
Linda Johnson, describing herself
as a "Black business woman whose
product is her children and her com
m unity,” said that most o f the jobs
created in the past have gone to the
suburbs.
Housing preservation was a sec
ond m ajor issue with those attend
ing. V ick i A b b o tt o f A lb in a F a ir
Share said the community "w o u ld
n’t stand for any zone changes that
w ill affect h o u s in g ." Bob Nelson
was concerned that homes on Union
could be destroyed for parking lot
developm ent and that U rb a n Re
newal designation in the area would
mean that " s u b s ta n d a rd " houses
were destroyed to assemble land for
development. M ark C raw fo rd said
that, should housing be ripped out.
the jobs finally developed would not
then go to the people who used to
live in the com m unity. James H ill
siad that n a tio n a lly H C D funds
cause gentrification, moving Blacks
out and whites in.
A th ird issue discussed was the
N E p la n ’ s proposed boundaries.
James D . H oust asked about the
background for selecting the target
area and why N E A lb e rta was ex
cluded. Kathy Glankler, from Pied
m ont neigh b o rh o o d , questioned
w hether businesses on A lb e rta
would get loans because they were
n’t "w ithin the red line.”
O .B . H ill said the only real targets
o f the plan were the Lower A lbina
In d u s tria l D is tric t, L o w er U n io n
Avenue and Columbia Blvd.
C o m m u n ity p a rtic ip a tio n was
said to be lacking in the plan’ s de
velopment and needed in creating a
plan that could receive com munity
support. The plan’ s time line needs
to be extended, said Bob Nelsen, to
allow citizen input. The N E C o ali
tion has not yet considered the plan.
Ron Herndon called for delay in ac
tion saying that the B U F plans to
call for community meetings to de
velop their own plan and then see
with PD C where the plans mesh. He
stated: " I f P D C tries to present this
plan to C ity C o u n c il, we’ ll fight
you. I promise that.”
O .B . H ill and Charles Cruise said
they were disturbed that the Nation
al Business League had at no point
been asked to p artic ip a te in the
plan’s development. Describing the
organization as the "only legitimate
Black m inority business organiza
tion here,” H ill said they would like
to serve as the mechanism to plan
industrial site developm ent in the
C o lu m b ia area, since no other
neighborhood organization was do
ing it. M r. Cruise referred to past ef
forts working with the form er Bu
reau o f Econom ic D evelop m en t,
disbanded with the election o f M ay
or Ivancie, to create a com m unity
controlled developm ent c orpo ra
tion. He said support was withheld
by the City because the City wanted
to retain control.
The type o f development needed
in the northeast area was addressed
by speakers. Vicki A bbott, describ
ing the area around Union as a solid
neighborhood, said markets, baker
ies, cleaners, and other convenience
services were needed in areas such as
near U n th a n k P laza ra th e r than
light in d u s tria l developm ent and
fencing o f f fo r salvage. Several
speakers were concerned that light
ind u strial developm ent had often
been synonymous with warehousing
in the area rather than with job-gen-
erating development.
w orld,” he said. " T h e best voodoo
to use is w ithdraw ing your dollars
from their com m unity and spend
•hem in your o w n ."
Last year in A m erica, Blacks in
this country spent over $98 million
in the consumer market-place which
means that we are carrying part o f a
country’ s economic burden that is
com m itting "econom ic genocide"
against minorities.
By spending Black dollars in the
Black communities, the Black con
sumer will be enhancing Black busi
nesses that can ultim ately start hir
ing from w ithin the Black com
m unity. I f the Rev. Jesse Jackson
can organize a boycott o f Coca Cola
to the point where they were losing
money so fast that they settled the
issue by com m itting $34 m illion to
Black communities nationally, then
the counter " v o o d o o ” Jackson is
talking about can work in our city.
" W e must start rebuilding our
families and communities because
this economic situation has de
stroyed it. This adm inistration
claimed that poverty was a thing o f
the past but when 1 look around it
resembles the days o f the depres
sion. People are unemployed, hope
less, and oppressed. But people who
are oppressed should keep on fight
ing and m aintain hope because we
must prevail. From Buttermilk Bot
tom to W all Street, they are all dis
agreeing w ith the voodoo econ
omics,” said the articulate Jackson.
Jackson also had a message for
those successful Blacks who have al
ready climbed the corporate and
government ladder to positions o f
power.
“ You must start reaching back
and pulling people up to where you
are since you are already there. We
must start using all o f our resources
to the fullest and w < ^an 't become
content once we have made it ,” he
said.
G overnor Vic A tiye h , who also
spoke at the weekend long confer
ence, also had a message to the
Black community.
" A s governor, the only promise
I can deliver is that I will do every
thing in my power to help you help
yourself. M y economic policy is that
simple. The determ ination for im
provements has to come from the
grass roots. It cannot come from
government,” he said.
In the meantime, all is well at the
W hite House___
Garry W ard shows fashions at Clothas Horaa In dow n to w n Port
land.
(Photo; Richard J. Brown)
A star of the fashion world
Gerry Ward is a star in Portland’s
fashion world. A successful model,
fashion show coordinator and buy
er, Ms. Ward has been employed by
the Clothes Horse for 22 years.
M s. W a rd ’ s career w ith the
Clothes Horse began by chance— a
regular customer, she was asked by
the ow ner to come to work as a
clerk. A, that time few Black people
were employed in downtown P o rt
land, and M rs. W ard had already
been rejected by Pacific Northwest
Bell and other major companies.
Over the years she has developed
a regular clientele. " I studied Home
Econom ics and have always been
good with color and fab ric s," she
explained. M y customers return
time after time because I sell my tal
e n t— I enjoy coo rd in atin g w a rd
robes and working with color.”
Recently, Ms. W ard has become
more involved in buying— both in
the local and Los Angeles markets.
This year, with the Clothes Horse
upgrading its styles, she will also be
involved in the New York m arket.
" I enjoy buying, and I think it is
one o f my m ajo r tale n ts ,” she re
marked.
Ms. Ward and her husband, H ar
ry, came to Portland in 1952 to visit
his mother and decided to stay. M r.
Ward was president o f the Portland
Branch N A A C P for three two-year
terms, and Mrs. Ward served on the
board and assisted with the youth
group.
" I ’ ve always enjoyed w orking
w ith young p eo p le,” she said. " I
would like to encourage young
Black women into fashion careers.
It is a field which holds many op
portunities.” She offers her services
to counsel young women who might
have an interest in the field. "Some
day I would like to establish a pro
gram to help high school students
who would like to get into modeling
and fashions.”
For Mrs. W ard, long service with
a company where her many talents
are appreciated, has brought success
and satisfaction.
Charles Cruise, president of the
National Business League, said that
speculating in the area was causing
prices to be unreasonable and that a
1904 building he wants to expand in
would cost $350,000. He said it was
necessary to get rid o fthe carpet
baggers coming into the area.
The capability and representative
ness o f R E P I was questioned. Ber
nie Foster said all had the opportun
ity to join. Linda Johnson stated she
didn’t have the $2,500 fee required.
In response to comments from the
audience, P D C ’ s Petersen said this
m eeting was only a p art o f the
neighborhood p a rtic ip a tio n his
agency hoped fo r. Neighborhoods
and business groups have been con
tacted and P D C is w illin g to have
workshops and to use similar vehi
cles to work with people, he added.
H e stated any city funding pro
vided will be tied with a First Source
Agreement and that the Human Re
sources Bureau is looking at Neigh
borhood Hire.
Prostitution, Petersen said, can
not be addressed by P D C . He added
that he w ould hope the C ity Task
Force created could address this is
sue with the police, but that P D C it
self has no police power.
H e said the eastern target boun
dary, straight up N E 8th to Colum
bia, was drawn to provide " a uni
form approach to the area.”
Petersen discussed the $15 million
in H C D funds spend in upgrading
housing in the northeast area. PD C ,
he said, "has no intent to destroy
houses. Vacant property and build
ing are where we’ll look to promote
the area.”
On the urban renew al issue, he
said P D C is presenting it as one tool
for the City Council to consider and
come to a decision about.
Regarding timelines for plan ap
proval, Petersen stated that no spe
cific date is set to go to Council. The
N E program was developed upon
instruction fro m C o un cil and late
November was P D C ’s goal.
I
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