Page 2, Portland Observer, November 28, 1984
lack Nicaraguan leader freed by contras
by Robert Loth**
R ay H o o k e r , a p o p u la r B lack
leader an d c a n d id a te fo r N ic a ra
gua's N ational Assembly, was freed
earlier this m onth after tw o months
as a captive o f C IA -b acked contras.
H o o k e r, w ho is the government*»
liaison to the health and education
m in is tries fro m Z e la y a P ro vin ce ,
has been instrum ental in im proving
conditions for the Black and Indian
minorities who live in the province’s
A tlantic Coast region.
Contras kidnapped H o o ker Sept.
5th when he was on a campaign trip
to a remote area. Elections officials
and ca n d id a tes w ere ta rg e te d by
c o n tras try in g to d is ru p t N ic a ra
g u a ’ s e le ctio n s. O b servers say
H o o k e r was kid napp ed because o f
his ability to negotiate between m i
norities and the Sandinistas.
H ooker received a Master's in his
to ry fro m O h io U n iv e rs ity . H e
taught at the A m e ric a n School in
M anagua and was the first director
o f the N icaraguan Institu te fo r the
A tlantic Coast.
A n a tio n w id e c a m p aig n in the
U .S . to pressure Congress fo r
Portland NAACP nominates
candidates for office
A t its general m eeting Sunday,
November 18, et Mount Olivet Baptist
Church, the Portland Branch NAACP
received the report of its Nominating
Committee and elected a Supervisory
C om m ittee for the Branch biennial
election on Decem ber 9 at Hughes
Memorial Church, 111 N.E. Failing,
Mr. Thomas R. Vickers, chairman
of th e nom inating c o m m itte e, an
nounced the following nominees
Ora L. Nunley is the Branch nomi
nee for President. M rs. Nunley has
been active lor many years with the
Branch Youth Group, and currently is
Youth Group representative for the
Pacific Northwest Area NAACP
Harvey Rice is nom inee for First
Vice President; Bobbie Nunn, present
Legal Redress Cheir, for Secretary
C. C. M cCorvey, present Treasurer,
renom inated. The nom inating co m
mittee hed not found e second vice
president by th e tim e the m eeting
convened and three people w ere
nominated from the floor, this will be
the only contest this year Nominees
for second vice president are Robert
Phillips, Bobbie Gary and Dr. Clar
ence Pruitt. Nomineea for the Branch
Executive Committee are Carrie Can
non, U. P. Cannon, Janet Clemmer,
L. C. Ellison, Hazel G. Hays, Lucious
Hicka, John H. Jackson, Loma Mar
pie, Joy Hicks, Isaac Payne, robert
Phillips, Clarence Pruitt, Geri W ard,
Harry Ward, Betty White, Gail W ash
ington, Bobbie G ary, Thom as R.
Vickers.
The Election Supervisory C o m
mittee of five were elected, and chose
Lucious Hicks as Chair.
The Branch heard from City Com
missioner Candidate Herbert L. Caw
thorne and w ill hear from richard
Bogle, the other candidate for Com
missioner at the Branch Annual
meeting and election on December 9
at Hughes M em orial C hurch, the
public is invited.
Please note that the Branch meet
ing in December has been set on the
second Sunday, rather than the usual
third Sunday.
H o o k e r 's release in c lu d ed Jesse
Jackson, who was accom panied by
H o o k e r d u rin g his to ur o f N ic a ra
gua in July. “ I call on the Reagan
A d m in is tra tio n to investigate this
act and to insist on the bringing to
justice o f those responsible.” said
Jackson on Sept. IOth. "U ltim a te ly ,
the U .S . must bear some responsi
bility for this action, as these forces
could not exist without our support.
W e cannot m aintain our moral self-
respect w h ile we a llo w and even
support such groups that engage in
such a c tio n s . W e must a llo w the
N ica ra g u an people to choose th eir
own course."
A N o rth e a s t P o rtla n d social
w orker, Nancy Webster, talked with
H o o k e r in Ju ly d u rin g a vis it to
Bluefields, the largest town on Nica
ragua's A tlantic Coast.
She described a soft-spoken man
with a perfect command o f English.
H ooker was a Sandinista supporter,
said W eb ster, and he was w o rkin g
hard against almost insurmountable
odds to make sure that the benefits
o f the revolution came to the poor
est and most explo ited segment o f
Nicaragua's population.
O ve r 7 0 ,0 0 0 Ind ian s and 30 ,000
Black C reoles live in the coast re
gion, which is characterized by ex
treme poverty, bad w ater, sickness,
lack o f e d u c a tio n , and few new s
papers or telephones. A large part
o f the Indian population has had to
relocate due to the contra war.
Webster quoted H ooker in saying
that " W it h the re v o lu tio n , fo r the
first tim e people had a government
th a t cared fo r th e ir needs, whose
g oal was to p ro v id e e d u c a tio n ,
health care and fo o d ." There were
only private schools before the rev
olution. accessible to peasants only
th ro u g h h a r d -to -o b ta in s c h o la r
ships, acco rd ing to H o o k e r . N o w
education and health care are free
and accessible to all. he said.
They talked about his ideas for a
Black cultural center, including the
desperate need for more books w rit
ten in English, the language brought
to the coast by English colonialists.
" H e also m entioned how A tla n ta ,
G e o rg ia , had ta lk e d a b o u t setting
up a s is te r-c ity p r o je c t , " said
Webster.
H o o ker told her that the N ic a ra
guans were able to drive the contras
back, but that the war was exacting
a high price in the San d in ista g o v
e rn m e n t’ s a b ility to d e liv e r social
services. " W ith tears in his eyes, he
described a teacher friend in a rural
area w h o was k ille d by the c o n
tras,” she said.
T h e A tla n tic C o as t has a lon g
h is to ry o f racist n eg lect. Blacks
first came to the region in the 1600s
as slaves or escapees fro m slavery.
Some m igrated later fro m Jam aica
to work for colonial companies.
Blacks and Indians have distrust
ed whatever government ruled from
M an ag u a, and that distrust carried
over into their feelings for the San
dinistas, who came in after the revo
lution w ith a m axim um o f zeal and
a minim um o f sensitivity.
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Ray H ooker can mediate, accord
ing to Webster. " H e was able to say
that m istakes had been m ade, but
th at the S an d in istas w ere ab le to
change and w o rk w ith w h a t was
happening," she said.
" W h a t impressed me about Ray
H o o k e r ," said W ebster, "w a s that
he was w o rk in g to insure th at the
needs o f the com m unity were met.
This man was really w orking to im
p ro ve the q u a lity o f lif e fo r p o o r
people.”
2 2 6 -1 5 0 7
RAM Broadcasting ol Oregon, Inc , 713 S W 12th Avenue
DePriest hosts benefit for
Black Education Center
The T ^ ird
A nnual
W in e
and
Cheese Benefit for the Black Educa
tional Center School will be hosted by
Oregon Symphogy Conductor James
DePreist and M rs. Ginette DePreist,
and M r. and M n . Wilson C. Walker.
The benefit is scheduled f6r Friday,
December 7, 1984 from 7 to 10 p.m.
at 3832 N . Insterstate Ave. Proceeds
w ill help supply needed funds for
the culturally unique learning center
for children ages 5 to 9. The school is
located at 4919 N E 17th Ave.
The Center was started on a part
time basis in May of 1970 and in Sep
tember o f 1974 the school began oper
ating on a full time basis. The basic
curriculum now includes: m athe
matics, computer, language, writing,
history, reading, science, geography,
foreign language, a rt, and creative
movement. Nutritional education and
parental involvem ent are stressed,
also. Students score remarkably well
on achievement tests after completing
the school's five year program.
For the past 14 years the Black
Educational C enter has been a re
source ce n tfr in the Northw est for
students, parents, teachers and for
citizens interested in the numerous
achievements o f African-Americans
and the intern ation al A fric a n com
munity.
Tickets for this event may be pur
chased fo r S IS .00 at the T alkin g
D rum Bookstore, 1634 N E A lb erta
S t., or fro m the school by calling
284-9552. Guest; will have an oppor
tunity to meet M r. and Mrs. DePreist
and the C e n te r’s current director
and co-founder, Joyce Harris.
King Improvement Assn,
seeks new officers
The King Im provem ent Associa
tion w ill be holding their election o f
officers for 1985 on Tuesday, Novem
ber 27, 1984, at the Northeast Neigh
borhood O ffice, 4815 N .E . 7th Ave.
The King Improvem ent Association
is seeking interested citizens who
would like to participate in their
neighborhood association, either as a
member o f the association or as an
officer an d /o r member o f the Execu
tive Committee.
Nominations are open and will be
taken from the floor at the meeting.
Interested King Neighborhood
residents should call M s. T o n i W il
liams, Chairperson, 281-6494.
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