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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1982)
No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent. Inspired by the battle cry o f the Revolutionary War- -“ No taxation without ____ representation” — Paul C u ffy refused to pay his Massachusetts tax. When threatened with jail he paid but he sent a petition, signed by several Blacks, to the Legislature. The petition demanded relief from taxes because they had ‘no voice or influence in the election o f those who tax us.’ Eventually the state passed a law giving Blacks the same rights as other citizens. Through the history o f the nation Blacks have been caught up in a desperate struggle to survive in a system where whites hold total power. Although the problems concerning the role o f Black people in this society have always been a part o f the nation’s political discussion, Blacks have been powerless to imple ment an agenda o f their own. Paul Robeson was one o f the great minds and most ac complished and unique artists the world has produced The son o f an escaped slave, he rose from humble begin nings to become a scholar, all-around athlete, orator and linguist, fluent in more than twenty languages, and a daz zling star in theatre, film and on the concert stage. He count ed amon his friends and acquaintances men and women such asd firs t lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Jawaharlal Nehru, Nikita Kruschev, George Bernard Shaw, Kwame Nkrumah, and countless others. Paul Robeson refused to allow his personal success to blind him to the exploitation and oppression o f his people sacrificing millions o f dollars in the process. In the 1950s during the McCarthy era, he was persecuted for his outspok en ideas and prevented from working as a concert artist. His passport was canceled for eight years to prevent his traveling abroad, because the United States government considered Mofbeastm O° o f B*ac*c liberation in the 1930s and ^credibly, Paul Robeson survived and, when the hysteria o f the McCarthy period ebbed, he resumed his career as an artist in America and abroad. A fter more than four decades n l T i <?,CLtatcd h,s retirem«nt from public life. He died in Philadelphia in 1976 at the age o f 77. Early union march o f protest. The so-called western democracies— including our o w n .. . can fin d no answer before the bar o f world justice f o r their treatment o f the Negro people------We must have the courage to shout at the top o f our voices about our injustices and we must lay the b la m e .. . where it has belonged f o r over 300years o f slavery and misery, right here on our own doorstep— not in any faraw ay place do not want to die in vain any more on foreign battlefields f o r Wall Street and the greedy supporters o f domestic facism . I f we must die, let it be in Mississippi or Georgia! L e t it be wher ever we are lynched and deprived o f our rights as human beings! Paul Robeson 1949 March on Washington We Salute Portland's |Flrst Black Police Off iced pOUCE O F F /c ^ By the late 19th Century, the New Port Republican Club had enough clout to secure the placement of a Black man, George Hardin, on the Portland Police Bureau. I $1,548.00 Starting Per Month $2,205.00 After Five Years Service The Portland Police Bureau's Minority Recruiting Unit is seeking qualified minorities and women for the positin of Police Officer. If you are interested In a career in law enforcement and are 21 years or older, have a high school P oma or Q.E.D, are a U.S. citizen and have no felony convictions, WE ARE INTERESTED IN YOUI For further information contact: Officer Paul M axey 248-5663, Personnel Division Officer George Hardin 1894 Portland Police Bureau 222 S.W . Pine, Portland, Oregon 97204 Portland Observer February 25, 1982 Page 13
