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