Page 4 Portland Observer, June 30, 1982
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Middle school best for Adams
The School Board w ill soon determine the
fu tu re use o f the John Adams H igh School
b u ild in g . Some o f the most frequently dis
cussed options are: reopening the building as a
neighborhood high school w ith a vocational
emphasis; using it fo r C o lu m b ia /W h ita k e r
Middle School; leasing it to Portland Commu
nity College; renting it or leasing it fo r non
school use.
Adams is by far the d istrict’ s best building
and is considered by many to be one o f the fin
est school buildings in the nation. It must be
retained for public school use.
Portland Com m unity College continues to
express interest in a cq uiring the b u ild in g ,
promising to expand and enhance vocational
programs now housed at the Cascade campus.
There is no doubt that John Adams HS would
provide beautiful facilities fo r PCC, but we
believe that the current Cascade Campus can
accomodate facilities for their new program.
Also, there is a serious question regarding the
commitment to the former Model Cities com
munity made when the college accepted nearly
three-quarters o f a m illion dollars to establish
the Cascade Campus. This money was given at
great sacrifice to other programs and projects
with the belief that the vocational programs to
be provided by a community college would be
an asset to the community’s young people.
There has been much discussion over the
years about how w ell that com m itm ent has
been kept. The general consensus o f commu
nity and students alike is that it has not— that
Cascade has been the orphan o f the PCC sys
tem. H o p e fu lly , w ith a new president, that
trend has been reversed. But the commitment
to o ffe r q u a lity educational program s fo r
Model Cities residents and to be a positive in
fluence in the com m unity should be carried
out at the existing campus.
The best use fo r the Adams bu ild ing is to
house C o lu m b ia /W h ita k e r M id d le School.
This school is now located at tw o campuses,
both in dangerous, industrial areas far from
the c h ild re n ’ s homes. Placing the schools at
Adams would allow most children to walk to
school, would elim inate high transportation
costs, would avoid the shuttling o f staff from
one campus to the other, and would provide
an excellent facility fo r the middle school stu
dents.
This building, w ith its shapes, auditorium ,
playing fields and adjoining park would be the
perfect site for C olum bia/W hitaker—a middle
school that has been neglected. W ith a facility
like Adams available children should not have
to go to school amid trains, trucks and indus
trial plants.
Whether the building w ill ever be used as a
high school again is pure speculation, but the
need fo r facilities fo r C olum bia/W hitaker is
real and immediate.
Congressman Ron Dellums of
California will ba the featured
speaker for the Observer'»
Achievement Awards Banquet
on July IBth at tha Hilton Hotel.
Honorees are: Earl Wantland,
president. Tektronix; V.F. Book
er, president. American State
Bank; Harry Qllckman. execu
tive vice-president of the Trail
blazer«; Cora Smith, owner of
Cora Smith Hair Design; State
Representative Gretchen Ka-
foury; County Executive Don
Clark; City Commissioner
Charles Jordan; Edna Robert
son, Coordinator for the North
east District Neighborhood Of
fice. Woman of tha Year: Linda
Williams, The Oregonian; Msn of
the Year. Ron Herndon, co-
chairman, Black United Front;
Outstanding Community Ser
vice: Ruth Haefner.
The banquet will be held at
7:00 with no-host cocktail hour
preceding
T ictaets are available at tha Obser
ver office, Stevens & Sons. Meier
and Frank, and Houee of Sound.
CONGRESSMAN RON DELLUMS
The debt trap
Athletes sacrifice for liberation
Much ado is being made about the South
A fric a n athletes c u rre n tly v is itin g Oregon
State University wrestling coach Dale Thomas.
South A frica is barred from all recognized
amateur sport and any athlete that competes
with a South A frica n is barred from amateur
competition for life. Thomas, as a representa
tive o f our state and o f OSU, has repeatedly
insulted all o f us by his relationship with South
Africa.
Now that some South A frica n athletes are
visiting Thomas, there is great sympathy ex
pressed for the black athletes. Now that blacks
are allowed to participate on some teams, they
are being punished along with the white play
ers. F irst barred by apartheid in th e ir own
cou ntry and now by a U nited Nations rule,
they seem to get it both ways. The fact that
young people cannot be allowed to compete
fu lly is a sad commentary on society.
The answer is not to l i f t the ban against
South African participation, however. As long
as apartheid is the law in that nation the rest o f
the world must find every way possible to pro
test. The ban on athletic competition is an im
portant protest.
Those bla ck South A fric a n athletes who
fin d themselves in the middle must sacrifice
the joys o f international competition but their
sacrifice is small when compared to the sacri
fice o f those in South A fric a and throughout
the world who give their lives for freedom and
justice.
Letters to the Editor
Jewish group opposes Lebanon invasion
To the editor:
As a local chapter o f a national
Jewish progressive o rg a n iza tio n ,
P o rtlan d New Jewish Agenda
wishes to respond p u b licly to the
new crisis in the M id d le East. W e
wish to add our voice to those call
ing for a comprehensive negotiated
settlement o f the Israeli-A rab con
flict.
The fo llo w in g statem ent was
adopted at the chapter’s last general
meeting, June 27th.
We are uncom promisingly com
mitted to the survival and flourish
ing of the Jewish State o f Israel and
believe that all fair-m inded people
must support its existence and se
curity. We believe that a just peace
in the M id d le East can be possible
only with the mutual recognition o f
Israeli and Palestinian n atio n al
rights and the co-existence o f the
Jewish State and a Palestinian Arab
State. No less than Israel, the Pales
tinian people has the right to self-de
termination and an independent na
tional existence.
We think the invasion o f Lebanon
and the continued aggression in and
around Beirut lessens the prospects
by strengthening those on both sides
wno believe a negotiated Israeli-Pal
estinian peace is neither possible nor
desirable. We do not condone ter
rorist acts against Israelis, but such
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' Oregon
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actions in no way justify the current
Israeli response. The terrifying toll
o f this massive invasion in lives and
suffering will perpetuate the cycle o f
mutual mistrust and violence, add
ing obstacles to a negotiated peace
settlement.
Although the short-term security
o f Israel has no do u bt been en
hanced by the destruction o f P L O
centers in Lebanon and the partial
destruction ~ f the Syrian air force,
we see this invasion as contradictory
to the long-term security o f Israel.
T he long-range repercussion o f
these acts will mean greater hostility
towards Israel, the continuation o f a
catastrophic arms race between Is
rael and the surrounding A ra b
countries, and the prolongation o f
tension and a disasterous economy
that have made life in Israel so d iffi
cult in recent years. A lth o u g h Is
ra e l’ s desire fo r safe and secure
borders is understandable, a truly
secure bord er cannot be attain ed
through m ilita ry means, but only
through the establishment o f peace
ful relationships with neighboring
states and the Palestinian people.
Even the strongest and most a d
vanced o f armies cannot deter a
people questing for a homeland.
Recently a prestigious study mis
sion to the M id d le East which in
cluded Philip Kluznik, former presi
dent o f the W orld Jewish Congress
and form er B’ nai Brith president,
issued a report which stated: “ In
our view, there can only be a d u r
able peace with a negotiated settle
ment, and there can only be a nego
tiated settlem ent i f there is a fa ir
com prom ise between the Israelis
and Palestinians. A winner-take-all
solution favoring the more powerful
party will perpetuate conflict.”
We strongly concur.
We urge both Jews and non-Jews
who support a peace initiative in the
M id d le East to express themselves
everywhere and in particular to the
Israeli am bassador and the U .S .
State Department calling for an im
mediate ceasefire, withdrawal o f Is
raeli and Syrian troops from Leban
on and the commencement o f inter
nationally supervised negotiations
toward providing a national home
land fo r the Palestinian people as
well as security for the Jewish na
tional homeland o f Israel.
Portland New Jewish Agenda
F or your information:
Am bassador Moshe Arens, O f
fice o f the Israeli Embassy, 3514 In
te rn a tio n a l D riv e , W ashington,
D .C . 20008.
The Secretary o f S tate, U .S .
D ep a rtm en t o f S tate, 2201 “ C ”
Street N W , W ash in g to n , D .C .
20520.
Portland Observer
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(
by Manning Marable
“’From The Grassroots”
The current economic recession
has become a depression for black
A m erica. M ost black economists
and C iv il Rights leaders have a t
tacked the Reagan Administration’s
austere fiscal and social policies for
worsening an already terrible eco
nomic c o n d itio n fo r blacks. The
majority o f this group targets one is
sue, unemployment, as the central
dilemma for government action. Yet
even i f C E T A and other jo b p ro
grams were restored to former lev
els, another m ajor problem would
still exist that undermines the stabil
ity o f black, Hispanic and working
class households. This underpubli
cized problem is consumer debt.
For all Americans, indebtedness
has become virtually a way o f life.
Installment credit increased $20 bil
lion in 1981, to $333 billion. When
combined with home mortgages, the
total personal debt is a staggering
$1.5 trillio n . In growing numbers,
thousands o f Americans have been
forced into bankruptcy courts. In
1978, 179,194 declared bankruptcy;
last year, the num ber soared to
456,914. Current estimates for the
number o f persons who are in se
rious financial debt— on the verge
o f b an kru p tcy— have now passed
4.5 b illion. M illion s o f others sur
vive by "kitin g credit” — borrowing
from one credit card to pay o ff
another creditor. W ith over 10 m il
lion Americans out o f work, the im
mediate prospects for many more
bankruptcies seem likely.
Indebtedness is a special problem
fo r lower income people— non-
unionized blue collar w orkers,
blacks, and single women with chil
dren. Black families below the pov
erty level had a median annual in
come deficit of $2261 in 1978, com
pared to median income deficit o f
$1753 fo r poor whites. 261,000
black families owed $3,OOO-$3,999.
146,000 were in debt between
$4,000-$4,999, and another 182,000
were behind by $5,000 or more. For
black families with related children
under the age o f 18 in 1978, the me
dian income debt was almost four
thousand d ollars. Black fam ilies
with female heads were in debt by
$2,440. 215,000 black female-head
ed households owed $3,000-$3,999,
and 262,000 were in debt by at least
$4,000.
The Reagan Recession has in
creased the necessity for black and
working class households to go into
debt in order to m ain tain fo o d ,
clothing and shelter. In the 1973-75
recession, over 75 per cent of all un
em ployed workers received some
kind o f federal or state compensa
tion. Under Reagan, that figure has
dropped to 37 per cent.
Indebtedness has profound social
costs which are seldom explored sys
tem atically by economists. Debt is
probably the most significant factor
in the creation o f marital strife, and
a prime reason for divorce. Twelve
years ago, only 83 black men and
women were divorced fo r every
1,000 who were m arried. By 1980,
there were 151 black men and 257
black women divorcees per 1,000.
According to some researchers, by
the year 2,000, eight out o f ten black
households will be fatherless.
The short term solution to the
economic crisis is n ot, th e re fo re ,
more federal government jobs for
the unemployed. The strategy must
include a reorganization o f p rio ri
ties w ith in the p o litic a l economy
and the governm ent. A ll human
beings should be guaranteed cer
tain economic rights— a good job, a
decent home, free public healthcare,
free education. The debt trap is the
means by which big corporations
saddle the burden o f higher prices
onto the backs o f A m erican con
sumers. U n til we have an economy
that places people before p ro fits,
bankruptcies and consumer in
debtedness will continue to exist.
Thanks for support
To the editor:
As an update to the community,
the Jazm in C o m m u n ity M arching
Band wishes to thank Band parents
and community residents who sup
ported and cheered us on Saturday,
June 12th upon our entry into the
G ran d F lo ra l Rose P arade. The
Band received scores o f 10-10-10-9;
although not officially entered. We
would like to share this with you as
we are your community musical per
forming unit. Our existence in part,
is due to and rests w ith you. A ll
youth who play an instrum ent or
wish to, w ill find us M on d ay
through Friday at the King Facility
(4815 N .E . 7th) from 7 :0 0 a .m . to
12:00 noon. Our goal for 1983 is to
bring a southern trad itio n al band
festival to the northwest. We need
your donations o f funds, in s tru
ments, or a number o f resources
that you have more than one o f or
are not in immediate use.
Instrum ents: used, but usable.
Stereo: or parts o f — tu rn ta b le ,
speakers, etc. Tape recorder: reel ,0
reel or cassette. Sheet music: prac
tice material for brass-woodwinds-
percussion. Records: instrumentals
especially. Reeds: fo r all w o o d
winds. Musical repair kit: or parts
of.
Evelyn Crews
Jazmín crashes
Open letter to Rose Festival Association
Gentlemen:
The Jazmin C om m unity M a rc h
ing Band, led and directed by M r.
Thara M em ory, provided a superb
performance for the Rose Festival
P arade. The fine music, c o lo rfu l
uniform s and showmanship o f the
band was a key ingredient in the suc
cess o f the parade.
Residing in the P o rtla n d black
com m unity, I never realized such
talent existed under my very nose.
These are tru ly fine, talented and
am b itiou s young people and I ’ m
sure the exposure from the Rose
Festival Parade will certainly gain
them recognition in future events to
come in our great "C ity of Roses.”
I would like to commend the Rose
Festival A ssociation for another
overwhelm ing success and for the
opportunity o f allowing these young
black people to take part in one o f
the n atio n ’ s m ajo r celebrations. I
truly enjoyed the entire parade in
spite of the rain.
A gain, thank you for a jo b well
done.
Levan Johnson, Sr.
(E d ito r’s note: The Jazmin Rand
was not invited to participate in the
G ra n d
F lo ra l
Parade,
b ut
"crashed. ”)
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