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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 28, 1984)
*ji » s* V --¿- Page 4, Portland Observer, November 28, 1984 EDITORIAL/OPINION Tarzan mentality plagues PSU The exclusion o f A frica in the curriculum o f Portland State University’s International Studies program is academic racism — pure and simple. One would assume that a modern Urban U ni versity would incorporate one of the richest con tinents in the world into the lesson plan. A con- inent where the oldest human remains were ound and a continent where civilization began. If this were a university in England during the 1950s, we could understand this colonialistic .iew of the world. But we are living on the edge >f the 21st Century and racism in any form will tot be tolerated. The faculty members who designed this pro gram were operating the way they were trained, for all practical purposes, by academician who wanted to keep the Ivory Tower white. In an era where communication technology can bring the famines in A frica into the living rooms o f millions, the exclusion o f Africa in the curriculum will reinforce a “ Tarzan attitu d e" of Africa that is perpetuated by ignorance. The faculty and members of the State Board of Higher Education ( who approved this exclu sion) have elevated racism to new academic heights while constructing an economic rationale for racism by blaming budgetary constraints for its exclusion. C ertainly, if A fric a was looked at through unbiased eyes, one could trace the history o f Europe’s development and A fric a ’s underde velopment. One would discover a close correla tion between the two. Also, it could be demon strated how the European slave trade and the stigma o f colonialism are central to A fric a ’ s underdevelopment and technical stagnation. These questions and answers need to surface and re-surface if our youth are to develop past the narrow, racist educational foundation o f their predecessors. The current curriculum in P S U ’s In te rn a tional Studies deserves to be altered, and if necessary, vetoed by the Governor. O ur college students would be better served by a curriculum that teaches them to respect, value and learn from other cultures. Exclusion, isolation and racism are not what our educational tax dollars are budgeted for. The church, the state, and poverty Along the C o lor L in t by D r. M anning M arable The Roman C atholic bishops’ re cently released first draft on the U.S. economy is one o f the most important statements on poverty and the role of government in combating social In equality in many decades. Although the document will probably be revised during the next year before becoming an o ffic ia l statement for Am erican Catholics, certain tenets will remain. The statement, first and foremost, is a lucid philosophical rejection o f the Reagan ad m in is tra tio n ’s economic policies. It calls upon the nation to “ make a m ajor new policy com m it ment” to cut unemployment rales in h a lf w ith program s which include massive Federal spending to create jobs. The draft places the Church on the side o f organized labor by its advocacy o f u n io n iza tio n , which would “ prevent intimidation of w ork ers and provide remedies.. for unfair labor p ra c tic e s ." It criticizes the Reagan-backed arms race for taking “ resources away fro m the task o f creating a more just and productive e c o n o m y ." A n d it calls fo r the achievement of "economic democra cy: the creation o f an order that guar antees the minimum conditions o f hu man dignity in the economic sphere for every person." In its humanistic scope and vision, it affirm s the p ri macy of people over private profits. The most interesting political fea ture about the bishop’s statement was the furor it evoked before it was first released. Follow ing the old football theory that “ the best defense is a good offense," 27 prominent Catholic lay people form ed their own economic commission. Something o f a w h o ’s who among conservative Catholics, the lay commission which included former Treasury Secretary W illiam E. Simon, lightwing ideologue Michael Novak, and former Secretary of Stale Alexander M . Haig — issued a plod ding and predictable high hosanna to profits and capitalist exploitation, months ago, Catholic corporate ex ecutives began to criticize the N a tional Conference o f C atholic Bish ops’ (N C C B ) drafting committee and its ch air, M ilw au ke e A rchbishop Rembert G. W'eakland. Leon T . Ken dall. chairman o f the Mortgage G uar anty Insurance Corporation, warned that the “ bishops will advocate social planning that doesn’t work. I will read the bishops' letter respectfully, un- derstand its heritage, and will then go about my business." Fortune maga zine attacked the N C C B ’s "econom ics” as being ’well to the left of every (p resid ential) candidate you could name except maybe Jesse Jackson. The document it produces will be a paean to p la n n in g ." The bishops’ drift toward the left was one o f self- interst. Fortune, argued. "Socialism gives them a role to play, while capi talism — reliance on impersonal mar ket forces - leaves them out in the c o ld .” A rchbishop W eaklan d re minded conservative critics that the N C C B had issued "p e rio d ic state ments on the economy” previously, and that this latest pastoral was sim ply " a modest beginning to a con tinual examination o f how economic issues affect our whole socio-political fabric and of the importance of keep ing the ethical and moral dimensions present as an integral part o f such discussion." As welcomed at the bishops’ draft document may be for the millions of Americans who suffer from unem ploym ent, p overty, and Reagan’ s budget cuts in social programs, the bishops’ do not go far enough in iso lating the theoretical and practical problems o f capitalism. Any serious critique of the contemporary socio economic crisis must unearth the roots of capitalism as a social system, a type o f political economy with cer tain unequal characteristics. As Black American theologian Cornel West ob serves. "C apitalism is an antidemo cratic mode o f social organization in that it requires the rem oval o f p ro duction from those engaged in pro d uction. C a p italism is a p articu lar system o f production in which capital accum ulation for p ro fit m axim iza tion is achieved at the expense o f ex cluding dem ocratic p articip atio n (o f those principally responsible for production) in investment decisions." In racially stratified societies, capi talists invariably pit the interests o f one racial group against another, in the effo rt to lower the general wage rate o f both groups. W ithin culture, the legitimacy o f private ownership and the m arket are reinforced by the "values and sensibilities, institu tions and associations" which mold human interaction. As West notes, capitalist c iv iliz a tio n ’ s "con crete consequences . . are not only poverty, disease, lack o f self-esteem, and de- spair but also the suppression of indi viduality (o r self-realization w ithin community).” " F re e d o m ” in capitalist terms means the freedom o f the m a rk e t place, the ability o f some individuals to obtain p ro fits fro m the labor power o f many. The free m arket is impersonal; it offers no guarantees that anyone will succeed; risks and re wards drive the system forw ard. But the Christian heritage is profoundly personal; the Christian cannot turn his/her back to poverty, starvation, illiteracy. Social welfare and a basic m inim um existence fo r all is both moral and just. The inherent inequality o f capital ism presents fundamental choices for Americans, Catholic and nonCatholic alike. The problem o f poverty is great, as the bishops' letter suggests, but even greater is the fundamentally unequal distribution o f wealth, eco nomic resources and power in our so ciety. Social justice is an illusion in a society such as ours, in which one per cent of the population owns one third of all the wealth, and the bottom 45 percent own barely two percent of the wealth. It is not merely a question of jobs, as the bishops im p ly , but the necessity for labor to control the basic- productive centers o f society, to ex tend the prerogative o f majority rule to the process o f production itself. The need to merge religious faith and the struggle for economic and so cial justice is nothing new for A fro- Amencan Christians. As West argues, Christianity’s deep appeal to Blacks and other oppressed people is because “ it looks at the world from the per spective o f those b e lo w ." I f God is the architect of the universe, the flow of history inevitably serves the forces of social justice and humanity. M artin Luther King also observed, "T h e re is a law in the moral world — a silent, invisible imperative, akin to the laws in the physical w o rld — which re minds us that life will work only in a certain w a y .” the statement by the Catholic bishops, although limited in these respects, makes the same point. H ■ ■ IV M » la V m «,«««. Association • Founded 7888 ,1 A fter much consideration, I have decided not to endorse in any form or manner a candidate in the upcoming election to fill my former position. I am sure that the Editorial Board o f the Oregonian misrepresented my position because 1 never said that my position should be a Black seat. I was highly offended by the mis representation, but found some con solation in being reminded that the people o f Po rtlan d know I never made race an issue. I never asked anyone fo r support based on my color. And that was the case in each o f my elections. I was asked my personal preference and I gave it. I f asked again, I would give the same response. M y p refe r ence is that my successor be a Black because I feel that a Black would compliment the other members of the City Council with: I. A certain perspective and sen ministration. J. I was a role model fo r other minorities and a pioneer for those to follow. When I ran for public office the first time, that age old question, " Is Po rtlan d ready?” cropped up. This time, I doubt if it ever even sur faced. 1 appreciate the vote o f confidence from those of you who are waiting to hear my endorsement but it is only fair that I dem onstrate like c o n fi dence in your judgment. I have trust ed it for three elections and you have never let me down, so I am confident that you w ill make the right choice 283 2486 Bo« 3137 Portland. Oregon 97208 A lfre d L. Henderson, Fditor/Pubhsher A l Williams, General Manager Time for giving To the Editor, We cordially invite you to attend a Christmas program entitled " A time o f G iving,” sponsored by the North east C o m m u n ity R e la tio n team ot Pacific Northwest Bell, presenting the Ronnie W right Singers and Friends, Saturday, December 8, 1984 at 7 ÍX ) p.m . the perform ance w ill be at the Northwest Service Center, 1819 N.^b Everett St. Admission will be a dofta lion of foodstuff for the Oregon Food Share. * LARR Y M A R kS Program Coordinator The Observer welcomes let te rt to the editor. Letters should be typed or neatly printed and signed w ith jh e a u t h o r ’s nam e a n d address fbd- dresses are not pub lished). W e re - serve the rig h t to e d it f o r len gth . M a il to: P o rtla n d O bserver, P ,O . B o x 3137. Portland. O R 97208. C H A R L E S R. J O R D A N sitivity. The Governor announced a pro- — posed sales tax with a corresponding Street Beat decrease in p ro p erty taxes, the by L e n ita D u k e a n d R ic h a rd B ro w n OirCCl DCiil ICtiili dSKCU, T V U U I U you support a sales tax w ith this provision?” Latifa Wllay Clotbas Designer Jesse Jarman Warehouseman " I w ould like to hear more about property tax relief. I don’t believe a sales tax would reduce property taxes." N The Portland Observer was established m 1970 N a e WA PER To the Editor, 2. A presence on the Council that would make a very strong statement about our City and our State. As an example o f this, take a look at my selection o f staff. At the time of my departure from the City, 1 had on my staff a total o f 11 employees. O f those, five were Black, one was Asian and one was H ispanic. O f those, seven were women. Now take a seri ous look at other Com m issioner’s offices, including the M ayo r. Better yet, examine the new incom ing ad " N o , we are taxed enough, they say a lot o f stuff, make a lot o f promises, but never keep any." J. Green Student " I live in Washington and go to school here. Sales (axes are fine. It seems like it would benefit property owners." Jacqueline Williams Housewife Th e P o 'llv n d O b se rv er rU S P S 9 59 5801 i t pu b lish ed evsry Thursdsv bv t« ie Publishing Com penv. Inc . 2201 North Killings worth Portlsnd. Oregon 97212. Post Office Bo« 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208 Second dees postage paid at Portland Oregon Subscriptions »15 0 0 per yeat in the Tri Countv area P o s t- m a s te r Send address changes to the P ortland Observer. P .0 MEMBER Jordan's endorsement Dr. M anning M arab le leaches p o litical sociology at Colgate University in Ham ilton, New York. "Along the C o lo r L in e " appears in over 140 newspapers internationally Portland Observer s - ^ ^ M lO 'e q o " N e w .pupe' Publishers Association Le/Yers to toe Zstotor National Advertising Representative Am algam ateti Publishers Inc N ew Vor» " I w ould support it i f my property taxes would go dow n, but that’s a big " I F . ” You can’t trust Salem, they say one thing and do another." Jerry Daniela Carpenter " I t would not help me much as a renter. A sales tax makes it d iffic u lt to shop because we would not know the price.” “ I ’ m from back East and we have a sales tax but not a high state tax. It would not matter to . a :■ . J Cher VanMeter Janitor 3 . U Tm • rfl.T • ' T--1 ' • - fíala BT e -» itti m ngr/JUB V -a . m - i Z - 4 'v * ' • r '
