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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1985)
LACK HISTOR SPECIAL Anne Frank's diary Remember Malcolm X Arrested athletes Page 7 Page 2 Page 8 PORTLAND OBSERVER Volume XV, Number 17 February 20, 1985 25c Copy Two Sections U$PS «*» ML* «ft ¿ IV . h tt 'MM Northwest Indians oppose Hanford waste storage site by Robert Lothian Northw est Indians gathered last week at the H ilton Hotel in Portland to voice their concerns about damage that could occur to their way o f life and to Columbia River salmon if a nu clear waste dump is built on the Han- fotd Nuclear Reservation. The nuclear waste conference, spon sored by the C o lum bia River Inter- Tribal Fish Commission, brought to gether Indian leaders, radiation health experts and anti-nuclear activists. They were responding to govern ment plans to build the nation's first nuclear waste repository, possibly at Hanford or at four other proposed sites across the country. The U.S. Lrept. ot Energy is looking for a waste site for the estimated 77.000 tons of nuclear waste that has accumu lated at the nation's nuclear power plants. I f H anford is picked, the huge depository there would be built 3.000 feet underground and cost $20 to $25 billion. It would begin receiving the estimated 173,200 truck loads of waste in 1998. Levi George of the Yakima nation, which is just 13 miles from the H a n ford reservation at the closest point, opened the waste conference by sing ing a spiritual song in his native tongue. The words "atom ic bomb” and “ nu c le a r," apparently untranslatable, stood out. Russell Jim, nuclear waste program manager for the Yakima nation, then spoke eloquently in what he described as a "borrowed language." Jim described the m aterial that could be deposited at H a n fo rd for thousands o f years as "highly deadly to each and every living thing on this earth.” " W e hope to address the unique status o f the indigenous population regarding this material their culture, their heritage and (hat which makes us look forw ard to to m o rro w ," said Jim. The dignified Indian leader, in a red vest with traditional designs and long dark braids, o utlined government treaty violations dating back to 1855, some o f which led to war, and the re duction o f In d ian lands in the area from over 10 m illio n acres to i nly about 150,000 acres. It was agreed that the Indians could gather lood, medicines and “ to lish in all their usual and accustomed places” on their form er and present lands, he said, but since the Hanford reservation was built and operated un der secrecy since W orld W ar II, Indi ans have been reluctant to hunt, fish and look for herbs in the area fix fear of radiation contamination. Nuclear accidents and contamina lion o f the C o lum bia River are well documented, and Indians fear further contam ination o f the ground water and the Columbia, and destruction of the salmon so important to their way o f life, if the waste dum p is built at Hanford, said Jim. A large part o f the Yakima nation and its over 4,000 people is within a 50-m ile radius o f the dum p site, he continued. “ W e are saying we are non- evacuable. W e cannot pick up this land and move it somewhere else." Jim said the waste site is near a traditional lowland wintering ground for the area's Indians. “ Most people sec it as wasteland. Hut when the in digenous population looks at that ground, they see food coming out o f it . birds, berries, certain types of useful sagebrush. . . and medicines that are of that great pharmacy that is the plains area, and the forest area.” Ronald Besser, speaking for the U m atilla tribe, said the Um atillas o f eastern Oregon were concerned about (he transportation aspects o f getting the waste to the dum p safely. " O u r reservation is located on all the main routes from the eastern and southern parts o f the nation ," said Besser. Be cause the area contains bad stretches of highway where numerous truck ac cidents have occurred, a dangerous accident is possible if H a n fo rd is picked, he said. Allen Slickpoo, Secretary o f the Nez Perce T rib a l Executive C om m ittee, said the Indians' concerns cross racial barriers. " W e are talkin g not only about treaty rights but the rights of all people," he said. The three tribes have achieved a f fected tribe status which means that they can intervene in the negotiations as separate nations, and possibly cause the site to be rejected. Congress can override their rejectio n, but in any case President Reagan must pick a site by 1987. Jim hinted that the conference could be the beginning o f a coalition o f In dians and anti-nuclear activists w ork ing to reject the proposed site at Han ford, which he called “ the pay toilet of the nation.” Woman in exile: Thendie Rankoa. a South African woman In axlla now baaad In Botawana la vlaltlng tha U.8. on a thraa-waak tour through a program tMad "Tha Third World Woman'a Projact," aponaorad by tha Waah- Ington-baaad Inatltuta for Policy Studlaa. Through thia program, woman ara brought from Third World nation* to ahara with North Amaricana their expert ancaa of their reapectlve countriea with a focua on -, . f ■■ condltiona of woman and children. Above, Rankoe, a journallat, health care worker and community development worker, aharaa her experiencea with (rl Joyce Harria. director of tha Black Educational Canter, and A rd Cordley. POSAF. following a talk aha gave at the Talking Drum Bookatore. Tueadey afternoon. She cornea to Oregon through the Coun- cM for Human Rlghta In Latin America. (Photo: Riched J. Brown) Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee and Ruaaell (Photo: Richard J. Brown) Irvington school dispute: Prophet calls in mediator_____ by Ionita Duke GRASSROOT NEW S, N W — A peru4anx of parental complaints boiled over February 13th at Irvington Grade School. Up to 120 parents heard collab orating testimony from a majority o f Black mothers who perceived John Chadwick, principal of Irvington, as arrogant and abrasive. Black mothers, whose children no longer attend Irvington, came back to say they removed their children because ol vanous frustrations they experienced with the lack o f rapport and actions of Chadwick. R om e Herndon, an Irvington parent in attendance, summarized one main point that surfaced during the meeting. “ Chadwick has not handled the con cerns o f Black parents well. I'm not surprised, considering the lack of Black teachers and administrators at this school. The question is. why has this been allowed to continue?," said Herndon Matthew Prophet, Superintendent of the Pixtland Public Schools, has called in John Mathis, a conciliator from the Justice Department, to mediate the situation. " I plan to meet with staff, parents and the principal to assess things at Irvington School," Mathes saxl. Chadwick said parental concerns express in the meeting "were noted and heard." He added that he did not know how issues reached this propor tion. " W e will do everything we can to resolve this issue." Larry Ayers, Director o f Instruc tion for Irvington, called the meeting "ftrery.” " I have a positive reactiixi to it because people are starting to com municate, but there are definitely is sues dial need to be dealt with.” Chadwick's ability, or lack of ability, to communicate with parents o f color, especially single Black mothers, seems to be the core of the complaints Shelly Brown, who removed her son from Irvington last year, said she was unable to resolve her problems with Chadwick. " M y son was a vic tim of a child extortion ring. Chadwick kept saying he would resolve it and he did not want me to go to the school polar I finally did and it got resolved. I also had a problem with the lack of homework my son received," said Brown. She added that Chadwick had pre determined what the problem and solu tiixi was. " I , and other Black parents, felt that he would listen and have more respect for the parents who lived on the east side o f 15th Avenue than those liv ing on the west side " Richard M iller, a member o f the Citizens' Advisory Committee, said he had not experienced any difficu l ties dealing with Chadwick "H e means well, but he had a problem dealing with people from a different race, class or sex," he added Miller listed the concerns of the com miltee as threefold: The development of multi cultural education, the expend] lure o f desegregation funds and the lack of minority staff and leat hers "W e have not been happy with the use of desegregation money. Over a (Please turn to Page 7. Column /> Portland unions phone-in to support Coke workers Dozens o f unionists in Portlan d called the national headquarters o f the Coca-Cola Com pany in A tlanta, Georgia, this week to commemorate the one-year anniversary o f the occu pation o f a Coca-Cola bottling fra n chise in Guatemala. O ne year ago, the workers o f the E G S A bottling plant in G uatem ala C ity occupied their w orkplace fo l lowing the news that the franchise was closing due to alleged b a n k ruptcy. The workers discovered that the owners kept dual books, which was evidence that it was not a case o f bankruptcy, but rather an illegal lock out and a union-busting tactic, so they refused to leave the plant! N o w , one year later, the workers still occupy the p la n t, after several near-settlements w ith the new fra n chise holders failed to m aterialize. The workers’ union, S T E G A C , did sign an agreement with the new hold ers on February I . The agreement calls for: — The re-opening o f the plant on March I; — Job security fo r 265 o f the 350 workers; — Recognition o f the union ( a l though under a new name) The Portland labor movement has been actively supporting the G uate mala Coke workers, having picketted the local C oke bottling plant and having prom oted a Coke boycott called by several international unions last spring. Local Food and C o m mercial Workers, Bakers, and C lo th ing and Textile Workers leaders, and the local, state and national A F L -C IO labor councils have all lent support to the solidarity campaign. The Guatemalan workers struggle with m u lti-n atio n a l C o ca-C o la is taking place in the context o f a coun try internationally recognized for its abysmal record o f human rights vio lations. Eight union leaders wre killed at the same Coke plant embroiled in the current struggle The phone-in is part of m ulti-city e ffo rt, and is being coordinated na tionally by the Network in Solidarity w ith the People o f G uatem ala (N IS G U A ), and locally by the P o rt land L a b o r C o m m ittee on Central America and the Caribbean
