Page 2, Portland Observer, January 30, 1906
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EDITORIAL/OPINION
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Upgrade Black education
For months upon end our news reports have
uncovered the d is p ro p o rtio n and discrepancy
facing Black ch ildren in the P ortland P ublic
School D istrict. N ow, we have another incident
which again proves that the educational system
is flu n k in g in its e ffo rts to educate Black c h il
dren.
Since 1980 (he Russell Payton A w ards fo r
winning essayists have gone to 15 students from
H a rrie t Tubm an M id d le School. Judges fro m
the E ducation C om m ittee o f the M e tro po lita n
Hum an Relations Commission are given essays
to evaluate w ith the c h ild ’ s name replaced w ith
a number. The critc'ia utilized by the committee
is c o n te n t, fo rm , gram m ar and co m p ositio n .
The results have yielded 15 students fro m each
grade level — sixth, seventh and eighth. During
these five years th* re have been 14 white winning
essayists and one Hack.
By no stretch r f the imagination are we c riti
cizing those winning essayists. We applaude aca
demic achievement and com petition. But when
we have a judging process that is virtually color
blind in a school where the student population is
58 percent Black, one must question if the Port
land P ublic Sthools are preparing or expecting
Black childrer to compete in the real world.
Again, we i re not picking on Harriet Tubman
M id d le Scho ,1. These results ju st m irro r the
education provided Black children in the school
system.
Since 1980 Black children have scored two to
three grades behind the d is tric t’ s average in
Reading, M ath and Language Arts. Early C h ild
hood Educational Centers (ECECs) have never
approached the d is tric t’ s norm academ ically.
So, some o f our children w ill start middle school
w ith a handicap that follow s them all the days
o f their lives. Created by low expectations and
reinforced by in s titu tio n a l racism, Black c h il
dren in the school system are having their future
picked for them.
There was a time when in d ivid ua l counselors
recommended to a Black ch ild a fu tu re as a
laborer or in a service-related jo b . That overt
racism has been replaced w ith a system that
graduates Black ch ild re n w ith skills that w ill
only take them so far.
Instead o f an ECEC plan to bring Black ch il
dren up to grade level, teachers and principals
focus on behavior and remedial approaches to
teaching. They arc quick to sidestep blame by
shifting responsibility to the home environment.
They fa il to accept that they have created an
educational maze o f low expectations and be
havior modification.
It is little wonder that Black children develop
a sense o f a lienation in the schools. M any o f
them feel unwanted and insecure. They respond
to the classroom setting with hostility.
The district w ill say Black children are making
gains at rates higher than the d is tric t’ s average.
But this claim is deceptive. Gains are being
made, but Black children are not catching up
to their grade level. The lack o f an ECEC plan
to bring Black children up to grade level is an in
d ica tio n that the system expects them to stay
behind.
What happened with the Payton Award is just
one item o f evidence that suggests parents are
paying money to an educational system that
docs not give them their money’s worth.
Looking fo r the new Booker T.
Along I he C o lor Line by D r. M anning M arable
Ronald Reagan has a problem. O f
all the social groups in Am erican
society, Blacks have opposed his
adm inistration on virtually every is
sue. Last November, 90 percent of all
A fro-A m ericans voted against him.
Every day for over two months. Black
leaders have led nonviolent dem on
strations agains this pro-apartheid
policies in South Africa. The Nation
al Urban txague, no bastion o f Black
militancy, issued its 1985 report last
week which charged that Blacks were
"sliding back in every area o f life .”
W ith Black unemployment at 16 per
cent, m ore than d ouble .he white
rate o f 6.S percent, it is hardly sur
prising that v irtu a lly every m ajo r
Black leader is hostile to the admin
istration. Reagan's predicament could
be resolved if only he could find a
more humble and pliable Negro lead
ership — in short, another Booker T.
Washington. The Black educator and
founder o f Tuskegee Institute, A la
b am a, became fam ous in 1895 fo r
his "A tla n ta Com prom ise" address,
which accepted racial segregation and
political disfranchisement for Blacks.
W a s h in g to n ’ s a c c o m m o d a tio n is t
rhetoric acquiesced to lynchings and
institutional racism, while cementing
an alliance between Black entrepre
neurs and conservative Republicans.
The President’s most recent effort
to create a new accom m odationist
Black leadership occurred two weeks
ago, when he invited tw enty Black
businessmen to the W h ite House.
None o f these special guests had any
viable political base within the Black
community, and even the media criti
cized Reagan for this shabby charade.
The quest for a new Booker T . must
lead elsewhere.
Perhaps Roy Innis, national chair
man of the Congress of Racial Equal
ity (C O R E ), is a possible candidate.
Innis has been a proponent o f Black
C a p ita lis m , like Booker T . W ash
ington. Reportedly, he has also ex
pressed sympathy for the "subw ay
v ig ila n te " , Bernhard Hugo G oetz,
who shot four Black youths in New
York. In early December, the C O R E
leader spoke before the N a tio n al
Black Republican C o u ncil in St.
Louis, and urged Afro-Americans to
"join the Republican Party as sewn as
possible. The successful desegrega
lion o f the Republican Party can be
one of the most important and healthy
political developments o f the Black
community and the country at large."
Innis' idiosyncratic organizational
behavior and Black nationalist a f
finities, however, disqualify him from
serious consideration.
W hat about Clarence Thom as,
chairman o f the Equal Employment
O pportunity Commission? Thomas
performed a noteworthy service for
conservatives nostalgic for H im Crow
by trying to liq u id ate strict guide
lines used to detect patterns o f bias
against national minorities and women
in employment. In the academic field,
o f course, the leading contenders
are Thomas Sowell and W aller W il
liams. Sowell's recent book condemns
the notion that "statistical d ispari
ties” in employment im ply racial or
gender “ discrim ination.” His previ
ous works have applauded corporate
initiatives and reductions in federal
governm ent program s fo r Blacks.
Williams gained prestige in conserva
tive circles by condem ning Black
support fo r the M o n d a le -F e rra ro
ticket, claim in g that " th e election
highlights the bankrupt strategy of
Black leadership."
But after pondering the situation,
Reagan might give the nod to his most
loyal Black functionary, Clarence M
Pendleton, ch airm an o f the U .S .
C iv il Rights C om m ission. Pendle
ton’s recent speeches have made the
origin al U ncle T o m look like M a l
colm X. He claims that A fro-A m eri
cans have made “ tremendous prog
ress" under Reagan, and has even
com pared Jesse Jackson, N A A C P
L E A D E R Benjamin Hooks and other
nation al Black leaders to the m u r
derous evangelist Jim Jones. Rea
gan's budget cuts and tax policies are
"designed to take Blacks on the path
way to g lo ry , fro m rags to riches,
from poverty to p arity." Hut Pendle
ton's hyperbolic posturing and sorry
inability to comprehend the deteriora
tion of Blacks' socioeconomic condi
tions during the past four years negate
his potential to lead anyone anywhere
The President's frustrated efforts
to create a docile Black "leadership"
in the image o f Booker T . Washing
ton are futile, for two basic reasons.
Historically, Booker T . Washington
was no Uncle Tom . despite his accom
m odationist rh eto ric. Secretly, he
lobbied against segregation codes,
and he financed Black economic and
political institutions which strength
ened the Black community. Washing
ton cham pioned industrial educa
tion for Blacks, but sent his own
daughter to elite private schools. He
accepted Jim Crow railroad cars, but
always travelled in the first class sec
tions. Despite legal disfranchisement,
Washington and the Tuskegee Insti
tute faculty continued to vote in A la
bama during the early 1900s.
The tragedy of Booker T. Washing
ton was that his accom m odationist
strategy in the long run could not
overturn racial d is crim in atio n and
economic oppression. The tragedy for
these new Black conservatives is that
they lack even the subtle duplicity of
W ashington. Thus, we arrive at the
second and more decisive factor: so
long as Reagamsm remains in power,
the political and social response from
the vast majority o f Black Americans
will be unqualified resistance.
—
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Letters to the Editor
............■■
Xssoctaiton ■ rounded IMS
283 2486
Bos 3137 Portland. Oregon 97208
A l Williams. General Manager
After deciding I didn't need our lo
cal paper every day — wasn’ t worth
the subscription — I subscribed to the
Portland Observer. I commend you,
and find the paper excellent.
I'm w ritin g , how ever, about the
Coors ad in the M a rtin L . King edi
tion. I was dismayed that you would
accept an ad, no m atter how much
m oney, fro m a racist, non-union
company. Coors (Joseph) is a favorite
of Ronald Reagan If my information
is incorrect, please let me know. In the
meantime, thousands in this country
are boycotting C oors beer!! They
(Coors) are part o f the problem this
country faces today.
Sincerely,
V IC T O R IA P L A IS T E D
To the Editor,
Alleged inform ation on " W h o Is
First Black" should be verified with
official public documents. Tw o errors
have appeared in recent articles
O c to b e r 1984: M rs. M cC oy was
reported as the f ir s t elected A fro -
Am erican (N ote: M rs. M cC oy and
Judge D eiz were both elected M a y
1971)}
J a n u a ry 1985: M r. Ford was re
ported as O reg o n ’s first Black
teacher (Note: M r. Robert Ford and
Mrs. Leota Stone were both hired in
the same School Board meeting and
same resolution number July 1945 for
the f u l l school year 1945-1946. The
School Board authorization number
appears on M rs. Stone’s personnel
record and longevity accruals. In
the interest of fairness and accuracy,
M rs. Stone’s name should be added
to the plaque at King Neighborhood
Facility.
Hire Blacks
To the Editor,
It gives me great pleasure to com
mend you on your great e d ito ria l,
"Taxation Without Representation,”
which appeared in your Jan. 9, 1985
edition. You did the Black commun
ity a needed service by pointing out
the lack o f a ffirm a tiv e action by
M ayor Bud Clark and County C om
missioner Gretchen Kafoury. I would
J. M G A T E S
X
Street
eat
by Lenita Duke and Richard J. Brown
.....~
suggest that now is the lim e to start
some direct action to assure that
Blacks are hired and actively involved
on the staffs of these two newly elect
ed officials and any others who don't
sec the need for Black involvement in
the affairs o f the city and the county.
S A M JA C K SO N , JR
Thanks, Floyd!
To the Editor,
The membership of U H U R U SA SA
would like to publicly voice our ap
preciation and thanks for an enjoy
able afternoon o f soulful entertain
ment. The entire population of O.S.P.
was privileged to experience and enjoy
the presence o f Floyd Cruse and his
Dark Star Revue.
Through the combined efforts o f
Uhuru Sa Sa, the State Street Jaycees,
and a timely donation from the IB M
corporation, we were able to make it
possible for the men here to enjoy the
soulful sounds
This performance was dedicated to
the memory of slain civil rights leader
Dr. M artin Luther King, Jr., We are
indeed thankful and appreciative for
the in sp iratio n o f this great Black
man, and in keeping with his memory
we appreciate the solidarity dem on
strated by the D ark Star Revue in
such an inspiring tribute.
Sincerely,
R O B E R T W. EENTRESS
Coordinator
P ortland, Oregon, made national head
lines when M ayor Bud Clark selected Penny
Harrington as the first female Police C hief
in a m a jo r m e tro p o lita n area. The Street
Beat team asked, "H o w did you feel about
M ayor C la rk’s selection o f Penny H arring
ton as our Police C h ie P ”
Jan Must
Office Manager
C Nelson
Retired
"S u p e r! I think it's great.
She is going to do a great
jo b .”
" It was a smart thing to do.
I happen to know her and she’s
a nice person. C lark might
have started something."
»»,
Subscriptions »15 00 par year in the Tri C ounty area P o s t
m a s te r Send address changes Io the P o rtla n d Observer. P 0
A lfre d L. Henderson, Editor/Publisher
To the Editor,
Verify facts on
first Blacks
Melinda Whitlow
Nurse's Aid
« • ' oesi
The Portland Observer e r n established in 1970
M W A per
Found Coors
offensive
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MEMBER
WUAt WCS etUfeNft fcNpc^-tWht
C0ULP V0U WANT ?
Darryl Johnson
Maintenance
" I think it ’ s great! W e are
all created equal. Women can
do a good job as well as men.
H arrin g to n had the creden
tials. W h y not give her the
chance.”
Say You Saw
It In The
PORTLAND
OBSER VER
Portland Observer
•• Ml" ■
ANO (ONCLUOtO THAI THEBE A M
NO OBDONpS te e iNthíTiW Ó HMA
N a tio n a l A d v e rtis in g R e p re s e n ta tiv e
A m a lg a m a te d P ub lishers. Inc
N e w Vorh
Raphael Peterson
Store Owner
" I think i t ’s a good selec
tion. I ’m glad women are get
ting into other Fields.’’
" I t was a wise decision, but
I think Clark picked H arrin g
ton to boost his career."
Jim Laskey
Salesperson
“ It's great. I think we set
a precedent that women as
well as men can hold the same
office. Bud Clark is doing what
we all should be doing: hiring
people regardless of their sex.
race, creed or colot "