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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1983)
Portland Observer, December 21, 1983 Section I Page 5 J II2 W 1 À O'Jays, others back South Africa boycott <* by Lamia Duke Grassroot News, N. W. —Should entertainers boycott South Africa? Yes, is the answer you w ill receive from over one-third of the enter tainment world. Also, from the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid. The singing group. The O’ Jays, are part of an international cam paign to educate their fellow enter tainers to the problem o f Black peo ple living with a foot on their necks. Sammy Strain, the newest mem ber of the O'Jays, signed a resolution in Portland calling for an end to academic, cultural and sporting ex changes with South Africa. The or ganization mobilizing local support for the boycott is Portlanders Or ganized For Southern African Free dom. Strain said his group was classi fied as an honored "w h ite .” "W hat struck me was at the end o f the day all the Blacks made a major motion to get out of the city. It was a mass exodus." In 1981 The O’ Jays per formed in South Africa and said they would never go back. “ We have made a commitment to ourselves and Black people to do all we can to persuade all entertainers, both Black and white, to stay away from that place until humanity is re stored.” In South Africa, everyone is regis tered by race. No Blacks are allowed in the city after dark without a spe cial permit and all Africans (Black) over 16 are reqruied to be finger printed and carry a passbook. The population o f South Africa is Sammy Strain, singer with tha O Jeys. call« for an academic, cul- tural, and sports boycott of South Africa at Portland praaa confer- (Photo: Richard J. Brown) anca. mainly Black, but whites control the economic, political and social as pects o f everyday life. The majority live below the poverty line and the infant mortality for urban Blacks is 69 per 1,000 and 282 per 1,000 for rural Blacks. Blacks cannot vote, or hold office, and their land has been taken away by the government, forcing them to live in camps where hunger and disease are common place. These facts have created a cam paign called Artists and Athletes against Apartheid. Led by Harry Belafonte and Arthur Ashe, this group is obtaining pledges from Paul Newman, Tony Randall, Bill Cosby, and other colleagues to join Special statem ent from Grassroot News. N W.'s news director. Lanita Duke: " In our Dec. 1 issue I wrote. Sorry Night at Starry Night, which dealt with the O'Jays concert. I wrote about how the audience had been treated. Since publication. Starry Night has made overtures to the Black community, apologizing for events that were beyond their control. Their statement to the commtimty is worth rcadin£ar^2indcrstanding;2 _ _ A d v e rtis e m e n t - Under regrettable circumstances, the O'Jays decided to go on stage tree hours late, showing less than a professional attitude toward their ins. Since the O'Jays were getting paid a very huge sum of money. Starry light found it sad that their fans should suffer with the confusion that this , sed for both fans and the club. The miscommunication between the Jays management and Starry Night on details, we feel was not sufficient ause to treat the crowd this way A court of law will decide who will be eld responsible at a later date It is Starry Night's desire to have entertainment of all varieties from round the world. Having never experienced something like this before, and ever planning to again, we wish to extend a free pass to our New Year s ve Spectacular for anybody with an O'Jays ticket stub, and apologize for ny inconvience caused that evening. M err^C hnstm as^rom -Stan^N ^hi---— —- STARRY NIGHT PRESENT • Œ NEW YEAR’S EVE SPECTACULAR December 31, 1983, New Year’s Eve, Featuring the hottest rock and funk sounds of .........< ■, W a boycott against South Africa’s in humanity toward man. This organization states that per formances in South Africa by Am erican artists gives credibility to the government. The National Black United Front, the Congress o f South African Students, and other organizations have called for a boy cott of artists who perform in South Africa. In March o f 1983, the Portland chapter o f the Black United Front boycotted Tina Turner’s perform ance at a local Portland nightclub Marchers chanted, “ She sold her soul for South African gold,” and Ronnie Herndon said, "Black lead ership in this country has made a re quest asking artists not to go to South Africa. Tina Turner and a few others have accepted this blood money from South A frica .” Roberta Flack rejected an offer of $2.5 million to perform in South A f rica. Phyllis Hyman. Ben Vereem. Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Floaters, and Lena Horne have also refused to go and perform. The government o f Japan an nounced in June 1974 that no visas would be issued to South Africans for the purpose of interchange in the field o f sports, culture and educa tion The Netherlands also suspend ed its cultural agreement with South Africa after the Soweto massacre in 1976 where 1.000 students were shot by the police during a peaceful pro test. Not all entertainers have joined in the boycott. Frank Sinatra per formed in South Africa without apologies. Also, Peter Braham, a South African promoter, boasted that he has signed Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, the Stylistics, the Drifters, and the Temptations. Portlanders Organized For Southern African Freedom stated in a press release that, "W e want it to be known that we will protest against any groups or individuals who come to Portland, who have performed in South Africa. And we will support or encourage the efforts o f those who have refused." For more information regarding the ef forts of POSAF contact Avel May- field. 230-9429 ♦ 5 s L E ♦ Classes Exhibits Productions O 5 140 N lntvrst.it«- Asi-nuv ♦ > Space Rental (503) 243 7930 * . / / u n e «<• (ù in i/'it/itj PHI SIN1S e®and Faces A v is u a l t»«|> thtOMtffc 0« »»••• I m M o m s m l « n a k a up Cocktail Hour »»pm k»w«w lim e • 00 |> m unpl » ’% ® z parku" • l a t h Tta G z — H Dec 30. 1983 Melody Lane * Bull Room / / 615 SE Alder / \ i r - Happenings On New Year’s Eve you can party til the sun comes up at Starry Night Nightclub, 8 N.W. 6th. There will be music, full bar and champagne available. Shock w ill sizzle you and Cool’ r will make this the funk-est New Year's you will ever have. Tickets are $10.00 in advance and $13.00 at the door. Kwanzaa festival set Monday. December 26: Umoje/ U nity. Children's program, Black Educational Center students, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 27: Kujicha gulia/Self Determination Naming ceremony, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 28: Uji m a/C ollective W ork and Re sponsibility Beautiful Black Art Co. art exhibit. Films: Haile Selassie I, Bob Marley. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, December 29: Ujamaa /Cooperative Economics. Sup porting our own Black businesses, speakers, 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 30: Nia/Pur pose Egypt: Our Story, slide pre sentation, Kamau Sadiki, 7:30 p.m Saturday, December 31: Kuum ba/Creativity. Karamu The Feast — Bring a dish and share in the festi vities, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, January I: Imani/Faith. Family Day: Reflect on the Kwanzaa festivities with your fami ly- All festivities will be held at the Black Educational Canter Io cated at 1640 N.E Alberta St I h ip p y I lo lid .iv S e a so n r $ 1 5 °° Per Parson A-» \ T icket locations <-> Stevens b Son Jewelers I toy 4 Cantar Advance Ticket Sales Only SOUL PRESENTS O F TH E CITY A New Year's Eve A ffair - featuring - LIGHTS OUT and V ISIONS Fantasy Affair Band Party a success with and C 00l The Crazy ft's M u s ic u n til 5 A . M . Full Bar & Champagne Available! A* •A <> Dance the night away!! y STARRY NIGHT % 8 N.W. 6th Ave. /•* X 227-0071 / % Ticket outlets House of Sounds, G I Joe's, Meier ft Frank Bass ticket centers, Everybody's Records, Music Millenium Everybody s Ref olds MuS-c M -lie n ru rr ^ ^ TICKETS SUBJECT TO SERV'CE charge ' Nearly 1,000 youths and parents gathered at Jefferson High School on Saturday, Dec. 17th, to attend the 20th Annual Children’s Holiday Christmas Party. Toys and other prizes from local merchants were presented to the youngsters as well as Christmas stockings which were donated by Oregonian readers. Miss Tan Portland 1983, Tracy Clay, Gene Diamond and Farmer John, led Christmas carols and helped the youngsters patiently await the arrival o f Santa Claus (played by Jimmy Bang Bang Walk er). Wally Scales brought along the newest Trail Blazer film that was a big hit with the audience. Music was also provided by the Jefferson Jazz Band. The annual event is sponsored by the Jimmy Bang Bang Walker Youth Foundation. _____ F e s lu rln a K B O O soul D J • S h eheed H im u d A ls« D erby Psblo I. Sylvis snd others very SPECIAL guests THARA M EM O R Y Ticket locations: House of Sound Stsvsn* b Son Meier b Frenk Music Millenium Everybody'* Records 5600 N .E. U nion 287 5330 Creetive Soul Ensemble lester I M c F arland ARICE C OLEM AN A Benefit for Community Enterteinment Education Network And Other Slsrs 11 The GRAND BALLROOM of the MASONIC TEMPLE Downtown Portland December 31, Sat. 8:00 PM, 1119 S.W. Park Age: 21 yrs. and older D O N 'T MISS THIS ONE!! Hock Shop Buy, Sell or Trade Anything of value I ¡Lights O u t Full Bar - Food - Happy Hour All Night Long ^ ■ ^ ^ o t e ^ ^ is t r a t io r v t a b l^ f o ^ e s ^ U a c k « x V ^ a n T p a ig r ^ ^ ^ ^ I _
