P«0« 4 Section I Portland Observer, June 6. 1964 EDITORIAL/OPINION Recognize African contribution The mass m edia’ s nostalgic spotlight is on W orld W ar I I and the 40th anniversary o f the allies* invasion o f N o rm an d y and the sub­ sequent victories it created. However, this media beam has not focused on the in te rn a tio n a l, n atio n al and local con­ trib u tio n o f A fric a and A fro -A m erican s in W W II. Internationally, these Western European allies exploited the resources and people o f Africa to repay military loans and keep their war machine oiled. Raw materials were shipped from British and French colonies to their creditors. The rest o f A fric a supplied a wide range o f products, both mineral and agricultural. Had it not been for the criminal hold on A frica’s resources, the allies, even with the help o f the Marshall Plan (International W elfare), would have not been able to build itself back up to the point o f looking down on the very group it used as step­ ping stones. N a tio n a lly , the A fro -A m e ric a n soldiers in W W II overcame tremendous discrimination at home and ab ro ad , to make great and unacknowledged contributions to many impor­ tant victories won by white-officered armies. Like their Vietnam sons, they came back with medals to wear in “ Colored only” restrooms and on the unemployment lines. Locally, a labor drain occurred in factories, shipyards and on the railroads in the Pacific Northwest. These industries sent out an S.O.S. throughout the South fo r Black lab o r. O u r grandparents provided the factors o f produc­ tion which aided the war effort while providing a foundation for Portland’s Black community. As praise is being distributed for W W II, we need to stand up and demand recognition for the souls in Africa that were sucked dry to finance the allies’ war effort. We need a twenty-one gun salute to remember the unknown Black soldiers whose contributions should not be overshadowed or undergraded. And let’s remember how many of our neigh­ bors got here. They sweated and toiled, fulfilling defense contracts, while building a community and making a home for their children. Jackson's issues should rise In the interest o f party unity, the national Democratic party is urging state parties to in­ clude Jesse Jackson supporters among the delegates they send to the convention in San Francisco, July 16-19. Although Jackson’s presidential campaign has been criticized for fracturing that unity this election year, W a ite ' M o n d a le ’s inability to wrap up the nomination prior to the convention, and, therefore, dampen Gary H a rt’s hopes, is now the real cause of disharmony. By the time this editorial is printed, however, results o f another “ Super Tuesday” — this one June Sth— w ill have either handed M o n d ale enough delegates to w alk in with the nomination, July 16th or muddied the waters sufficiently that H a r t’s delegates could make choosing the nominee a lo n g -draw n-out business. D uring the Oregon p rim ary, M ay 15th, Jackson did not receive the 15% he needed in one congressional district to allot him a delegate to the convention. Jackson campaign supporters are nevertheless seeking minority representation on the state’s 50 member delegation and have met with H art campaign co-chair Tom Mason and Democratic party chair Dick Celsi, to work out the details. Meanwhile, Democratic National Committee chair Charles Manatt has asked state parties to include "concern for the Jackson issue” in their delegate selection process. Knowing Jackson’s constant exam ination o f U .S . foreign policy, economic policy and treatment of the poor and other oppressed minorities is gaining support among a Rainbow C o alitio n o f voters, party leaders are anxious to avoid the confrontation shutting these constituencies out of the conven­ tion would create. A lthough including Jackson supporters among the delegates might help unite the party, a more long-term solution would be to insist the D em ocratic presidential nominee begin discussing the issues Jackson has raised. Black fam ilies hit hard by economy by Dr. Manning Marable "From The Grassroots" (Continuedfrom last week) Probably the most concrete economic benefit o f the Black ex­ tended family vs. the white nuclear family structure was that the former had more potential income earners per fam ily member. In 1967, for example, only 10.2 percent o f all Black families had no income ear­ ners. Almost six out o f ten Black fam ilies had two or more income earners, and 16.4 percent had three workers or m ore— a much higher rate than among white fam ilies. About 80 percent of all Black males between the ages of 16-24 years who w eren't in school had jobs, and those who worked full time earned 76 percent o f what Black men 2$ and older earned. W ith the struc­ tural crisis o f capitalism , several m illio n Black workers have been pushed into joblessness and marginal employment in the 1970's and early 1980's. The economic im­ pact upon Black fam ilies con­ sequently has been in many respects as severe as the Great Depression of the 1930's. By 1977, 17.2 percent of all Black families had no wage ear­ ners; the percent o f families with three workers or more dropped to 11.9 percent, and the average num­ ber of earners per family declined to 1.5, slightly below that of whites. By 1983, Black young adults were ex­ periencing unemployment rates of about 50 percent—and their ratio of earnings compared to Black adults fell to 66 percent. Spiraling unemployment must be seen as a fundamental factor in the contem porary crisis confronting Black fam ilies. As Tom Joe and Peter Yu, researchers of the Center for the Study of Social Policy noted recently in the N ew York Times, twenty percent o f all working age Black men— nearly two million per­ sons— were out of the labor force in 1982, a three fold increase since 1960.“ Almost half, or 46 percent o f all Black male adults are jobless—either “ unemployed, not participating in the labor force, or simply unaccounted for. The com­ parable figure for white men is 22 percent.” Joe and Yu suggest that the “ chronic deterioration of the employment status o f Black men leaves millions of them incapable of heading a household. Researchers and policymakers may therefore be treating the symptoms o f poverty rather than the causes." The U.S. economy’ s crisis set in motion the destruction o f Black households, and the Reagan A d ­ m i n i s t r a t i o n 's r e a c t io n a r y socioeconomic policies simply ac­ celerated the process in the 1980's. The National Urban League's Slate o f Black America, ¡984, has listed only part o f the economic devastation which impacts Blacks. Black family income is only 55 per­ cent of white fam ily income— the largest gap recorded in over two decades. Over 70 percent of Black families with female householders and two or more children live below the poverty level. Over half of all Black children under three years live in poverty. Black women who have full-time employment earn 47 cents to every dollar earned by males for jobs of comparable worth. To this dire situation, Reagan has slashed Aid to Families with Dependent Children by 13 percent, a program whose recipients are 45 percent Black and 98 percent women and children. W ith school lunch programs cut 28 percent since 1981, over 3 m illion children— largely Black, L atin o and poor w h i t e - have lost perhaps their only nutritious meal each day. H ealth­ care reductions have meant that six out of ten Black preschool children are currently not immunized against polio. The U.S. government has respon­ ded to the crisis of Black social in­ stability by imposing its own “ struc­ ture” on Blacks Poor Blacks are far more likely to be termed “ men­ tally i l l , " fo r example, than are whites. Black male teenagers are admitted to state and county mental hospitals at a rate of 2.62 times that of white male teenagers; for male adults aged 25 44 years, the rale of mental hospital admissions is 2.96 times higher for Blacks. Another mode of institutionalization is the armed forces, which is increasingly presented to Blacks as the " e m ­ ployer o f last re s o rt." In 1972, Black first term reenlistments in the army were only 20.4 percent. By 1976, the figure reached 42.2 per­ cent; in 1982, Black reenlistments were 71 percent, compared to 49.9 percent for whites. The destruction of Black families today is not due to internal problems, in short: it is the logical product o f instutional racism, poverty, legal discrim in­ ation, and Reaganism. WE'RE FIG H TIN G FO R YO UR LIFE 0 American Heart Association in Oregon ....................... ■ . ■■ " ». - Letters to the Editor Racist scapegoat To the Editor: The plight of Mexican workers in the U.S. needs investigation and at­ tention. T herefo re, I looked fo r­ ward to the April Oregonian series, “ Crossing the Border.” However, reading it filled me with conster­ nation. The entire series focused on Mexican immigrants who allegedly enter this country to rip o ff jobs and social services. No mention was made that the Southwest, where many Mexicanos settle, is actually Mexican te rrito ry , ripped o ff by land-greedy Anglos. In the 1800’s, thousands of illegal Anglos settled in this area despite Mexican government protests. Eventually, these whites— with help from the American army— annexed the whole o f what is now the Southwestern U .S . The Mexican •At I II * [O regon New spaper P u b lis h e rs Association 1 inhabitants, stripped o f their land and transformed intocaptive U .S. citizens, found their skills used to form the backbone of the ranching, farming and mining empires built in the Southwest. For centuries, Mexican workers have been an integral part o f the labor force. They have contributed far more than they ever received. Articles like "Crossing the Border” are little more than racist scapegoating when the plight o f Mexican workers is seen in its historical context. More balanced press coverage should be focused on their situation. to say that Z too am happy about the unity. The difference is that I am white. The purpose of (his letter is to clearly state that if any ethnic group wants to have unity and har­ mony among themselves and the rest of the community and achieve positive results fo r all people, there should not be statements like, "the white system in this c ity " , or any other color. Such a feeling will truly destroy the intent of unity in District »18 and any other district, regard­ less o f the ethnic “ m a k e -u p ". District »18 voters won what was wanted and needed— like in fo o t­ ball, take the ball and run with it. Fran Ariniello Madelyn Elder Real unity needed To the Editor: Referring to Vesia DeWeese- Loving's letter about the District »18 outcome in the primary, I want The Observer welcomes Letters to the Editor. Letters should be short, and must contain the writer's name and address (addresses are not print­ ed). The Observer reserves the right to edit fo r length. Portland Observer The P o r tla n d O b se rv er