Page 2, Portland Observer, February 20, 1966
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EDITORIAL/OPINION
ANO THE FAMILY FACA6 1$ THE
ViCTiNt OF CHAN6IWÛ ECONOMIC
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IN TCANStTiOKZ...
Honor our elders
BUT SOCIETY DOES OWE \OU PEOPLE
As Black H is to ry M o n th progresses, there is
one historical contribution constantly overlooked.
The foundation, sacrifice and resiliency o f P o rt
landers born between 1900-1940. It was this hon
ored generation who weathered the storm o f op
pression, poverty and inequality.
Also, those Black families who were drawn to
Portland from the South to fill a labor gap created
after the bombing o f Pearl Harbor in W orld W ar
I I . They w orked on the railroad or in the ship
yards and their contributions to the growth o f the
Pacific Northwest demands that they be viewed
and defined as pioneers.
M a n y in our over-40 population are industri
ous and com m itted to helping their families live
as comfortably as possible. In 1966, Gospel Singer
Mahalia Jackson said it best when appraising who
was behind the social challenges o f the 1960s:
“ W hen I hear people talking about communists
being behind the college students I have to laugh.
It ’s not communists. I t ’s the Negro mothers who
believe it’s time for their children to fight for their
rights and a good education.”
M an y in the honored generation had their fo r
mal education terminated before they completed
elementary school. In spite o f overwhelming overt
discrim ination, they were able to give their chil
dren decent clothes, nourishing fo o d , a high
school and college education.
Street
eat
The generations o f the 60s and 70s have forgot
ten the sacrifices their predecessors endured to
achieve a higher quality o f life for their grandchil
dren. Thus, they now lounge around living with
the misconception that the world was created by
them, for them. This “ spoiled ro tten ” perspec
tive threatens everything that has been achieved.
Adding insult to injury, this generation treats Sen
ior Citizens as if they had the plague instead o f
remembering that they have the medicine o f life —
wisdom.
Now, we arc not war mongers or crisis seekers,
but if this generation could experience what their
grandparents overcam e they w ould appreciate
everyday com fort, the ability to go to school and
the freedom to speak their minds a great deal more.
As Black History M onth does a rollcall o f con
tributions, let’s not look elsewhere to award acco
lades while ignoring those at home who deserve it.
T o those in this honored generation, thank you
for refusing to ride in the back o f the bus. Thank
you for desegregating public and private facilities.
And, thank you, for working 12-hour days to pay
the mortgage and feed your families.
Il would be ludicrous to credit our achievements
to the public schools, social agencies, the federal
government or to politicians. The sacrifices, re
siliencies and loyalties instilled in us by you have
and will continue to provide us with the strength
to recuperate and overcome.
The Street Beat team gave Oregonians a
chance to assess their city with "W h at things
would you like to see more of, and what would
you like to sec less of, in the City o f Portland.”
by Lanita Duke and Richard J. Brown
SONETRtWó, ANO WELL TAtÆ
CÁBEOF V D U -
ON SOUTH AFRICA
by Marcus Cheatham
apartheid organizations in Seattle.
Seafirst had been among the largest
sources o f funds fo r South A fric a ,
thus their decision is viewed as a dra
matic victory.
In a January 16 article in this col
umn it was incorrectly reported that
Seafirst was still making loans to South
A frica, however the new policy was
adopted in September, 1984 and made
public in December. POSAF is pleased
to set the record straight.
The following is the text of a Seafirst
memo announcing the new policy:
There are growing signs that the
movement to cut American links with
South Africa is meeting with success.
O ffic ia lly South A fric a denies that
international pressure w ill have any
impact on apartheid. But more and
more voices are being heard from
within the South African establishment
calling for change. W hether such
change will be meaningful — on the
terms o f the Black m a jo rity rather
than the W hite minority — will be in
part determined by the success o f the
effort to isolate the apartheid regime.
Many Observer readers may already
be aware that Seafirst, a large Seattle
bank, has joined the ranks o f those
refusing to make more loans to South
A fric a. In the past five years, U .S .
loans to South Africa more than tri
pled. Staunching this flow of funds is
a major goal of the Free South Africa
Movement.
Seafirst made their decision under
considerable pressure from a n ti
1
SEAFIRST SOUTH AFRICA POLICY
Seafirst has no investments in South
Africa, nor will it make such invest
ments.
— Seafirst will not sell Krugerrands,
o ffic ia l gold coins m inted by the
government of South Africa.
Seafirst has no offices or employees
in South Africa, nor docs it consider
South A frica as a “ m arket” for any
activities of this corporation Seaftrst’s
primary mission is to serve consumer
and business markets with a presence
in the northwestern United Slates.
Seafirst w ill review this policy if
South A fric a makes changes in its
legal system to eliminate apartheid.
Seafirst's South Africa policy is based
on the belief that the South African
government's official policy of apartheid
is racist and regressive. In no way will
Seafirst condone or support apartlieid
—The official policy of Seafirst Hank
is that it will make no loans to South
Africa.
— Seafirst has no loans to South
Africa at this time.
Marcus Cheatham is a member of
Portlanders Organized fo r Southern
African Freedom (POSAF), a local
multi-racial citizens action group that
supports Black m ajority rule in sou
thern Africa and an end io U.S. sup
p o rt f o r apartheid. For m ore infor
mation call 230-9427.
Why we should remember Malcolm X
Along the Color Line by Dr. Mannirg Marable
Marty Montgomery
Homemaker
” l*d like to see less rain.
Most o f the things I want to
see more of, people are w ork
ing o n.”
Nicola Baaalay
Student
" M o r e sport activities for
teenagers and less drunk
drivers.”
Kan Bowden
Utility Worker
“ M ore community involve
ment at every level in politics
and economic. Also, more
unity in the Black community
in the age groups of 20-40. We
need less o f this non-trust."
W hat is the relevance o f El M a jj
M a lik El Shabazz (M alco lm X ) to
Black struggles o f the 1980s? First,
M alco lm is an ideal role model for
Black youth. Part o f his greatness as
a social figure was derived from his
oppressed origins. M alco lm began
adulthood as “ Detroit Red," a small
time ghetto hustler who was sentenced
to a ten year prison term (aside prison
he transformed himself, struggling to
overcome his lack o f education and
political backwardness. H e became
the powerful minister of Temple Num
ber Seven in H arlem o f E lija h M u
hammad’s Nation o f Islam. W ord of
his sermons brought hundreds of poor
and w orking class Black people to
gether to hear the message Malcolm's
life illustrates graphically the inherent
power we all have to challenge our
own weaknesses, self-hatred and fears
to become leaders and participants in
the struggle for Black freedom.
We remember Malcolm X because
he loved us, despite the social and
political contradictions w ithin our
Martha Moaa
Warahouaa Worker
" M o r e c o n s t r u c t io n .
H a ve n 't seen enough w ork.
Also, I would like to hear
less o f people talking about
how w e ll-o ff they are, when
they really don't know.”
'/» MBI •
” 1 want to see grade schools
closer together and less kids
out on the street after 9 p .m .”
Portland Observer
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The Portland O b w v r r was estab, bed m 1970
MEMBER
com m unity. In his autobiography,
M alcolm notes that after hours on
the speaking platform, he would "b e
come so choked up sometimes I
would w alk in the streets until late
into the night. Sometimes I would
speak to no one for hours, thinking to
myself about what the white man had
done to our poor people here in Am er
ica.” D u rin g a period when most
Afro-American leaders favored non
violent tactics, Malcolm urged activists
to start “ rifle clubs” to defend their
neighborhoods and families against
police b ru tality and w hite vigilante
violence. When perplexed white jo u r
nalists asked M alcolm why he taught
“ Black suprem acy,” M a lc o lm ’s re
sponse was to "p o u r on pure Tire in
return” : " F o r the white man to ask
the Black man if he hates him is just
like the rapist asking the raped, or
the w o lf asking the sheep, 'D o you
hate me?’ The w hite man is in no
moral position to accuse anyone else
of hate!" Contemporaries recognized
that M alco lm articulated , as John
Lewis once w rite, "th e aspirations,
bitterness, and frustrations o f the
Negro people.”
We remember M alcolm X because
he was one o f the very few Black
leaders o f the period who recognized
the limitations o f "in te g ratio n '' as a
political dem and. W hen civil rights
leaders condemned M alcolm for fa
voring racial segregation, he exhibited
a surer grasp of Black social history.
" I l is not a case o f wanting integra
tion or separation, it is a case of want
ing freedom, justice, and equality,”
Malcolm responded. “ It is not integra
tion that Negroes in America want, it
is human dignity.. . An integrated cup
o f coffee isn’t sufficient payment for
310 years o f slave la b o r.” M alcolm
understood that getting rid o f Jim
Crow laws and establishing Blacks’
voting rights in the south were only
February 21, 1985 marks the twen
tieth anniversary of the assassination
o f M alco lm X , the greatest Black
nationalist since Marcus Garvey and
a major spiritual and political spokes
man of the 1960s. Il is tragic that many
youth know so little about this revo
lutionary figure. The Cooperative Re
search Netw ork in Black Studies,
based in Chicago, has urged us to plan
programs on M alcolm in schools,
churches and community centers dur
ing Black H isto ry M o n th . M a rtin
Luther King, Jr. will be honored next
year when his birthday becomes a
legal public holiday. " It is our respon
sibility to turn our focus to the life of
M alcolm X , ” states the Network in
Black Studies. "M alc o lm X was just
as important as M artin Luther King,
and must never be forgotten."
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Am algam ated Publishers. Inc
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preliminary steps in the battle for real
democracy. Fie criticized Blacks'
endorsements for Lyndon Johnson’s
1964 presidential candidacy, predict
ing with grim accuracy that Johnson
would stop far short o f providing a
meaningful economic and social pro
gram fo r Blacks and the poor. A t
tacking the Negro middle class’ blind
allegiance to the corporate system,
M alcolm declared. “ You can’t have
capitalism w ithout racism. A n d if
you find (anti-racists) usually they’re
socialists or their political philosophy
is so cialism ." Years before M a rtin
broke with the Johnson adm inistra
tion's genocidal war in Vietnam, M a l
colm stated that the conflict "shows
the real ignorance o f those who con
trol the Am erican power structure,
their ignorance and blindness.” While
the N A A C P and Urban League were
silent on international affairs, M a l
colm's Organization for A fro-A m eri
can U n ity , founded in 1964, estab
lished the direction for the entire Black
Power Movement which followed
After Malcolm X was assassinated,
Bayard Rustin described him as " a
tragic victim o f the ghetto. Now that
he is dead, we must resist the tempta
tion to idealize Malcolm X , to elevate
charisma to greatness.” Carl Rowan
described him as an "ex-convict who
became a racial fan atic.” But Black
actor Ossie Davis' 1965 tribute to M al
colm is what Black history says about
his true legacy: " In honoring him, we
honor the best in ourselves. H e was
and is, a Prince — our own shining
Prince! — who didn’t hesitate to die
because he loved us so.”
Dr. Manning Marable leaches p o
litical sociology at Colgate University,
H am ilton, N ew York. "A long the
Color Lme" appears in over 140 news
papers internationally.
82,»?