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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 1984)
Page 4 Portland Observer, February 8,1984 My daughter and Jesse Jackson EDITORIAL/OPINION by D r. M a n n in g M a ra b ie " F ro m The G ra s s ro o ts " Caucus influence growing The 2 1-member Congressional Black Caucus has become a power to be reckoned w ith . Collectively they chair seventeen committees and subcommittees o f the House. Their leadership and influence is being felt. Among their 1983 achievements are: — The budget resolution adopted by the House on March 23rd contained 75 percent of the C B C recommended funding levels for programs aimed at putting people back to work, reversing cuts in social program s, lowering projected federal deficits and reducing proposed increases in military spending. — Because of the leadership of Rep. Parren M itchell, regulations for Department o f Tran sportation grants include 10 percent minority set asides. — The CBC won a 15-year struggle when n atio n al M a rtin L uther K ing, Jr. Day was signed into law on November 2nd. — A $3.5 billion bill which creates 500,000 jobs for long-term unemployed was passed by the House due to Rep. Augustus H a w k in s ’ work. — Rep. Julian Dixon authored a successful amendment prohibiting U .S . support o f IM F loans to South Africa. — Rep. W illiam Gray authored successful legislation to prohibit new investment in South L ik e any d evo ted fa th e r . I am p ro u d o f m y three c h ild re n . M y — Rep. Walter Fauntroy and Rep. Mitchell led the fight for a housing authorization bill of $15.6 billion. — The $96.2 billion fiscal 1984 la b o r/ H H S/education bill contained several amend ments, by Rep. Louis Stokes, including in creased funding for science and health educa tion; nullification of the Administration’s effort to terminate the National Health Service Corps’ Scholarship program. — Rep. Ron Dellums obtained a $254 m illio n increase in annual payments to Washington D .C . and other advantages for the city. — Rep. Dellums led the fight against in creases in military spending. The C BC budget, prepared each year as an alternative to the Adm inistration budget, has become an im portant part o f Congressional budget deliberations and has been strongly en dorsed by labor, civil rights and religious organizations. The 21 Blacks in Congress have become the watchdogs of the legislative process, using their unity and m oral influence to bring some measure of humanity to the national govern ment. They are in Washington D .C . only because their constituents register and vote for oldest daughter, M a la ik a , is only six years o ld But her ideas on B lack p o litic s and Jesse J ackso n 's p re s id e n tia l c a m p a ig n a re m iles a h e a d o f those B la c k " D o u b t i n g T ho m ases" and M o n d a le -fo llo w e rs w h o keep insisting th a t Blacks aren't ready to contest fo r the W h ite is so simple. M a la ik a summed it up: " R e a g a n is so m ean to B lack people. H e has to g o .” T h e polls now have Jesse tied for second place w ith S e n a to r John G le n n fo r the D e m o c ra tic Presiden tia l n o m in a tio n . H e 's ra is in g the level o f interest in the c o lle c tiv e e f fo r t one o f the m an y newspapers on my desk, and was struck by a p h o to o f g o v e rn m e n t and P resid ent Reagan w ere fin a n c in g te rro ris ts to a tta c k her and her village. M a la ik a looked to purge R eagan ites sign al th a t it was a ll rig h t to m ove again st h im . T h is is how we lost most o f our b rillian t leaders." fro m M a u la n a K arenga. the founder o f p u b lic life . H is d ra m a tic t r ip to S y ria w eeks ago illu s tra te d the d ip lo m a tic touch w hich has elluded the current ad m in istratio n . M illio n s o f B la c k s, now in s p ire d by this Black p o litic a l challenge w ith in the House. A few weeks a g o , she p ic k e d up an arm e d N ic a ra g u a n w o m a n and her tw o s m a ll c h ild re n . M a la ik a asked w hy the w o m an was ca rry in g a rifle , and I explained that the U .S . they a re u n d e rc u ttin g the fre e d o m strug g le by th e ir re fu s a l to back Jesse " W h e n e v e r a s tron g B lack le a d e r m ade a r e v o lu t io n a r y s ta n d ." F a r ra k h a n states, " t h e m o d erate Black leaders condem ned that revo lution ary leader, giving the th a t? " A g ain , the tru th fro m a child K w a n za a . is ano ther leader w ho has stayed out o f electoral w o rk — yet he to o backs Jackson. Karenga argues that an independent challenge inside the D e m o c ra tic P a rty is abso lutely essential. " T h e p o litic a l tim id ity o f the D e m o c ra tic p a rty in the face o f the R ig h tis t ten d en cy in the U .S . D em o cratic P a rty , w ill become part o f a broader electorate. But perhaps the most im p o rta n t c o n trib u tio n o f the Jackson race is the s y m b o lic value o f a Black person ru n n in g fo r makes it im perative that Blacks play th e ir tra d itio n a l ro le o f ra is in g the ra d ic a l and pro gressive b an n e r a ro u n d w hich o th ers can ra lly , K a re n g a stales. O n ly a B la c k c a n d id a te c o u ld " p ro d u c e a s p irit o f m o b iliz a tio n and o rg a n iz a tio n a l fo rm a tio n s w hich can be used a fte r the campaign in other p ro jects.” But the most basic reason fo r s u p p o rtin g Jackson was expressed national office. at the p h o to a g a in , and then cut th ro u g h m y com p le x e x p la n a tio n w ith accuracy: " Y o u m ean, R onald Reagan is try in g to k ill her c h ild re n ? " I tho ug ht fo r a second, and n od ded yes— t h a t ’ s e xactly w h a t’ s at stake in N ic a ra g u a . E l Jackson has b ro u g h t in to the p o litic a l process B lack in te lle c tu a l, relig iou s and p o litic a l leaders w ho have h e re to fo re eschew ed in volvement in the electoral arena. H e has also in s p ire d a new g e n e ra tio n o f Black yo u th s to c h a lle n g e the established b arrie rs to o u r people's S a lv a d o r, A n g o la , and N a m ib ia . T he Reagamtes are indeed, fun din g ille g a l, racist wars to k ill Black and by m y d a u g h te r progress. O ne prim e exam ple is provided by M in is te r L o u is F a r r a k h a n , the c h a rism a tic leader o f the N a tio n o f Brow n children. Several days passed, and I caught my d au g h ter w a tc h in g te le v is io n . Jesse Jackson was on the screen, s tan din g b e fo re an a p p la u d in g aud ience o f B lacks and w hites. M u c h to m y a m a z e m e n t, M a la ik a lo o k e d up w ith a b ro a d sm ile, d ec la rin g " T h a t ’ s Jesse ja c k s o n ! H e 's the Black m an w h o 's ru n n in g Jesse. A look o f sharp surprise came to her face. " W h y w e’ ve got to stop R o n a ld R eagan . D o n ’ t you k no w I asked Is la m . S p e a kin g b e fo re the W a s h in g to n . D . C . b ra n c h o f the N A A C P at its a n n u a l F re e d o m F u n d d in n e r, F a r ra k h a n u rg ed the to poor p eo p le ." O u r c h ild re n are o u r m ost v ita l N A A C P to b ack Jesse Jackson. F a rra k h a n tra v e le d to S y ria w ith Jesse, stating that he " S a w th a t my d evelo pm en t, fives on long a fte r we have gone. W e have the o p p o rtu n ity to te ll o u r c h ild re n th a t no d o o rs w ill re m a in closed to B lack p eo p le w hen we a c tiv e ly c h a lle n g e the status quo. W e have the capacity for reso urce. W h a t w e d o to in s p ire th e m , to p ro m o te th e ir p o litic a l b ro th er(Jackson )w as w a lk in g dow n in the v a lle y o f d e a th , and I w o u ld not let h im go d o w n th e re by h im s e lf ." In the F e b ru a ry issue o f for presiden t!" S to p p in g dead in m y tra c k s , I asked my d au g h ter w hy she lik e d W’ hen M a la ik a w h at she th o u g h t ab o u t a B lack person ru n n in g fo r the presidency, she replied: '■‘ I ' d like to be President. I w ould help give food Essence m agazine, F arra k h an warns Black ap o lo g ists fo r M o n d a le that n a tio n a l le a d e rs h ip . F o r M a la ik a , and fo r every Black child, can we do less? Democrat 1 viewpoint by Pass Danielson A p reviou s " D e m o c r a tic 18 V ie w p o in t" called a tte n tio n to one o f m any misconceptions com m o nly held a b o u t the D e m o c ra tic P a rty . But to o ve rc o m e the g e n e ra lly low c challenges Reagan (co n tin ued fr o m page I , coium n 3 / • T h e C aucu s believes fu n d in g m ust be p ro v id e d fo r fed e ra l n u tr itio n p ro g ram s as a firs t step tow ard eradicating hunger • M ic k e y L e la n d (D -T e x a s )h a s a u th o rize d a resolution to establish a House Select C o m m itte e on H u ng er. Black Infant Mortality O n the average, Black babies die at twice the rate o f w hite babies, and in some urb an centers the m o rta lity ra te fo r B la c k babies is fo u r tim es higher. • The CBC has requested h ea rin g s by the E n erg y and C o m m erce O v e rs ig h t & In v e s tig tio n s S u b co m m ittee to determ ine reasons fo r the R eagan A d m in is tra tio n ’ s d ela y s in resp on din g to a fo rm a l adjustm ents in the status o f H a itia n refugees in the U .S . remedies. M in o rity Enterprise H u m a n Rights and F oreign A ffa irs T h e Reagan A d m in is tra tio n has done m o re to th w a rt B lack and o th e r m in o rity e n te rp ris e th a n any a d m in is tra tio n in the last 20 years. In 1983, the percent o f contracts to M B E 's decreased. T he A d m in is tra tio n seeks to e lim in a te the S B A D i rect Loan P rog ram : in December o f 1983, the S B A published new rules • T h e C B C w ill c o n tin u e to speak o ut against the Ad m in is tra tio n 's policies o f m ilita ry in te rv e n tio n and to urge the a d o p tio n o f strong e con om ic and p o litic a l sanctions against a p a r theid. • The C B C supports R ep. W illia m H . G r a y ’ s a m e n d m e n t to the E x p o rt A d m in is tra tio n A ct p ro h ib itin g new U .S . investm ent in South A fric a , which overwhelmingly passed the House last year. • O ther priorities include urgent sup p le m e n ta l a p p ro p ria tio n s to respond to the fam in e in A fric a and to restructure its M B E program . • Rep. Parren M itc h e llfD -M d .) w ill again take the lead in providing aggressive oversight o f this Adm inis tratio n 's total failure in encouraging Black economic progress and will seek to redirect federal policies in this re gard. o rg a n iz a tio n th a t can c a rry out educational w o rk . Setting aside the many reasons for the c u rre n t state o f P a rty a ffa ir s , the p o te n tial cap a b ility o f the P a rty o rg a n iz a tio n is d ep end ent on the proved to w h ite s liv in g o u ts id e o f in n e r- N o r th e a s t say som e N E E D m e m b e rs . J o h n s o n says a c o m m u n ity g ro u p s h o u ld be c o n tra c te d to p r o v id e e m p lo y e e s fo r p o s itio n s created w ith public funds. This role is now p a rtia lly fille d by the M u l t n o m a h -W a s h in g to n P r iv a te I n dustry C o un cil which draws workers fro m throughout the m etro area A s th e O b server goes to press, P D C commissioners are reviewing a p ro p o s a l fo r im p le m e n ta tio n o f a $ 5 0 .(XX) M in o r it y Business D e v e l o p m e n t P r o g r a m — a p ro g ra m a p Ik j re tw o years ago. P D C claims they were hampered by R e a g a n 's U .S . D e p a r tm e n t o f H o u s in g an d U r b a n D e v e lo p - m en t(w h o o rig in a lly claim ed such a p ro g ram is ille g a l). L in d a Johnson and others are irate about the delay and also w onder if the interest ear ned on th is a n d th e $ 1 5 0 ,0 0 0 u n spent m o n ey fro m the L an d B a n k in g p ro g ra m w ill be m ade available. " A f t e r all this tim e, said J o h n s o n , " t h e y in s u lt o u r in te llig e n c e in te llin g us they are making a p ro p o sa l." E v e n w ith a ll o f th e m ixed fe e lin g s about P ul, sh.-r . ifto n A nm » and son. O n M a y 1$, new p recin ct people Party leadership are badly needed. T o ru n fo r e le ctio n fo r the w ill be elected, fo llo w in g State law , and in June and July these new precinct com m ittee people w ill elect position o f precinct c o m m ittee per son in yo u r p re c in c t o r in an a d jacen t p re c in c t, you m a y file fo r new d istrict, county, and state party leaders and also select delegates to the N a tio n a l D e m o c ra tic C o n v e n e le c tio n tw ith y o u r nam e app earin g on the b a llo t ja t the C o u n ty B o ard o f E lections O f fic e , S .E M o rris o n at I It h , or contact the district leader tion. But how m any o f these new precinct people w ill actu ally help to b u ild the P a rty o rg a n iz a tio n and p ro m o te its w o rk? H o w m an y w ill H M I m BIR NMA T h r/•„ n ir fn .r n r -,, - . » ' l i s t ’ s 959 bsi» « pu b in n e o •»»»» th b» t f'ibi'V' ■ a Com»»*»» »" Î201 N.»»iri X.i'inq» M<»l*> Pi»»l>A»«l O o s i» » 9 t2 ’ r P»sl O tt'ir Bo« 3 U 7 Purtl«n.l o»egn» 9»ZUt Second » I*»» IH.vlA«-l»»ir Al Port'A»il O'ri*»» A lfre d i Henderson. I dilor/Publisher A l M ilhams. Advertising Manager 283 2486 N fttio n ftl A d v e rtis in g R a p re ^ e n ta tn A m a lg a m a te d P u b lis h e r» inc N e w Yo rk ■•J- • ys. • • B e fo re filin g , one m ay in q u ire if som eone else has a lre a d y file d fo r election in that precinct and , if so, it is a cou rtesy to y o u r fe llo w D e m o c ra t to file in a d iffe re n t, a d ja c e n t p re c in c t.(T h e C o u n ty E le c tions O f fic e , the C o u n ty D e m o c ra tic P a rty O ffic e , most cam p aig n o f fices, and the d is tric t le a d e r have m aps to help d e te rm in e a v a ila b le precincts.) A lth o u g h most take pride in being elected to serve as precinct p eo ple, very few fo lk s w o u ld m in d being " d e fe a te d ” in th eir candidacy fo r a p re c in c t c o m m itte e p o s itio n . In D istrict 18, the P a rty org an izatio n is designed to be a U N I T E D o rg an iza tio n o f p recin ct p eo p le and D e m o cratic volunteers. A n d non-precinct people are eligible to be elected as o f ficers o f the District, C ounty or State organizations. F inally, after the reor ganization o f the Party in June-July, any registered D e m o c ra t m ay apply for appointm ent as a precinct person, and appointed precinct persons have the same voting privileges as elected precinct people. Letters to the Editor* * Planning needed The quality o f the plan will be deter m ined in p art by the q u a lity o f the process we use That is why I want to make sure that citizens and neighbor To the editor: cles by C h uck G o o d m a c h e r on our proposal for a Central City Plan. As your articles pointed out, the need for a strong vision for the central city area is acute, especially as major new devel opm ents are proposed and as social hood have a full opportunity to parti cipate in both the pre-planning phase, which the C ity is engaged in now , and the p la n n in g phases, o v e r the next problems continue to grow. is encouraged to call or w rite my o f " " — I I ■ I I I I I I • I three years. Anyone wishing to become more involved in the Central City Plan fice, Room 211, C ity H a ll, P o rtland , 97204 M argaret D Strachan Commiaaionar of Public Utilities The Observer welcomes Letters to the E d ito r. Letters should be short, and must contain the w riter's nam e and address (addresses are n ot p rin t ed/. The Observer reserves the rig ht io ed it f o r length. I *l£ *fid a i7 -o w n e T te w s p a p e r. Subscribe today! I PORTLAND OBSERVER Y e t, I would like a subscription to the P o rtla n d O bserver. News fo r and about you. g ! fo u r v fta (M S and help process all form s. T o be e lig ib le , you m ust have been a registered D e m o c ra t fo r at least 180 days b e fo re filin g . T h e filin g d ea d lin e is 5 :0 0 p m ., M a rc h 6. H o w e v e r, i f y o u miss the filin g T h a n k you fo r the thorough a r t i Bo« 1117 Portland 0»«eon 97208 L PER w ho w ill be glad to answer questions c a rry out th e ir m a jo r d uties as v o tin g m em bers o f the C o u n ty D em o cratic C e n tra l C o m m itte e and U n io n Avenue. N E E D is f ir m ly s ta n d in g on its own tw o feet and most members say P D C 's N ortheast c o o rd inator has a h ig h e r level o f g e n u in e c o m m it ment than have others w ho've filled the jo b in the past. Then too, several c o m m u n ity based g ro u p s a re agg re s s iv e ly p r o m o tin g the a re a : next w e e k , the O b s e r v e r w ill examine some o f these. or in an adjacent precinct. role o f the precinct c o m m itte e p e r the problem s the Black c om m u nity has had in developing a cohesive voice. M a n y a re o p tim is tic . T h e re are p o s itiv e signs o f g ro w th a ll along Th« Pnriland Observer « va » e»iAbi»»»e<l in 1970 Sub»c»pl»on« » 1 5 ® !>•' » •»' « »b* 7» Count» •»•« Po»l miara» Send Add»»»» chano«» io ih« Porilem t Observer P O ASSOC *Sf>on PDC Portland Observer M 'O r r t ,.» 4 9 n early Party? U n fo r tu n a te ly , m a n y p recinct people elected in p re s id e n tia l p rim aries are o n ly interested in the p re s id e n tia l c a m p a ig n o r in the Dem ocrat. W e live in tim es th a t re q u ire a re v ita liz e d D e m o c ra tic P a rty to p ro m o te a long overdue progressive agenda. A c tiv e p recinct people and Reactions to City plan for N.E. (continued fro m page I. coiumn 3 / d e a d lin e you m ay s till c o n d u c t a w rite -in c am p aig n in you r precinct distant g litte r o f the N a tio n a l C o n v e n tio n . A n d fo r the fo llo w in g tw o years they passively o ccupy a precinct p o s itio n th a t c o u ld o th e r wise be fille d by an activ e level o f in fo rm a tio n and u nderstan d in g ab o u t the P a rty we n e e d lC a t- ch-22)stronger. more effective Party p etitio n on Black In fa n t M o rta lity . T h is p e titio n o u tlin e s specific as lo c a l activists in the g rassro ots, n e ig h b o r-to -n e ig h b o r w o rk o f the I have enclosed my check or money order for »15. for a one-year subscription. PLEASE P R IN T Ma») io Portland Observée N a m e --------------- Bo» 3137 Portland Oregon 97208 a * A d d ress _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ k • Z i p _______ C ity _____________________ State “ 4 • * •. • * ; •*»'• - s,* ■ . • ■ -Z r I I I I I I I I I I I I I I J * J* •** I • * •’ «> • t t - . '. . . . J, :