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
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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