Page 4, Portland Observer, March 13,1966
BUT ITS OUST A
0 0 HOLE IN THE
ÉrttoUND
EDITORIAL/OPINION
OH.NO-
THAT'6 THE
F oundation
/
Re-examine integration
A fro-A m erican s.
use A
U T T l.6 IIA A 6 1 N A T I0 N
Those w ho were employed to represent and
upgrade us as a group sometimes forgot the group
and cashed in on contacts made while the group
became bankrupt in terms o f economic grow th,
educational opportunity and political account
ability.
and race consciousness. Money spent in the Black
com m unity stayed in the Black com m unity.
As the demands for equality became more con
frontational and less willing to com prom ise, in
tegration was developed and grasped by the in
stitutions as a solution to the problems created
by the exclusion o f Americans o f color. Equal
ity in education was interpreted as forced scat
tering o f children away from their culture and
com m unity schools, instead o f upgrading
schools near their homes.
A ffirm a tiv e action was supposed to get our
foot in the door. But once in, the few individuals
who benefitted either closed the door themselves
or allowed the institution to close the door. F i
nancially, the removal o f “ N o Colored Allowed”
from m a jo rity owned businesses started the era
o f capital leaving the Black com m unity, never
to return.
Hindsight is always 2 0 /2 0 and we need to
evaluate the negative and positive aspects o f in
tegration as a tactic and focus o f our struggle
as we set our eyes on the 21st Century. The de
cline and effectiveness o f the civil rights move
ment occurred when our middle class leadership
merged w ith the m a jo rity ’s values and institu
tions. Therefore, our goals and tactics were de
fined from a perspective o f the value system that
perpetuated structural inequalities.
In the 1970s Black children were bussed into a
society which recorded their only significant
contribution to Am erica as slavery. A t that time
we never looked at the wealth o f theory and
W e need to return to the policies o f self-
reliance and self-determination. This was an in
tegral part o f our history that got washed away
during the thrust for integration. The Reagan
A dm inistration is quick to point out the number
o f A fro-A m ericans dependent on government
resources. Y et, they remain mute when govern
ment policies under both political parties encour
age dependence rather than independence. The
advice o f pre-integrationisLs should be re-examined.
In 1892 Ida B. Wells, Black journalist, said,
“ Let the A fro -A m erican depend on no one but
himself for his salvation. Let him continue to
put money in his pocket. W hen we have dollars
in our pockets we can move away from oppres
sion and injustice.”
Educator M a rk M cLeod Bethune said in 1938,
“ I f our people are to fight their way out o f
bondage, we must arm them with the sword, the
shield and the buckler o f pride — the belief in
themselves and their possibilities. . .fro m our
own history our youth will gain confidence, self-
reliance and courage. W e shall raise their mental
horizons and give them a base from which to
reach out higher and higher into the realm o f
achievement.”
W h y did we forget their words in the 1970s?
Integration was first welcomed by the masses and
our leaders. But its actions and interpretation
was superimposed on us by the m ajo rity in
power. W e il, the illusion is over. The theory,
practice and actions o f integration cost us more than
what it gave.
z
eat
So TOU HAÆ To
w e c e S n iu iPowiwcr out ome
RETAILS OF THE F IN A N C IN G ...
stead o f A fro-A m ericans as a group.
H istorically, our grandparents organized
around the demands for basic human rights. In
the 1940s and 50s, apartheid was draped in red,
white and blue as race separation determined
where you sat, ate and attended school. T o com
bat this, our grandparents inherited a founda
tion o f economic vitality, self-determination
Street
S
knowledge that was penned by our pioneers.
The practice o f integration in Am erica diluted
our culture. C u ltu ral chauvinism integrated
Afro-Americans into society as individuals in
Integration, an afterm ath o f the civil rights
movement o f the 1960s, has had dubious bene
fits for the very group it was supposed to help —
T he debate over state funding o f abo r
tion was the topic this week as the Street
Bea, team asked, “ Should the state allo
cate money to pay for abortion for low-
income wom en?”
by Lanita Duke and Richard J . Brown
Craig W ooten
Student
" In certain cases when the
mother’s health is jeopardized
or in ihe case o f rape.”
ON SOUTH AFRICA
Thursday, A pril 4 — Portland
will join in the national observance of
the assassination o f M artin Luther
King Jr. The public is invited to the
King Neighbor hood Facility for an
event sponsored by the Black United
Front and Portlanders Organized for
Southern African Freedom (POSAF).
Speakers to be announced.
Saturday, April 6 — The annual
March Against Racist Violence will
begin at noon at Alberta Park. The
march to the King Neighborhood
Facility will be followed by a rally
with details to be announced. Call
Avel at 230-9427 for further infor
mation.
(April 6).
Here in Portland, the two weeks will
be marked by activities centered around
the fight against apartheid and racism
and foscused on the South African di
vestment bill, H .B . 2001, that is in the
Oregon State Legislature.
Monday, March 25 — A speaker
from the African National Congress
will be at Allen Temple Church at
7:00 p.m. No charge, donations wel
come.
Tuesday, April 3rd — Hearings on
the divestment bill sponsored by M ar
garet Carter and M ike Burton will be
held at 1:30 p.m. in Salem. Call
282-1300 for further information.
Events mark
King's death
Across the country during the
weeks o f March 21 - April 6, many
«immunities will take part in actions
commemorating important events in
South African and American history:
the anniversary o f the Sharpeville
massacre in South Africa (March 21),
the assassination o f M artin Luther
King, Jr. (April 4, and the execution
of African National Congress free
dom fighter Solomon Mahlangu
Internal problems threaten GOP
Along the C olor Line by Dr. M anning M arable
Despite his 49 state sweep and 59
percent electoral mandate. Ronald Rea
gan and the Republicans are in trouble
No, the Democrats have their own set
of difficulties, and should present little
organized opposition to the O O P’s aus
terity agenda The has*. problems of
the Republicans an- pnmar.lv internal
First, Reagan's populantv among
white voters did not translate into a
(ongressainal realignment I just sear
the Republicans gained only 14 seats in
the House and lost two Senate seats.
Eight of the fourteen House seats kst
had been held by Southern "Boll Wee
vils” who were alrradv backers ol Rea
gan Afro-American voters provided the
critical margin of support to elect three
white Senators and at least eight Demo
cratK representatives Reagan «cried
Iowa, but liberal populist Tom Harkin
defeated ultra-nght Republican Senator
Robert W Jepsen The President won in
Illinois, and liberal Democrat Paul Si
mon received only 43 percent o f the
white vole in Illinois. But with 87
percent o f the vole from Blacks, Simon
defeated powerful Republican Sena
tor Charles Percy. There were other
anomalies as well. Reagan carried Los
Angeles County by 55 percent, but
a “ Jobs W ith Peace” referendum on
the same ballot, calling for cuts in the
military budget to lund jobs programs
and human services, passed with 61
percent. The odds are probable that
the Democrats will take back the
Senate in 1986, since nearly twice as
many incumbents seeking reelection
that year will be Republicans. Repre
sentative Tony Coelho, chairman
o f the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee, emphasized
to Reagan. "Y o u are a lame duck.
" I f it’s a life or death situ
ation, I believe it’s O .K .”
Accept it. Elected officials do not
have you to contend with any more.”
New Right leader Richard Viguerie
agrees, predicting (hat “ Reagan faces
two years with a hostile Congress —
and the likelihood o f an electoral
disaster in the 1986 congressional
elections.”
For the Republicans, Reagan’s re-
election simply meant that the strug
gle for power between the moderate
conservatives vs. the radical Right
would now be fought without quar
ter. Moderate conservatives "w o n "
the first round last year, as veteran
Senator Robert Dole o f Kansas, de
nounced by New Right Congressman
Newt Gingrich as the “ tax collector
for the welfare state," handily de
feated New Right candidate James
McClure for the post o f Senate M a
jority Leader. Liberal Republican
John Chalee o f Rhode Island also de
feated ultra-rightist Jack Carn of
Utah to become chairman o f their
party’s Senate Conference Com m it
tee. The Republican New Right suf
fered other blows as well. The removal
of presidential adviser Edwin Meese
to the post o f Attorney General will
reduce the rightists' immediate access
to Reagan. The resignation o f K irk
patrick from the U N , lamented V i
guerie, was “ a loss from which Rea
gan’s foreign policy will never recov
er." The battle to succeed Reagan is
now on, and its resolution may well
determine the future o f the Republi
can Party. Currently the best known
Republican aspirants are traditional
conservatives: Dole, former Senate
M ajo rity Leader H ow ard Baker
o f Tennessee, and Vice President
George Bush.
If Reagan remains “ neutral” in the
1988 campaign, the Republican presi
dential nomination will probably be
won by a New Right leader. The two
candidates to watch are Jack Kemp
and Lew Lehrman. In 1984 Kemp
campaigned personally for nearly 100
Congressional Republican candidates,
and raised $220,000 on their behalf.
Kemp is a favorite o f the Moral M a
jority, and should have the powerful
backing o f major academic and fi
nancial institutions, including the
Heritage Foundation, the American
Enterprise Institute, and the Smith
Richardson Foundation. Millionaire
Lew Lehrman, a conservative Repub
lican narrowly defeated by M ario
Cuomo in New Y o rk’s 1982 guber
natorial race, has created the “ C iti
zens for America (C F A ).” The C F A
recruits "leaders" from the small
business sector to mobilize conserva
tives in Congressional races; recently
it has advocated the deployment o f
the National Guard in "high crime
areas" o f major cities. Lehrman’s
C F A is now established in over 225
congressional districts and although
he has never held public office, po
litical observers note that his private
wealth is such that "there’s no limit
to what he can spend.” Given their
internal divisions, the bitter battle to
succeed Reagan inside the G O P gives
the Democrats the opportunity to
make substantial gains — IF they are
able to achieve unity themselves.
D r M anning M arable leaches p o
litical sociology a l Colgate University,
H a m ilto n , N ew York. "A lo n g the
Color L in e'' appears in over 140 news
papers internationally.
Portland Observer
Mt MUI •
The P ortlan d Observat fU S P S 959 680) it published every
Thursday by Erne Publishing Company. Inc , 2201 North Killings
worth. Portland, Oregon 97217, Post Office B om 3137. Portland.
O regon 972 08 Second cla ss pottage pa«d at Portland Oregon
The Portland Obstrvtr w et estab«. 4»ed in 1970
member
Subscription! 115 00 per yeer in the I r County area Poet
m a tte r Sand address changes to the Porllend Observer. P 0
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A lfre d L. Henderson, Editor/Publisher
A I Williams, Ge.teral Manager
Aaioc/alioo - Founded (M3
Ruth Corner
Seles
“ No, I don’t believe in
abortion. I don't want my tax
money paying for something
I don’t believe in .”
F
PORTLAND OBSERVER
P. J. Rnk
Student Nur*«
“ Absolutely not. The state
should provide birth control
and not abortion.”
National Advertising Repreeantetive
Am algam ated Publishers. Inc
N ew York
mt?
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